The_Wargamers_Emp

[Terry37]

Last Saturday several of the Nashville area DBAers met at Wargames for some get down and serious DBA, but it was not just any old DBA, it was our first venture into the American Civil War!!! When I arrived the DBA room was already full of gamers, and the action was pretty intense on both tables. On the first table there was some grisly HotT going one between two, I think they said, Egyptian Orc armies, and I saw plenty of large flying things and a cool platform mounted cannon on two Oxen or Rhinoceros, a la the Mogul Indian type array. The other table had Ron Seaney and Bob Gunter going tooth and nail in the ACW using Ron’s newly finished scraggly Rebels and his beautiful, lovely, gorgeous (well you get the idea) Yankees (Disclaimer: this statement was made with absolutely no bias, and no rebels were hurt in the process). I was anxiously waiting for Ron and Bob to conclude their excursion so I could show Rebel Ron how Yankees treat such upstarts! And sadly Bob and his Union forces fell to the underhanded tactics and cheating die rolls of Rebel Ron, and I got my chance.

I wish this could be a more detailed account of the battle that Ron and I played, but the fight was so intense - brother against brother, father against son, neighbor against neighbor, friend against friend, and the smoke and fury was just too much to allow this old reporter to recall the exact events – the fog of war! However the pictures tell the story, except I cannot always tell when and which element fell, but fall they did. So let’s begin this tale.




The Southern Gentleman General, Rebel Ron Seaney, with his troops deployed before him.


An archive photo from the vault of Union General Terry Webb. Not the proper blue hat!


And of course no report would be complete without the shot from the Snoopy blimp! Man, that thing sure does get around!!!! This will show the terrain and deployment of the two armies. The little farm to the right of middle was played as a fortress a la DBN, and not as a BUA.


A closer view of the Rebel deployment.


And the true defenders of the Union, the Union deployment. On the Union left two elements of Dragoons were deployed in the woods along with a Jager element of Berdan’s Sharpshooters (very cool lads these!!!).


The still of the day was soon broken by the thunder of artillery. I know one Union gun was recoiled, if not both, and that was about it for the opening rounds. It was now obvious that General Ron was going to cheat again and roll those high numbers on his die!


General Ron quickly took the farm and set up housekeeping, as numerous regiments of Blue Bellies faced him. Not a place I’d want to be if I was a Rebel!!!


The Union left flank as Johnny Reb advances to attempt to force the woods.


The first attempt to take the farm met with stiff resistance and the leading regiment of rifle armed Yankees recoiled from the murderous fire the entrenched Rebels threw at them.


Back on the left more artillery fire while a rifle armed regiment of infantry move up to help the Sharpshooters and Dragoons fend off the Rebel onslaught.


But the Union right was still the hottest spot of the field and their fine marksmanship forced out those Rebel dogs and the farm was open for the taking.


A joyful cheer was heard rolling amongst the Union troops!


But the die gods still favored General Ron and on the next bound back came those Rebel cur occupying the farm, as well as a column of rifle armed infantry along the side of the farm. Up and down the Union line was heard “Tighten up men, and stand ready.”.


The Union general gives the order to take that farm once and for all.


And this time it was cold steel as the Union right advanced en masse to force out those gray boys once and for all, while two regiments of musket armed militia moved forward in true brave fashion to face the advancing Rebel riflemen.


The Yankee militia is recoiled by the withering fire from the Rebel rifle fire, but the all out assault on the farm was successful and the Yankees occupied the farm.


The Yankees settle in in the farm, while a regiment of rifles moves around the right flank of the farm to deal with those musket armed lost Rebels!!!


Back in the center the Yankee artillery fires away at the fairly static Rebel lines, and recoil an element of rebels disrupting their line.


The militia muskets go back to the attack and advance once again “Once more into the Breech ……”.


The action stays hot on the right flank and although the Yankees have now occupied the farm, a fire fight develops on the far right between the Yankee rifles and the Confederate muskets.


