It’s been a somewhat slow start to my wargaming year, but I finally got down to the Wargames Association of South Pembrokeshire (W.A.S.P.) recently for a game. I’ve been promising my my mate Al for the last year that we’d do another ACW game, as we had to postpone two games last year. However, my troops were all still labelled up for the postponed First Battle of Bull Run (known as First Manassas to the Rebs), so that was the obvious choice!
This battle, the first major battle of the American Civil War, is the first scenario presented in the Fire & Fury 2nd Edition rulebook and is one I’ve wanted to play for a long time. It’s a very famous battle and the history is very well covered elsewhere, especially on the battle’s Wikipedia page, so for once I won’t bother repeating all the historical guff here. The scenario concentrates on the main part of the battle, being the fighting on the western flank, centred on the Henry House Hill, where General Jackson earned his famous nickname ‘Stonewall’. Rich Hasenauer’s scenario map from the rulebook is shown below.
One of the ‘fun’ aspects of this scenario is that the overwhelming majority of the troops are barely-trained and badly-armed. The ‘amateur’ aspect of the armies is also reflected in that a lot of the over-complicated layers of command have been removed and what generals they do have may only influence the action if they are directly attached to a brigade. The Union side has the advantage in terms of weaponry (some rifled artillery and rifled muskets) and a very few experienced units from the regular US Army, while the Confederate side has the advantage of having quite a lot of talented brigade-leaders and offensive spirit.
Above: It’s quite a complicated map, with lots of undulations in the terrain, woods and back-roads, but we did the best we could with what we had available. The table here is oriented at 90 degrees when compared to the map, so the top (north edge) of the map is at the right of this photo and we’re facing west. In particular, it was quite difficult to precisely define the edges of woods and course of roads and rivers, so there was a fair bit of referencing the map during the game, just to check that the tree-lines were in the right place.
Above: On the eastern edge of the table, a detachment from Cocke’s Confederate Brigade (of Beauregard’s Army of the Potomac) is dug in, defending Lewis’ Ford on the Bull Run River. Behind them, Hampton’s tiny infantry brigade (also from Beauregard’s army) splashes through the ford of the Hokum Branch and marches toward the Henry House Hill.
Above: At the Henry House, an artillery battery from Johnston’s Army of the Shenandoah supports the forward Confederate positions.
Above: Forward of the Stone House, the Confederate line is formed (from left to right) by Evans’ (including the famous Louisiana ‘Tiger Zouaves’), Bee’s and Bartow’s Brigades. Bee and Bartow belong to Johnston’s Army of the Shenandoah, while Evans belongs to Beauregard’s Army of the Potomac.
[The individual officer figure indicates an Exceptional Brigade Leader, in this instance Evans. The unit label also shows this with an ‘E’. The Confederates have Jackson, Elzey, Stuart, Evans, Hampton and Early rated as Exceptional, while the Union side has only Sherman.]
Above: In front of the Confederate line, Hunter’s Division of McDowell’s Union Army of North-East Virginia crests the ridge at the Matthews House. The Bluebellies have brought a battery with them, which immediately takes Evans’ Brigade under effective fire.
Above: Burnside’s Brigade forms up on the right of Hunter’s Division, with Sykes’ small brigade of regulars on the left. To their rear, Hunter has arrived at the head of Porter’s Brigade (represented here by the 14th Brooklyn in their spectacular ‘Chasseur’ uniforms, which would earn them the nickname ‘Red-Legged Devils’), another artillery battery and Palmer’s tiny cavalry brigade.
Above: Casualties quickly start to pile up in Evans’ Brigade, as the Union gunners find the range. They won’t be able to stand much more of this! The supporting Confederate battery on the Henry House Hill is simply too far away to provide any effective support.
Above: Back at the Lewis House, Jackson’s Brigade of Johnston’s Army of the Shenandoah marches on to the field.
[The sharp-eyed will notice a few bases of blue-coated figures. This is to indicate that the brigade contains troops in blue uniforms, which may cause confusion in the heat of battle. The Union side also has some brigades with units in grey uniforms.]
Above: Evans’ Brigade has suffered very heavy casualties to the crushing Union artillery fire and finally breaks!
Above: Concerned by the possibility of Union units attacking via the Stone Bridge and/or Farm Ford, Jackson leads his brigade to take up position on the right flank, to defend against any Union move in that sector. Johnston and Beauregard have also now arrived and ride to the sound of the guns.
Above: Trundling along in the generals’ wake are two more Confederate batteries.
Above: As the second Union battery takes post on the ridge, General Hunter orders Porter’s Brigade to form line on the reverse slope. Palmer’s cavalry form up on their left. Up on the ridge, the army commander, General McDowell rides forward to assess the situation for himself.
Above: With two batteries now deployed, the Union artillery starts to make life miserable for Bee’s Brigade.
Above: Bee’s Brigade doesn’t stand under fire for anywhere near as long as Evans’ men and soon breaks and runs for the hills!
Above: General Beauregard arrives at the edge of the tree-line on the Henry House Hill, just in time to witness the spectacle of Evans’ and Bee’s men fleeing for their lives! Undeterred, Hampton orders his tiny brigade to deploy at the edge of the woods, along with the first of the newly-arrived batteries.
