2nd Day of Gettysburg Wrap Up

We just finished our week of American Civil War action.  14 young people, with the help of three assistants, had a terrific week of gaming.  We ran the battle twice.  The second time through we added some reinforcements to add a little drama to the game, which worked out quite well.  Both sides had to decide where to commit their troops and how they would use them.  It was a nice addition.

The most encouraging aspect of doing this class is seeing just how much kids can enjoy this hobby.  They pick up the rules quickly and a couple have even started purchasing and painting their own figures.  By the way, they do a much better job at their tender age than I ever did.

Here are some pictures from our second game.  There were five points along the Emmitsburg Road that were the objectives.  There would not be a draw this game!  The brigades were distributed along both sides of the table in a much more even fashion, but it was clear that the Union line was spread thin with little reserves to plug any holes that might occur.  

This is the Union extreme left.  That is the 20th Maine in the foreground, commanded by our lone female participant.  As in history, this regiment proved to be a very touch nut to crack for the Rebs.

This is to the right of the previous picture.  This hill would become the dominant geographic feature at this end of the table.

Moving north along the Union line, this was the weakest part of the Yankee position.

Many charges and counter charges took place at this stretch of the road.

This is the Union right center.  Those two batteries proved to make the biggest difference on this end of the table.

This is the Union left center with the wheat field in the foreground.

After the first day of fighting the Confederates had the definite edge, making their superiority in numbers felt all along the line.  The only bright spot for the Yanks was that their artillery did a lot of damage to their counterparts in gray.  This would have a definite effect on the overall outcome.

These are pictures from the very end of the game.  The Union controlled three of the five objectives and contested a fourth, so it was a clear victory for the men in blue.  This was surprising, because the Confederates had such an advantage in numbers.  But they seemed determined to attack straight ahead, with no real regard for where the objectives were.  In the end, they smashed up against strong points that had no real significance at the expense of securing all important objectives.

On the Rebel left, Robertson's elite brigade was bested by incredibly accurate artillery fire from the hill on their right and some amazing dice rolls by the young Union player who opposed them.

The Rebels controlled this objective right up until the end of the game.  Instead of capturing it and then just holding on, the young rebs here were determined to press on their attack against superior numbers.  The net result was 66% casualties.

Much loss of life occurred here, at a strategically meaningless place on the table.

The Confederate center was battered relentlessly by superior Union artillery.

This is the peach orchard.  The Confederates captured this objective early and held it until the end.  However, they weren't able to use it to break through and exploit their success.

The Confederate position on Seminary ridge.

Despite being outnumbered, the battered Union regiments were able to hold their ground.  Some well timed rolls of 10 certainly helped with that.

The extreme Rebel right.  Despite having overwhelming numbers, they weren't able to drive the stubborn Yankees off the table.  One Confederate brigade that could have made a huge difference elsewhere on the table, never fired a shot.

Benning's Georgians trying to vanquish Vincent's brigade.  They were unsuccessful.

Here is a link to a video that will give you an idea of just how much the kids were enjoying this experience.

Youtube LInk