Confederate Order of Battle for the Campaign First Manassas

 

I have not managed to post at all on this website since before Xmas. Life has got away from me a little bit with my parents who are unwell and family. 

I hopefully have some blue water for a few months and can refocus on this project. The "state of play" is that it is turn 1 of August 1861. I am off on holiday to Mull with my wife and a few friends in the first week of May. A great target would be to get the first big battle done by then or have it ready to be soon after my return. 

I have now purchased 6 of the cheap plastic fold down tables. I do have a silver wedding anniversary next year coming up so hopefully they won't go to waste as bars or buffet tables if we had some sort of celebration here. Another huge order of roads, creeks and hills from my basic scenery supplier of choice S&S in the UK have arrived. They are superb and will do me a lifetime at all scales up to 15 mmm. I have also purchased a large amount of foam board for creating contours under my printed terrain cloths. 

I have started to plan out the roads and main creek from a number of resources. On the above photo Henry House Hill is the small hill in the in the rectangle of roads on the left hand edge of the table. 

I have had one supplier disappointment. Geek Gaming Mats printing machine broke (according to their website and information) and once it was replaced I made the exact same order of two more  "Autumn" fleece 6 x 4 mats so that I could make a huge 12 x 6 foot table. Unfortunately the new prints are coming up a different tone as you can see in the above picture. It's not terrible I know but I can see it and and it is offending my OCD ! I am investing in kit for a retirement of gaming but I don't have bottomless resources. It will be fine once the whole table is "dressed". If I add a little bit more to the look for each battle and continue to paint my bases I should be able to create some wonderful Civil War "soldier porn" of legendary Scott Mingus proportions ! This is all aspirational unless I get my head down and paint. They only have to paint themselves once and the scenery is super fun.

I think I just need to set aside 2 hours for three times a week and one of the weekend days for the rest of May. The rest of May and June should provide some good opportunities but I am conscious that the anniversary of creating this site may soon roll around with my having taken a year to game the first month. It really doesn't matter though. Back to the main event !  

Confederate Order of Battle 

The Confederates  at the historic battle were comprised of two "armies" which were made up in effect of single Corps sized components. By the 21 July 1861  the Army of the Shenandoah under Jo Johnston had managed to slip away from the Union forces outside Winchester and move across by rail to Manassas Junction. This was occurring from about 3 days before the battle with the final forces arriving as the battle was occurring. Famously Jackson arrived at Henry House Hill as General Bee's brigade was falling out. They rallied behind Jackson and the Virginians "standing like a Stone Wall" and the tide was turned. 

In my campaign Jo Johnston has been at Manassas Junction since the second week of July. Jo Johnston was the senior general and will take overall command of the forces on the day. I will allow however Beauregard also to act as a "corps" commander (without an HQ up to his counter command span 3). Like the Federals I will model each division counter as 2 or 3 "named" brigades and list the regiments as appropriate and provide each division with a divisional commander. 

The main difference I can see in the starting Corps permitted by the V&Bayonet campaign rules for the early war is that confederate Corps have a small cavalry reserve whereas Union corps have a small corps artillery brigade as a reserve (usually rifled pieces so parrot guns). Cavalry is modelled from counters in my campaign as separate purchases under the War Between the States boardame rules. My union Order of battle has provided them with 5 brigades of artillery (roughly ten batteries). I don't believe that the Confederates had less artillery per se. The difference in the model corps in the V&B campaign reflects the greater preponderance of Confederate cavalry in the early war which is already a "thing" in my game with the cheaper confederate cavalry points. I think I will allow confederate HQ's (only) not leaders) an artillery reserve but limit this to a SB-H PT brigade rather than rifled field artillery at this stage of the war. I am not purchasing artillery within the boardgame recruitment cycle so I just have to come up with something fair and representative. Overall union artillery was superior in numbers and effectiveness in the war as a whole as I understand it. Certainly in terms of "kit" and quality of ordanance until large amounts of Union material was captured. There was no criticism of confederate gun crews but they were hampered by inconsistent charges with a tendency to explode early and confederate battalions were known during the war to plead with the artillery not to fire over their heads ! 