The fire fight on the right continues, as the Yankee militia continues their steady advance toward the Rebel lines (I wonder if those guys ever saw Pickett’s Charge in the movie Gettysburg????).


And back again, here comes the Yankee militia! Doesn’t General Ron know it’s the “Thin red line”. Not the thin gray-butternut line!!!!


Finally some action on the Yankee left. The troops holding the woods advance to try and force the issue with the scardy-cat Rebels who seem to be quite happy SITTING where they are! Ah, one regiment is recoiled!


Uh-oh! What’s this back on the Yankee right? The Rebels have charged and it’s cold steel to determine the outcome!


The fighting is fierce, and it’s no quarter asked and no quarter given!


But the outcome is a Rebel regiment limping back to lick their wounds. Meantime the center is about to become the new hot bed, as the Yankee militia has finally held their ground and deploy to duke it out with the thin gray line. However the farm has yet again fallen to the Confederates as some Rebel Zouaves force out the Yankees and destroy them.


An interesting turn of events. The Yankee artillery and the Rebel battery on the hill exchange shots, only to have the rebel battery recoil (we decided to try artillery firing from higher ground if there is nothing within a base width of the front edge of the shooter and the front edge of the target). At the same time the Berdan Sharpshooters and a regiment of rifle armed regulars move to assist the militia in assaulting the Rebel line.


The Yankee rifle armed regiment pulls back on the right flank, while a regiment of militia moves to assault once again the farm now held by the rebels, and a regiment of rifle armed regulars has moved to join ranks with the militia assaulting the rebel line.


Not to be left out the Dragoons holding the right and left flanks are determined to take part in this battle and start sniping at each other. Too bad those Confederate Jagers were recoiled earlier as they now are unable to join with the Rebel Dragoons to try and move the Yankee Dragoons out of the woods.


This is it, the grand assault and the firing is tremendous as rifle and musket, cannon and shot fly through the air at the opposing sides. Down goes a regiment of Yankee rifles leaving a gap in the Yankee line. Note the far right regiment of Yankee militia cannot return fire as their muskets just don’t have the range!


And the end is all to obvious as two regiments of Confederate rifles double up on the Yankee militia, and it’s a 9 to 4 result that takes out the 4th Yankee element to bring the battle to a close. I think the finally tally was 4 to 1, and a stubborn battle it was fought by both sides.

The victory goes to General Ron, but a single battle does not a war make, and we will be back Mr. General Ron Sir! The Union Forever!

This was Ron’s second win for the day as the Confederates, but the day was yet young and the esteemed General David Crenshaw, who was still reeling from his defeat at the hands of the Lone Psiloi and the Ever Glorious Feudal French, took command of the Yankees to teach the upstart General Ron a real lesson in humility and defeat! Now you’re going to get it Mr. General Ron Sir ….. Hey! wait, what’s this another victory for Ron and his Rebels!!! I think we are going to have a hard time getting him to let go of them and fight the Yankee side. But that’s OK, he’ll meet his Waterloo, or is that Appomattox soon enough!!!!

It was really a fun day and I especially enjoyed getting to play David in a good ole game of DBA (his Feudal English against my Feudal French), and was especially anxious to get a chance at Ron with his beautiful new ACW figures. And beautiful they are, as all of the ACW figures are Ron’s.

So until next time this is your roving reporter on the scene with all the news that is the news ……

Terry

[Barry S]

Great report Terry

Nice looking table and figures as well.

Just the inspiration I need to start my DBX-ACW armies after I've finished my 12 extra elements of Zulus, DBX-FIW, HoTT elements for my Zulu armies...

[uriahheep2]

very good terry and im impressed with the punk rock songs added as well

[Big Fat Sergeant]

See Terry, you blue boys cannot win forever against us clever rebel type fellows! As always a damned entertaining report, keep 'em coming and better luck next time!!!!!!!!