Background to the Game
I've always enjoyed re-fighting real battles. There as always been an attraction is trying to understand the challenges faced the real life troops and generals. I have found Alter of Freedom and Bloody Big Battles to be vey good rules for recreating historic ACW battles. For this game, I knew I was going to have between one and four friends playing with me, some experienced wargamers and some less so. None of them were familiar with AoF or BBB but all had played the SKT rules and most had played the STK’s Flames in the South, ACW rules for the ACW. One of the strengths of the SKT rules are that once you have played one period you will find you know 90% of the rules for any other period. I therefore decided to set up this game for the STK’s Flames in the South, ACW rules.
Scenario
As this wasn't going to be a full historical recreation I decided to form the game around the battle of Shilo but taking various liberties with the ground scale and forces. I wrote the scenario and then asked my friend John to set up the terrain. Splitting tasks between players helps prevent one player (me) having too much control over the battle.
One mistake I made when setting up the scenario was not limiting the power of gunboat USS Tyler. In the actual battle of Shilo the Union gunboats were of limited value and I should have toned it down for our battle.
The battle was fought in 6mm with ~1,800 Baccus figures. The figures were mainly on the standard 60x30mm bases but with a few, skirmishers etc based on 30mmx30mm, as I can place two together to create a 60mmx30mm base.
The Scenario can be downloaded here...Shlio-ish
Hidden Forces
The other thing I did to prevent myself and the other players from knowing all the details of the forces opposing us was to create a number of "forces" for the players to pick between. Some troops would be on the table at the start of the battle and others would join as the battle proceeded. This approach meant that the players didn't know if they would be facing green troops or veterans, all infantry or also some cavalry.
In the game the Confederate commanders left their inexperience troops in the rear as reserves, thinking that by the time the reserves came into play the union forces would be worn-down and easier to beat. The Union general took the extra artillery and cavalry thinking that they could punish or pin the advancing confederate forces.
Dawn
The Union side of the battle field was very sparse with just a few pickets spread around the various camps. The Confederate forces concentrated their attacks onto the ridgeline past the Shilo church and up the bank of the river towards Pittsburg Landing..
Heavy Fighting
The union forces reacted quickly and rushed to occupy defensive positions on the ridgeline .The Union forces around Pittsburg Landing held back. Their plan was to deploy skirmishers in the woods near the advancing Confederates and bombard them from both the front and enfilade from the river.
Confederate assaulting the ridgeline
Confederate Forces Assaulting towards Pittsburg Landing
Beginning of the End
The Confederate assault on the ridgeline failed. It was well defended by Steve and John. It was my fight to loose and I lost. In retrospect I should have pushed on harder but with bigger gaps between my ranks. I allowed them to bunch up too close to one another and cascading moral failures stopped my attack.
The Confederate assault on Pittsburge Landing received huge casualties from the Union artillery, especial the Gunboat USS Tyler. I can only apologise to my friend Paul for giving him the short end of the stick, by giving him the task of having to lead his men into that bombardment. In retrospect I should have greatly reduced the firepower of the USS Tyler. The Union skirmishers deployed in the wood caused disproportionate chaos to the attacking Confederate and we should have deployed a couple of regiments into skirmish formation and swept them out of the woods before pressing on to Pittsburge landing but the need to advance out of the effective fire from the USS Tyler force the Confederates to by-pass the woods.
Reserves Arrive To Late
From a Confederate point of view the reserves arrived too late. The Union troops were in good defensive positions and a fresh Confederate assault would have had a harder task that their morning assault. It was time to use the reserves to cover the retreat while the cowardly yankees, did the sensible thing and sat in their defensive positions and watched...
Points to note
The left flank saw a full on cavalry change between Union and Confederate cavalry. Rare in the ACW but impressive. Odds were on the side of the Confederates ...but it keeping with the day the Union swept the Rebel cavalry from the field.
Depending on the rules you use, you should be carful not to allow the fire from the USS Tylor dominate the eastern edge of the battlefield.
|Conclusion
Despite it being a crushing victory by the Army of the USA over the CSA, it was a fun game. Thanks to my three friends who were able to join me in the game, John, Steve & Paul.