Army of the Potomac & Army of the Shenandoah (operates as two small Corps on the tabletop) 

The big line from the Order of Battle and Unit Tracker for Manassas reads as follows. As the counters are not marked "0" against their PT status they have all clicked up to "1" in their time based progress from Green to Veteran status :-

C2409 Manassas Junction, Beauregard****3-3-1, Depot 6-6, 1stCorpsHQ, ST4, C1 (Stuart  Cavalry 2-5) I6 (3 x 4-4 PT NE) I7 (2 x 5-4 PT NE, 4-4 PT NE), I5 (4-4 PT NE, 2 x 3-4 PT NE), Corps Artillery 2-5 R-F , Divisional Artillery 2-5 SB-F PT, 2-5 SB-H PT and J.Johnston****3-3-1, I5 (4-4 PT NE, 2 x 3-4 PT NE) I5 (Stonewall), (Jackson "Stonewall" Brigade (50%)  6-5, 4-4 PT NE) Divisional Artillery 2-5 SH-H PT) (High morale 6-5 first stonewall brigade is allowed from House Divided campaign rules set up and now augmented within a mixed brigade).

So the confederates have 14 brigade stands in total and I think the Union 13. I am assigning Divisional commanders for the sake of the game effectively promoting some of the brigade commanders from the actual day to command groups of  around 3 brigades. 

Confederate Forces at Manassas 

Joseph E Johnston overall command - this essentially has no "game" effect on the tabletop 

Army of the Potomac  (technically a Corps) - P.G.T Beauregard - "1" 

Corps Artillery - Alexander 2-5 R-F PT - Purcell (Virginia) Artillery, Lynchburg (Virginia) Artillery

First Division - James Longstreet "1" 

 

We have a mini galaxy of confederate 2,3 and 4 stars appearing on the battlefield for this battle. I will take the time over coming posts to do my usual introductions but for now I will consign myself to a few pictures. I spent an inordinate amount of time introducing Lyons for the union for the battle of Rolla only to have him suffer the same fate as in real life ! Once elevated by General Lee a little later in the war Longstreet was one of the few commanders in the confederate roll call of the Army of Virginia not to come from that State. He was a Georgia man.  

Divisional Artillery - Shields - Washington (Louisiana) Artillery 2-5 SB S-H PT

Bonham First (Carolina) Brigade 4-4 PT NE, 11 th North Carolina, 2,3,7,8 South Carolina 

Milledge Bonham was appointed major general and commander of the forces of South Carolina at the outset of the war. He commanded the first brigade at Manassas. In 1862 he resigned his commission to take up his post as a representative for South Carolina in the Confederate congress. 

Ewell Second (Alabama/Louisiana) Brigade 4-4 PT NE 5,6 Alabama, 6,8 Louisiana 

Baldy Ewell is another star making his appearance. A regular army officer like many he resigned his commission at the outset of the war when his native Virginia seceded. Throughout the war Ewell petitioned the Confederate government for black slaves to be freed in return for service in the Army of the Confederacy. He was raised as a child in Manassas so should have known the ground well. In the actual battle his brigade was guarding one of the fords a long way downstream and did not see actual combat which was concentrated in and around Henry Hill. 

Jones Third (Mississipi) Brigade 4-4 PT NE 17, 18 Mississippi, 5th South Carolina 

Stuart's Cavalry 2-5 

Second Division - Jubal Early "1"

Jubal Early began life as the commander of the 24th Virginia Regiment but I will give him a one of the divisions for Manassas as he was promoted immediately after the battle. I will hand over command of his brigade to Kemper.

