Jackson Gamers' 15mm ACW Naval Battle Up the Lazy River
Confederate forces raising steam at the beginning of the game.
Note that the ironclad tied to the pier is not steaming - engines did not work. She was used as as a floating battery with all guns on the starboard side.
Union commanders
Robert Whitfield and Larry Reeves (in hat) wearing their "Battle faces".
THE UNION FLOTILLA'S MISSION: You are to procedd up this tidal river and destroye hte Confederate shp building operation on the river bank. You can do this by landing troops or by shelling the ship yard. Destroy and Rebel ships encountered during yur expedition.
THE UNION VICTORY POINTS: You will receive 1 x D6 of points for each confederat warship or merchant ship sunk or captured. 1/2xD6 for each steam lunch sunk or captured, 1/2xD6 for each shore gun captured or silenced, and 1 point for each shell hit on the ship yard.
Confederate battery fires at twin turreted monitor
This battery fired at every Union ship that passed and I do not think that it EVER got a hit!
Rebel ships steam downriver
The Confederate ships steam downriver to meet the Yankee Threat.
Part of the Union flotilla
The Union ships are advancing upriver to meet the Confederates. The double-turretted monitor is off the image to the left, interposing between the rebel batteries and the other ships.
Hi-tech range finder in use.
THE CONFEDERATE FLEET'S MISSION: Sink the Yankee inteerlopers who are coming to try to destroy our shipbuilding yards on the Muddy river. Note that one of your Casemate ironclads is afloat but her engiens are not yet finished. She cannot steam and may be moored along the bank at the shipyard, at the pier, or anchored out in the stream - your choice.
THE CONFEDERATE VICTORY POINTS: You get 1xD6 points per union ship sunk or captured, or 2xD6 for each monitor sunch or captured. Each enemy steam launch sunk or captured will bring you 1/2xD6 points.
A Monitor fires!
The Union fleet moving upriver and the Confederate ships moving downriver mainly interpenetrated each other, firing as they went, doing suprisingly little damage.
Lone Confederate gun waits for a target.
The fleets come together - confusion reigns
Point blank fire from those guns on both sides who had managed to reload after futile long distance plinking during the approach. In the background a Confederate steam launch attempts to torpedo the Union monitor.
The dark blue confederate "Manassas" rams a Union tinclad
Both the rammer and the "rammee" had engine problems after this ram attempt and drifted helpessly, fought over by their crews in boarding attempts. The Yankee was saved, the rebel was lost.
A southern battery firing
The Confederate tin-clad thrashes past the Monitor
The Union tinclad (tan deck) tries to ram
The southern tinclad (gray deck) is steaming fast too and both glance off as bow-to-bow rams do little damage. Note the pennies on board several ships. These represent water taken on. When the number of pennies on board equals the flotation value - down she will go!.
The "Tenneesee maneuvers to ram
The immobile Federal steam launches were easy prey for the cumbersome southern ironclad. All of the crews of the boats had been taken onto the Union Tinclad to help repel boarders, leaving the little steam boats tied up alongside.
Melee in the center of the river
The monitor rams the Tennesses. Note the steam issuing from the southern vessel. Engine problems!
THE OUTCOME: When the players broke for a late lunch, the Union vessels were ahead in points. True, the Union had lost two steam launches and a light wooden gunboat sunk, but the Confederates had lost all the crew off the immobile Ironclad in the failed boarding attempt on the Union Monitor. This double-turreted monster, having rammed the southern ship once, was building up steam for another ram attempt. A Confederate tinclad was sunk and the blue "Manassas" gunboat was immoble and almost crewless. Of the other two Confederate casemate ironclads, one had engine problems and was taking on water, and the other was vainly trying to injure the Union single-turretted monitor, with no success. The Union vessels had learned to keep enough distance from the sounthern shore batteries that the rebel shot could not hurt them.
The Union double monitor maneuvers to ram the incomplete Southern Ironclad.
Although the victory points were close, the Southerners had no more torpedoes and no way to stop the monitors. We decided that the Rebels would be unable to stop the Northern double monitor from slamming shell after shell into the shipyard which would fulfill the Yankee objective for the game. A good time was had by all!
Confederate boarders on the Large Union Monitor
A "passel" of confederates boarded the Union Ironclad after it attempted to ram the moored Confederate vessel at the shipyard. Alas, the Union crew was too much for the Southerners. All of the brave southern boys were killed, wounded, or swept away in the river!
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