Hurrah, Boys, Hurrah!

Using our home-brewed ACW variant on Iron Ivan's This Very Ground, a fairly large game was played this past Saturday at the Hamilton Road Games Group. Andy, Kevin, Martin, and Rob took the role of the generals of the Federal armies, while Bear and I defended the honour of the Confederacy. The boys in grey were defending a fortified position from an assault by the Union with about twice as many troops and 2 extra cannon. It was tougher on both sides than you'd think.

The centre battery in the redoubt.

Two large units of Zouaves advance.

The defenders wait for the command to fire.

Martin and Rob prepare to move further.

The Union moved in, as they had to since they were the attackers. Since our artillery took a long time to load and our infantry took longer still, Bear and I held our fire or only fired half volleys on the advancing Yanks. Because of the fortifications, our troops could only be hit on a "1" on a d10; the usual required value is a "5." Many of the first rank units were pretty chewed up, but there were a number of ranks. The Yanks crossed the open plowed fields (represented by some sort of chenille cloth Andy got at a store) and still caused some casualties among our dug-in Rebs - lucky shots. The story is pretty straight forward: Blue-coats advance, Grey-coats fire, Blue-coats die and are replaced by the next rank of units. One of Martin's units (or was it Kevin's?) was reduced to two figures by the time it reached the fortifications and STILL it never broke. (Tough New Englanders, I imagine.) Bear and I had the best shooting when it came to hitting officers. According to our rules, when a unit takes casualties, a d10 is rolled. If the resulting number is equal to or less than the number of casualties taken, one of the casualties is the unit officer. (Two casualties? The officer is hit on a "1" or a "2".) Union officers and first sergeants were dropping like flies! Still the blue wave came on.

A birds-eye view of the Union advance. The green bingo chips mean the unit as been activated
and has moved or shot or both.

The 114th New York enters the fray. I liked the light blue uniforms so I painted them that way.

Andy's Zouaves are a more generic colour and I don't know which regiment is represented.

Union artillery - privately moulded figures and gun.

The Reb gunners take aim at the 114th.

Eventually the Union tide broke on the redoubt and the infantry came over the wall at the cannon crews. All three guns were knocked out of action in two turns. An assault against infantry on Bear's side of the fortifications was thrown back. Rob was running a small section of Bredan's 1st US Sharpshooters with their special rifles and they had picked off more than a few of Bear's troops. I had one reserve company with I moved up to the wall in the hope of enfilading the advancing Federals, but to little or no avail. We called the game as a Union victory although a bloody one. They had breached the wall in three and possibly four places, making our position untenable. I know there will be more games with this set although we may have to look at the canister rules and the cannon range rules. I might help if I were more familiar with the variant rules we've done up. Still it was a fun game - admitted to by all present - and that is why we play, isn't it?

Union batteries in support of the assault
Privately moulded figures on the left, Perry Miniatures on the right.
Perry Miniatures plastic Zouaves in the front.

The fortifications, the bivouac, and the reserves

The business end of the central battery

The Union Commander - looking unworried

The brave defenders - Perry plastics

The 114th (or what's left of them) take the battery!
Rob's sharpshooters are hiding behind the handy tape measure in the background.

"Double canister and no swabbing!"
I wish!

Kevin moves his victorious Zouaves into the redoubt.

Union infantry come over the wall despite the best efforts of the defenders.

Another view of the defenders on my end of the line.
Green chips - activated; blue chips - weapons fired and reloading.
Four chips means your entire unit is reloading. Three means you can still fire up to ¼
of your figures in what's called "fire at will" in the rules. 

Another Union unit approaches the still contested wall.

"Hurrah, boys, hurrah!"
Kevin's Zouaves come over the fortifications.

Andy's brigade advances in proper order - two companies of skirmishers out front,
four companies in open order behind. The standard is primarily for show, but the mounted
officer has a morale use.

"I'll be in my tent. Y'all wake me when the war is over."
A decent close-up of one of Andy's Perry Miniatures artillerymen who agreed to pose for the photograph.