Divisional Artillery 2-5 SB-H PT

Kemper First (Virginia) Brigade 5-4 PT NE 7th Louisiana, 13th Mississippi, 7th and 24th Virginia 

Cocke Second (Virginia) Brigade 5-4 PT NE 8,18, 19 28 and 49 Virginia 

Wheat Third brigade 4-4 PT NE 1st Louisiana (not yet the crack "Wheat's Tigers" I don't believe who gave service in the valley but I will paint them as fancy zoaves for some variation from grey and butternut and a little elan, 4th South Carolina

Third Division - Nathan Evans "1"

Divisional Artillery 2-5 SB-H PT

Holmes first (Arkansas/Tennessee)  Brigade 4-4 PT NE 1st Arkansas, 2nd Tennessee

Garland second (Virginia) Brigade 3-4 PT NE 5th North Carolina, 1, 11, 17 Virginia 

Wade Hampton's South Carolina "Legion" third brigade 3-4 PT NE 

Whilst unassigned in the ORBAT for Manassas we will designate the Hampton Legion as a brigade and give it a run out at Manassas. The "Legion" was a fully independent force consisting of cavalry, artillery and infantry but for the purposes of the game we will assign it as a brigade to one of Beuregard's divisions. 

Army of the Shenandoah - technically a "corps" Joseph E Johnston "1"

Corps Artillery Pendleton 2-5 R F 

First Division Thomas Jackson "1"

I have promoted Jackson to command a division early for game purposes. He can gather the the forces to hold the "Stonewall" on Henry Hill. It is unclear as to whether Bee below was refering to a physical stonewall on the battlefield or describing Jackson as a stonewall. In any event the name stuck and was passed on from the man to the Brigade he led.

Divisional Artillery Rockbridge Artillery (Brokenbrough) 2-5 SB-F PT

First "Stonewall" Brigade (Virginia Cummings) 6-5 2nd, 4th, 5th, 27th, 33d Virginia

Second Brigade (Georgia) Gardner 4-4 PT NE 7th, 8th Georgia

Second Division Bartow "1"

Divisional Artillery (Culpepper/Staunton Virginia Artillery) Imboden 2-5 SB-H PT

First Brigade Bee (Mixed) 4-4 PT NE 4th Alabama, 11th 2nd Mississipi 

"Mississipi ! There is Jackson standing like a stonewall. Let us determine to die here and we will conquer ! Rally behind the Virginians". And the rest is history. 

Second Brigade Kirby Smith 3-4 PT NE 1st Maryland, 3d Tennessee 

Third Brigade Col. Fisher/Gibbons (tbc)  3-4 PT NE 6th North Carolina, 10th Virginia 

That concludes the Union and Confederate orders of battle. With 27 individual brigades to model I need to paint now something like 480 10 mm figures as well as an awful lot more artillery and caissons. This will actually break the back on the painting I need to do for a long while with the game. They will not paint themselves butI will try and both enjoy the exercise and listen to some more educational material on the War. 

See you in hell Billy Yank ! See you in hell Johny Reb ! 

Week 1 August 1861 (Union Turn) - First Major Clash in the East

 

Above : Henry Halleck (see site footer) 

"I will not attempt to hamper you with any minute instructions" Henry Halleck to John Pope in respect of the capture of island number 10

So "Old Brains" is installed as Chief of Staff in Washington early and it's time for the chit draw for the first turn of August 1861. Union threats are starting to brew in both the East and West. In North Virginia  a strong force of 27,000 men organised as a Corps under McDowell has crossed the Potomac and has been organising itself for several weeks. This strong force is preparing to attack around 29,000 men gathered under the combined leadership of Beauregard and Jo Johnston at Manassas Junction. 

In the West a number of further threats are brewing. An advance guard under McLennan is at Cairo with options to move on Polk at Union City. In Missouri a battle hardened force of 7,000 cavalry and infantry under Heintzleman remains at Rolla and could continue to press Price and the remnants of the Missouri State Guard who have slid across to Ironton. On the Ohio River Stoneman has arrived in theatre to take command of the departmental garrison at Evansville. From there the Union may attempt to a swift invasion of neutral Kentucky. 

