We tested the in-progress revision of the Bloody Big Battles Shiloh scenario yesterday. Jay and Andrew played the Confederates, while Bill stood in for Sherman and I as Grant. I didn’t roll any dice until after Grant appeared on turn 4.
The game started with Hardee’s corps defeating Sherman’s raw division, which fell back spent. On the other flank, Withers soon drove deep into the Union left. Aggressive Andrew and prudent Jay had their usual trash talk. Andrew once asked about friendly fire.
Hardee defeated McClernand in a sanguinary brawl, unhinging the Union right. Withers returned to the fray and unhinged the Union left, threatening the Hornet’s Nest position from behind.
The Union wins a sudden death
victory if 4 of the 6 Confederate infantry units become spent. Breckinridge charged across the open space of Duncan field to flank Tuttle, exposing their right flank to the fire
of two artillery battalions in the Hornet’s Nest. Several blasts including one that
rolled boxcars saw Breckinridge spent. Ruggles, Clark and Cheatham
had earlier become spent so this gave the game to the Union, just as Withers
was about to smash the Hornet’s Nest from the rear. Withers needed a movement roll
that allowed any movement. Instead, the dice said rally in place. Their first target
would have been the rear of an artillery battalion that had been damaged and
silenced. They would have exploited into the rear of Prentiss, who was disrupted
and low on ammo.
We played 7 turns in 2
hours, 35 minutes, a tad over 20 minutes per turn. That’s better than we have
done recently.
Union losses were 7 infantry
bases, 1 run away of the 34 on table at start, and 1 artillery base.
Confederate losses were 10 infantry bases of 36.
A nail-biter ending and a great
game. Thanks to all the Fencibles. It has been a while since we’ve been able to
get 4 at a game. We had enough time left to watch the Confederate
attack in John Huston’s 1951 “Red Badge of Courage”. If you haven’t seen this,
you really should.
