Action at Pitzer Woods

After having restarted remote gaming with Matt (see Battle of Germantown) after a seemingly long hiatus, Matt hosted a second game without hesitation.  On Wednesday, Matt brought his 28mm ACW collection to the table for a Rebels & Patriots game to refight the action at Pitzer Wood at Gettysburg on Day 2. 

Federal OB
photo courtesy wargamesinthedungeon

Matt sent a scenario briefing and my Federal command for the day.  Rebel troops were unknown, but Matt hinted that opposing forces were about equal in size.  Notice that the Federals field two units of Berdan Sharpshooters.  Sharpshooters are powerful having +1 DRM to fire and a longer, 24-inch range.  All Federal infantry are veterans.  This is a far cry from the American rabble I see in our long-running AWI campaign.  You will see how the sharpshooters controlled the narrative.  

Battlefield and Federal objectives
photo courtesy wargamesinthedungeon

The Federal objective is to scout the woods and pick off as many of the objectives (yellow circles) as possible.  The Federals need to scout three such objectives for victory without seeing their command broken.  Federals arrive at the bottom of the table while Rebels come onto the table at the top.

Now, I know that Matt will provide a BatRep with in-house photos, but for now, I provide my brief impression of the action from a remote viewer's perspective. 

Federals approach Pitzer Wood
 but the US Cavalry fails to move.

Federals continue their advance into the woods.
Rebels are seen in the distance.
Federal Left is having trouble getting started!

All Federals are now on the field with
 two of the five objectives reached.

Rebels come within range of the US Sharpshooters
and Federals open up on the enemy at long range.
Two objectives successfully scouted.
Keep an eye on the Rebel Dead Pile in the top left corner.

Taking fire from Rebels on the left,
US cavalry retires as more Rebels move up to contest the ground.
Sharpshooters in center retire to keep the enemy at arms' length.

Reb casualties mount as US Regulars in the woods open fire
in coordination with sharpshooters. 

More Rebels fall as Federal fire concentrates. 

Sharpshooters continuing picking off the enemy from a distance.
Federal concentration of fire is beginning to tell
as Federals gain fire superiority.

US Cavalry takes losses, but the enemy Dead Pile continues to grow.
Constant sharpshooter covering fire disorders the enemy
as the Federals advance into the woods. 

US cavalry advances to the objective on the left
while Federal skirmishers press on into the woods.
Federals dominate the firefight!

Fire from the Rebs forces the US Cavalry to withdraw
 from the objective before it can successfully be scouted.
Taking much fire in the open field,
 Rebels are forced to seek cover.

Having pushed up into the woods,
concentrated Federal fire causes much disorder among the Rebs.
Are the Rebs nearing their breaking point?

Yes!
Having to take morale tests, the Rebels withdraw from battle!

Victory to the Federals!  With the collapse of the Confederate positions in this part of the line, there may be no Day 3 of Gettysburg!

This was a short and sharp action in which the US Sharpshooters dominated the field of battle.  The Federals kept the sharpshooters back so that they could reach the enemy, but the enemy could not reach them.  With their +1DRM to fire they were expected to cause six hits with every volley.  Sometimes they managed even better than expectations.  The Rebels were being ground down with each volley.  Compound that with Matt's uncanny ability to roll poorly on almost every morale test and the Rebels did not stand much of a chance. 

Good fun (for me!) and a nice change of pace from the AWI fighting.

Thanks, Matt, for a very entertaining game!