The clock is always ticking for the Union politically under the Strategic victory point situation. The Union must capture four victory point cities East of the Mississipi by August 1862 or the Confederates will clock up victory points each turn and eventually be able to successfully roll against the tables for a victory or Foreign Intervention to bring the War to an early close. As a reminder the main target cities for the Union are Richmond, Nashville, New Orleans, Memphis and Atlanta. The second tier of cities include Charleston, Chattanooga, Corinth, Knoxville, Mobile and Vicksburg. This should inform the axises of attack for the Union. Clearing the Mississippi should be a key aim for the Union and from both ends if possible. Seabourne assaults could be attempted for each of Charleston, New Orleans and Mobile. Finally an overland campaign through the heart of the confederacy to take Nashville and then to cut the central rail line and take Knocksville, Chattanooga and Atlanta could be attempted. The Confederacy will always have limited resources that must be husbanded and cannot defend in strength everywhere. In some ways however both the Strategic targets and the availability of Headquarters organistions and competent leaders with initiative will guide the Union sides' progress. 

Kentucky's neutrality is an annoyance. If the Union moves through into the State its legislature will declare for the Confederacy however a swift campaign could then take place to secure the main cities and the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. The Personnel Point bonus to the Confederacy is not massive.  It effectively provides roughly 60 Personnel Points to the Confederacy over 6 months in comparison to 30 for the Union so the difference is not that great. This is really not more than a couple of divisions. Cessation will however deliver 6 towns and cities to the confederacy which will  produce Production Points. This resource is set to take a leap up in October as the cotton harvest is brought in. This could be worth a small boost to the cause until they are taken back. Given that the Confederacy is unlikely to invade the Kentucky themselves for fear of losing that advantage and giving a gift of yet more resources to the Union has time to gather its forces before a swift invasion. 

On balance in the West for now I think that Heintzelman should continue to pursue Price and then combine with McLennan to seek to knock out Polk and dislodge the Confederate stronghold at Union City the top of the Mississipi. I have noted from the rules that despite Missouri declaring for the Confederacy the railcnet in Union still belongs to the Federals. 

Strong naval forces will be arriving in theatre in a matter of months so early 1862 could be the time to attempt the invasion of Kentucky. In fact a river bourne invasion would not immediately violate neutrality if aimed at Nashville bypassing Kentucky and using the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. I think it better to move swiftly on the key cities that would contribute to the Confederate cause, hold territory and threaten Nashville. Nashville would be the first major strategic loss for the Confederacy. 

On the  Confederate side the other hemisphere of my strategic brain keeps coming back to the simple maxim that the Confederacy does not need to "win". It just mustn't "lose". The Confederates have there a new nation - it simply needs to dig in and hang onto it for now. Concentrating forces and blocking potential moves and reinforcing key strategic cities is the aim of the game. For example why attack Ivrvin McDowell North of Manassas ? Richmond and some of the small towns and cities such as Fredericksburg and Lynchburg, Charlottesville and Gordansville  need to be defended but there is no immediate strategic advantage to throwing McDowell back across the Potomac. Better to continue to consolidate forces and focus on having an advantage when attacked. The topography of Virginia presents the Confederates with a series of East/West rivers providing natural defensive lines. 

Initiative Chit Draw

I use my wife because I can feel myself hoping that the Union remains stalled in North Virginia - I have to paint those bases at some point ! Also I think I know what each Chit looks like now even if reversed. Again I swear that my wife is a zealous abolitionist and Lincoln loving Republican. The Confederates opt for the safe "2" in parenthesis under the WbTS boardgame rules. Of the remaining 3 options - "0", "1" and "3" Jane picks the "3" from the cup. The Union takes the initiative and has 3 guaranteed initiative moves which is remarkably useful given the very low initiative of Union commanders to get anything done independently. 

Union Moves 

(1) Heintzleman ** and the I5 and C1 counters he is stacked with continue the pursuit of Price backed by (2) the supply train.  They move across to A2415 and A2414.  Heintzleman can order a division and a brigade as a ** Divisional commander so moving the supply train to ensure that he can engage in combat healthily when he catches Price will cost another chit initiative.

