Game Two 5th May 1862 The Zouave Attack

Continuing the Battle of Williamsburg, May 5, 1862, in Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign. 

The Second Game follows the Zouave attack on a redoubt before the Fort as part of Hooker's assault.

The battlefield

EARLY UNION, 1861‐62  
Leader, Status II 
Three Groups of 8 Infantry, Rifled Muskets 
Leader, Status I 
Leader, Status I 
Two Groups of 6 Skirmishers, Rifled Muskets 
Point Value:  42

CONFEDERATES, 1862
Leader, Status III 
Two Groups of 8 Infantry, Rifled Muskets 
Leader, Status II 
One Group of 8 Infantry, Rifled Muskets 
Leader, Status I 
One Group of 6 Skirmishers, Rifled Muskets 
Leader, Status I 
Point Value  40

How the redoubt looks today

A contemporary drawing of the Fort at Williamsburg

The redoubt...

I used a hill under the felt to shape the redoubt.

Roscoe the farmer reveals the presence of rough ground beside the bridge

The Zouave Skirmishers swarm out to screen the main body from the redoubt

But the reb skirmishers are already there.  Its going to be a long afternoon

In the redoubt the Confederates deploy two groups.

The Zouaves march across the field and form up on the left, ready to cross the bridge and outflank the redoubt

Another Confederate group blocks the bridge

The Reb skirmishers take refuge against the creek bank and do well against double their numbers.

The Union Zouaves assault the bridge

The Rebels fight back, and its bayonets across the bridge.

The Reb skirmishers hold on.  It's a stalemate

The fight on the bridge wipes out the Confederates but cripples the Zouaves.  The Zouave Captain falls!

Fire from the heights cuts into the staggered column

A familiar looking Confederate Officer, with walking cane

The 7th Virginia skirmishers kill the Zouave Skirmish Officer

The Zouave "Lootenant" rallies his men

Stalemate over the creek.

More shooting from the redoubt drives the Zouave main body off.  

It's game over as the Zoauves withdraw.  The 7th Virginia hold the redoubt.   In response the Union plan to assault the fort itself in game 3.

Seven Days Battles, 3 games at Williamsburg May 5, 1862

The Battle of Williamsburg, also known as the Battle of Fort Magruder, took place on May 5, 1862, in Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign.  Following up the Confederate retreat from Yorktown, the Union division of Brig. Gen. Joseph Hooker encountered the Confederate rearguard near Williamsburg.  

This is the first of my Seven Days battles, and May 5th has generated three separate encounters from my campaign events table.

The first game will be centred on the 11th Massachusetts advance against the Church South-East of Fort Magruder.   

The Second Game will focus on the Zouave attack on a redoubt before the Fort as part of Hooker's assault.

My last game will be a straight forward assault against the fort.


The winning maneuver of this battle was Brig. Gen. Winfield S. Hancock's brigade's move to threaten the Confederate left flank, occupying two abandoned redoubts. The Confederates counterattacked unsuccessfully. Hancock's localized success was not exploited. The Confederate army continued its withdrawal during the night in the direction of Richmond, Virginia.

For each march move on the main map I used the following table,  generating three battles.

Campaign Action Table 
(take a 2D6 twice per day) 

2    The enemy play a nasty trick
3    A Spy is revealed
4    Interaction with a character
5    Scenario 1  An Encounter Battle
6    Interaction with a character
7    Scenario 2  Sweep the Table Mission
8    The Weather Turns
9    Scenario 3  Defence in Depth  Battle
10  Scenario 4  Escort Duty  Mission
11  Scenario 5  Attack an Objective Battle
12  Scenario 6  Rescue Mission

Characters and Locations

The Church
1. Why I do believe it's Miss Daisy
2. Mrs Kornblow, a-lookin' so lovely
3. Uncle Peter, an escaping slave
4. Dimwit Van Troomp 
5. Eustace the chicken wrangler
6. Mayor J. D Hawg

The Redoubt
1. Miss Belle, Why I declar'
2. Mrs Van Troomp, running away from her husband
3. Slim, the overweight mailman
4. Preacher Welby
5. Prissy, an escaping slave
6. Roscoe, dirt farmer

