"Small tactical engagement to study" Topic

Hello,
I am looking to research a small engagement during the AMerican Civil War that illustrates the tactics at the time very well. Any suggestions?
Thank you

Hello,
I am looking to research a small engagement during the American Civil War that illustrates the tactics of the time very well. Any suggestions?
Thank you

Tactics were changing during the Civil War from linear Napoleonic to trench warfare. Which tactics are you interested in? I believe that the size of the engagement will also illustrate different battlefield tactics. A battle involving a few companies or a few regiments will look very different from a clash of divisions or corps.

Reynolds opening clash with Heth's division at Gettysburg on July 1st 1863. Pretty much anything else on the first day will do, since you can get a lot of details.

I am looking for something 1861-1863 in regards to tactics.

define "small engagement."

I guess a few companies or regiment. Perhaps a part of a major battle?

I would toss out the Battle of Mill Springs. It was an early action that was about divisional in strength. Each side put up a few regiments into a short but sharp engagement that ended in a Rebel route, but only after the confusion created by poor Felix Zollicoffer's death.

I think it is a small enough engagement to be "tactical" but large enough to be a window on later actions like Manassas, Shiloh, and Antietam.

Here are some useful sites:

link
This is a great write-up of the action with maps.

link
Another good overview of the battle with a very useful order of battle for both sides.

link
Another view of the order of battle. This one has strength returns for engage units along with numbers and types of artillery present.

All reports on the battle that I've read comment on how the rain hampered southern troops who were armed with flintlocks. However I've never been able to get a real feel on just which regiments had them and if there were any percussion cap rifles there. I get the impression that the Union was more uniformly armed with percussion weapons so the weather didn't hurt them as badly. At least I haven't seen any comments on that being the case.

I can see this battle being a great small action to fully game out with a rules set like On Deadly Ground or Johnny Reb. Both rules set could handle the action with the edge going to On Deadly Ground.

The Battle of Iuka (September 19, 1862) was a smallish battle that you might consider (under 8000 total combatants)

Thank you

Tgunner- I did a Mills Springs scenario for Johnny Reb III many years ago. The main problem with doing that fight with JR, is the very large size of many of the early war units. You can either split the large units into "Battalions" that must stay together (this changes the tactical situation), or go with a higher figure/man ratio, something like 40-45 to 1, instead of JRIII 30 to 1.

1st Kernstown has some interesting stuff going on. Lines of battle, columns of companies, columns of divisions, double columns.

It may be best to steer away from only looking at a snippet of a larger battle. You can then avoid having to place the part you are looking at into a larger context. Instead try to pick a small battle on which there is at least one or more good secondary sources. Look for books which primarily examine your particular battle instead of only having a chapter or two on what you are researching. Good maps, either in the book(s) or otherwise, are also a must. Then go to the Official Records (either in book form or online) to get the more minute tactical details.

Two (or more accurately three) battles come to mind. Robert Krick, Conquering the Valley: Stonewall Jackson at Port Republic also covers the battle of Cross Keys. These two engagements are also well covered in the ninety-six reports found in the ORs covering operations in the Shenandoah Valley from 15 May to 17 June, 1862.

A second battle is that of Richmond, Ky. It is examined in depth by Kenneth Hafendorfer, Battle of Richmond, Kentucky: August 30, 1862. Here again coverage in the ORs is good, comprising twenty Union and Confederate reports.

Unfortunately a lot of the Richmond battlefield has been lost to development, but both the Port Republic and Cross Keys battlefields are still very rural and thus can be toured using Google Earth to get a feel for the topography.

Gettysburg has the advantage of a number of compartmentalized fights. Most famous would be the 20th ME at Little Round Top (not the Movie "Gettysburg" or the Killer Angels" version but rather what really happened, see "Stand Frim ye Boys of Maine" among others. For a more general view of the fight at Little Round Top which was actually several actions I would recommend "Twilight at Little Round Top" which covers the fights of Vincent's Brigade and Weed's Brigade vs most of Law's Brigade reinforced by part of the Texas Brigade. You can also look at the Defense of Culp's Hill by Greene's men from the XIIth Corps on the Second, probably the best account would be in Pfanz's "Cemetery and Culp's Hill". It was a very sophisticated action with Greene's men vastly outnumbered.

From Antietam you can also pull somewhat compartmentalized actions like the attack on the Bloody Lane or the action down at the lower (sometimes called "Burnside's) Bridge. Again you can do the same with Chickamauga.

But above all, as has been pointed out above, the Civil War was a time that tactics were evolving. Battles from 1861 and 62 were quite different from 64-65. People like Emory Upton were developing new theories, while both Armies were discovering the advantages of field fortifications. Sheridan was developing cavalry tactics in the Valley in 1864 that were the forerunners of WW2 armored tactics. One of the best books for understanding tactic as well as having a wealth of information is Jack Coggins "Arms and Equipment of the Civil War";

link

I originally bought it thinking it would be great for my nephew (it looks like a kid's book) but it contains a staggering amount of info.

You might look into the engagement at the Bliss farm at Gettysburg. This envolved company and regiment size skirmish groups with their dander up going at each other over a couple farm buildings used for sniper positions. Line formations also.

There were a number of actions in western Virginia or West Virginia where the total combatants on both sides was around 10,000 or less. Cloyd's Mountain is one I've done a few times.

I tend to now play sections of the big battle, Jackson brigade at Cedar Run, we also have played out Baxter's Brigade at day 1Gettysburg & Davis brigade day 1.

The Irish Brigade in the Wheatfield day 2, Devils Den and the Little Round Top, by doing small actions within the bigger battle gives a real flavour to the game.

10thmountain: In my opinion Gettysburg, especially the second day, is filled to bursting with great "tactical snippets", and there are plenty of sources, easily available, to study them. The Gettysburg Magazine is a treasure trove in this regard. Just a thought. John Miller