ACW campaign, week 6 - race for the bridge

Another interesting scenario this week as both sides rush up opposite sides of a river looking to secure a bridge. The defender has a smaller force but starts with some troops guarding the bridge.

Game 1 - John vs Paul

The attacking Union forces went for numbers, fielding five line infantry and two skirmishers. The defending Rebs gambled on just two units of veteran lights and a single gun holding the bridge. 

The Union company advanced rapidly with their skirmishers coming quickly in range of the gun. This was soon dispatched with a few turns of fire. The Confederate reinforcements were clearly confused as to their orders as they spent several turns inactive before finally making progress towards to bridge.   

Sadly for them it was too late and the Union stormed over the bridge to a maximum points win before they were halfway to the bridge.

Game 2 - Roy vs Adam

The Union again attacked and went for the same forces as the first game. The defenders went for a larger force with some line defending the bridge, some artillery in their deployment zone, and a mixed force of natives / line looking to reinforce the bridge.  

Both sides advanced smartly towards the bridge although the Union suffered some delays in massing their forces.   

The Confederate gun had a mixed game - initially damaging some federal troops it spent the mid-game unable to fire or lacking targets. Once in position the attackers spent several turns softening-up the defenders and preparing for an attack. 

With the Rebs reinforcements rapidly approaching the bridge the Federals launched an assault that sent the defenders reeling back from their trenches and then a volley routed them completely. The natives attempted to counter-attack but were also pushed-back by accurate fire. 

The game ended with the Union occupying the trenches and having caused heavy damage to the Confederates. They had however been unable to cross the bridge before time ran out and so honours were split. 

ACW Campaign - week 5, falling back

In this week's scenario a defending force is surprised by a larger attacker and must either try to hold on in its initial deployment or fall back to a sunken road in its rear that offers a better position. The attacker is trying to get units onto the sunken road.

Game 1 - Paul vs Mike

The defending Confederates deployed in a series of clumps across the table looking to quickly fall back or block the Union advance as the situation dictated. The Union emerged from the woods in an attack focused down the western side of the table.  

The Union moved quickly and were able to cross the first obstacle and turn the Rebs flank before they had managed to withdraw. This forced them to pull back in a bloody retreat. The end result saw both sides inflict heavy damage and end-up with units on the road. 

Game 2 - Roy vs Stu / John

This game was 32 / 24 points rather than 24 / 18 to accommodate the additional player. The attacking Union advanced slowly across the line with a central gun looking to provide fire support. Being a larger game, this was the only one where the defender deployed a gun.

The Union command was sluggish in this game so there were several rounds of preparatory fire before the general advance was sounded. This enabled the Rebs to pull back without much pressure but with casualties and the loss of their gun. 

The Union troops mustered for an attack and them pushed across the line. charging into combat on the west flank. Both sides ended with units on the road but with the Rebs losing more troops. 

Game 3 - Adam vs Steve

In this game the Union were defending for a change, with both sides spreading out across the table with massed infantry. The Federals looked to hold the initial position.

 

This worked for a while until the Rebs Native unit burst through and caused the main line to withdraw to the safety of the road. Harried by Confederates the Unio fell back and for a while the Rebs indulged in some shooting hoping to prevent the Union scoring for units on the road. Eventually though they pressed into the wood and ended the game.

Overall results

With five games played the results so far are

Name	Honour	Games	Tactical	Traits
John C	20	5	0	Brave (6/4)
Roy	23	5	+1	Enfants perdus (5/4) Resourceful (5/3)
Stu	29	4	+1	Musketry (6/3) Nome de guerre (4/1)
Adam	27	4	+1	Skirmish vet (3/6) Blessed (6/2)
Mike	21	4	+1	Big bore (3/3) TBD (x/x)
Paul	29	4	+2	Brutal (2/5) Feared (6/5)
Steve	15	3	0	Brutal (2/5)
Nigel	13	1	0	Strategist (3/4)
Richard	13	2	0	Skirmish Vet (3/6)
John N	-	0	-	-

ACW campaign, week 4 - defend the guns

 After a week's absence we're back in action with a scenario involving the attackers trying to capture a battery. The defender has two guns and 12 points of train guard vs 24 points. The aim was to capture the guns.

Game 1 - Adam vs John

The Confederates were defending in this game and decided to flood the board with lots of low-quality troops to jam up the table. Natives were held centrally in a wood to provide a melee threat close to the guns

The Union attacked across the front seeking to use the cover to get into firing range of the enemy and cause attrition damage. Seeing the Union hanging back the Confederates eventually counter-attacked with the Natives winning a melee victory. Defender wins.   

Game 2 - Roy vs Mike

The Confederates attacked in this game, going for a large central mass aimed straight at the guns with flankers shooting on the way in. This proved successful with the defenders whittled away and the guns at risk.

In the nick of time though some unexpected Union reserves arrived and steadied the line, This proved crucial as it gave the guns time to destroy the attacking columns.  Defender wins

Game 3 - Paul vs Steve

The Confederates again defended in this game. going for some fairly cheap infantry to defend the guns. The attacking Union went for a fairly high-quality force.    

The Union moved very rapidly in an attack down both flanks and accurate shooting quickly cleared the battery from the hill. The Confederate infantry were though able to take up concealed positions that stopped the attackers getting close enough to take the guns. Defender wins.   

So, three wins for varying comfort levels for the defenders. Our post game analysis was that the attacker maybe needed a 25% points advantage to have balanced the game better. A fun scenario though.