American Civil War Miniature Wargaming Scenarios

Touched With Fire 1 TToouucchheedd WWiitthh FFiirree 12 Civil War Miniature Wargaming Scenarios Sample file ©2010 Scott and Debi Mingus The Johnny Reb Gaming Society 1383 Sterling Drive York, Pennsylvania 17404 Allll riights reserved.. No part of thiis publliicatiion may be reproduced iin any format,, ellectroniic or wriitten,, wiithout wriitten consent of the Johnny Reb Gamiing Sociiety.. Touched With Fire 2 Table of Contents Battlle of Faiir Oaks (Sumner’’s Fiight) Page 3 Battlle of Chantiilllly (Ox Hiillll) Page 7 Skiirmiish at Quebec Schoollhouse Page 11 Battlle of Antiietam (Sykes’’ Regullars) Page 14 Battlle of Shepherdstown Page 17 Battlle of Hoover’’s Gap Page 22 Battlle of Gettysburg (Faiirfiielld Road) Page 24 Battlle of Gettysburg (Pllum Run Valllley) Page 28 Battlle of Buffiington IIslland Page 30 Battlle of Brown’’s Miillll Page 33 Second Battlle of Newtoniia Page 36 Battlle of Monroe’’s Crossroads Page 39 In our youth, our hearts were touched with fire. - Olliiver Wendellll Hollmes,, Jr.. Sample file This scenario book is intended to be used for the Johnny Reb III™ rule system, but is readily modifiable for other regimental-level rules. No attempts have been made to balance the scenarios for playability, but rather in keeping with the spirit of the original Enduring Valor: Gettysburg in Miniature series, I have tried to present the scenarios as close to the historical tactical situations as possible. Gamemasters may wish to alter or modify these scenarios accordingly to suit their preferences. Every attempt has been made to use the latest research in terms of unit armament, strengths, deployment, arrival times, etc., but of course, if you find conflicting data or information, feel free to incorporate it into your wargame. The terrain maps are rather self-explanatory. The dotted lines are fences; circle patterned lines are stone walls; blue lines streams or rivers; small black boxes represent houses or clusters of farm buildings; solid brown lines are roads; dotted or dashed brown lines are trails or farm lanes; and objectives are yellow stars. Union troops are shown in blue; Confederate in red. Skirmish lines are dotted blue or red lines. All scenarios originally appeared in the pages of CHARGE! Magazine, a leading regimental-level Civil War quarterly newsletter. All were written by Scott Mingus, with the exception of Buffington Island, which was heavily modified from the original author, George Anderson. It is used with his gracious permission. Questions, suggestions, alterations, etc. may be addressed to the author at [email protected]. Touched With Fire 3 armies deployed about 42,000 men in the ensuing Sumner’s Fight battle. On May 31, Johnston attacked McClellan’s two corps south of the river, leaving them isolated from the at Fair Oaks other three corps to the north. The Confederate attack plan was complex, calling for the divisions of Maj. Saturday, May 31, 1862 Gens. A.P. Hill and John B. Magruder to contain the Henrico County, Virginia Union forces north of the river, while Maj. Gen. James Longstreet, commanding the main attack, was to “…the whole scene [was] dark with smoke and lit up by converge on Keyes from three directions. the streams of fire from our battery…” McClellan had early warning of the attack from – Lt. Henry Ropes, 20th MA the Union Army Balloon Corps, commanded by Prof. Thaddeus S. C. Lowe. Lowe had established two balloon camps on the north side of the river, one at Gaines' Farm and one at Mechanicsville. Using the aerostats Washington and Intrepid, Lowe and his assistant were able to watch the Confederate forces on the other side of the river advancing on Heintzelman's position. McClellan, working on faulty intelligence, was sure that the Confederates were feigning an attack. Lowe sent an urgent message to advise McClellan to have New Bridge repaired at once and send reinforcements to Heintzelman's aid. The Confederate attack got off to a bad start Scene from the battlefield when Longstreet took the wrong road and moved south on Nine Mile Road instead of east, delaying the BACKGROUND advance of his coordinated columns, so that no attack could be launched until 1 p.m. D.H. Hill’s division The Battle of Fair Oaks (known as Seven Pines began the attack alone, and the Union troops were able to the Confederates) occurred from May 31–June 1, to withstand its advance. When finally reinforced by 1862, as part of the Peninsula Campaign. It was the Longstreet, Hill succeeded in driving back the IV Corps culmination of an offensive up the Virginia PeninsulaSample and file inflicting heavy casualties. by Union Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, in which the Both sides soon fed additional troops into the Army of the Potomac reached the outskirts of the action, and the Confederates