A Battle From The Past.

Have been sorting out some files on my computer and came across this battle , think it's from my old defunct blog so I thought I had better publish it here to save it from oblivion .

'A' had expressed a wish to try out O.S. ACW  I decided to dig out some Spencer Smith ACW figures to play a game .

The layout of the table and objective - Thoroughfare Gap . The game will last 8 moves .

My opponent 'A' scrutinises the rules for loopholes !

The Union forces march onto the table - been playing around with Picassa for period effect !

The Confederate general sights the artillery personally.

The Union forces deploy .

The Union take the Gap under heavy artillery fire ! . The rules seem to be giving a fast paced game - maybe artillery fire needs toning down a bit but will see how the game progresses . 

The Union Zouaves close in and engage the Rebels .

The Confederates charge and engage in a bloody melee .

The Confederates are defeated and flee , with the last move done and night falling it was time to work out who had won !.

As the situation was mixed for both sides I did a head count of casualties and the Confederates had suffered half as many again - so I judged that they had lost and would have to retire . The above photo is the finishing positions of the troops . On the left the Union hold the ridge and have succeeded in causing casualties on the Rebel gun preventing it firing each move . The Confederates hold the road in the centre , on the right the Confederates hold the ridge but are isolated as the survivor's of their flanking regiment stream to the rear and they face off the 2 Union regiments . A close call but the Rebel heavy casualties and the loss of the firepower of their gun just turned it into a victory for the Union forces ! . The rules gave a very fast game , my initial worries about the artillery firepower seemed to even out as the game went on. I would allow both ranks to fire not just the front one as my figures are based and Donald Featherstone's were not and they would take up to much room in a single line  . I don't want to mess to much with the rules and so will give them another game or two to try them out .