Yankees and Rebels fight a vicious and deadly melee in the corn fields...
Last Monday our scheduled game got put back so while on a roll we played another ACW skirmish with the Sixty-One-Sixty-Five Rules. This time we set up Scenario 2, 1863 Looking for Shoes! from the Rulebook. The Victory Conditions like Scenario 1 require both the sides to 'kill' 1/3 of the opposition to win. This time the USA was on the defensive with the chance an artillery piece would be deployed! There was lots of cover available to both sides and the CSA had a slight advantage in numbers, 80 figures to the USA's 72 (including the gun crew).
AAR, again I'll let the pictures tell the story!
The Rebs on the attack entered from the table edge to the right of the picture and the Yankees deployed in lines to face them...
It wasn't long before the Rebel left faced off against the Northerners. The Zouaves drew first blood taking out 3 Southerners (round silver discs in the picture in front of the Rebs line)!
The Rebel right capture the cemetery but their skirmishers were forced back and a firefight commenced.
Rebs taking pot shots at the Bluebellies!
The view of the action from the Union line. The Confederate skirmishers were starting to tilt the balance, they took out some of the Union skirmishers and their fire created confusion in the Yankees lines. See in the picture below several Zouaves are turned to the rear these are men the skirmish fire had affected...
Union troops in the corn field face off but on this flank they are outnumbered 2 to 1! Where is their artillery gun!
An overview of the action 6 USA units facing off against 8 CSA ones. Both sides were keeping their men within command control so activations were easier to pass, still there was turnovers and still the Union Gun failed to arrive on the field of action. at this stage the game was in the balance with losses on both sides pretty well equal.
While a large Monty Python hand hovers Rebel skirmishers in the old barn continue to pepper the Zouaves. Note 4 figures are now reversed!
The Rebel left using their numbers enter the corn field and start turning the Yankee line...
Fighting rages in the corn field!
In the centre the Rebels advance the skirmishers having driven of the Yankees, in the distance the Zouaves now have 7 shaken figures out of 8 in the unit!!!! in the foreground Colonel Pepperhead cheers his men on!
Rebs softening up the Yanks in the corn field.
The Reb right meanwhile was pushing the Union line back...up goes the call again from the Yankee Officers, "Where's the artillery!"
The Reb right pushes the Union back, it seems like the Confederate skirmishers are multipling!
The fighting in the corn field continues...
...and decides the battle! On turn '8' the Rebs charge a unit of 8 Zouaves in the flank. The resulting die rolls gave the CSA a 4 to 1 win in the action indicating 4 casualties. Now the unit had 3 steady men and 5 shaken men in combat and all shaken men of a unit equal 1 casualty so in this case 8 men are taken out! This took the Union force past the breaking point!
The overview of the battlefield at the end of the game. these rules give players a good looking game!
A Confederate Victory!
Yankee losses 26 men
Rebel losses 11 men
So a Southern victory, again a good quick game was had and everyone enjoyed the evening (yes even the Yankee player!). This is the second time we've played this scenario and on both occasions the Yanks cannon has turn up either too late or not at all. I still wonder how it will affect the outcome! What I think in this game even though the total numbers are men are equal and neither side has a large qualitative advantage the Confederates have a good advantage in skirmishers 8 pairs to 6. considering the Reb knocked out a couple of Union pairs increasing that advantage all through the game there were more 'shaken' yanks than Rebs because of this affecting their fighting power. The Union's central unit did little as they tried to continually rally and the Zouaves that were wiped out in a melee had 5 out of 8 men shaken. Maybe the gun could have swept these pesky skirmishers aside we may know next time we try this game!
Great game guys!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sergio!
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