Gentlemen Pensioners post-Phalanx ACW game

I was lucky enough to be invited to join the Gentlemen Pensioners ACW wargame the day after the St Helens Phalanx show.  Rules used were Fire and Fury, which seems a good set of rules, easy to pick up the basics (I'd never played them before).  The table was laid out as shown - the Yankees coming on from the right hand table edge and the nearest table edge to the right of the road.  The Rebels were allowed to deploy their main force as far as the road, although cavalry units could deploy further forwards.

The Yankee objective was the river port town in the far left hand corner of the photo, particularly the Rebel artillery battery and redoubt, which was proving particularly troubling to Yankee riverine units attempting to pass by.

The length of the table looking towards the Union deployment zones at the far end and right hand table edge as far as the first road.

Most of the days actions would take place around the first lateral road.

Rebel cavalry forming a speedbump around the farm and adjoining woodland.

The main Rebel lines, a forward screen lines the lateral road, supported by artillery batteries in redoubts on the two hill.  Behind these are the main trench lines.  Confederate reserves will deploy from the town to the right.

Confederate defence in depth - a forward line of skirmishing cavalry, a line of Confederate infantry supported by artillery redoubts, and a final defence line of entrenched infantry and artillery.

My own personal command, an infantry brigade and two artillery batteries.

The Union advanced rapidly, attempting to sweep aside the Reb cavalry screen, with varying success.  Some truly abysmal Rebel artillery fire causes them not a problem.

On the Rebel right at the top of the photo, Union troops are pushing back the thinly held Rebel line through the trees and the Rebs are starting to give ground.  On the Rebel left and centre, the Union are struggling to cope with Reb cavalry charges - real death or glory stuff as one might expect, and their own command and control, which sees the Union right advancing in a very ponderous manner.

My brigade are beginning to get a bit jittery - at least the sound of the guns is having a soothing effect as they imagine the devastation being caused - if only they knew!

The Union right get within musket range of the Rebs first line and one brave unit attempts to push the large Reb unit back onto the hill.

They are thrown back in disarray, thanks largely to enfilade fire from a unit which swung around from the other side of the road.  However, the Union centre have pushed the Rebs back from the hill in the distance.  Time for the Rebs to pull back to their main line, or have they left it too late?

While the guns cover the retreat, Reb infantry start to pull back towards the trenches, but not before the small unit on the Reb left flank is wiped out in hand to hand combat.

Even the guns pull back as the infantry continue to give ground, but they should be able to add some extra muscle to the main trench line.

Sadly, that's where Will and I had to leave the game and head home.  I'm not sure whether there were any more turns played after we left, if I can find anymore reports, I'll add some links to those.  Thanks to Steve for hosting and Dave for coming up with the scenario, most of the troops and terrain, as well as the players for such a fun days gaming.

Dave's report of the game from the opposite flank and Union perspective https://wargameamateur.blogspot.com/2019/07/gentleman-pensioners-agm-game.html



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Glory Halleluiah! ACW game

We played out another scenario from "Glory Hallelujah!" at the club last week.  This time it was "Bartlett's Farm - 1863" and we used Will's (Fire at Will) most excellent 20mm ACW collection.  Ian and Will took two Reb brigades each, while I took the greatly outnumbered (but not for long) Union 1st Division.  The idea was that if anyone else wanted to join the game they could take on one of the reserve forces.

The terrain lay out, mainly using club terrain with some of Will's snake rail fencing and buildings.  Rebs come on from the right and need to cross the stream to get to grips with the Union deployed between the road and the stream.  Union reserves come on from the left at a random location determined by dice roll on the roads or through the woods.

The Reb hordes come out of the forest and push towards the stream from the top edge of the photo.  Union defenders are deployed in a thin blue line.  The line is anchored in the centre on a rifle regiment occupying a farm building just out of sight off the bottom of the photo.

A couple of southern gentlemen, Will and Ian.

Well, once we got started, it took three turns to conclude.  The Rebs attempted to rush across the stream and generally managed to fail command rolls, coming on in a piecemeal fashion.  Meanwhile, the Union rolled for each of three brigades to come on, needing 4+, and they succeeded in bringing on a brigade per turn, randomly spread across the back of the Union line.  Will's Rebs did contact the Union line, but finished up with a broken brigade and various whipped units.  The Union front line was similarly shaken but holding firm, for now.  However, behind the Union front line were three fresh brigades deployed in double lines, which the southern gentlemen didn't relish attacking, so decided to slink away into the undergrowth.

Taken from the Union left, the front line shows the pounding it has taken with lots of hit dice and shaken or disordered markers (yellow/red respectively).  The Reb right is in an even poorer state with some regiments routed or whipped and one brigade broken.  The Rebs on their left flank took too long to get through the woods, but were by the end making a nuisance of themselves shooting under cover from the edge of the trees. 

