Static Defence Scenario: ACW

A Neil Thomas Scenario with two objectives. A camp in the east

and a dominate hill in the North/West.

Dicing made the Union the defenders with 4 Green Infantry Regiments,

a Green Cavalry Regiment and a 6 gun 12pndr Napoleon Battery.

 2 units must remain near each objective and the Confederates only need to capture one to win.

Deciding the Camp is the most obvious target the Federals defend it

with two Infantry and the Battery. 

 The 2nd New York Volunteers ready to defend the camp.

 The Hill is further north and garrisoned by 71st New York Regiment and the 10th Illinois Cavalry. The 2nd New Hampshire is positioned so they can quickly support the Camp.

 The Confederates dice for their force and receive 4 Green Regiments,

an experienced Zouave Regiment and a battery of  4 12 pndrs.

All the confederates come on the west side heading for the far Hill objective!

 The Louisiana Tigers. They were the only experienced unit for both sides.

The Union begins to redeploy to defend the Hill!

The 10th Illinios dismount and head towards the west wood.

 The Battery unlimbers ready to fire in support.

 The 6th North Carolina manage a double move and successfully charge the Federal guns!

The 5th Massachusetts cross the fence to confront the North Carolina's

 The 7th Georgia form line and advance on the west wood. 

 The terrible odds facing the 71st New York.

 The 2nd New Hampshire defends the central wood from the 2nd Alabama.

 The Rebel Battery begins to bombard the 71st NY.  

 The fight for West Wood gets close and intense.

Out numbered the 71st NY bravely stands its ground.

Eventually it takes too many stun hits retreats back to the Hill!  

The dismounted Cavalry starts to stack up hits on the Georgians!   

General Porter rallies the 71st NY.

 The Cavalry wins!

The Georgians rout from the field.

The Federals manage to get the upper hand in the Central Wood as well.

 The 6th Nth Carolinas have seen off the 5th Mass  and are now confronted by the 2nd NY.

Battered the 4th Alabama retreat from the Central Wood.

The Illinois are pushed out of the West Woods.

 The Tigers fight for the Central Wood.

 The 6th fight off another Union Regiment

The Union Counter attack.

 The 71st are again forced back to the Hill.

The 2nd New Hampshire rout from the Central Wood!

 The artillery deliver constant fire.

And the 71st eventually break!

General Evans and the Tigers march unopposed to the Hill.

Confederate Victory!

The rules used were the  Shako to Coal-Scuttle by Nordic Weasel Games.

I've changed some rules to allow for Troop grades and ACW regiments habit of running then rallying.

Plus Brigade Commanders ratings. I have found them fun to use so far.

The 2nd New York Regiment

The 2nd New York Regiment and some new objective flags.

The 2nd New York Volunteer Regiment.

I've always thought objective flags were a good idea but never did anything about it.

Today I grabbed some nails, coins and spare flags and had bit of a go.

They look like they will do the job ok.

The 3rd Michigan Cavalry

Argh the flag glue didn't stick! Still I'm getting better at the painting.

And dismounted

Couple of the Regiments daring dos!
Taken from civil war index.
In November Co. K made a daring trip. Communication between Grant and Sherman had been cut off by the destruction of railway and telegraph lines, the enemy's pickets extending to Memphis.
Capt. Newell and his company advanced from La Grange to Moscow, made a circuit of 17 miles by night, attacked and captured the pickets at Somerville, and charged through a regiment. Finding the bridge burned at Wolf river, the company plunged into and across the river, and being taken for Confederates, pushed through a brigade and reached Sherman's headquarters at Memphis.

The regiment was engaged at Brownsville in January and Clifton in February. At the latter point Capt. Newell of Co. K and 60 men crossed the river after nightfall in an old flat bottom boat and captured the Confederate Col. Newsom, 3 of his captains, 4 lieutenants and 61 enlisted men, with horses, arms and equipments. The regiment was in engagements at Jackson and Panola in July, and at Grenada in August was in the advance, destroying over 60 locomotives and more than 400 cars -

See more at: http://www.civilwarindex.com

Delaying Action Scenario ACW

A road test of the "From Shako to Coal Scuttle." Beta rules.

Using the #9 Neil Thomas Scenario and my new ACW armies.

There is battle brewing to the North and the Confederates need to secure the Town and send two Regiments up the road.  The Federals just need to stop them but will be ordered to send troops north periodically during the game.They are defending a river with two crossings.
A ford on the left and a stone bridge near the town.

