With Six You Get Closure

Having five playings of the Hood's Attack scenario under my belt and seeing a number of players cycle through the game, time for me to step into the command ring.  Witnessing different plans at work with different playing styles and varying degrees of success, I had an idea on how to tackle the challenges of each army.  In this contest, Peter (Grid based wargaming) chose to play the defending Federals.  I would command Hood's Confederate Division.

If you have been following this series of five games, you may be familiar with the situation.  Peter chose to only receive the OB for his own army.  The composition of the Rebels would be mostly unknown unless he has been following the prior battle reports.  My assumption was that Peter would have given some of the reports a cursory read, at least.  As a refresher, the combatants are positioned as shown on the map below:

Initial deployments

The Confederate Plan

Given their qualitative advantage, past games demonstrate that the Confederates do better when a more aggressive plan of attack is put into motion.  One additional advantage I held was that I was familiar with Federal troop dispositions.  Still, even with an aggressive Rebel attack plan, the Federals can throw a spanner into the works with careful play.

Hood's plan of attack.

The Confederate plan was essentially to split the Federal position by demonstrating against the two flanks while hitting General Ward with Benning and Robinson's Brigades, and elements of Law's Brigade in an attack against the Federal center.  Yes, the attack must carry through Devil's Den and onto Houck's Ridge but Hood could pick the timing and location.  To win this battle, Hood must take Little Round Top, Houck's Ridge and reach Millerstown Road or break three of the four Federal brigades.

View from the southwest behind Rebel positions.

Let's see how the battle unfolded.

Arrows in photos denote:

    White = Move

    Red = Melee

    Yellow = Retreat

The Battle

Holding initiative on the first turn, Hood chooses to activate Robinson whose command is split between Big Round Top and Rose's Woods.  Peter placed much of his Federal army onto reserve giving him flexibility to respond to Rebel moves.  Robinson is positioned with the Texans on Big Round Top leaving 3AR and 1TX out of command, far away.  Robinson's goals are twofold.  One goal is to bring his whole brigade within command and the other is to strike toward Houck's Ridge to isolate Federal positions on the heights. The battle begins with Robinson leading an attack down into Plum Run hitting the 4ME in the valley below.  Despite overwhelming odds, the Mainers repulse the Texans with heavy casualties.  What should have been an easy start was not!

Robinson's other two regiments cross Rose's Run and press on into Rose's Woods.  Seeing Rebels emerge from the woods, de Trobriand releases Winslow's guns and the 3/5MI from reserve.  Both quickly advance to contest the ground.  Facing musketry and canister, the Texans and Arkansans suffer mightily.  Seeing the carnage to his front, de Trobriand orders two regiments to attack the wavering Rebels in the woods.  The Rebels are flushed out and scatter.  In a matter of minutes, Robinson's Brigade suffers setbacks everywhere.  Only the Arkansans at the foot of Houck's Ridge remain.  This may be a short fight!

The Texans attack and are repulsed!

De Trobriand brings up reserves to bolster the line
 as Rebels emerge from Rose's Woods.

Texans skedaddle as they are overwhelmed.
De Trobriand advances into the woods.

Seeing Robinson's attacks stopped, Benning goes in against Devil's Den leading two of his Georgian regiments.  Held only by several scores of US Sharpshooters, the Devil's Den defenders are vastly outnumbered.  Surprisingly, Benning and his Georgians are thrown back across Rose's Run.  This is turning out to be a tougher nut to crack than expected!  Anderson is called upon to advance his brigade against the Federal right.   

Benning attacks Devil's Den and fails.

Anderson begins crossing Rose's Run.

Back at Houck's Ridge, Robinson's Arkansans are all that remain to threaten the enemy and their attack has stalled.  Stopped under the guns on Houck's Ridge, the 3AR suffers a blast of canister from Federal guns above.  Before the Arkansans can recover from the shock, Ward leads a charge down from the heights at the head of the 124NY.  The Arkansans crumble under the weight of the attack.  They scatter.  In action only 30 minutes, Robinson's Brigade is broken.   

A whiff of canister

and a charge sees the 3AR off.

With Robinson wrecked and Benning stalled, Gen. Law stirs to life on Big Round Top.  The 48AL along Plum Run advances to push the wavering 4ME back up the valley.  To counter this move, Ward releases a regiment from reserve to join the Mainers.  Seeing the 4ME reinforced, the Alabamans settle into a firefight.  They do no noticeable damage.

