HPS Chickamauga: Scenario 039 and 040
85 Turns
USA 55,582 – CSA 57,983
Chickamauga National Battlefield – Sunrise in Dyer Field (Hex 111, 184)
(Historical, 85 Turns) In early September 1863, Union General Rosecrans consolidated his forces scattered in Tennessee and Georgia and forced Confederate General Bragg’s army out of Chattanooga, heading south. The Union troops followed it. Bragg was determined to reoccupy Chattanooga and decided to meet a part of Rosecrans’s army, defeat them, and then move back into the city. On the 17th he headed north, intending to meet and beat the XXI Army Corps. As Bragg marched north on the 18th, his cavalry and infantry fought with Union cavalry and mounted infantry which were armed with Spencer repeating rifles. Fighting began in earnest on the morning of the 19th, and Bragg’s men hammered but did not break the Union line. Unbeknownest to Rosecrans, Confederate Lt. General Longstreet arrived from Virginia to bolster Bragg's army, and for the first time, the Union army was outnumbered in a western battle. It's 9am on the 19th of September, the 10th Confederate cavalry regiment has just been decimated by running into the 10th Indiana. With these shots, the Battle of Chickamauga begins.
A Note on Average Quality (AQ) Used Below:
The calculation used to determine this is simple. An “A” regiment would receive five points, a “B” regiment four points and so on down to one point for an “E” and zero points for an “F.” You can then add up the numerical totals for a brigade and divide the total number by the number of regiments to get the Average Quality. For example – a brigade of five regiments with two “B’s” and three “C’s” would have a total of seventeen points (4+4+3+3+3=17), this number is then divided by the number of regiments (17/5=3.4) to get the Average Quality of 3.4 out of 5 for that brigade.
Confederates: 48,352 infantrymen, 3,500 artillerymen (140 cannon), and 6,041 cavalrymen = 57,983
Union: 46,164 infantrymen, 4,800 artillerymen (192 cannon), and 4,618 cavalrymen = 55,582
The Battlefield of Chickamauga has two main features that every player should be well aware of when fighting on this battlefield. The first is the La Fayette Road which divides the historical battlefield in two (east and west). It runs from the area around Cloud Church in the north to Lee and Gordon’s Mill to the south. This is the main road that connects Thomas’s flank with the rest of the army on the first day of battle. For the Union player the holding of this road is a critical factor on the first day of battle as the army begins to consolidate [The La Fayette Road is marked in black on the map]. The other main feature of the battlefield is Chickamauga Creek that runs along the eastern side of the board and divides the Confederate Army. The large Confederate force west of the creek should ensure that no massive rout will occur – but the moving of reinforcements over a handful of fords and bridges is always a challenge. [Chickamauga Creek is marked on the map by the heavy blue line]. The extreme left flank of the Confederate Army is held by Hindman’s Division on the first day opposite Lee and Gordon’s Mill. There is another crossing south of this that also bears watching in case of any Union maneuver to sweep around the Confederate flank and strike Hindman’s isolated position and keep Hill’s arriving Corps from reinforcing the rest of the army to the north [these two crossing are marked by white arrows on the map]. One of the most important areas of the field is the Dyer Road which connects the Dry Valley Road to the La Fayette Road along the Brotherton and Dyer Fields. If the Confederates manage to secure this short road they can divide Thomas’s flank from the rest of Rosecrans’s army and force them to make a wide march in order to reinforce Thomas or bypass the Dyer Road [The Dyer Road is marked by a bold red line – the Dry Valley Road by a purple line – and the next available north-south road available to Rosecrans if the Dyer Road is secured is marked in Orange].
The scenario seeks to stay true to the actual release times of the various units and both sides start with a large number of their men fixed in position. The map below shows the relative positions of these fixed units for both sides and the approximate release times (or the starting release time) of the larger units. Those units circled without a release time will remain fixed throughout the first day.
This section will cover just three of the early possible mistakes/scenarios/movements that may occur in any given game. I can only predict what will occur given the tendencies of the commanders to follow predictable patters at the start of a battle or from what I have personally experienced in playing this scenario. Most of these options will be toward the beginning of the scenario as most battles can be determined by who makes the fewest mistakes at the start.
The first Union reinforcements arrive on the first turn of the game at Hex (93, 249). These forces will move in one of two directions: either northward along the road to Crawfish Springs and the Dry Valley Road or they will turn eastward and head for the bridge across the Chickamauga Creek beneath Lee and Gordon’s Mill. The first of these options is the proper move to make and should be chosen by the Union commander in most cases. But let’s assume he has chosen the second option in a bold attempt to strike Hindman’s flank. If he makes this move you can be assured of one thing – he did not study the arrival times and locations of the Confederate Army before the game.
The movement of the roughly 7,000 men of Reynolds’s and Davis’s Divisions should place the Confederate Army into an immediate crisis as the Union commander has forced Hindman’s Division into battle while it is still unprepared and fixed. The Confederates will have only a single turn or two to move their men (once the Union units move into their protective range they will become unfixed) before they are struck by Reynolds’s lead units under King and Turchin. The earliest that the Union regiments will begin to make contact with the left flank of Hindman will be 10:20 AM. For the Union commander to form up both brigades of Reynolds’s Division and advance en masse would take up more time but expect them to hit about Noon if they decide to concentrate first. For both Reynolds and Davis to form into a battle line abreast would take another hour and they would strike Hindman about 1 PM. But Hindman is about to get a lot of help! As a sidenote the direction of the Union reinforcements can be determined on the very first turn as the path heading to the Creek is visible by Strahl’s Brigade at hex (139, 206).
Reynolds and Davis Head for Hindman’s Division
Many players in the Club do not properly look at the reinforcement schedule of the opposing army at the start of the scenario and this may easily occur in this battle. What the Union player has thought was a brilliant flanking maneuver will suddenly turn into a nearly inescapable trap for Reynolds and Davis. Hill’s Corps – with the crack divisions of Breckinridge and Cleburne – will begin to arrive at 12:20 PM. Breckinridge will arrive behind the line of the Union divisions and Cleburne on the road leading to Hindman’s rear and the Union right flank. If your opponent is fool enough to be caught in this trap be sure to bag as many of the Yankees as you can as they will be stuck with the Creek to their backs. Be sure to also watch out for Union reinforcements trying to rescue them from Lee and Gordon’s Mill.
The Trap Closing Around Wood and Davis at 12:20 PM
Instead of advancing to attack Hindman it is better to instead draw up Reynolds’s Division around the hexes (110, 246 – 248) and train your cannon on the entry hexes of Breckinridge’s Division. By doing this you will greatly annoy your Confederate opponent and force him to sidetrack one of his best divisions in order to drive off a small division of Yankees with artillery support atop a wooded ridge. Be sure to keep your line of retreat clear though and know when to fall back over the Creek or you may soon regret bothering Breckinridge!
Reynolds’s Division Opposing Breckinridge’s Division