ACW 6mm: Battle of Cedar Mountain

Having extensively covered my Napoleonic projects I now turn to ACW. I intend to bring the reader up to date with my ongoing project. i.e. to play through the scenarios within the F&F, RF&F and Guns at Gettysburg scenario books. There are two AAR's to post in addition to 'First Bull Run' which you will find elsewhere on the blog with the ACW label. 

The rules used are Guns at Gettysburg by Dave Brown. I have introduced similar modifications to those used in General de Brigade. The most significant being Command and Control and the omission of skirmishers which are too fiddly for 6mm. 

This scenario is drawn from the Fire & Fury Great Eastern Battles scenario book. Transferring to Guns at Gettysburg orders of battle was relatively straightforward. 1 base in F&F = 1 base in GaG for infantry and artillery, and 2 bases for cavalry. As this is a brigade level scenario I introduced modifications to the rules mainly around attack formations to allow for the fact that each unit was now a brigade rather than a battalion.  

All basing for my 6mm ACW is similar to my Napoleonics. The only difference being cavalry:

Infantry 6 to a base 15mm x 15mm.

Artillery 1 cannon and 4 crew to a base 15mm frontage x 20mm

Cavalry 2 to a base 15mm x 15mm.

On to the battle:

The Battle of Cedar Mountain

9th August 1862

Scale = 6mm

Figures = Baccus

Rules = Guns at Gettysburg
Table size = 4'6" x 3'

Robert E. Lee's success over George McClellan in the Seven Days Battle freed him to confront another threat to Richmond, the 45,000 man Army of Virginia under Maj Gen John Pope. Lee sent Stonewall Jackson and his 2 divisions to Gordonsville on 13th July, declaring to a trusted subordinate, "I want Pope suppressed!" It soon became apparent that Jackson was not strong enough to accomplish the task, and on 27th July, Lee sent A.P. Hill's large division to join Jackson. With the arrival of Hill, Jackson was now determined to find an opening to punish Pope.

Discovering that Pope's 3 Corps were widely separated, Jackson set his army in motion to pounce on the Corps of Nathaniel P. Banks. Pope ordered Banks to search out and attack the enemy, promising to reinforce him with the rest of the army. The scene is set for the Battle of Cedar Mountain.

The scenario refights the entire battle beginning with an unexpected Union assault on the Confederate left and ending at dusk (8.00pm) on 9th August.

Orbats:

Overview looking north at 5.00pm.

At 5.40pm Crawford will launch his charge (blue arrow) being the unexpected Union assault. He automatically moves his full movement rate and does not have to roll a command test to do so. This continues until he has contacted Garnett's Confederate Brigade. When Garnett's Brigade is charged he rolls to see if he is 'Alerted', 'Hasty Alarm' or 'Surprised'. This will determine the effectiveness of his response.

Victory points are gained for each brigade routed from field. The Union army gains 2 additional victory points if it occupies the ridge line between 'X' and 'Y' with at least one formed brigade.

Ewell's Division looking north. He will not move until later in the battle.

View from behind Confederate position looking north east.

View from behind Union position looking west.

Note: The counters represent command dice. I have now devised a less messy system than leaving them all on the tabletop.

Crawford has conducted his charge across the wheatfield and caught the confederate Garnett by surprise (middle right). Garnett retreated in disorder as Crawford gained the position. This left Jackson in a precarious position. He immediately wheeled Taliaferro's Brigade to counter the threat posed by Crawford. 

It was imperative that the Union troops gain the ridge quickly before Confederate reinforcements arrive. Auger's division begin their advance on the ridge (lower left).

Crawford's advance stalls as a result of command failures and is now threatened to be flanked by Taliaferro's brigade. The Union brigade of Gordon advances to support Crawford.

Geary and Prince's brigades exchange fire with the confederates with neither side inflicting many casualties. Thomas leads his confederate brigade along the road towards the centre.