Seeing efforts stymied almost everywhere, Law orders an attack against Vincent on Little Round Top.  Vincent's Brigade lines the high ground with the 83PA positioned on the saddle between the two hills.  Law leads two Alabama regiments in attacks across the saddle and into the Pennsylvanians.  The 83rd is driven back into the woods with heavy casualties.  The Alabamans suffer as well.  Fighting is fierce and both Law and Vincent go down as casualties.

Alabamans thwarted along Plum Run.

Vincent positioned on Little Round Top.

Law drives the Federals back
but he and Vincent fall in battle.

Back on the Rebel left, Anderson moves up to clear Rose's Woods of the enemy.  Winslow, ever active in this fight, brings his guns up to support the infantry.  At close range, the guns belch canister into Anderson's Georgians.  While two of Anderson's regiment are mired in fighting in the woods, the 8th and 9th Georgia cross the open ground to challenge the defenders on Stony Hill.

Anderson moves up into Rose's Woods

only to face artillery and musketry at close range.

Georgians move up to take Stony Hill.

Battle overview

While Anderson's attack is stalled in the woods, Benning rallies his brigade of Georgians and goes on the offensive once again.  This second effort pays off and the sharpshooters are driven from Devil's Den.  As the 20GA takes Devil's Den, Benning, himself, leads an attack up Houck's Ridge.  In savage fighting, Benning's 15GA is repulsed and Benning falls.  The enemy fares no better.  Ward goes down at the head of 20IN.  The Indianans melt away.  Smith's guns stand firm. 

Benning attacks Houck's Ridge.

Devil's Den falls to the Georgians!

When the smoke clears only Federal guns
 remain on Houck's Ridge.

Before Rebel gains can be secured, 86NY is released from reserve and moves up to support the guns.  Dropping down off the ridge, the 99PA sweeps around to threaten the Devil's Den position.

Federals reinforce Houck's Ridge.

Returning to Anderson's activities, with Federals pinned on Stony Hill, Anderson assaults the 17ME in the wheatfield.  Anderson sends in two regiments against one.  The Mainers are destroyed but Anderson falls.  Anderson’s lead regiment wheels about to threaten the rear of the 3/5MI.  De Trobriand's Brigade breaks.  The 3/5MI and Smith's guns turnabout to address the threat to their rear.  As the guns wheel, Smith is presented with a flanking shot on the 8GA.  Hit in the flank from artillery, the Georgians disappear.  Anderson's Brigade reaches its breaking point. 

Anderson attacks into the Wheatfield.

The 17ME is destroyed.

Canister in the flank!

On the Federal left at Little Round Top, word arrives that Weed's Brigade and Hazlett's guns have reached the battlefield.  With help on the way, Vincent leads a counterattack down off Little Round Top and strikes Law's Alabamans in force.  The Rebels are driven back but casualties are heavy on both sides.  Over-extended, the 44NY finds itself hemmed in by the enemy.  In minutes, the New Yorkers are sent packing.  The loss of the New Yorkers is enough to break Vincent's Brigade.

Counterattack on Little Round Top!

As Weed's boys scale Little Round Top, Ward's Brigade on Houck's Ridge teeters on the brink of destruction.  If the Rebels can destroy one more regiment from Ward before Weed comes into play fully, the battle can be won.  The 4ME holding on to its position across Plum Run throughout the battle finally succumbs to a successful attack by the 48AL.  The Mainers scatter and Ward's Brigade is done for.  The battle is over.  Victory to Hood and his Confederate Division! 

Weed comes up but it is too little too late.

Whew!  That was really a hard fight.  A fight that saw heavy casualties and most of the brigadiers from both sides dead on the field.  Three of the four Federal brigades were broken against two of four Rebel brigades broken.  Seeing three broken brigades is enough to call for a withdrawal.  The Federal left is not saved on this day.

The game took about 3-1/2 hours to fight to conclusion.  Afterwards, Peter said the game felt like an arm-wrestling match as the lines bent back and forth.  There was much punch and counterpunch as the two armies jockeyed for supremacy.

Early on, the Federals had the upper hand and turned the Rebels attacks back all along the battle line with judicious use of reserves.  The Confederates finally found their footing and struck back to turn the table on the Federal Army.  Although the result was a Rebel victory, the outcome was in doubt until the very end.

With six replays of this scenario, time to close the book on this action for now.  What conclusions can be made from these six battles and how did the rules fare?  I save that discussion for another time. 

Great game!  Thank you, Peter!