Week 1 July 1861 - "You are all Green Alike" - Lyons and Price lock horns in Missouri

Above : Abraham Lincoln (see site footer) 

"You are green, it is true, but they are green, also; you are all green alike" 

Abraham Lincoln to Irvin McDowell July 1861.

The first step is to draw initiative chits for each side for the turn. Each side will have a guaranteed number of force moves (which might include a leaders command) and then is able to roll against an individual leader's "initiative" to determine whether additional forces can move. A division or other counter not directly controlled by a leader counter will need to use one of the chit moves in order to get about. Naval movement does not require initiative and Naval transports (River or Blue Water) can transport up to ten strength points for 40 hexes on the rivers and 50 hexes at sea. 

From 7/61 to 6/62 the initiative chit pool each turn is very small - 0,1, (2) & 3. It does increase through the war but fluctuates during e.g. Winter.  There is an option for the confederates to always take the number in parenthesis rather than risk a blind pick. I think I will adopt that rule which models a somewhat sclerotic Union strategic command. If the confederates take "2" at the start of a phase they will usually (2/3 of the time) move first with the union having 1 guaranteed initiation or none at all. Rarely (1/3 of the time) the union will move first with 3 guaranteed chit force moves - representing finally say McDowell or Burnside deciding to succumb to pressure and get on with it. The initiative then of individual leader counters then becomes very important. Planning and the resources for it are very finite. It took the Union four years to conquer in effect an area the size of Western Europe and eventually required 2.2 million men at arms  to be called up or volunteer for the Union over that period. 

Confederate Initial Strategy 

I do not think at this stage that the confederates have sufficient strength to attempt to "invade" the North. While Kentucky is a strategic prize for the confederacy the price of breaching Kentucky neutrality is probably too high. The Union would receive fully three times as many Personnel points from the State population as the confederacy in that instance. In some ways Kentucky can act as a "buffer" and the Union  faces the same jeopardy of gifting the confederacy a large amount of additional Personnel points. 

It might be useful for the confederates to bring any straggling units into supply as best they can and to look to shore up the defences of the Mississippi in particular and other "borders" and seaports.  New Orleans needs more than its small garrison to defend itself. In addition some forward deployment of units to Union City in Tennessee might be useful. Historically the confederates entered  Kentucky expecting the local population to rise up which it failed to do in any large numbers. I will leave well alone for now and let the Union make the mistake of disaffecting the Kentucky legislature. Missouri though and St. Louis remain a tempting target. 

In many ways the confederates can adopt a strategy of seeking to hold what they have and perhaps to "dig in" in as many places as are possible for the longer term defence of the new nation. Things are not going to unfold with any great pace even with 2 guaranteed force initiations a week across the 4 turn cycle of the month. Are we heading inexorably to a repeat of first Manasasses (with all the painting that requires !). 

Union Initial Strategy and Logistics 

The victory/political point clock (see my description here) begins ticking for the Union which has a year to capture 4 key confederate cities East of the Mississippi failing which the Confederates will begin to accumulate political points which could allow recognition or even an outright victory. A continuous assault will need to be maintained on Richmond tying down large numbers of troops of the Confederacy in the Virginia theatre. Rather than maintain a single point of pressure it might be useful to attack both frontally on Richmond as well as down the Peninsular from Fort Monroe and possibly even through the mountains of West Virginia flanking Richmond and the confederacy. McLennan is based in Cincinnati and his leader counter is currently the best on the board in terms of his Command Span and Combat Ranking for morale on the tabletop. He is stymied with a low initiative of 1 so nothing is going to move very fast much to Lincoln's dismay unless the priority chit moves are used - on that basis maintaining McDowell in command in the Virginia theatre is acceptable. 

The "target" cities (of which 4 are needed by 8/63 include cities on the Mississipi such as Memphis and Vicksburg as well as strategic cities along the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers such as Nashville, Chattanooga and Knoxville. Further in that valley area in Tennessee there is the strategic railroad from Lynchburg to Cleveland Tennessee. It may be difficult to supply such an army operating in the interior of the Confederacy without developed logistics. 

