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
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
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.
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| The church at Williamsburg |
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| The Apostolic Presbyterian, Evangelist, Ecumenical Methodist, 3rd Coming, Dunker Church of Lower Williamsburg. |
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| "Why I do believe it's Miss Daisy" tells the Confederates about a patch of rough ground north east of the churchyard. |
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| 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. |
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| Lieutenant Dick Power and his skirmishers advance to the creek and take cover against the bank. |
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| Lootenant Chris P. Bacon and a group of 7th Virginia Skirmishers occupy that handy piece of rough ground. It's a stand off... |
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| The Parson brings on his flock, the 11th Massachusetts, with two groups under Sergeant Butt across the road |
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| Sergeant Grossweiner occupies the Churchyard. Get that man a spittoon somebody... |
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| 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. |
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| The skirmishers fight |
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| Groswiener advances his two groups |
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| The Parson advances into the cottonwoods with half his force |
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| The Parson's boys' shootin' is fair |
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| The 7th Virginia need to "git their eye in" |
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| The skirmishers cover Grossweiner as his groups advance |
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| 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. |
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| Sergeant Grosswiener bundles the Reb skirmishers out of their cover |
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| The Parson's charge takes devastating fire... |
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| Down the dice tower... the Parson survives... |
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| Grosswiener's boys shoot well |
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| But the reply is far more than Grossweiner can take... |
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| The Parson's men fail in front of the split rail fences (well coffee stirrer fences really) |
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| The Parson withdraws back to the Cottonwoods and it's a stalemate |
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| Grosswiener pulls back behind the rough ground. Another stalemate. |
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| A Victory for the Confederacy. |
Next up the Zouaves assault the Redoubts at Fort MacGruder.
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