Towns and rivers: an ACW game

This week's VnB game was an American Civil War game with Murray, fought using my 15mm armies. The scenario creates a battle over strategic river crossings and towns. We allocated victory points to town sectors and crossings. Alternatively driving opposing divisions into exhaustion accumulated victory points.

The Union began in possession of the central town and main river crossing with one division on table, the remainder of their force to enter the table from the right. The Confederate attack came from the left.

The battlefield, the CSA attacking from the left.

The Union army included a regiment of cavalry that deployed on their left with the aim of outflanking the enemy advance and harassing it with fire

The Confederate army also included a cavalry regiment which Murray deployed on his left, with a view to surging forward and ceasing one of the river crossings.

The Union division holding the main town ..

... albeit badly deployed on its right, failing to take advantage of the defensive advantage of the river bank

The Confederates surged forward on their right and captured the town sector objective

A confederate division came forward on its left to support the now dismounted cavalry in holding the river crossing

Half the Union force is massed on their left

The Union cavalry slips past the Confederate right, and turns to threaten the advance

... while their right flank division makes its way through the forested terrain to contest occupation of the river crossing

The Confederates attack the Union centre

Two of the three Union brigades lose their fight and retreat

The Union centre collapses, taking such heavy casualties that it suffers a moral collapse. The Union centre is wide open

Meanwhile the Union cavalry on their left attacks the Confederate right. Murray omitted to respond to the cavalry threat and I couldn't resist the opportunity. It's rare for cavalry to charge home in our ACW games. The CSA brigade passes its morale but loses the melee

The Union left attacks the town sector in a well supported charge

Meanwhile another Union division advances towards the Confederate right centre

.. and the Union right pushes to the edge of the forest and begins a firefight with the CSA left across the river

The CSA right is exposed with the Union cavalry rampant. Murray withdraws and reorients

The CSA attacks across the river on their left, but is repelled

The reoriented CSA right

In a turn of extraordinary luck, in one turn the Union fire eliminates a CSA brigade and forces the left flank division in to exhaustion

Fire from a Union sharpshooter unit causes an additional casualty which tips the CSA right flank division into exhaustion

This was a really interesting game. The early loss of the Union centre seemed to herald the demise of the Union army. The CSA forces were slow to exploit that opportunity before two of their divisions were exhausted in a turn of extraordinary luck for me as Union commander.  A lucky escape for the Union, and an outstanding game.