(3) One of the I5 divisions at Harpers Ferry has moved to join Banks at Baltimore. Incidentally the Federal  Naval Transports are nearby. The Northern papers trumpet the potential for seaborne invasions along the East coast of the Confederate States alerting the Confederacy to the potential danger. Should the Confederates then use valuable resources to garrison each city on its coastline ? I have been toying with the idea of building up garrisons where I can to create a fighting reserve that can react to threats. The arrival of a substantial force threatening key cities such as Charleston or Atlanta would require a significant reaction that would then of course weaken resources elsewhere. The Union has the advantage of the Sea, the Ohio river and eventually the Mississippi (if it can take it) creating a contiguous exterior line of communication from where it can assault at will. This is Winfield Scott's Anaconda plan in its full glory. 

There are of course the potential for initiative moves for the union as well. 

Only Stoneman at Evansville makes his initiative roll (he gets a “2”). I think he needs a larger force to move into Kentucky than the 6,000 militia and garrison he currently has. Potentially he can take some militia with him to create a depot when he does move but he should take at least a strong infantry division to have any chance of success. This will be the thrust towards Nashville when it is ready. 

The more you "run the board" for the Union  to generate threats to the Confederates the more you realise that the Confederates are constrained strategically to defence and possibly counter punches  e.g. in the form of raids in strength in the North or to retake territory in the West. The experimental political victory point rules I have adopted from WbTS are particularly elegant at capturing this "mood" to proceedings.  

Combat Phase 

Heintzleman is not yet in a position to attack Price. Again Mcgruder has a series of increasingly agitated telegrams from Lincoln demanding that he march on to Richmond by destroying the confederate main battle army right in front of him. 

Will there be any progress in the main battle theatre in Virginia ? 

The union rolls a 1 which is good for  McDowell's initiative of 2. McDowell is stacked on a Corps HQ and as such can attack with all 4 divisions with him - the 3 x I6 counters and the I9 counter - 27,000 bayonets. Facing him are Beauregard and Jo Johnston with fully 29,000 men. Finally the slow preparations of Union have resulted in a clash. 

This is the mid-sized encounter I have been looking forward to as a tabletop project to take my gaming resources forward  - a clear step up from the  Battle of Rolla. I will need to (1) design and dress the tabletop. (2) Draw up Orders of battle and organise units within my divisions - naming the stands and regiments and (3) decide on how I deal with the battlefield rules for the day and the arrival of units and so on. There are a number of rules questions for me to consider. The battle should be large enough however for me to properly divide up the forces into “divisions” or forces and assign wings or a strategy under the Road  to Glory system. I will allow each side sufficient battlefield divisional commanders within their counters as well as the *** and **** generals present as overall Army/Corps sized commanders. 

Painting wise I will need to produce probably half a dozen more 3" infantry  stands for either side to be able to play this but ultimately I will need upwards of 30 stands a side for the biggest battles in any event. In terms of 20 mm square bases I should now just get the production line rolling again. I have taken delivery of some very nice Black Hats and Zoaves that could make an appearance. I am good for cavalry. Stuart will be present with a small brigade of cavalry however there are no cavalry on the Union side. I will need probably a fairly significant amount of artillery unless I model this at Divisional Guns. 

In terms of scenery I think I need two “tiers” of hills so some foam board shapes that can sit under my cloths will win the day. My existing collection of hills can then just produce the second tier or standalone hills. Henry Hill was of course the focal point of action at Bull Run on 21 July 1861 but it needn't be in this encounter.   I also need a stone bridge and possibly just more trees again ! I am not sure yet how big to make the tabletop.

To keep things simple there is a good map for a Bull Run Scenario on the Volley and Bayonet  internet pages. But this really covers an area dictated by what the two sides on the day actually did. In reality both sides tried to turn the left flank of the other by an attack. This was called off on the Confederate side to defend against the Union assaults of Henry Hill. All reserves arriving at Manassas Junction by rail were eventually thrown this way (notably Jackson's first brigade) prior to general assault by the Confederates leading to a Union collapse. 

