Stones River 1862, with Volley & Bayonet

Having some time over Easter to set up a large game, one of the ACW battles from the old V&B '90s scenario book seemed appropriate.

Stones River is of an appropriate size for the table and troop numbers, but even at that, is definitely designed for 4-5 players rather than two - mainly for the management of simple paperwork on the rosters - which can be time consuming with less players. The added advantage of many players also is that some may consider 'orders' as mere 'suggestions' bearing in mind that their division is about to collapse, which seems very in period. 

 

First army to lose 3/4 (ish) of its divisions to exhaustion would lose here.

Confederate positions with the river to their back...not healthy at all!

 To review turn sequence: 

Command Determination (check which stands are in command)

Movement (generous, but a turn is 1 hour)

Rally (routed units in contact with corps/army commander - these are essential)

Morale Checks (both sides in contact, or in 'close' range - artillery is the only element that enforces that here)

Combat (firing/melee resolved together; attacker chooses order – KEY, if shot at, the defender shoots back – choose carefully).

Exhaustion & Collapse (division checks if over casualty threshold - these become very important and affect ability to charge and move) 

A successful union defence (albeit a very close run thing) in the centre

 To zone in on one of these this episode: 

The rules state: 'combats take place sequentially' - granted defenders can fire back, but not if they do not survive the volleys against them; also - 'defending stands which were not attacked may fire defensively at any enemy stands...at close range'. 

The beauty of this is that artillery ha a close range, though infantry rifle muskets and carbines do not - which makes choice of who to fire at, and which units to do it with, all the more interesting. This matters if your division needs to focus on a particular unit, or escape vector, and avoid being clobbered by stronger units before their half of the turn...gamey?, but it works well - especially so when divisions are on the verge of collapse, since your opponent will be playing exactly the same game.

the confederate right, where divisions would simply stare at each other for hours, waiting for a flank action to their right...which never really happened

The Reb attack on their left flank

Union stationary units give dense fire

The centre, where each side tries to goad the other into attacking first...the Rebs buckle and attack, because they are forced to due to action on their left

View from the Reb right - everything is happening on the left initially, though note the movement of Union reinforcements in the rear

Union brigades defend well...at first, and yet do take a heavy toll on some of the Reb brigades

It looks like somehow, the centre will be key

Union assault on the centre - unsuccessful as Palmer's division is simply blown away!

...but they keep coming...

The left becomes a trap for the Rebs, losing division after division, being forced to move troops from the precious centre...as well as corps commanders and Bragg himself

Union troops move to reinforce the centre now

...as their right holds fast...just

The Union have enough troops to plug the gaps - the Confederates...not so much.

Another Union push in the centre - which will be pivotal this time, breaking the Reb centre

'Hang on boys!'

View across the battlefield, from the Rebel right

The Rebel left is cooked...and the Union are in little better shape

All that is left of the Reb centre

Rebs hold on the Union left, but crossing the river, with three divisions already exhausted elsewhere is too dangerous

'Watch the flank boys!' Too many gaps to cover now in the centre

...and now with pressure on the Rebel right

In the end, 5 Reb divisions were exhausted - too much to come back from, as the Union troops could plug all the gaps, but a great game!