Grand Skedaddle at Legendary Wargames

 Treated myself last month to a couple of days off work to go raise a Rebel Yell in West Yorkshire!

https://legendarywargames.com/

This was a whatif game based close to the Battle of the Wilderness, 1864. The Confederate forces need to keep the area secure for General Lee to retire through whilst the Union forces seek to close the door.

The rules are a work in progress based on the Napoleonic set In the Grand Manner.

There are three tactical objectives:

A crossroads, a sizeable plateau and a railhead. As you can see, the railhead was immediately full of Union troops. Dagnabit!

A division under my command heads towards the crossroads whilst lead elements of Jerry’s troops march hard towards the plateau.

I roll a double one with my opening shot of counter battery fire. Rubbish, thinks I. No! That destroys a Union gun lol

Instead of rushing to the crossroads I send a large brigade towards a gap between two Union corps. Of course Union troops are also rushing all over the table. 

There’s a brigade facing the Union corp controlling the railhead. They’re only really a screening force. Meanwhile half the Rebel world and his dog are taking up positions on the plateau. My boys are getting ready to receive a whole heap of Union infantry. On my left flank the terrain is hilly and wooded. Here Richard has a small division (almost half the size of my large brigade, which has 11 battalions). He’s facing at least a corp!

There’s some fierce fighting all along the table. I get the morale rules wrong; never helps! Results in one of my small brigades getting pushed back and back through the woods. Things are better elsewhere thankfully! Richard has repulsed a Union charge against a farm he’s holding.

The end of the first day’s gaming. The Union troops are making slow progress against our left, it’s a right mess around the crossroads (John is out-generalling me!), the plateau is firmly in Confederate hands, whilst the railhead is beyond Confederate hands! The Union side are moving reinforcements towards the centre. They’re not having it that we hold the plateau!

Some close up shots. I do love the look of ACW and the Grand Manner style of the rules means some very large units and lots and lots of them there units!

In to the second day. Union forces continue to amass on our left, but to what end? The nearest objective is the crossroads. My troops have been reinforced and I’m pushing forward on one side of the crossroads. But! I’m being pushed back to the right of the crossroads. I’ve put too much of my strength into that gap thinking I could then swing left and take the Union troops in the flank.

The situation either side of the plateau, the Confederate brigade getting severely punished in front of the railhead and bottom photo my reinforcements pushing forward.

Over on our right, Confederate troops look very thin on the ground. They’re facing masses of Union infantry! The enemy forces in control of the railhead are beginning to edge towards the plateau.

Fortunately the plateau is still held by every Rebel and his dog lol

Rudely the Union troops have routed Johnson’s brigade leaving a nasty hole in my line.

Confederate cavalry arrive to deny the Union any further freedom of movement on our right.

I’ve cleared the Union troops from the left of the crossroads, but I’m repulsed to the right of the crossroads. Richard has caused all sorts of confusion with one battalion on my left. They’ve chased off one brigade of Union infantry which has disordered the brigade behind. 

And there it ends. The crossroads is disputed. The plateau is held by the Confederates and the railhead is held by the Union.

It’s that wargames oddity: a draw! Hurray for everyone lol

Great stuff. A real treat to take part in such a spectacular game.

Photos above show some of the many, many trays the figures are stored in. Fortunately we were not expected to put them away. Phew!

Thanks for reading!

Chris