Second Battle of McColls Farm

Lee and I played another game of Black Powder American Civil War at Maelstrom Games last week. I uploaded the photos straight after the game, but left the post in edit mode, so sorry for the delay.

Following on from our earlier engagement, we fought the Second Battle off McColls farm. I took the Union troops and Lee took the Confederates.

Overview

Lee McColl and myself had another game of Black Powder ACW yesterday evening at Maelstrom Games. Being rather lazy I reused the orders of battle from the last game I played. This would be an encounter game of roughly even sides, the Confederates would start on the table and try to exit units off the table edge, the Union player would start off table apart from their Cavalry and Sharp Shooter pickets and would try to prevent the Confederates from exiting.

As we were playing in 6mm we would use half distances.

In a departure from the normal rules, a brigade would not be considered broken until over half of its units were destroyed or shaken.

Union Order of Battle

Major-General Theodore P. Armitage – Staff Value 8

First Brigade - Brigadier General Thaddeus L. Bragg – Staff Value 7

Unit	Type	Armament	HtH	Shooting	Morale	Stamina	Special
38rd New York	Large Infantry	Rifled Muskets	8	4	4+	4	Reliable
14th New Jersey	Large Infantry	Rifled Muskets	8	4	4+	4	Reliable
15th New  York	Large Infantry	Rifled Muskets	8	4	4+	4	Reliable
Detachment 1st US Sharpshooters	Small Infantry	Breech Loading Rifles	4	2	4+	4	Marauders, Skirmish, Reliable, Sharpshooters
4th United States, Battery K	Artillery	Rifled Artillery	2	3-2-2	4+	3

Second Brigade - Brigadier General Stephen L. Carr – Staff Value 7

Unit	Type	Armament	HtH	Shooting	Morale	Stamina	Special
8th  New York	Large Infantry	Rifled Muskets	8	4	4+	4
27th Pennsylvania	Infantry	Rifled Muskets	6	3	4+	3
16th Massachusetts	Infantry	Rifled Muskets	6	3	4+	3
26th Pennsylvania	Infantry	Rifled Muskets	6	3	4+	3
Detachment 1st US Sharpshooters	Small Infantry	Breech Loading Rifles	4	2	4+	4	Marauders, Skirmish, Reliable, Sharpshooters

Third Brigade- Brigadier General Gordon G. Kempt – Staff Value 7

Unit	Type	Armament	HtH	Shooting	Morale	Stamina	Special
12th Pennsylvania	Large Infantry	Rifled Muskets	8	4	4+	4	Reliable
8th New York	Infantry	Rifled Muskets	6	3	4+	3	Reliable
14th Maine	Infantry	Rifled Muskets	6	3	4+	3	Reliable
46th New Jersey	Infantry	Rifled Muskets	6	3	4+	3	Reliable
New York Light, 3rd Battery	Artillery	Smoothbore Artillery	2	4-2-1	4+	3

Cavalry Brigade- Colonel Andrew P. Phillips – Staff Value 7

Unit	Type	Armament	HtH	Shooting	Morale	Stamina	Special
Det. 1st US Cavalry	Small Cavalry	Rifled Carbines	4	2	4+	2	Reliable
Det. 1st US Cavalry	Small Cavalry	Rifled Carbines	4	2	4+	2	Reliable

Infantry may form in either:

·          Supported line – two bases deep counting as line

·          Mixed order Supported line – two bases deep counting as mixed order line

·          Extended line – one base deep counting as skirmishers

·          March column

Confederate Order of Battle

Major-General Aaron P. Thompson – Staff Value 8

First Brigade - Brigadier General Henry E. Nicholls – Staff Value 7

Unit	Type	Armament	HtH	Shooting	Morale	Stamina	Special
8th Virginia	Infantry	Rifled Muskets	6	3	4+	3	Tough Fighters
18th Virginia	Infantry	Rifled Muskets	6	3	4+	3	Tough Fighters
19th Virginia	Infantry	Rifled Muskets	6	3	4+	3	Tough Fighters
28th Virginia	Infantry	Rifled Muskets	6	3	4+	3	Tough Fighters
1st North Carolina Artillery	Artillery	Rifled Artillery	1	2-2-2	4+	2

Second Brigade - Brigadier General Thaddeus R. Peterson – Staff Value 7

Unit	Type	Armament	HtH	Shooting	Morale	Stamina	Special
8th Georgia	Infantry	Rifled Muskets	6	3	4+	3	Reliable Tough Fighters
9th Georgia	Infantry	Rifled Muskets	6	3	4+	3	Reliable Tough Fighters
11th Georgia	Infantry	Rifled Muskets	6	3	4+	3	Reliable Tough Fighters
59th Georgia	Infantry	Rifled Muskets	6	3	4+	3	Reliable Tough Fighters
Palmetto Light Artillery	Artillery	Smoothbore Artillery	1	3-2-1	4+	2

Third Brigade - Brigadier General Julian K. Watson – Staff Value 8

Unit	Type	Armament	HtH	Shooting	Morale	Stamina	Special
3rd South Carolina	Large Infantry	Rifled Muskets	8	4	4+	4	Tough Fighters
7th South Carolina	Large Infantry	Rifled Muskets	8	4	4+	4	Tough Fighters
8th South Carolina	Infantry	Rifled Muskets	6	3	4+	3	Tough Fighters
15th South Carolina	Infantry	Rifled Muskets	6	3	4+	3	Tough Fighters

Cavalry Brigade – Major Joseph P. Andrews – Staff Value 9

Unit	Type	Armament	HtH	Shooting	Morale	Stamina	Special
Det 8th South Carolina	Small Cavalry	Rifled Carbines	5	2	4+	2	Reliable

Infantry may form in either:

·          Supported line – two bases deep counting as line

·          Mixed order Supported line – two bases deep counting as mixed order

·          Extended line – one base deep counting as skirmishers

·          March column

Well, how did it play out. Despite several turns of poor orders from the Confederates they absolutely smashed through the Union forces. The Union center was swept away and the Union left was soon following. Only the Union troops in McColls farm on the right flank held out, but all to nought.

Here are some snaps from the game.

The confederates deploy on the field of battle

General Greg gives some tactical advice to General Lee

Confederate Right flank

Confederate center

Union troops advance onto the field

Sweeping view of the Confederate army

Union left flank

Union troops hold the church yard against the Confederate onslaught

Confederates burst through the Union center

Union troops in McColls farm hold off the Confederate left flank