Shoemaker's Bridge: Game 3

For the final Shoemaker's Bridge battle in the three game series, we see two U.K. players face off against each other.  Phil (News From the Front) commands the Americans while Matt (wargamesinthedungeon) commands the British.  Each provides his own impression of the game at the blog links embedded above.  With this battle account being the third of three, the scenario and situation ought to be familiar to regular readers.  If not or a refresher is needed, past posts can be found at:

Shoemaker's Bridge Scenario

Shoemaker's Bridge: Game 1

Shoemaker's Bridge: Game 2

Was this game any different from the previous two?  Let's see.

Americans deploy to cover both hill and bridge.
British come on in the same way with the
exception that one brigade goes wide right.
In the opening artillery fire, the 22nd foot,
 caught in column of march, disintegrates.

As the British approach the stream,
 Americans reinforce the hill.
Rebel reinforcements reach the battlefield
and immediately deploy into line astride the road.

Shocked by the dispersal of the 22nd foot,
Lord Percy reconsiders his options. 

The decision? ADVANCE!

Battlefield view from SE.

The British left closes to within musketry and
begins skirmishing with the Rebels in the field.
 The British center seeks cover in the dead zone of the hill.
Notice the Rebels deploying to defend in depth.

The British advance on the left

The British flanking brigade arrives across
the stream on the right.

The British left presses on while the
 center and right prepares for action.

On the left, Rebels are driven back through the field.
They retire and form up around the farm. 
 Falling back upon supports, Rebels prepare to stand.

The British center assaults the heights while the brigade
 on the right attempts to turn the American position.

Rebels reinforce the heights by exchanging lines
as waves of redcoats crest the hill.

Redcoats assault Shoemaker's Farm from below.
The defenders hold.

The situation on the American left
as the left flank is threatened.

The 28th and 35th assault the farm a second time.

The second effort pays off.  The farm falls!

On the American right,
Rebels brace for an assault by the guard. 

Overhead shot of the hard fighting at Shoemaker's Farm.

With Shoemaker Farm lost and the right crumbling,
the Americans begin to withdraw.

Before the guns can limber up and retire,
they are overrun by a mad dash by Redcoats. 
 The guns are lost.

At this point, the American commander declared that he would withdraw to salvage what he could from his army.  The situation looks like a British victory but what will the Butcher's Bill and Victory Points Totals show?

Butcher's Bill:

Butcher's Bill

The British lost only two regiments to the American's seven regiments.  Game 3 resulted in a much more uneven loss than either Games 1 or 2.  Still a very bloody battle.  What about Victory Point tally?

For Victory Points, the count was British 27 to American 12.  A convincing tactical British victory.  Congratulations to Matt for the win!  Matt's Redcoats had five units that were one hit away from elimination so dispersing a few of these badly damaged units would have skewed the result towards a more even result.  I thought Phil put up a very measured and prudent defense but fate did not smile down upon the Rebels this day.  On balance, my recollection is that the British Army passed more Morale Tests than its foe.  Of course, British morale quality rating was generally higher than the Rebels as one expects.  This could have made a difference in the outcome.  A deciding difference?  We may never know.

As in the other two games, Game 3 was fought to a conclusion in about three hours.  Time passed quickly and (I thought) play was smooth and without confusion.  

Another fast-paced, enjoyable action that was engaging for me as umpire and figure-pusher.  Both Matt and Phil acclimated to a new set of rules and play effortlessly.  They made my task easy.  Perhaps, we can visit some more AWI battlefields using these rules?  I hope so.  This was great fun.

Thanks guys!

Having wrapped up all three games, a retrospective might be interesting.  What did I learn from the scenario, rules, and play while playing the scenario three times with three different groups of players?  Are the Americans destined to lose this scenario (hint: I don't think so!)?  Are there facets of play that could be improved?  What did I think worked well?  What could be improved to enhance the player experience?  While these topics may be of interest only to me, it provides some motivation for reflection.  I would enjoy hearing from the players on these topics too.