Supply is traced through operative and owned railroads navicable rivers and coastal hexes from Departments. Supply Depots and train can also dispense supply to nearby units - so in effect operating as forward operating bases for campaigning armies. Movement in the interior will require careful thought. I have read up the rules on railnets, rail cuts and also the broadcast of supply using neutral railroads in Missouri and Kentucky which should help the both sides to a degree.   

Lyons is sat in Missouri with Price 100 miles to the South West in Rolla. Lyons currently has the forces to take on Price and actually with an initiative 

Finally there is the temptation (as the Union did) to secure base of operations on the Confederate coastline. A seaborne campaign for example against targets such as New Orleans or Charleston. 

What is clear is that across 4 turns of July the Union may only receive perhaps 3-5 chit moves in total as an average and probably very spread out (3 or 1 being the only two possible draws or value). It is probably best to focus on developing one strand of strategy through July. 

So is it to be "On to Richmond" to begin applying pressure to the Union from the outset or a subtler more nuanced approach ? What is clear is the strategy that won eventually was one that required extended logistics and multiple axise of attack. Ultimately seizing Richmond would be a huge blow but it is unlikely to be possible on the tabletop for quite some time. I think the political pressure from Abraham Lincoln would be impossible to ignore. I think I have a crash painting exercise to undertake if 60,000 men are to clash in Northern Virginia in July. Nothing will move them if the Union fails in its chit draw and the McDowell fails his initiative roll ! 

Chit Draw - 7/61

Confederate elect to take 2 - 2 forces may automatically have initiative and after that unused leaders may roll. Automatic moves must occur before initiative rolls are determined.

Union draws 0 - no automatic force initiative. 

Confederates to move first 

Confederate Moves 

(1) Confederate M2 counter on 1609 moves to join second militia counter on 1612 just below 1611 Franklin West Virginia.

 

(2) Initiate Force with Polk***(2-1) at B2802 Memphis 

A *** General without a headquarters can command two divisional counters under the optional historical leaders rules. Those units do not have to move in concert but can disperse. The initiative allows separate orders. 

3021 New Madrid is of no strategic importance to the Confederates other than its position on the Mississippi. Union City at the far NorthWest of Tennesee is also on the Mississippi but  commands a four way rail junction bordering on Kentucky and sits astride the road to Memphis. 3013 next door is also a prime candidate for a fortress as it sits on some bluffs overlooking the river. Historically there were a number of defensive works at this position on the Mississippi including the famous Island Number 10. The M2 counter on New Madrid cannot move to Union City using the Ferry Crossing to Columbus as this would violate Kentucky neutrality - a subject discussed at length earlier in this post and prior posts. It seems difficult to make a river crossing within the movement allowance. 

Thankfully the River Transport unit at Memphis can just about operate to move the I3 unit to Union City. The RT has to pay 10 to embark and disembark troops from its allowance and the distance in water hexsides from the Ferry at Memphis is 20 (total 40). For the I3 unit at Memphis embarking at a Ferry costs 1 movement point and disembarking at a clear hex (Union City is not a "port or base") costs 2 points. There is a separate embarkation and disembarkation points cost table that I have missed before when playing. 

Polk himself can move to Union City by Road or Rail but will accompany his C2 cavalry at a cost of 2 rail points for the cavalry from the Confederates award of 10 for the turn. Leaving now I3, C2 and Polk at Union City. 

Price at Rolla in Missouri fails an initiative roll which could prove costly. There is no need for Magruder commanding an I4 unit on the peninsula to move. He is man-marking Butler at Fort Monroe. Butler has an initiative of "0" and the union has scored "0" this turn on chit moves. He is therefore moribund and cannot advance up the peninsular as he has no motivation or orders !  This information would be available in a two player game. To my mind the porous state of information on a board without fog of war and clarity of ones own divided intentions when playing solo models the state of clear information and gossip about troop movements for much of the war. At the outset of the war the papers in Washington clearly broadcast the intention of the army to a frontal assault on Richmond. 

There is a possibility of concentrating all or part of Joe Johnstons force now with the main force of Beauregard at Manassas junction. Any Union force advancing to Richmond would have to deal with a consolidated land army of more like 30,000 than 20,000 men. Joe Johnston rolls 6 and fails his initiative this turn in any event. 

This concludes the Confederate moves and the Rail Points are reduced by 2 for the cavalry rail movement from Memphis to Union City. 