Union Left. Two Regiments defend the Town supported by a battery of 12pndr Napoleons.

On the hill in the distant rear is a regiment of US Cavalry acting as a reserve.

Union right. Defending the ford is an Infantry Regiment and a battery of 6pndrs.

With the Louisiana Tigers in the lead the Confederates send 4 Regiments against the Town.

Two shock dice allow some double moves.

The 6 pndrs open up on the two Cavalry Regiments rushing towards the ford.

The 7th Alabama takes loses but is supported by the 1st Arkansas.

 Accurate rifle fire from the Union defenders forces the Louisiana Tigers
to pull back down the road!

The 7th Alabama is greeted by volley fire as they cross the ford.

The Alabama Cavalry charge the Federal infantry Regiment who skedaddle into the woods.

The 1st Arkansas also cross to the North bank of the river.

A depleted Confederate regiment manages to break into the Town!

The "Tigers" attempt to follow as the 2nd Virginian Regiment provides covering fire.

 The two union batteries who provided amazingly accurate support throughout the game.

The Federals commit their cavalry reserve who charge the Alabamians and

throw terrible dice loosing half their strength and rebound.

 The shooting from the 2nd Virginians is so hot they force the Union troops
to temporarily abandon the Church yard.

The Alabamians charge the US Cavalry and again win the fight.  

The US cavalry is reduced to 2 bases and both are stunned!

Same too for the 1st Arkansas who have all 5 bases stunned by the 6pdrs guns.

And  Alabama's  finest have also have all of their bases stunned as well.

All three of these cavalry regiments will be forced to rally back!

The Federals have managed to reoccupy the Church. 

Required to send a unit of reinforcements North by the scenario rules.

The Union send their much depleted Cavalry.

Meanwhile the half strength Alabamians manage to rally enough bases

to charge the 6pndrs in the flank and run over them.

Mean while the  1st Arkansas has rallied back south of the river

trying to loose some of those stunned markers!

Rested they head back to the fight. 

With Cavalry on their flank the 12pndrs swing round to engage the Confederates.

In the background, though, can be seen some Rebels who have managed to pass
through the Town and are heading towards their rear. 

What's left of the 7th Alabama finally rout after being hit by 12pndr cannon fire!

But they defeated a 6pdr battery and a Cavalry regiment before calling it a day!

 With another withdrawal ordered and the Town being a vital

objective the Union sends the regiment from the ford. 

The 12pndr Napoleons are charged from the rear!

Street fighting in the Town. With the second last Federal Regiment routed and

another withdrawal required next turn its all over for the Feds who only hold the Shop.

The Confederates win. Though all of their Regiments are worse for wear!

Man of the match has to go to the 7th Alabama Cavalry Regiment. They crossed the river first,

pushed back an Infantry Regiment, chased off the US Cavalry and wiped out a battery of 6pndrs!

The Neil Thomas Scenarios always give good game.

"From Shako to Coal Scuttle." Beta rules.

By Ivan Sorensen

These rules are intended for the Waterloo to Mons period and have their needle

firmly set in the fun zone of the realism V playability argument.

Did I enjoy using them for this game?

Yes I did. They were easy to pick up and gave me the right flavour for a ACW game.

What I like about them.

These rules are fun to use and have plenty of new ideas

There is an easy combat mechanism which gives you results instead of going through 3-4 steps like some rules do. So you might take casualties, lose moral and be forced to retreat all from one throw of the dice.

You accumulate "Stunned bases" from action. (You could call them fatigue or disruption or moral loses.) These slowly reduce your combat ability over and above casualties taken. If not rallied eventually your Regiment will retreat on its own accord!

Command dice. Some allow you to rally, some to charge or move faster. They give you decisions to make and allow for different efficiencies of Command.

Finally the game is very robust and has tolerated my fiddling with out loosing its style!

What didn't suit what I wanted.

The turning rules are a bit too free and easy though I applaud their simplicity. I introduced one tweak and am very happy with the results.

The command ratings are based at the Army level. I want different Brigade and Divisional commanders for the ACW because it has always struck me as a character driven war. I think I have managed to shrink the command dice allocation down to Brigade level.

These rules ares till in the Beta stage and are available from the Wargames Vault.

http://www.wargamevault.com/product/176031/From-Shako-to-Coalscuttle-Beta-rules?src=slider_view