I have also ordered a second hand copy of Eastern Battles which supports the Fire and Fury system. That should also have a map and order of battle I can lay onto my counters. This is the moment that the troops become real and take on a character and identity. There is a wealth of information available on the internet obviously. I am taken by the concept that the Union has a multitude of potentially fords and crossing points along Bull Run from which it can attack. The overall concept for the scenario could be the the Confederate needs to make its deployments and then the Union axis of attack will be determined. There is no need for complex rules for the arrival of a strategic reserve by rail as the Confederates have been concentrated at Manassas junction for several weeks. 

The full table itself could be up to 12 feet long x 6 feet  deep depending on how I orientate it. I want take in all the potential river crossings if I can. This is a great project within a project and one that will take me beyond Xmas I expect to get on the table. The key for me is to keep the battle fresh, fair and give both sides a good chance. Most of the troops will be very raw and unproven. Both sides will though naively see the opportunity for that “knock out blow”. The object of this whole campaign for me is primarily to have fun, create some beautiful tabletop battles and essentially tell a story. I should also gain some understanding of the big picture and learn some history as go along. 

I ordered a small piece of astroturf last week to have a go at some crop fields given that the battle will take place in August. My battle of Rolla was lacking in corn ! Spray painted a corn colour the Astroturf  should be quite good. The rules for corn fields block line of site until they are trampled by a crossing brigade. Perhaps I can have two versions - one for the corn standing and one for the corn trampled ! 

Time to retreat to the study/modelling room for a couple of weeks to get this on the table ! I doubt the Great Republican will allow a 12 foot x 6 foot table to appear in the "Front Room" this side of Xmas competing with the tree and dining table. 

Overall I am very excited now again to deliver a larger battle that will deliver a result in the grand campaign. Who will go limping back to the capital on this occasion as the Summer of 1861 draws to a close ? Will the Union sweep on to Richmond or will this first foray into Virginia end in the debacle of the “Great Skeedaddle” as it did historically.

There is one final thing I can decide on with a simple dice roll. The V&B House Divided campaign rules have a system for determining the start time for the fight (see Rule 8 Battles here). In August sunset is at 5 am - adding to that a roll of D6 the Union attack will not take place until 11 am. As sunset is at 7 pm the Union forces will be limited to 8 turns of action on the first day. It is possible that we could be in for a multi-day battle

See you in hell Billy Yank. See you in hell Johnny Reb ! 

Week 3 July 1861 - McLennan Moves West

 

"Up Alabamians !" General Bee at Bull Run 21st July 1861 (see site footer) 

Towards the end of the second week of July McDowell has led 27,000 men across the Potomac from the capital Washington to meet the massing confederates in the field. Jo Johnston has slipped away from Winchester with two divisions totalling 8,000 men to join the 19,000 men and 1,000 cavalry of General Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard. If McDowell can seize some initiative he will be able to bring the confederate main army in Virginia to battle with the hope of destroying it and marching on to Richmond to sieze (or siege) the rebel capital and end the war. This was the plan. One decisive battle and an end to the war ! There are of course victory points to be won for large battles. 

Initiative Chit Draw

The confederates elect to take the number "2" chit - their safe option so the possibilities for the Union are "0", "1" or "3 guaranteed moves. I pass a small cup to my wife while she is watching telly - she is clearly a  Lincoln loving South hating Republican as the Union draws the "3" chit.  This should make things very interesting for the ensuing turn. McDowell will still need to roll a 2 or less to be able to start a set piece battle. The Union will move first however and has 3 guaranteed moves. 

It's good to remember that in order to be "on the right track" politically the Union needs to take a fair few strategic Southern cities by September 1862. It can never be all about Richmond although clearly taking Richmond would have a dramatic impact on the South politically. The chances of Foreign intervention would all but disappear and the confederacy would lose valuable resources each time turn. I have conducted a detailed review of the Victory point system and strategic priorities for each side at my post here which is alway posted at the top of my home page. 