Three very similar shots, highlighting the superb figures from Will's collection, which is most excellent.

 

We have only played the scenario once, but it seemed to us that there was too good a chance for the Union to bring on reserves.  Three brigades with an evens chance of each coming on means only a 1 in 8 chance of not getting any reserves at all on turn 1.  With the odds in favour of a steady Union build up, if the Rebs don't get to grips with the Union line in the first couple of turns, it will all be over for them very quickly.  It was lots of fun for me as the Union player, but I suspect less so for the southern gentlemen.

 

Looking forward to the next ACW outing, having "seen the elephant".

 

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Gettysburg; Picketts Charge in 10mm

For the second day at Gauntlet, Will and I were debating whether to carry on with the Korsun Pocket game or try an ACW scenario from the new Glory Hallelujah! Black Powder book, which Will has recently acquired.  On hearing this, Steve mentioned he had a 10mm ACW collection with 30+ regiments per side.  This was too good an opportunity for Will to organise a refight of the Gettysburg - It can't be long now scenario.  Terrain was a simple ridge along one long table edge, lined by Union infantry and artillery, with the Rebs arrayed up to 1ft on from the opposite table edge.  For the Union, Gary took the let wing with II (part) and III corps, Jamie the centre with II corps 2nd Division and I corps 3rd Division, and Richard the right wing II corps 3rd Division and I corps 2nd Division in reserve.  Opposite them on the Rebel right was Steve with Pickett's Division and on the left was me with Pettigrew's Division with Gary and Trimble's Division behind me.

So, it's July 3rd 1863.  After 2 days of heavy fighting around the Pennsylvanian town of Gettysburg, the armies of the Union and Confederacy face off against each other, the Union occupying Cemetery Ridge and the Confederacy occupying Seminary Ridge.  Lee appears to have reached a decision and ordered Pickett, Pettigrew and Trimble to assault the Union lines.  The scenario starts with the Rebs approaching the Emmitsburg Road and about to have a very bad day.

Trimble's Division in the foreground with Pettigrew's Division beyond.

Pickett's Division nearest the camera.

The Union defence in depth on the ridge.

Looking from Cemetery Ridge towards the Emmitsburg Road.

The first turn sees Pettigrew get all 3 of his brigades moving forwards, while Trimble gets one brigade to advance, the other deciding to wait a bit to see what happens.

On the right, Pickett's men are positively jogging.  However, rather than focussing on the same point in the Union lines as Trimble and Pettigrew, they are veering off towards the Union left wing.

The view at ground level.

Pettigrew's troops with Pickett charging in the distance.

Pettigrew starts to shake his columns out into 2 regiment deep lines ready to charge home on the Union lines.

Pickett continues to advance, but not quickly enough.

Pickett is now within charging distance of the Union line.

Pickett's other brigade picks up the pace.

Pettigrew stalls momentarily.

Trimble gets a rush of blood and moves up on Pettigrew's flank.

One of Pettigrew's brigades seems to have developed a death wish.  Union commanders look on expectantly.

Lunchtime, and I had to take some photos of the excellent Team Yankee game organised by Dennis and Pete.  The crashed cars in the town centre look great.

Love the American SPG models.

Apache gunships move in on a company of T-72s.

After lunch, back to Gettysburg.  Pettigrew's Division charges the Union line.  Despite withering closing fire, they manage to wipe out 2 Union batteries and melees embroil the length of 6 regiments.

The view from the ground.

Trimble's brigades move up and the foremost brigade gets within musket range of the Union flank.

Ongoing melees sap the strength of attackers and defenders.

Confederate ranks are thinning faster than the Union at Pickett's end of the table.

Union numbers on their left flank told in  the final analysis and 2 of Pickett's Brigades broke and fled the battle.  We played out another turn at Pettigrew's and Trimble's end of the table as there were a number of ongoing melees, which were often going the Reb way, although fresh reserves were being fed along the line, so it was only a matter of time.  Trimble's Division was able to retire largely unharmed, while Pettigrew's Division was badly mauled and Pickett was down to one effective brigade.  I think this is one of those scenarios where the Rebs can only win by not turning up.  The High Water Mark of the Confederacy was a little further north of the actual historical spot, but about the same distance in, which suggested an honourable draw, albeit a very bloody one for the Rebs.

Thanks to Steve for providing the troops and terrain and for Will for organising the scenario with very little lead time.  Thanks also to Gary, Jamie, Richard C, Steve and Gary for providing a fun game with the right level of commitment to the scenario tasks, the history of the period and, above all, having fun with toy soldier.

Thanks for looking.