61 - 65 Rules AAR #8 - Looking for Hats Scenario 1863!

July 4th long weekend in the USA so we thought we’d play an American themed game, out came the 61-65 Rulebook and a bunch of 28mm ACW Miniatures! We played the 1863 scenario Looking for Shoes (renamed Looking for Hats in honour of the Susquehanna Hat Company, a flimsy link will soon follow 😃!), we based our game in the lead up to Gettysburg as Early’s Division of the Army of North Virginia advanced towards Wrightsville on the Susquehanna River late June 1863.

Federal gunners directed by Lieutenant Harrison labour to reload their might napoleon cannon!

Forces (as per Rulebook scenario, Looking for Shoes)

CSA, Elements of Rhodes Georgian Brigade Cpt Jebodiah Galloway & Lt Neudegg
8 x Units (7 + 2), 3 Veterans and 5 Volunteers plus 8 Leaders

USA, Various Local Militia and Federal Army Units Cpt Ulysses S. Darling & Lt Harrison
6 x Units at full strength (8 + 2) 1 Veteran and 5 Volunteers plus 6 Leaders
1 x Gun (4 crew).

The Situation

June 28 and Rhodes Brigade spearheads the Confederate run to capture the mile long bridge at Wrightsville that spanned the mighty Susquehanna River, the mighty mile long bridge at Wrightsville leading to the far north of the Union lay ripe for the taking!

Captain Jebodiah Galloway led his Georgians along Carlisle Road with a plan to encircle any of the Federal Militia he may engage that had been reported in the area. He was sure he'd be across the Susquehanna before nightfall leading the rest of Rhodes Brigade to victory! He boldly boasted to his men, "Tarnation if I wont be donning a new bonnet from the Susquehanna Hat Company while chowing down on my grits tomorrah morning Boys!"

Meanwhile recently promoted Captain Ulysses S. Darling had just been put in command of a rag tag group of Units and had been told to delay the Confederate advance on Wrightsville to give engineers time to blow the central section from bridge to block any movements by the Rebels north of the Susquehanna River. He planned a mobile defence based around the Napoleon cannon he had been supplied.

The AAR

Sticking to their plan the Southerners advanced on a wide front either side of the Carlisle Road looking to envelop the Yankees, in turn the Federal forces deployed around the buildings in the centre and behind a fence line on their right.

The battlefield at the end of turn one the Federals are in the foreground and the Southerners can be seen advancing from the far edge...

First blood was drawn by the Federals but the Confederates advanced steadily forward! They secured several buildings and pushed the Northerners from all but one they had occupied.

Both sides advancing into contact Federals to the left and Confederates to the right...

Captain Jebodiah Galloway urges his me to victory!

The Union Commander then deployed his gun in a position that dominated the the Rebels centre and left while his veterans advanced down the Carlisle Road and 2 Units of Zouaves swung to engage the Rebels right wing. The guns first round caused Confederate casualties and a rethink of their plan!

Zouaves advance!

The Federals Gun is deployed and belches flame and smoke (imagine that in the picture) the first round takes out a couple of Southerners (indicated by the skull and crossbones silver disks)...

The Confederates quickly react to the big gun and cunningly place skirmishers to cover the flank and skilfully redeploy their other troops!

The Southerners now moved to advanced half their force on their extreme left covered by skirmishers while their right struggled to hold off the rampant Zouaves!

The Union Zouaves are proving to be a pesky nuisance to the Rebel right flank! Both sides take losses but in this position the Yankees have the numbers.

Confederates mass toward their far left (confusingly to the right in the picture!)

The Union gunners kept up a deadly fire using grape and to clear the annoying Confederate skirmishers from their field of fire!

But the Union weren't having everything their own way a group of Southern skirmishers had turn their left threatening Captain Darling and the other Officers, a whole unit was diverted to face them!

Losses started to mount on both sides and by turn five the tide began to turn in favour of the Federals! To counter the Northerners ascendancy on their right and in the centre the Rebels began to advance their left out of the Napoleon's field of fire. Meanwhile the Union Gun was proving pivotal, the crewman laboured hard and on their own had inflicted almost a quarter of the Rebels casualties!

A ferocious duel broke out along the Carlisle Road Georgian infantry led by skirmishers took on Union veterans supported by fire from a nearby barn!

The Rebel left advanced!

At this juncture a well timed charge by the Zouaves and an accurate aimed volley from the Federal Veterans on the Carlisle Road pushed the Southerners to their limit and they broke withdrawing from the battlefield!

The Zouaves about to charge to glory in the lower right they can be seen facing a worn down Confederate Unit which they broke!

An accurate volley from Federal Veterans along the Carlisle Road cleared it of Southerners! This broke the will of the Confederates, they quickly withdrew!

The Susquehanna Hat Company was saved as was the integrity of the whole of the Union, Captain Darling and Lieutenant Harrison were applauded...anyway Rhodes men had more important fish to fry further south around the town of Gettysburg!

It was a great night and until turn six both sides were in with a chance to win. Importantly for them the Confederates wore down the Federal skirmishers giving them an edge but the Union forces placement of the gun hampered their foes while their bold advance on the right sealed the Rebels fate! These rules even though not perfect are ideal for our Monday night sessions, they are a relatively simple and well set out, they feature lots of action especially once the forces from both sides close and importantly they have a good ACW feel. Still despite having played these rules many times we still came up with a few questions which I’ve sent off to be cleared up! Something different comes up each time we play.

Thanks to Al, Dave and George! Next ACW game outrageous fake facial hair, cigars and Bourbon will be compulsory!