Micro Table Battles - Thoughts.

Now the campaign has ended, I thought I would share with you my thoughts and feelings about the whole affair. I think if in future I use the small 19 x 19 inch table, I will certainly restrict the number of units to a maximum of seven or eight per side. More than that, and any type of flanking attack or even maneuvering in general, is next to impossible. That said, I do really enjoy using that small space, I can literally sit in my armchair and everything is within reach.

I really devised the game mechanics on the fly. I used the elan of 'Blucher' the dice and combat of Commands & Colors Napoleonics and just a few ideas of my own. For the most part it worked really well, I was particularly pleased with how the two dice reinforcement system worked, it did keep the forces down to a manageable size for the small area.

Game time wasn't really an issue either, I had decided that each of the ten tables covered an area of about four miles, so the Crooked Valley ended up being approximately forty miles from southern to northern entrance. Very easy to work out the movement rate of twenty miles a day on the road for a column trying to move up or down the valley.

At first I thought the use of the C&C dice might be too brutal, but in actual fact, that also worked out pretty well. Having to throw the correct face, for the enemy you are attacking worked quite well. Each die has one cavalry, one crossed sabres, one flag, one artillery and two infantry symbols. As each unit lost elan, so it also lost a die to roll, which seems logical and produced results I was happy with. It is true a full strength infantry battalion could in all possibility roll six infantry symbols and wipe out an opposing full strength battalion. However, using normal dice, they could just as easily throw that number of fives and sixes for hits.

Things I would change next time. Well the use of the larger table for sure. The small table simply could not cope, and quite frankly, it was unsatisfying to see all the figures crammed so tightly with no room to maneuver properly. The fact that this all took place in a narrow, steep sided valley allowed me to get away with it. Just!

The larger table, which itself is less than four feet x two feet six inches, is still very small by any standards, but with 6mm, it easily accommodated the two brigades, artillery and cavalry for both sides. There was ample space on the flanks, and the terrain could be laid out in a much less cramped fashion.

I am now planning another mini-campaign, larger than this one. The Valley was very linear, the map I am currently working on is a peninsular, it will allow the movement of forces in numerous directions and with a simple orientation of the table, allow for a meeting of forces from any direction.

I would like to thank all of you for taking the time to read this series of blogs, it has received lots of views and likes, for which I am really grateful, I had no idea when I started this that it would generate so much interest. A special thanks also to all of you who commented or made suggestions, be it on the blog page or on any the sites on which I posted the link. It really did spur me on to complete the project and made taking all the photographs and writing the narrative worthwhile.

Micro Table Battles - Part Sixteen.

Union initiative.

1st Vermont charge the 2nd Virginia.

Hit and a push back, cavalry only have an elan of four, so that gives them a red disc, meaning the unit is spent. 2 - 1 now to the rebels.

33rd Massachusetts send the rebels running.

1st Tennessee pull back.

73rd Ohio engage 13th Alabama.

Two hits and a double fall back.

11th Mississippi are pushed back.

27th Pennsylvania do enough to reduce 42nd Mississippi to a spent force.

Army morale now at 2 - 2, red discs are classed the same as lost units.

134th New York on 55th North Carolina.

73rd Pennsylvania also push back 2nd Mississippi with losses.

White goes green.

2nd Virginia Cavalry have to retreat.

Louisiana artillery unlimber to take on the enemy cavalry.

The units rally and once again advance. Ignore the smoke, I forgot to remove it last turn.

Huger's Battery now unlimbered.

Again, ignore the smoke, all except the spent battalion rally and advance again.

1st Maryland smash into 17th Connecticut. Two hits destroy them.

Army morale now 3 - 2 in favour of the rebels.

The field at the end of the turn.

Confederate initiative.

2nd Virginia continue to withdraw.

Louisiana Battery fires canister at 1st Vermont.

Sabres count for canister, but still only a single hit.

Poor photo, Woeful shooting by 5th Alabama with a full salvo.

Huger's battery open up on 154th New York, with devastating consequences.

The 154th New York are now fatigued and can only withdraw. Army morale is now 4 - 2 in favour of the Confederates. But we are still mid turn, so the battle continues.

The New Yorkers pull back.

The 134th New York are also shattered.