Fort Magruder
1. Miss Scarlett, with a revolver
2. Mrs Firefly, looking for her drunken husband
3. Rufus T. Firefly, with a bottle of bourbon
4. The Duke boys, cropping an old cottonwood
5.  Mr Rhett Gable, Southern gambler
6.  Otis P Driftwood, whiskey drummer

EARLY UNION, 1861‐62  
Leader, Status II 
Three Groups of 8 Infantry, Rifled Muskets 
Leader, Status I 
Three Group of  8 Infantry, Rifled Muskets 
Leader, Status I 
One Group of 6 Skirmishers, Rifled Muskets 
Point Value:  53 

CONFEDERATES, 1862
Leader, Status III 
Two Groups of 8 Infantry, Rifled Muskets 
Leader, Status II 
Two Group of 8 Infantry, Rifled Muskets 
Leader, Status I 
One Group of 6 Skirmishers, Rifled Muskets 
Leader, Status I 
One Group of 6 Skirmishers, Rifled Muskets 
Point Value 1862:  83 

Union Force Morale is 9
Confederate Force Morale is 11

Both sides will use three leaders:

11th Massachusetts
Captain Floyd Farthingdale (the Parson)
Lootenant Dick Power
Sergeant Seymour Butt
6 Regular Groups, 1 Skirmish Group

7th Virginia
Captain Harry Balls
Lt. Chris P. Bacon
Sergeant Grossweiner
4 Regular Groups, 2 Skirmish Groups

Game 1, The fight for the Churchyard

The Apostolic Presbyterian, Evangelist, Ecumenical Methodist, 3rd Coming, Dunker Church of Lower Williamsburg.  A Defence in Depth  Battle.

The 11th Massachusetts are the first unit on the northerly road to encounter the Confederate rearguard.  This is a linear game, short edge to short edge, and an infantry line game.  Apart from the creek there is little cover for the Union advance, whilst the smaller Confederate Force has the benefit of fence-lines on the road, and the graveyard surrounding the church.

Two civilian characters are on table, Eustace the chicken wrangler at the Union deployment  point and "Why I do believe it's Miss Daisy," at the church.

The church at Williamsburg

The Apostolic Presbyterian, Evangelist, Ecumenical Methodist, 3rd Coming, Dunker Church of Lower Williamsburg.

"Why I do believe it's Miss Daisy" tells the Confederates about a patch of rough ground north east of the churchyard.

Eustace tells the Union boys about "that tha'r goodly stand of cottonwood trees..."  Could they not see those anyway?  The addition of these terrain items changes the battlefield a little.  

Lieutenant Dick Power and his skirmishers advance to the creek and take cover against the bank. 

Lootenant Chris P. Bacon and a group of 7th Virginia Skirmishers occupy that handy piece of rough ground.  It's a stand off...

The Parson brings on his flock, the 11th Massachusetts, with two groups under Sergeant Butt across the road

Sergeant Grossweiner occupies the Churchyard.  Get that man a spittoon somebody...

And Captain Harry S. Balls (We have it on good authority that the "S" stands for scratchy) marches on at the head of his column of the 7th Virginia.

The skirmishers fight

Groswiener advances his two groups

The Parson advances into the cottonwoods with half his force

The Parson's boys' shootin' is fair

The 7th Virginia need to "git their eye in"

The skirmishers cover Grossweiner as his groups advance

The Parson prepares his second group's charge with a random religious quote. ""Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man and I am a smooth man.  Now go git them thar Rebs..."
The Parson's biography written in 1867 revealed that before the war his brother Esau had been confined in Arkham Asylum for the criminally hairy.   

Sergeant Grosswiener bundles the Reb skirmishers out of their cover

The Parson's charge takes devastating fire...

Down the dice tower... the Parson survives...

Grosswiener's boys shoot well

But the reply is far more than Grossweiner can take...

The Parson's men fail in front of the split rail fences (well coffee stirrer fences really)

The Parson withdraws back to the Cottonwoods and it's a stalemate 

Grosswiener pulls back behind the rough ground.  Another stalemate. 

A Victory for the Confederacy. 

With these Forces I needed more Officers, and my Company rosters may be rejigged to rectify this.  The Parson could not attack and at the same time get rid of shock.  Still on this battlefield the Union did better than expected against an enemy in good cover.
Next up the Zouaves assault the Redoubts at Fort MacGruder.