The Wollongong Wargamers were looking for a casual Valour & Fortitude ACW scenario to practice for our forthcoming Antietam mega game...Daniel offered to 'throw something together' and in the end came up with an intriguing and original scenario which was in every way 'Epic'!
The besieging Yankees were supported by the firepower of the USS Cincinnati:
A City-class ironclad stern-wheel casemate gunboat capable of bringing to bear the equivalent firepower, in V&F terms, of two smoothbore field batteries upon the garrison of Jackson's Ferry.
However the Rebel defenders were well ensconced in the town and adjacent entrenchments, and had heavy firepower of their own - 2 siege mortars.
The besiegers were drawn up in overwhelming strength...
Despite having to leave a skeleton cordon to warn of any Confederate relief attempts:
Which, after dicing for arrival time and route, were not long in coming, from all points of the compass!
As the Union player, I sensed I had little time - certainly none for any subtlety! In went the blue waves:
Meanwhile the Rebel relief forces were closing on all sides:
The thin blue line holding the outer perimeter intially held up well...
Long enough for the Union to gain a foot hold over and into the rebel entrenchments:
But the Rebel relief columns were pressing ever closer:
And the few guns and thin line of skirmishers had to fall back:
But with the town now mostly in Union hands...
The outer perimeter could be reinforced!
As dusk fell, so did the town.
After some crafty card play doubling Union objective points for the town, and both sides having suffered brigade defeat points, it was a minor Union victory 5-4. Huzzah!
