Miniature Wargaming

           Five years have passed since I last posted something about miniature wargaming. One of my several hobbies, I enjoy playing games with my toy soldiers, painted or unpainted. At the same time I try to simulate the tactics of the historical time period to make it accurate and playable. It is equally important to create a game which is challenging and, depending upon how many players I can accommodate, as loud as possible.  I used historical simulations in the classroom to motivate students and to get them excited about history.

      The following photos are from a current solo game. The playing board is a Civil War battlefield in my basement on a series of 2.5’ X 6’ tables. The playing area is divvied into 10 distinct areas of entry, randomly numbered from 1 -10. A corresponding deck of 14 cards numbered 1 – 10 with 4 No Entry cards, when drawn by the players determine the time and points of entry on the board.

      The following photos represent 7 turns of play in which the Confederates have committed all of their forces (36 regiments numbering 200 -300 men each on the board) and 4 artillery pieces (1 battery) on 6 0f the 10 entry points. The Federal forces have 6 brigades, numbering 27 regiments of 400 men each and six guns. By this time in the game, they have committed 17 regiments and 2 guns on the field.

     In this particular action a Union regiment, in the foreground, despite incoming small arms fire and case shot screaming overhead has driven a Confederate regiment from the rail fence to their front through another Confederate regiment coming on the field. (Note the Confederate flag in the right foreground heading away from the fighting.)

    While that action is going on, one Confederate regiment has successfully disrupted and flanked two Union regiments while one of them is engaged in a firefight with the Confederates along the rail fence. Simultaneously, in the foreground a small Rebel unit is flanking the Union position unobserved.

     A short distance to the right, in front of the same road (previous photograph), 2 Yankee regiments have successfully halted 2 Confederate regiments trying to break their lines in a charge by column of fours.Note that the Confederate regiment moving by the oblique has come under fire from the stonewall on the left.

     This is an overview of the  field including all of the previous photos. It gives the player an idea of how complicated a battlefield could be. Note the creek with the pole bridges in the foreground. The individual figure on the opposite side behind the rail fence among the trees are Rebel skirmishers. They are taking pot shots at Yankee officers.

     From the opposite end of the field looking toward the creek which is marked by the bridge and the tree line to the right behind the log buildings. The two puffs to the right of the cabin in the right are from two Rebels guns firing at the two Yankee guns to the left of the cornfield. A Union regiment has flanked the Rebel regiments in the valley below while Rebel skirmishers are popping rounds at the Union officers in that regiment. Also note the cavalryman just to the right below the cornfield.

         A fresh Confederate brigade has flanked the Union line near the church and the school house.

     The casualties are what one would expect from frontal assaults and regiments getting hit by flank fire. Union losses: 1 artillery lieutenant, 2 aides de camp to a brigadier, 10 regimental line officers, 400 enlisted men to the Rebels' 11 regimental officers and 350 rank and file and the action has just gotten started. The Union forces still have 10 regiments and 4 guns to commit to the action.

     Lessons learned: skirmishers, when used effectively are hard to eliminate and costly to officers. Regiments can break at inconvenient times. So far and additional 200 men (1 Confederate regiment) has quit the field with their commanding officer in addition to the other casualties. A Union regiment of similar size will probably run from the field if it cannot be rallied by its officers. Nothing is predictable and the outcome it "up in the air." It is a nasty brawl with large caliber weapons beyond the control of the commanding generals, who are not on the field.