Jackson Gamers' American Civil War Game
Crossin the Crick
Using our "Continuous Fire Fight" variant of Larry Brom's rules
We played this game at HOBBYTOWN in North Jackson on April 5th, 2003. The Yankees' senior officer was Jim Pitts, playing General Hancock, commander of the Union second corps. His subordinates were: Eric Betts, Bill Reiman, and Phill Young.
The Confederate commander was Larry Reeves, acting as General Longstreet. His subordinates were Bill Estes, Fred Diamond, and Ed Sansing. The Confederate mission was to cross the 'crick' and move forces off the table into the Union rear. The Union mission was to kill every Southerner who tried to get across the water.
The Confederates mass, crossing the southern bridge, then spreading out left and right as they get across. The 'crick' was declared as unfordable "as far as you know" at the start of the game. No one tested it till two of Fred Diamond's regiments fell back across it. At that point, Fred asked if it could be forded by troops headed towards the enemy as well as away from them. The game master agreed that it could, and Fred began moving across rather than waiting his turn on the jammed bridge.
General Hancock on horse, with standard bearer on far side of him, tries to inspire his men in the center.
| 1st Division (Major Gen. Caldwell)
1st Brigade is detached
2nd Brigade (Brigadier General Attleboro)
3rd Brigade (Brigadier General Wagner)
Divisonal Artillery
|
2nd Division (Maj. General Gibbon)
1st Brigade (Brig. General Tucker)
2nd Brigade (Brig. General Hicks)
3rd Brigade (Brig. General Stoddard)
Divisonal Artillery
|
3rd Division (Maj. General Poe)
1st Brigade (Brig. General FT Sherman)
2nd Brigade (Brig. General Hall)
3rd Brigade (Brig. General Carr)
Divisional Artillery
|
| Corps Artillery (Capt John G. Hazard) Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery (6 guns) Battery B, 2nd U.S. Artillery (6 guns) Chicago Board of Trade Battery (6 guns) | ||
Federal Totals: Infantry: 29 regiments, Artillery: 9 batteries "6-guns" each. Each infantry regiment was represented by 24 men on six stands. Each artillery battery was composed of six gunners, and three guns.
General Longstreet (Larry Reeves - in billed cap) glumly watches the battlefield along with Fred Diamond (in striped shirt). They commanded on the Confederate left. Bill Estes led the assault on the ford in the center of the table, and Ed Sansing commanded on the Right.
The Right was roughly handled by the Union troops under Eric Betts. The Center of the table was a stalemate, Bill Estes making little progress against Bill Reiman, supported by General Hancock (Jim Pitts), although at the end of the game, Bill Estes was assembling a massive grand battery using all the artillery of the 2nd division and the corps artillery reserve.
On their left, repeated assaults across the bridge eventually led to an accumulation of southern regiments across the river. Their fire caused many of the Union forces under Phil Young to fall back, or even to rout. This is where the game was decided.
Jim Pitts (General Hancock) adjusts the lines in the Union center. The last Union reserve brigade was never committed (did not make it onto the table) and there was nothing to stop the Confederates when the Union right gave way.
Early in the battle, both sides are shooting across the creek but the Confederates have not yet rushed the bridge.
Union Artillery on the spur of a hill. Parrott guns firing over the head of the infantry down below.
Columns of Federals in overcoats (Hicks' New York Brigade) rush up to try to stop the Confederate penetration. The Federals on the right of the photo (with red morale ring on flag staff) are headed the other way. They have "seen the elephant" and will probably come back to the army in time to draw rations - tomorrow!
| 1st Division (Major General McLaws)
1st Brigade (Brig. General Jenkins)
2nd Brigade (Brig. General Semmes)
3rd Brigade (Brig. General Perry)
STONEWALL BRIGADE (Brig. Gen. Walker)
Divisional Artillery
|
2nd Division (Major General Pickett)
1st Brigade (Brigadier General Nicholson)
2nd Brigade (Brig. General Johnson)
3rd Brigade (Brig. General Armistead)
Divisional Artillery
|
3rd Division (Major General Cleburne)
1st Brigade (Brig. General Gist)
2nd Brigade (Brig. General Estes)
3rd Brigade (Brig. General Taylor)
4th Brigade (Brig. General Robertson)
Divisional Artillery
|
Corps Artillery (Col. Porter Alexander) | ||
1st Alabama Battery (4 guns) 1st Mississippi Battery B (4 guns) Russell's Battery (4 guns) |
Pulaski Artillery (4 guns) Scott's Battery (4 guns) Allen's Battery (4 guns) |
Washington Artillery (4 guns) Seven Stars Battery (4 guns) |
Each regiment is composed of 24 men. Four figures each on six stands 6-gun Union batteries are composed of 3 stands, each containing a gun and two men. 4-gun Confederate batteries are composed of 2 stands, each containing a gun and two men. | ||
Confederate Totals: Infantry: 35 regiments, Artillery: 18 batteries of 4 guns each. Each regiment consisted of 24 men on 6 stands. Each Battery was represented by 4 gunners and two model guns.
Confederate infantry lead by a battery, moving to the front. I believe that these are Florida boys doing the double-time. The battle ended before they got in range of the Yankees.
So - Who won the battle!
General Longstreet (Larry Reeves) and his fellow Southerners won the game. They pushed across the river at the Southern bridge, in spite of losses, and ran off the Union forces in several vicious melees. I had thought that the Federals would have enough fire-power to cover the bridge and the approaches and that with the Continuous fire-fight rules, they could hold the line of the creek.
The Confederates massed several batteries on ground near the bridge and drove off some of the Union forces.Then the Southern assault troops just would NOT break. They came across regardless of loss, and once they got the bridghead, which was expanced by Fred Diamond moving across the creek itself, south of the bridge, the Union did not have enough strength to conter-attack.
There was a ford across the creek, on the northern part of the field, but the Southeners just kept enought forces there to make the Union leave troops there. The Confederates massed artillery and infantry at the bridge and took it!
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