Little Wars: Battle of the Round Top

       In my last posting I mentioned the different ideas for gaming found at broadgamegeek.com ,especially games by Pete Belli. I decided to dig out my Airfix Civil War soldiers and have a quick game. For infantry fire every 5 infantrymen got one shot. If it can to hand-to-hand combat, instead of using H.G.Wells rules, I would use the rules from "The War Game" by Captain Sachs, which I found in "The Wargaming Pioneers" by John Curry . In these rules when two force came together, after the difference in opposing forces were taken prisoner, both sides lost every other man, the side losing more then had to retreat.

      For this game I just scattered terrain pieces with no thought going into it and randomly picked which side a force would enter the battle from.  Time was short and I wanted to get this game in.

A view from behind the Union lines. Both sides had four 11man regiments and two batteries.

Behind the rebel lines. Notice the stack of ammo for the cannon, which is cut down spruces  from plastic toy soldier sets.

After a couple of moves both sides were coming into range. Infantry had to be within a foot of the enemy to fire.

Another shot from behind the Confederate line.

The same move from behind the Union lines. Measuring stick can be seen in the background. At the end of the move dice were rolled for initiative.

The Confederates open fire on the 2 center Union regiments, causing appalling losses.

A close up of the carnage. Both union officers went down in this fire; at the top of the picture can be seen one officer who was catapulted backwards from a direct hit.

The Union right regiment losses one man.

The Union on the left fire at the rebels in the woods and causes one casualty; one of the regiments officers.

In the center they kill two rebels.

And the right regiment kills two more.

At the Union field hospital the results of the first combat can be seen; not a good start!

The Confederate surgeons will be a little less busy than their Union counterparts.

The two right Confederates launch a bayonet attack the the Union left regiment.....

and, outnumbering the yankees two to one, captures the entire regiment! The ill starred regiment can be seen marching off to a rebel prison escorted by three rebels.

This blurry photo,( taken while the photographer came under direct enemy fire!) shows the the rebels on this turn fired high and only killed one soldier, and almost a combat photographer!

The left Union battery exacts some revenge for the loss of the regiment.

The right Union regiment also kills another reb.

The Rebel field hospital at this point......

....and the Union hospital.

The Confederates bring the Union battery under fire, killing three gunners and prevents the gun from firing this turn. (In the bottom of the picture can be seen my "canister templet" which I was going to use to determine point blank artillery fire. Alas, it wasn't used!)

The Confederate fire decimates the Union center.

And the right regiment loses one.

The Union army breaks and runs.

The right regiment fall back through Hanlonburg.

The Union army marches by their fallen comrades. It has been a disastrous day for the Union.

The Confederate positions at the end of the day.  They have enough captured artillery for two new batteries!

And their losses compared to the yankees  is not bad. Notice the captured yankees being escorted in the right of the photo.


If this game had been played several years ago my regiments would have been numbered or named as once these figures were divided into regiments. While working on another project, I broke up the old regiments to reform new units. I might just have to reform some of the old units.