They too receive a red disc. Army morale now 5 - 2.

73rd Pennsylvania are forced back, right into the path of the charging 1st Maryland Cavalry.

With predictable results. The battalion is destroyed. Army morale now 6 - 2 in favour of the rebels.

The table before the Union have their final turn.

Vermont Cavalry charge and destroy the Louisiana Battery.

Now 6 - 3.

Only one other Union unit is in range to fire, 27th Pennsylvania hit and push back 11th Mississippi.

It is not enough, a Confederate victory.

The Union troops were force to fall back beyond Newdale, moving north east to rejoin their army. Johnny Reb was able to march through Newdale and take the north west road. They would eventually rejoin their division commanded by Major General Heth. A month later they would be assaulting McPherson's ridge at Gettysburg.

Micro Table Battles - Part Fifteen.

Before the battle begins, one thing I had omitted from my home spun rules, was an army break point. I don't want this battle to be a slug fest, last man standing type affair. That rarely happens in battles of any period, let alone the American Civil War. The elan counters, record the spirit, morale, cohesion not the casualties suffered. An infantry battalion has six elan if fresh, if it is reduced to one elan, it doesn't mean the unit of 300 or so men, has been reduced to just 50, it just means the unit is spent, the men just cannot take any more, they are no longer able to function as a unit.

I will set the break point for both sides at one third, as there are eleven units per side, I will round that 3.33 up to 4. A unit with a single elan remaining will be counted against that total, just as a totally routed unit would be. Once four units are lost/single elan remaining, that army will retire from the field.

Union initiative.

Counter battery fire.

One success.

Same on the other flank, though the arrows point to 11th Mississippi, that is due to my eyesight!

Nothing, maybe they should have been firing at the infantry.

Confederate artillery respond with counter battery fire of their own, and the whole line advances.

Sometimes you just get lucky! Even with half dice they do the job.

'J' Battery, 1st Ohio is destroyed.

A single hit and a fall back inflicted on 'G' Battery, 4th US Artillery.

Union initiative.

Huger's artillery are the target.

No luck.

Louisiana artillery are now free to concentrate on 107th Ohio.

Oops!

Huger's attempts to finish off the enemy artillery.

Success.

'G' Battery is removed.

The whole rebel line continues to advance.

Table at the end of the turn, once again the Union artillery failed to live up to expectations, the rebel guns are wounded but still functional, but are now becoming masked by the advancing infantry.

Confederate initiative.

Artillery limbered and a general advance.

The Union declined to move. Union initiative.

This time they do advance, the idea being that the rebels will have to move into musket range and not be able to fire this turn.

Same all along the Union line, an advance.

Rebel troops continue to advance into musket range.

I omitted to take a photo of the initiative, but it was won by the Confederates.

2nd Virginia Cavalry charge 1st Vermont, as muskets open up all along the line.

On the other flank, 1st Michigan Cavalry charge 17th Connecticut Cavalry.

No success for the 2nd Virginia.

107th Ohio, take one hit and a push back from 5th Alabama.

No photo, but 33rd Massachusetts took one hit and a fall back from 13th Alabama.

Across the road on the other flank, 11th Mississippi score two hits on 154th New York.

42nd Mississippi just a single hit on 27th Pennsylvania.

55th North Carolina manage three on 134th New York.

Two hits and a push back, recorded by 2nd Mississippi on 73rd Pennsylvania.

1st Maryland two hits, (sabres count in melee if mounted) and two push backs.

Situation on the battlefield after the rebel volley and charges.

It was bad, but could have been much worse.

On this flank it is the Union who are victorious in the cavalry melee. 2nd Virginia pushed back with two hits by 1st Vermont.

107th Ohio not in musket range, so 33rd Massachusetts devastate 13th Alabama with three hits.

73rd Ohio turn to face the danger on their flank from 1st Tennessee.

154th New York on 11th Mississippi.

27th Pennsylvania on 42nd Mississippi

134th New York against 55th North Carolina.

73rd Pennsylvania on 2nd Mississippi.

West side of the table at the end of the turn. Union have the slight upper hand here.

Across the road, very even, the Union musketry had been more effective than the rebels, making the forces now much more on a par, elan wise.

The whole table.