Perryville

 Friend Mark came up from Welsh Wales on Thursday for a game so as we would potentially have two days wargaming, I decided to pick a large battle, I had written Perryville decades ago and had only ever managed to play a few hours of it so it was basically new to both of us. 

The Union forces of General McCook, two divisions (five brigades), were attacked by Braxton Bragg and the Confederate Army of the Mississippi with three divisions (nine brigades). McCook was spread across the battlefield while the Confederates began arriving from all directions to support the troops already in position. Bragg had two objectives, a small ridge on the Union right and a line of stone walls on the centre and left. The armies had a range of smoothbores and rifled muskets, the troops ranged from green to elite, the Federals had more rifles and more powerful artillery albeit slightly outnumbered.

Union right.

Union centre.

Rebs begin to arrive.

Union left.

I reorganised my troops to cover most of the battlefield with reserves and pulled back my far right as I could see the dust of enemy columns approaching there. The battle opened on my left as Mark tried to overwhelm my troops on another ridge with wave assaults but failed and was hurled back. As Reb reinforcements arrived another brigade assaulted the position but yet again the defenders held, this really put an end to Confederate movements in this area apart from the odd potshot. I did try an attack of my own later just to upset the enemy but it came to naught. So for the loss of one unit the thin blue line held off twice their numbers in enemy regiments.

Rebs outflank Federal right.

Attack builds against Union centre.

Attack on Union left halted.

Rebs take the ridge.

Not looking good for the Union right.

As more and more Graybacks turned up Mark organised more assault waves to come at my centre, although I did not have much luck at first I did hold and a run of damaging morale throws basically stopped several enemy brigades and disorganised the attack. I was holding but just. My weakest point was my far right flank as again several very large Reb brigades were massing to attack. It was now my turn to feel the wrath of the dice gods and when the enemy did attack my line buckled and they punched a hole in my line while more of them came forward. I had pulled right back out of the range of most of their smoothbores but another wave of charges left me with only the 39th NY in front of a tsunami of gray, my 39th have the worst reputation in my army for running, at the drop of a hat, I hurled some expletives to all my troops who had now fled from my right and left me in such a precarious position. I half heartedly threw about five or six morale checks for the Garibaldi's and lo and behold they held! They even managed to send their tormentors back to their start line.

Federals in disarray

  

Rebs forced back in the centre.

 As I looked across the wreck of my right flank only the 39th were still standing after the charges, and although I had lost four regiments swept away I had rallied five more from the debacle of the turn before. Most of the Confederate units were now disordered as were the troops in my second line. If Mark threw in some desperate second charges I might lose two or three but I could reform the others and continue the fight.

Union right breaks.

Federals begin to rally.

More Rebs heading for the hole in the line.

More Federals rally.

Men of the match, 39th, never thought I would say that.

We had fought nine turns with six remaining. The Confederates had lost 11 regiments resulting in one brigade lost and two badly shot up, the Union lost 8 regiments with two brigades shot up. Three Union officers had gone down, while the Reb count was at least double that. The Confederates had run out of artillery ammunition with several batteries and had at least one battery rout but they captured three of mine. Perryville was a bloody battle in reality and so was ours.

Who won, up until the last couple of turns it looked like I might hold on to the ridge on my right, but after two disastrous turns and my right crushed we called it a draw, I could have argued for a slight victory due to being heavily outnumbered and still having a decent force at the end albeit weakened, but I will settle for a draw in favour of the Union. 

It was a great two days of gaming and I now need a rest. My thanks to Mark for taking the time to visit.