The Battle of Salutesville - ACW 15mm

After a great but exhausting day at Salute on Saturday the Rejects gathered on the Sunday for an American Civil War game using the Fire and Fury Rules. We invited three guests along, all fellow wargaming Bloggers that we have got to know online and met for the first time at the show; Curt from Analogue Hobbies; Tamsin the Wargaming Girl and Sebastion of Back to the Minis.

The order of each players Division along the deployment zone was fixed to specific areas before the game although individual Brigades could be deployed as the players saw fit. Each player then rolled a dice to see how far onto the table they could deploy their forces. The confederates were fortunate as they were able to deploy almost half way across the table, suiting their aggressive battle-plan.

The disposition of the two armies was as follows:

Union Army - McClellan
1st Corps (Hooker)
    1st Division - Doubleday - Indiana
    2nd Division - Pickett - New York
5th Corps (Porter)
    1st Division - Morrell - Michigan
    2nd Division - Sykes - Maine
12th Corps (Mansfield)
    1st Division - Williams - Pennsylvania
    2nd Division - Greene - Ohio
Cavalry Division - Pleasanton (*Reserve*)
Artillery Corps - 4 Guns (*Reserve*) (Didn't arrive)

Confederate Army - Lee
1st Corps (Longstreet)
    1st Division - Anderson - Alabama
    2nd Division - Jones - Virginia
    3rd Division - McClaws - South Carolina
    4th Dvision - Hood - Texas (*Reserve*)
Cavalry Division - Stuart - Virgina/Georgia/S Carolina
Artillery Corp - 3 Guns (*Reserve*)


The confederate cavalry on the right flank were tasked with keeping the Union troops on that side of the river from crossing the bridge (and thereby flanking the 1st Division). The 1st and 2nd Divisions job was to push forward, make contact with the Union forces before them and keep pushing until one side of the other broke. Meanwhile the 3rd division would hold the left flank open so that the 4th Division reserves had room to deploy and enter the battle between the 2nd and 3rd Divisions.

Initial deployment. (Union Left, Confederates Right)

Similarly the Union plan was to make their weight of numbers count in the centre and feed in Brigades from their right flank (opposite the confederate cavalry) to strengthen the centre and overwhelm the Rebels. They also had a lot of Artillery but unlike the Confederates could not deploy and unlimber them immediately.

The Rebel cavalry screen took a battering but it did its job and held up the Union troops trying to take the bridge.

The battle for the centre went back and forth throughout the game.

The battle quickly became a hard and bloody slogging match in the centre with huge melee's ebbing and flowing across the centre line. Despite being outnumbered the better quality veterans of the Confederacy eventually began to push back the poorer conscript troops of the Union.

The seemingly never ending supply of Union troops counted for little against determined Veteran rebels.

It didn't all go to plan for the Rebels but they were able to regroup battered Brigades and return them to the fight time and again while one by one Union Brigades began to be swept from the field.

The Union troops on their right flank beat back the Confederates time and again

Confederate reserves with General Lee arrive and bolster the Rebel line

By the end of the game it was clear that the confederates had the upper hand in the centre and that the Union troops there were at or beyond breaking point. Having said that the Union still had several uncommitted Divisions, albeit out on the flanks and several turns away from playing a significant role.

The Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia, flies victorious over the battlefield of Salutesville.

When the points were totted up it was closer than expected but still a clear victory for the Southern States.

Union Points: 13
Confederate Points: 19