vtsaogames | 19 Jan 2016 5:18 p.m. PST |
I have heard it said that Buford's cavalry suffered 5% losses on the first day of Gettysburg. Was that 5% for the division? If so, that means the single brigade doing most of the fighting suffered 10% losses. That's pretty heavy for a cavalry unit, though not the drubbing they seem to take in the Turner Gettysburg film. |
79thPA | 19 Jan 2016 6:00 p.m. PST |
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EHeise | 19 Jan 2016 7:33 p.m. PST |
The number of missing is interesting. Seems like alot just skeedaddled. |
vtsaogames | 19 Jan 2016 7:49 p.m. PST |
Wow, 79thPA, that's great. They certainly didn't take that many hits, even if some of the missing were dead or captured. |
gamertom | 19 Jan 2016 9:02 p.m. PST |
The losses reflect that they did not perform the way most wargamers would use them. They avoided getting into a firefight with Heth's infantry. What they did do is difficult to replicate in games because their goal was to trade time for ground. So they would place enough potshots and artillery rounds on a road column that the commander decided to deploy to line and then "force" the dismounted cavalry from its position. An entire brigade deployed rather than just the lead regiment. And if I recall correctly, Heth's brigades deployed in a single line of regiments which took longer than deploying them into two lines, one forward and the other back in support. So column takes a few hits, it takes time for the entire brigade to deploy and then march forward. The cavalry mount up and fall back to the next ridge line. The Confederates either stay in line which slows their cross country movement or they ploy back into column. It all burns time. And then it repeats at the next ridge. These were delaying moves by Buford until infantry got in place to fight Heth's infantry. Buford probably lost the most men on the first day when he had to cover the southern end of the First Corps withdrawal rather than in delaying Heth along the ridgelines. |
rmaker | 19 Jan 2016 9:24 p.m. PST |
The number of missing is interesting. Seems like alot just skeedaddled. Not necessarily. There were only 63 missing out of 4727 all ranks present (note that 6th USC was not in the fight), so only 1.33%. Given the nature of the action, I would have expected a higher number. Fighting withdrawals are notorious for having men left behind because they're dead, wounded, or just plain didn't get the word. Custer lost track of 3.5% of his force at the Washita. |
Trajanus | 20 Jan 2016 4:12 a.m. PST |
Great posting gamertom! It's nigh on impossible to recreate Buford's actions on the table as no rules I know of have anything like the correct time scale to ground scale relationship to allow the cavalry to get away with it. The time taken for Heth to get his brigades deployed vis the cavalry's manoeuvrability is key and not something that rules, rules writers and most gamers bother about! Practical limitations caused by time, space and the drill book tend to be totally ignored in my experience. In fairness, it applies to other Horse and Musket periods too. |
cwbuff | 20 Jan 2016 4:26 a.m. PST |
Really good post. Thanks. |
ChrisBBB2 | 20 Jan 2016 6:10 a.m. PST |
I venture to suggest that Buford's action is perfectly replicable in BBB. If Heth advances on the cavalry in column, he is liable to get shot up and halted; then on the Union turn the cavalry can probably fall back to their next position unmolested. If Heth shakes out into line, it slows him down, and the cavalry can Evade and fall back to their next position unmolested. Chris Bloody Big BATTLES! link bloodybigbattles.blogspot.co.uk |
79thPA | 20 Jan 2016 7:31 a.m. PST |
The problem with refighting this part of the battle is that the Reb player knows what he is up against. Refight this scenario as a hypothetical with other musket era armies and see how the "Confederate" player reacts to the unknown force he runs into. |
ScottWashburn | 20 Jan 2016 12:26 p.m. PST |
Gamertom is correct. The notion that Buford's men got into a toe-to-toe slugging match with Heth's troop (as shown in the movie Gettysburg) is not correct. They sent out skirmishers which stated harassing Heth's column several miles west of McPhereson's Ridge. They delayed the Confederates and then forced them to deploy when they saw the Union troopers and artillery drawn up and apparently ready to fight. By the time Heth actually attacked, the I Corps was up and relieved Buford's men. |
John Miller | 20 Jan 2016 7:56 p.m. PST |
Does anyone think his reputation may have been somewhat overblown by historians due to his stellar Gettysburg performance. His record prior to Gettysburg seems good but not great and he dies so soon after Gettysburg that he doesn't have a chance to really show his stuff. Just a thought. Thanks, John Miller |
uglyfatbloke | 21 Jan 2016 4:01 a.m. PST |
Interesting points; they've made me start thinking about introducing a 'delay/harassing' function into our home-brewed rules. |
vtsaogames | 21 Jan 2016 7:01 a.m. PST |
Delay/harassing is the weak point of many rule sets. Toe to toe slugging matches are more the norm. |
Trajanus | 21 Jan 2016 9:34 a.m. PST |
Does anyone think his reputation may have been somewhat overblown by historians due to his stellar Gettysburg performance Actually, its really the other way round. Generally most people only know Buford because of Gettysburg. He is considered to be a very able commander and did great work in the early years of the AoPs mounted arm under idiots like Pope and McClellan. In fact he command the whole of the cavalry for a brief period but lost out to goons like Stoneman and the unspeakable Pleasonton due to seniority, political manoeuvring and not being a "player". It speaks volumes that Lincoln awarded a deathbed promotion to Major General of Volunteers. If he had a talent for self promotion as sharp as his soldier skills the Union would have seen more benefit. |
John Miller | 21 Jan 2016 3:57 p.m. PST |
Trajanus: Thanks for responding. His pre Gettysburg performance is apparently better than I realized. Thanks, John Miller |
138SquadronRAF | 21 Jan 2016 4:27 p.m. PST |
Trajanus beat me to it, my assessment too. |
John Thomas8 | 21 Jan 2016 8:16 p.m. PST |
If Buford was in charge at Brandy Station, Lee's cavalry would have gotten a rather rude surprize. As it was, Buford and Gregg gave an excellent account for themselves as the division commanders. |
McLaddie | 22 Jan 2016 9:01 a.m. PST |
That delay and harassing is another reason why there were so many men 'missing'. They probably were captured. |
donlowry | 22 Jan 2016 9:54 a.m. PST |
Hooker claimed that he would rather have had Buford succeed Stoneman, but Pleasonton had seniority. As for Brandy Station, Lee's cavalry DID get a rather rude surprise. Wanting to make up for that then led to Stuart's "raid" that separated him from Lee's infantry during the invasion of Pennsylvania (though there were other factors involved). |