I love to sit at the Northern end of the table and look "upside down" at the map from the North down. If we assume that the Union for now does not want to provoke Kentucky to join the confederacy by violating its neutrality then the corridors of advance become quite obvious. There is always the possibility for the Union to pick up victory points and then to apply for Kentucky to come out for the Union. While it is a logistical headache the more time I spend "upside down" the more I notice the advantages that the Union has with its almost "reverse" interior lines. The Ohio River allows the Union to shift troops rapidly by water from the East right across to the top funnels of the Cumberland River which heads down to Nashville and to the Mississipi to threaten Memphis. Littered about the map the Union has significant resources that once collected under a leader could prove to be an absolute headache for the Confederates. 

There is also something to be said for ensuring that all departments have infantry divisions ready for the next augmentation opportunity. 

In summary then initially in terms of big "ideas" for the Union there is the assault on Richmond. The Union has commenced the war in Virginia by crossing the Potomac. Out West there is key strategic goal of clearing the Mississipi and taking the major cities along it. This would in turn open up Tennessee with cities such as Nashville. Finally there is always the option of stretching the Confederates thin with a coastal assault against the interior of the confederacy. The coast of Georgia or the Carolinas could be the stage for sea bourne landings. Further and while the Confederates would have good notice of any attempt there is nothing to prevent the Union making a landing in the Gulf to try and seize the major city of New Orleans. That would be a blow to the confederates and open up the Mississsipi corridor from the Southern end. 

Union Moves (3 Guaranteed Initiatives)

The Union undertakes some building and consolidation in the West with the guaranteed initiatiations. 

(1) The Unions 3-3 infantry division on Jefferson City moves to join Heintzlemans command at Rolla and sloughs off a 2-3 brigade. The  I1 brigade will be able to merge with the I3 counter and Heintzleman will be able to command the resulting I4 and I2 brigades from August. Equally he could just command the current I3 and I2 counters in turn 4 of July to pursue Price. 

(2) The River Transport unit at Cincinatti transports McLennan, the supply train with 4 supply points and an M2 counter to Evansville which is just about manageable in terms of the "40" point for the River Transport. 

(3) The river transport unit at St Louis transports the M4 counter to Cairo in Illinois. 

Finally, the Union tries to initiate combat using McDowel's command against the Confederate Army at Mannassas Junction but is unsuccessful. 

Confederate Moves (2 Guaranteed Initiatives)

(1) The Weightman's State Missouri Guard brigade (M2) unit trailing Price and Cawthorn's State Guard Cavalry cavalry unit from the defeat at Rolla movs to reunite at Irontown. 

(2) An I3 South Carolingian brigade from Fort Sumter crosses the swamp entrains and then travels by rail to Stevenson B4704 (Heading for Nashville)

Looking at the list of Union target cities it is clear that the South needs to secure Tennessee in particular. 

The strategic position in the West is beginning to look interesting.

The fact of the matter is that unless the Union rolls a "2" for combat initiative it cannot launch the assault at Mannassas Junction. That must occur at some point ! In the meantime my divided brain can continue the build up in the West. 

Week 2 July 1861 - McDowell Crosses the Potomac

 

"Colonel there is no use dodging. When you hear them they have passed"  

Joseph E. Johnson to a flinching Colonel on the Peninsula before he was hit himself. (see site footer)

Northern newspapers are trumpeting the victory in Missouri and there are outpourings of celebration but also national grief in respect of the fallen hero Lyons. Lyons is the first General Officer to die in the war (again and thanks to my stupidity in attaching him to a confederate brigade in the thick off it - history repeats itself and the Union loses its highest initiative commander).  News also reaches Richmond of the set back at Rolla. Jefferson Davis is under pressure from the public and there are calls to eject the Yankee invader from Virginia. The Confederates can wait for the Union to make a move. The historical reality at this point is that both hoped thought that one decisive battle in the East would settle the matter. I could be cautious for the Union however tying down large amounts of troops to protect Richmond is an end in itself. 

Joseph E Johnston is technically the senior officer in the field on the confederate side. I am not sure of the extent to which he and P.T.E Beauregard would have cooperated daily but we know historically how they managed to mass their troops at Mannasses junction to defeat the first union thrust at Bull Run. 

In essence the strategic position on the map overall is largely unchanged apart from the set-back for the confederacy in Missouri. I discussed the overall strategic position in my post for the first turn here . It's almost 3 months since I wrote this piece so I have had to remind myself of my initial conclusions. 