Union Moves 

The Union is restricted to initiative moves only by leaders. 

McDowel (2), McLennan(1)  and Butler (0) fail initiative tests - automatically in Butler's case ! Heintzelman (2) who was newly placed in Evansville, Illinois  also fails a test. 

I wanted to bring Heintzelman to Missouri to give greater options for a campaign in that small theatre against Price. There for example an I3  counter out on a limb at Jefferson City that could outflank Price's forces while a main assault take place from ... 

Lyons**(4-2)  - the martyr of Wilson's Creek on August 10th 1861. Lyons passes his initiative and can command a division and a brigade as a ** leader. It is time to take the fight to Price. The regular 2nd US army regiment (I3 - 6-5 and not PT NE) moves out together with the US regular cavalry (C1 - Cav 2-5). The Missouri railroads can be used by either side while Missouri is neutral. The union uses 4 rail points to move Lyons' regular forces which detrain in Missouri farmland outside of Rolla at A2114. 

A further initiative throw will be required to initiate combat. A "4" again on a D6 - Lyons is able to attack Price at Rolla. By luck or judgement I have a small opening battle between Lyons and Price which I can get on the table relatively easily. 

The two Orders of Battle will be as follows :-

Union - Lyons Command - Exhaustion 5 

Lyons - Divisional Commander - "2" Combat rating (I will remind myself how to deal with this on the tabletop but Lyons should get some sort of advantage over Price for morale purposes). 

2nd US Infantry M5 [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 

US Cavalry Brigade M5 [S] [S] (Treat as Light Cavalry rule 23.1.1 V&B RtGlory - Breach loading carbines) 

Artillery Brigade - SB-F PT  M5 [ ] [ ] 

Confederate - Price Command - Exhaustion 5 

Price - Divisional Commander - "1" Combat Rating 

Militia Regiments (1) M4 PT NE [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 

Militia Regiments (2) M4 PT NE [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 

Confederate Militia Cavalry Regiments  (1) M5 PT [S] [S] (Treat both brigades as Light Cavalry 23.1.1 V&B RtGlory - Muzzle loading carbines)

Confederate Militia Cavalry Regiments  (2) M 5 PT [S] [S] 

Artillery Brigade SB-F M5 [ ] [ ] 

This is fantastic small painting and terrain project to complete to kick off the campaign on the tabletop. I have the option to double up the scale using the Volley and Bayonet telescoping system so that e.g Price's command becomes perhaps 8 regimental bases. I may however keep it simple and just play the battle on a small 4 x 4 table with the Confederates drawn up in and around Jefferson and the Union forces seeking to eject them from the town. I can also have some fun naming individual militia regiments and minor commanders on the field. 

I am wondering whether I should have perceived the threat and withdrawn the confederates back to Jefferson City but Ultimately that would have not been like Price who has already hatched a plan to steal the Missouri militia artillery and to rouse the local militia. Price could not move however due to his low initiative and the confederates had strategic priorities elsewhere. Lyons has demonstrated as he did in August 1861 that he is on the front foot. I will play out this battle over the next week. 

There is one more rule point I should cover as transfer from the counters to the tabletop. I am not going to treat Militia counters in the boardgame with all of the Militia rules for the tabletop from Volleys & Bayonet. Militia in Volley and Bayonet suffer a permanent disorder from the beginning and as such will rout as soon as they receive a second disorder marker. I have looked through all of the scenarios I could find online for ACW Volley and Bayonet and the Volley and Bayonet House Divided campaign. It doesn't seem that that scenario writers are hampering early war units to this degree. I have opted that any militia counter will retain its "PT" status and will not lose it after 6 months. Further a militia unit will always stay green with a morale of 4 and will not be able to train or be promoted  as a result of battlefield experience to become veteran with a morale of 5. I am using a quarterly system for promotion of units and upgrades for division taken from the excellent Volley and Bayonet ACW campaign designed to be used with the House  Divided board game as its engine. 

Time for the assault on "lead mountain". 