The view looking towards Crawford's stalled advance. 

At the far northern end of the battlefield, the confederate Ronald's brigade looks on as the Union cavalry of Bayard approach their position.

The view of the firefight with Prince's brigade behind Early's position.

Thomas' confederate brigade has now turned off the road running along the ridge and has formed up facing Auger's division. Taliaferro's brigade has charged into the flank of Crawford's Union brigade (top right). The confederates cause mayhem as they sweep through the ranks. Crawford's brigade is forced to retreat.

Early's brigade continues to exchange fire with Prince's brigade with casualties mounting on both sides.

With Crawford's brigade thrown back into the wheatfield the confederate centre has now been stabilised. Auger's Division on the left struggles to make any headway towards the ridge. It is imperative for Banks to regain the initiative before confederate reinforcements arrive.

Gordon's brigade lines the wheatfield fence.

It is now 6.00pm. Thomas and Early's brigades have swept down off the ridge towards Auger's union division (middle of photo). Thomas' brigade charges into the much small union brigade of Geary. The one-sided melee proved decisive as the confederates swept away Geary's command with the entire brigade routing from the field.

Crawford continues to hold the fence in the wheatfield and Crawford finally rallies his brigade in the wood on the east side of that field (upper right).

Top right of the photo, the confederates of Ronald's brigade pour fire into Bayard's cavalry. The latter dismount and enter into a firefight with Ronald's men.

Ominously for the Union troops, the division of A.P. Hill now arrives marching along the Orange-Culpeper Road.

A.P. Hill's division marches along the Orange-Culpeper Road.

A.P. Hill's division, Branch's brigade in the lead followed by Archer's brigade.

Ronald has seen off Bayard's cavalry having sustained significant casualties. The confederate brigades of Ronald, Garnett and Taliaferro now converge on Gordon's brigade in the wheatfield.

Banks has now given up the hope of gaining the ridge. His only hope now is to hold out until dusk. He therefore begins forming a defensive line along the high ground to Hudson's house (bottom left).

Branch's brigade moves along the ridge behind Thomas' brigade. In the distance, the 3 confederate brigades continue to converge on Gordon who has retreated into the woods and lined a fence.

It is now 7.00pm which is the trigger for Ewell who now moves his two brigades from Cedar Mountain towards the union position.

The southern end of the union line with Greene's Brigade forming the left flank.

Thomas' and Branch's brigades line the ridge ready to advance.

With Hill's division now formed up it begins its advance on the union line. Gordon's brigade continues to hold off the confederates (top left).

Ewell's division continue their advance with, in the foreground, Trimble's brigade about to cross the Cedar Run North Fork. Forno's large brigade in the background.

Another view of Hill's advance.

The charge begins as the combined brigades of Hill's division move through the crops towards the perilously thin union line. In the foreground Trimble's brigade moves towards Hudson's house.

As Hill's formations move up the slope, the union infantry hold their fire. Greene's brigade (top right) angles itself towards Trimble's brigade.

Two further views of Hill's attack.

The end  came quickly as the union line was overwhelmed by the massed confederate attack which Gordon's brigade (bottom right) could do little about. 

The union troops had some initial success with Crawford's brigade on the right of the line causing mayhem among the confederates attacking their position. For Crawford it must have seemed like victory was assured but unfortunately for them, Prince's brigade on their left succumbed to the confederate charge.

With union artillery running low on ammo and nothing but the small brigade of Greene holding the left flank against overwhelming odds, a confederate victory was declared. The time was now approaching the 8.00pm conclusion time but it would have made little difference had the union troops held out a little longer.

This is a difficult scenario for Banks to win. His only hope is to capture the target ridge early in the game and inflict crippling losses on the confederates in doing so. Otherwise, as happened in the original battle, they would be defeated in the end by superior numbers.

This was the first time I tried playing Guns at Gettysburg at brigade level and bodes well for when I play day 2 of Gettysburg.