The CSA elects to take a guaranteed "2" as their initiative chit drawer. The options then for the Union are 0,1 or 3. I let my wife draw the chit to avoid any bias karma infiltrating the cardboard and a "1" arrives. The union will finally be able to perform some guaranteed movement but after the Confederate turn. 

Confederate Moves 

(1) Price uses a Confederate initiative and orders the M2 and C1 counters (The surviving elements of Weightman and Cawthorn's brigades of the  Missouri State Guard) with him to move. The Cawthorn's cavalry counter moves as far as Ironton A2517. Weightmans Missouri State Guard brigade (M2) marches as far as A2117. Ironton is in supply (being 3 infantry move points from the Mississippi). It also continues to threaten St. Louis as the Missouri railroads can be used by either side while Missouri remains neutral. Although Price's force is possibly no longer a real threat but could be reinforced by Polk in the South. 

(2) As a backfill to logistics (I forgot to consider combat supply in the first turn I am going to allow the confederates to broadcast 6 points to a new depot at Manassas Junction. An I2 counter will be lost to make the depot. 

(3) For the second initiative move the supply train at Manassas Junction is going to ship 4 supply points to Winchester.  I think the stack at Winchester C2108  requires access to combat points in case it is attacked or wants to attack 

Jo Johnston is able to roll a move initiative - 3 or less on a D6. 

(4) One of the I5 divisions sloughs off an I2 brigade which will remain at Winchester and Jo Johnston and an I5 and I3 march to reinforce Beauregard at Manassas junction. If McDowel decides to attack he will be facing a much more even fight now that 8,000 troops have joined Beauregard at Mannassas junction 

Those are all the confederate moves.

Union Moves

McDowell in command of the first corps HQ can move 3 divisions within the corps and an additional unit or division as a *** leader. He crosses the Potomac with the I9, I6 I6, I6 counters. I think it could be wise to concentrate additional forces before an attack. There is an I5 division next door in Alexandria and a further I3 veteran division in Washington. It may be worthwhile switching in Mclennon  prior to attack but then again McLennan has an initiative of 1 so he may not be able to attack in any event ? The command and control in War Between the States is somewhat frustrating but I quite accurately. In early 1862 for example Lincoln was unable to get McLennan to attack for many months and then again on the Peninsula he was continually plagued by over-caution and over-estimation of the force opposing him. Lincoln was continually frustrated that having built an army McLennan was not particularly disposed to use it. 

McDowell has an initiative of "2" so on a D6 he should be able to give combat on average at least once every 3 months.  Any battle at the moment would be a broadly equal one. 

From a personal point of view it will commit me to a good 1-2 month's painting as I think I will need about 50-60 more small 20 mm square bases each of Union and Confederate infantry (4 x 10 mm figures to a base and 4-6 making up a 3 inch square volley and bayonet brigade bases. As the war progresses the figure requirement is only going to increase. By 1862 both sides could have as many as 80,000-100,000 men in the biggest field armies in the East and West. An 80,000 strong force will need around 40 x 3 " stands on each side which is 240 bases or close to 1,000 figures a side. There is no getting around it. I think the table sizes will also increase to about 9-12 feet x 4-6 feet for some of the battles with a corresponding requirement for scenery. This is the whole point. If I can get to that point then essentially with whatever rules I ever use I will be able to field two decent size armies. I will be set up for good. 

The Bull Run size battle will be a good half way point to reach for with my modelling. 

Despite my immediate concern over the painting logistics I think the pressure from Lincoln would be too much and for historical accuracy I roll for an attack. McDowell fails for this turn but already the conveyor belt for infantry stands is back in motion. 

Heintzleman who is currently at Evansville in Illinois manages to activate (roll of 1 on an initiative 2). A leader can travel normally by rail without having to use a rail point. He moves to Rolla to take command of  the Trans-Mississippi theatre. 

That ends the Union movements and the weekly turn. I will update the living tracker. If the Union can make a combat initiative roll next turn they can attack !