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

Overall attrition and Union Order of Battle for St Louis and Missouri under Nathanial Lyons - July 1861

 

Above : Union Parade (see site footer) 

I have probably seen off any potential readership with the level of detail in respect of deliberations around the rules for my campaign thus far. As a simplification I have discussed evolution of a system for using the minor monster board war game "War Between the States 1861-65" to run an American Civil War campaign with individual combats being generated for the tabletop using Volley and Bayonet from each weekly move. I have worked out over the last week the broad strokes for interaction between the game mechanics themselves and the tabletop. The translation in particular of divisional strength counters on the tabletop into the brigade manoeuvre units for the tabletop and the interaction of leader counters and how to account for things like artillery typically not represented in the Board Game but just modelled in. 

This post will deal with a final rules point on attrition and then we can get stuck in to describing some of the forces on the map both in terms of counters on the strategic map and potential tabletop brigades and placing them under command.  I have had to be a little flexible to make it work. 

Attrition of Units 

I can still see a number of potential problems but not enough to delay starting to play with my current draft ruleset. One issue I am wary of is that casualty levels in battles could  be too high or too low between the two systems to balance the production and attrition of force levels. This is crucial for the confederacy who should be troop starved over time but not initially. 

I think mathematically the modelling should work. On the tabletop individual divisions have an exhaustion point dependent on their "mean" experience (Green through to Veteran and Crack) of between 40-60 % Once the total number of strength point casualties have been incurred on the tabletop a division will melt away and be unable to take further part in the action. If this happened on average at a 50 % level for a division and then a decent percentage of casualties were recovered overnight ( perhaps on average 50 % of the actual strength point losses dependent on whether you retain the battlefield) then total battlefield casualties (which could include dead, wounded and injured) could total c. 25 % of a  total division strength for a major encounter. This might seem high but there were other killers in Civil War field armies - disease could account for a full 5-10 % of all the troops over time. You were more likely to die of the measles than of a mini-ball on campaign. Equally desertion was a problem on both sides. The Army of Northern Virginia suffered a loss of 40-50 % of its potential troop numbers from desertion and sheer straggling from exhaustion in its first invasion of Maryland prior to the battle of Antietam in the Autumn of 1862. At those that reached the battlefield were resilient. If the attrition levels appear far too high I will simply increase by a small increment e.g. 10 % the post battle recovery rates. Ultimately this is a game and not a simulation and there or thereabouts is good enough. 

Above : Civil War Hospital 

Opening Forces for the Union 

My Civil War campaign will begin in July 1861.  There is a detailed deployment for the Union's opening positions with counter strength and location. As well placement of counters I will need to keep a separate master roster for each counter of its component battalions and artillery. I have read that for V&B campaign rules divisional artillery can either remain as independent battalions or be embedded within the individual brigades as dedicated guns at a rate of 2 stands being augmented DG for each strength point of Divisional artillery removed.  I will play it by ear but the main point is that an artillery battalion should be provided to each substantial division from the outset and in some circumstances corps artillery where that headquarters component exists as a counter on the map. The V&B campaign rules give a good indication of artillery types dependent on the stage of the war.  

The Union forces and resources then begin the game as follows :-

• The Union has a supply level of 350 points initially but receives an additional supply amount of 25 points for the cycle 7/61 through to 1/62 in addition to those points provided by Cycle Turn Record Track. 

Forces in St Louis under Lyons 

• The Union Missouri Depot is located at St. Louis near to the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. 
• Brigadier General Nathanial Lyons ** (4-2) begins the game at St Louis arriving there in command of the 2nd US infantry Regiment at the outset of the war to ensure that Missouri remained in the Union by force if necessary and in particular to deny the arsenal to the local confederate troops. 

