Newly in command and with his army nearly surrounded John B Hood of the Confederacy attempted to assault George H Thomas and the Army of the Cumberland.
United States
George Thomas
21,655
Confederate States
John B Hood
20,050
Wargame
2 players
4×8 tables
24 infantry regiments for each side, 2 cavalry regiments each, and 4 artillery batteries each.
River with 2 crossings, woods, fences, two small hills
Set-up
Both sides should start off the table. The union should be attempting to cross the river, while the confederacy wants to attack their positions. the river should be within a few inches of its board edge, while the hills should be middle of the table, but slightly closer to the confederacy.
Day 3 of Gettysburg was marked by a massive artillery bombardment and Pickett’s famous charge. Two cavalry actions, Northeast and Southwest of Gettysburg, were less well-known but equally important.
Our game will focus on the Northeast action. The Southwest action was basically a slaughter for the Confederates with few Union casualties.
On the Northeast, three Confederate cavalry brigades and three infantry brigades attempted to assault the Union right flank. Five Union cavalry brigades met the onslaught of a very mobile battle covering 5 square miles.
Wargame For use with Across a Deadly Field or Other Civil War wargame 2 Players Equal amounts of forces for the Union and the Confederates 6×4 Table with woods, farms, roads, and small creeks
Set-Up Set up a table, and each player picks a side. Place 3 objective markers around the battlefield. One should be at the center of the table, the other two on each side, wherever the table owner determines they should be placed.
Players should fight to control the objectives. At the end of 10 turns, whoever controls 2 objectives wins the game. Any forces that are destroyed should be replaced from the owning player’s table edge.
Extra Rule
The two objectives near the players should move each turn. Use a scatter dice with direction to move the objectives. The central objective should remain stagnant.
On Day 2 of Gettysburg, dozens of theaters could be their own game. We will focus on The Wheatfield, a relatively back-and-forth part of the battle that should make for a good match.
Union 40 Brigades 5 Artillery Batteries (unless reinforcements were used the day before) Confederates 36 Brigades 4 Artillery Batteries
Your initial setup should look like this: The Union has reserves about 6 turns away, and the Confederates have full forces bearing down. The Union line should look like a zig-zag, with various creeks, ridges, and orchards forming the defensive line. Of the 40 Union Brigades, only about 20 should be on the front line, ready to engage.
The game should proceed with the Confederates getting a free artillery barrage on the Union line, inflicting casualties. The Confederates should also have the initiative and be bearing down on the Union position.
The only unique rule for this scenario involves yesterday’s battle. If the union used reserves, then they will lose 4 brigades of reserves for today’s battle.
Our next three days will cover different points in the Battle of Gettysburg. I am not even going to attempt to write about the impact Gettysburg had on the Civil War or the momentous speech that was given afterward. Instead, I am going to focus on small actions that impacted the battle.
Gettysburg Order of Battle Day 1 (For Our Game)
Union First Division of XI Corps Brigadier General Francis C Barlow 1st Brigade Col Leopold Von Gilsa 41st New York 54th New York 68th New York 153rd Pennsylvania 2nd Brigade Brigadier General Adelbert Ames 17th Connecticut 25h Ohio 75th Ohio 107th Ohio
Confederates Major General Jubal A Early Hays Brigade 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th Louisiana Smiths Brigade 31st, 49th, and 52nd Virginia Hokes Brigade 6th, 21st, and 57th North Carolina Gordons Brigade 13th, 26th, 31st 38th, 60th, and 61st Georgia Jones Artillery Battalion 35th Virginian Cavalry
The Confederates won the first day of Gettysburg at a key moment: Major General Jubal A. Early’s attack on the eastern flank against Brigadier General Francis C. Barlow and the pursuit action to surround the Union.
The above map shows the various deployments.
Rules Across a Deadly Field or other American Civil War Game 2 Players Models Needed: 8 Union Infantry Regiments, plus 1 Artillery Battery, plus 1 Cavalry Regiment 17 Confederate Infantry Regiments, plus 2 Artillery Batteries
Set-Up
The Union should be positioned behind a creek with strong defensive emplacements. The Creek should have a singular bridge. The union should also have a height advantage.
The Confederates should be across the creek with mild vegetation cover.
Objective Confederates win the ground to surround the rest of the Union army. If you are the Union player, hold off as long as you can. For the Union, you should not want to fight to the death, as you have a fallback position near Krzyzanowski. You can also call on 4 or 5 regiments of reinforcements, however beware for the battle tomorrow as more union troops are arriving, and numbers are more important than territory.
stonewalljackman 