Gaines Mill, 1862 AAR via BBB

All internet images removed from this post, sorry.

We tested my new scenario for the 1862 battle of Gaines Mill yesterday. A number of Fencibles were under the weather. 3 of us carried on. Bill took the role of Robert E. Lee, I played Porter, V Corps CO and Rick commanded the Union reinforcements; Slocum’s two-unit division and a single unit arriving later that represented French’s and Meagher’s brigades. The rules were Bloody Big Battles, our go-to rules for large and mid-sized 19^th Century battles. I asked Bill if he wanted to try out the tactical advantage house rule for the first time. He declined. My game mat was largely based on the map below, which shows troop positions about midway through the battle.

map here.

Our opening deployment looked like this.

The 4^th turn was a busy one.

We broke for dinner, a sumptuous repast prepared by my wife. Kudos to her.

With no units in a position to counter-attack the troops who defeated Sykes, I broke contact and withdrew as night fell.

The game was a tie, according to the slightly confusing victory conditions I designed. I’m no longer sure what my original intent was. I must clear them up.

We played 7 turns in about 2 and ¾ hours. It would have played faster with 4 people but better that the missing gents rested and recovered from the bug afflicting them. US losses were 7 stands of infantry and a battalion of artillery captured, just about the actual losses. CSA losses were 11 stands of infantry, a bit higher than in the actual battle. The guys enjoyed the game.

I must think about the scenario. It seems too hard for the Confederates. Since two full Union divisions, about half the infantry, were sent to deal with Ewell, this should have rewarded the Confederate player. The actual line was broken about the 4^th turn. Bill didn’t get onto the plateau until the 6^th turn, despite our misuse of the reserves. I’m not sure how much is the scenario and how much was Bill’s lousy assault dice for the first part of the game. One possibility is to rate all the union infantry save Sykes’ regulars as fragile, though that might unbalance the scenario the other way. It will be a month or so before we return to this.

Next up in a couple weeks, possibly a first game of “The Men Who Would be Kings” with my 28mm French Foreign Legion, Senegalese Tirailleurs and Arabs (a mix of Old Glory and Askari) who have been languishing in their boxes for some years. I recently found my plastic palm trees and assembled some. The rules are rather cinematic. Action! Camera!