Above : General Lyons 

• On the map at St Louis is positioned XX 3-3 which we can roster as a Regular Infantry Brigade 6-5 (a higher morale and not PT/Poorly trained NE/No Elites deisgnation to represent battalions of the 2nd US Infantry Regiment/Regular US troops. The confederates will also get some stiffer troops at the outset and one or two early upgrades to create units such as Hood's crack Texans. I have ordered a bonny blue flag in 10 mm. Coming back to US army regulars there were at the outset of the war 16,000 regulars, most of them stationed in the West to deal with frontier issues with the indigenous population of the region. While some officers resigned to join the  confederacy the rank and file Federal US Army mostly just took up the Union cause. Only commissions could be "resigned" as such. I am not aware of how many private soldiers might have absconded to take up the confederate cause. The V&B campaign allows the Union side 12 strength points spread across 3 separate 4 strength point brigades with morale 5. Given the counter mix I will model these as 2 brigades of 6-5 troops - one in the East and one in the West, 
• The other troop points at St Louis are all Militia (12 points of them) so 12 x Militia 1-2 points. For Militia as with all "green" troops I have decided that these will not automatically lose their PT/NE designation which is usually dropped after 6 months for new infantry brigades (i.e. those raised at the outset as regular infantry). Militia will only lose the PT/NE status once augmented through the Campaign Production process to become regular volunteer regiments. This is a cheaper way to produce masses of volunteer infantry battalions and the delay as the counter is paroled back onto the production spiral to re-emerge in a few months will represent the training in camp. I can decide whether those units should emerge without PT/NE status. That might seem sensible although they would still be "Green" for the purpose of Divisional organisation (i.e.  operate on 40 % exhaustion levels). For now the counters will represent collections of Militia units from across Missouri, Iowa and Kansas. 
• So this totals a further 12,000 troops. Once Militia counters are "Placed" they retain integrity. The total troop numbers in St Louis were historically around 15,000 troops for the Union at the outset. I will split the points into three Militia 4-2 counters. Should they get caught in battle as Militia troops one counter can produce two brigades 4-4 PT NE and the remaining two counters a further four similar understrength brigades representing collections of volunteer militia regiments. Militia do not attach to Corps headquarters as "divisions" in the strategic game and it is likely that the points will simply get augmented to form regular volunteer infantry divisions in due course. 
• There is also an X 1-4 cavalry counter which probably represents elements of the 1st US Cavalry which appeared in the theatre shortly before the battle of Wilson's Creek. On the St Louis Corps which is described for the start of the V&B campaign has a small 2-5 cavalry brigade attached as Corps troops. These will operate as Light Cavalry under the rules and dismount as a linear base. With one point they can operate as skirmishers. In any event they begin equipped with rifled carbines which roll 3 dice at a long range of 3 ".
• Finally as we have the equivalent of around two divisions in troop numbers (15,000) we can assign a 2-5 SB-H PT (heavy smoothbore - probably Napoleon 12 lbs) and 2-5 SB-F PT (Field smoothbore) to the XX 3-3 counter and the remainder of the militia counters respectively. 
• Further West in Jefferson City at the confluence of the Missouri and Osage Rivers sits an XX 3-3 counter which I will model on the battlefield as a single 6-4 PT NE Brigade for now but without attached divisional artillery unless I took an option to split out the 2-5 SB-F PT attached to the St. Louis based Militia as dedicated guns. I could add a DG to the the XX 3-3 in Jefferson City and a further 3 sets of DG designations to the Militia brigades. Or I could just add a single DG to one of the Militia and retain a divisional 1-5 SB-F PT battery (each strength point breaking down into two DG. 
• Other resources at St Louis include an RT 40 counter. Unarmed riverine transport which can ferry troops or affect a crossing point acting as a ferry. There is also a mobile supply train counter stocked with 2 on board supply points. The rules for the supply web are faily complex. Essentially supply can be broadcast by rivers and rails lines but as soon as an army strikes away from those arteries even by road they will require local supply with them in order to prevent attrition and to give meaningful combat. I will need to provide a battlefield effect to model being out of supply having regard to the board game rules. 

Above : Wilson's Creek 

Historically Lyons is heading for a run in with the  Missouri State Guard under Sterling Price at the battle of Wilson's Creek on August 10 1861 leading the Union's "Army of the West". Quite a moniker for what was around 5,000 volunteers at that point. The 2nd US Infantry was despatched to the East as it fought at First Bull Run. 

Lyons did not survive the  battle was an early and rare success for the confederates in the West. If he lives beyond the end of the August 1861 turn we are already in the realms of the A-historical and counter factual. "What if Lyons survives ?". He has an initiative of 4 and a combat modifier of + 2 making him a very useful divisional leader both on the map and tabletop. A ** general can lead a division and a separate brigade - so two counters only I believe under the map rules. In this situation I expect that Lyons would command the higher cohesive infantry XX 3-3 counter as well as the cavalry X 1-4 unit. That's useful in the Western theatre in any event.