never achieved the Confederate capital, Richmond. Although Fair Oaks concentrated mass necessary to prevail; of the 13 was tactically inconclusive, it was the largest battle in brigades on their right flank, no more than 4 were ever the Eastern Theater up to that time and marked the end engaged at once. Supported by the III Corps and Maj. of the Union offensive, leading to the Seven Days Gen. John Sedgwick's division of Sumner's II Corps Battles and the subsequent Union retreat. (which crossed the rain-swollen Chickahominy on McClellan’s 105,000 men were positioned Sumner's initiative), the Federal position was finally northeast of Richmond, straddling the Chickahominy stabilized before the IV Corps could be routed. General River. He had placed three corps north of the river, Johnston was seriously wounded during the action, and protecting his lines of communication – V Corps under command of the Army of Northern Virginia was Major Gen. Fitz John Porter; VI Corps, under Maj. assumed temporarily by Maj. Gen. G.W. Smith. Gen. Gen. William B. Franklin; and II Corps, under Maj. Robert E. Lee soon assumed permanent command Gen. Edwin V. “Bull” Sumner. South of the river were following Smith’s subsequent nervous breakdown. IV Corps, under Brig. Gen. Erasmus D. Keyes in a On June 1, the Confederates renewed their position far forward and close to the Confederate lines, assaults against the Federals, who had brought up more and III Corps, under Brig. Gen. Samuel P. reinforcements, but made little headway. Both sides Heintzelman. Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston had claimed victory with roughly equal casualties, but 60,000 men in his Army of Northern Virginia neither side's accomplishment was impressive. protecting the works of Richmond. Due to faulty McClellan's advance on Richmond was halted and the intelligence from detective Allan Pinkerton, McClellan Army of Northern Virginia fell back into the Richmond believed that he was outnumbered two to one. Both defensive works. Courtesy of Wikipedia Touched With Fire 4 THE WARGAME down and the rails stacked. The Courtney and Adams houses were both large 2-story wooden white-washed At 2:30 p.m., “Bull” Sumner, commander of structures. The other house is quite small. Much of the the Union II Corps, received orders to cross the river area in front of the batteries was recently cleared of and support the beleaguered troops on the south side. timber for Adams’ sawmill, and the area was dotted Sumner's lead division under John Sedgwick soon with hundreds of tree stumps. arrived near Fair Oaks Station, along with Kirby's To move artillery off-road, an infantry battery. Arriving during a pause in the battle, Sumner regiment must physically touch the gun stand and found Gen. Darius Couch, four regiments of IV Corps accompany the entire movement. Lt. Edmund Kirby infantry, and Brady's battery in battle line on a slight reported, “I was obliged to call upon the infantry in my ridge near the Adams house. Sumner ordered part of rear several times to assist in dragging the pieces from Burns’ Brigade to protect the right flank and formed the the mud, which assistance was promptly rendered by remainder of Sedgwick’s division into battle line. the Fifteenth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers. At Couch's men were repositioned to maximize their one time three pieces were up to their axles in the mud, remaining firepower, tearing down a fence to form their trails being buried to a corresponding distance.” hasty works. These arrangements were hardly completed when the Confederates advanced and GOALS opened fire. This scenario covers G.W. Smith’s main attack CSA – Drive the Yankees back towards the Grapevine on Sumner’s patchwork line and the subsequent Federal Bridge (off map to the east). Seize the center star point, twilight bayonet charge. It begins at 5:00 p.m. and ends while holding the RR station. at 8:20 p.m. From 7:00 onward, all visibility is cut in USA – Hold the road to the bridge. Push the Rebels half as twilight descends. The table is 4’x4’ for 15mm back towards Fair Oaks Station and seize it, cutting off JR3; adjust as needed for other rules or scales. Smith’s Division from Johnston’s main body. DEPLOYMENT USA – Three guns of Kirby’s Battery are in place (unlimbered), along with Fagan’s section of Brady’s battery. Brady’s other section is limbered (it historically deployed near the Robert Courtney house). Two more of Kirby’s guns (Woodruff’s section)Sample arrive file (limbered) on turn 4 at A. Kirby and Fagan may not combine fire, as they are from different corps. Dana’s brigade is in column. Historically, they deployed along the fence line to the left of the 34th NY. CSA – Hatton’s Brigade and the 22nd NC of Pettigrew’s Brigade arrive at 5:40 p.m.

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