Each year between Christmas and New Years, the Leuchars club puts on a large game. This year we did an American Civil War game, the Battle of Cedar Mountain. We used the Regimental Fire & Fury rules. It featured over 1600 figures and almost 30 players from all over the east of Scotland.
The battle is from 1862; Pope's army was scattered around Virginia and Lee sent Jackson to destroy an isolated portion. Union cavalry observed Jackson's movements and so Banks was alerted to the attack and reinforcements were sent his direction. For the game, the Union reinforcements arrived sooner than in history in order to give more balanced numbers. Banks, eager for revenge after he was beaten by Jackson in the Valley Campaign, resolves to attack. Thus the battle sets up as a meeting engagement, with both sides aiming to do as much damage to the enemy as possible.
In our game, the Union forces made a strong push in the center of the field, while the to ends were more passive, sitting behind fence-cover to engage in long-range shooting. The center push hit the Confederate lines hard, but accurate artillery and stout regiments saw off the assault. After the Union push lost momentum, the Rebels counter-attacked, forcing the Union to grudgingly give ground. Several Confederate generals were killed leading the counter-attack.
On the Confederate right flank, the Rebels were moving to outflank the Union troops in the wheat-field, until concealed troops burst from the woods. On the left, Ewell's division sat on Cedar Mountain conducting long-range bombardment, until sent a message from Jackson to advance. They then crossed the field, in the face of Union fire, which disordered their ranks and slowed their advance. Prince's Union brigade made an assault through the corn-field towards the Crittenden House which broke the Confederate lines there, but any possible support had been sucked into the fight in the center, so he had no support to exploit the break.
The Confederate counter-attack pushed back the Union center, but was unable to break their resolve. As night fell and time was called, both forces were bloodied, but neither was broken. The game was declared a draw, as both sides would limp back to respective headquarters to recover.
Thanks to all who participated and contributed figures and terrain.
More pictures are shown here link
(and I also have a gallery of photos from my visit to the actual battlefield here link )
completes a Confederate river ironclad.