Above: With Evans and Bee gone and with a massive Union force building up in front of him, Bartow reads his tea-leaves and orders his brigade to withdraw to the relative safety of the Henry House Hill. Protected from Union artillery fire by woodland and a crest-line, Bartow quickly forms his brigade into column and passes over the Youngs Branch river.
Above: The leading elements of Heintzelman’s Union Division, in the form of Franklin’s Brigade and another artillery battery, now arrive at the Matthews House Ridge.
Above: At the Stone Bridge meanwhile, General Johnston personally supervises the deployment of Jackson’s Brigade and a supporting battery along the stone wall adjacent to the Robinson House.
Above: Bee’s Brigade meanwhile, doesn’t seem to want to stop skedaddling and keeps running, all the way down the Sudley Springs Road and off the table.
Above: With their immediate front clear of Rebels, Hunter’s Division advances to the Stone House, accompanied by General McDowell himself. Franklin’s Brigade and Palmer’s Cavalry Brigade advance in support.
Above: The Confederate battery at the Henry House manages to withdraw to the relative safety of the tree-line, alongside Hampton’s Brigade, but not before the long-range Union rifled artillery find the range! J.E.B. Stuart’s tiny cavalry brigade has also now arrived.
Above: General Beauregard meanwhile, has ridden back to fetch the detachment of Cocke’s Brigade from it’s redundant position at the Lewis Ford. He directs this detachment to take up position on Hampton’s right at the Henry House.
Above: Jackson’s Brigade completes its deployment just as a column of Union troops appears from the direction of the Farm Ford. As the column passes the Van Pelt House, Jackson’s supporting battery fires a ranging-shot, but does no damage.
Above: The newly-arrived column is Sherman’s Brigade of Tyler’s Division.
Above: Hunter’s Division is deployed on a very wide frontage as it advances across the valley of the Youngs Branch, though General McDowell rides forward to take personal control of Hunter’s left flank.
Above: Back at the Matthews House, three batteries continue to fire in support of the advance, though the Confederates are now deployed at extreme range and the Union artillery fire is finally having little effect. It’s time for the guns to move forward, to better support the advance.
Above: Bartow’s Confederate brigade is making slow progress in crossing the Youngs Branch and for a time looks to be in danger of being caught by the advancing Union infantry!
Above: However, the personal intervention of General Johnston ensures that Bartow makes it to the safety of the army’s new position along the tree-line on the Henry House Hill. The detachment of Cocke’s Brigade has also now thickened the line and at long last, it’s starting to look like a tough nut for the Union Army to crack.
Above: Additional forces are also now starting to appear on the Confederate left flank. Kershaw’s Brigade from Beauregard’s Army of the Potomac advances along the Sudley Springs Road toward the Henry House. This brigade is ideally placed to outflank any Union attack past the Henry House.
Above: McDowell rides forward to lead Burnside’s Brigade, with Franklin’s Brigade in support, up the slopes of the Henry House Hill. As soon as they crest the escarpment, the Bluebellies finally get a taste of their own medicine as the Rebel guns open up.
Above: On the Union left flank, General Tyler has arrived at the head of Keyes’ Brigade. They prepare to support Sherman’s attack on the stone wall position.
Above: Jackson meanwhile, has shifted his position left along the stone wall to the Robinson House. His supporting battery limbers up to move to the Robinson House, which seems likely to become the epicentre of the battle.
Above: The Union artillery meanwhile, limbers up and moves forward to deploy on the knoll just north of the Stone House, from where it can sweep the Confederate positions behind the Robinson House.
Above: Howard’s Brigade of Heintzelman’s Division has also now arrived and marches past the Matthews House.
Above: General McDowell, ignoring the hail of fire from the Confederate batteries, leads Burnside’s Brigade forward over the crest, onto the plateau of the Henry House Hill.
Above: However, McDowell and Burnside suddenly find themselves advancing alone, as Franklin’s men have had a crisis of confidence and refuse to push forward from the riverbank!
Above: With a single Union brigade advancing in front of them, General Johnston spies a golden opportunity and orders his infantry to fix bayonets…
Above: Over on the Union right flank, General Hunter pushes Porter’s Brigade out as far as the Bald Hill, while Wilcox’s Brigade (including the spectacular 5th New York ‘Fire Zouaves’) and Palmer’s cavalry deploy in support.
Above: Stuart’s Virginian cavalry observe the Union flank and wait for an opportunity to strike.
Above: Suddenly, the ‘Rebel Yell’ is heard for the first time in history, as the Confederates charged out of the tree-line against Burnside’s disordered brigade! Both Confederate army commanders join the charge; Beauregard with the detachment of Cocke’s Brigade in the centre and Johnston with Bartow’s Brigade on the right. Hampton’s Brigade on the left is judged not to need the personal leadership of a senior general!
[In game terms, the detachment of Cocke’s Brigade had been disordered by long-range artillery fire and needed to roll a 10 to ‘Rally with Elan’ and charge. Al was not confident, as thus far his dice-rolling was true to form and he’d barely rolled anything higher than a 4… However, this time he rolled the required 10 and they charged!]
Above: Union musketry is unsuccessful in stopping the charge, though they do manage to kill Hampton’s horse! The Rebels, having suffered a constant stream of casualties from the powerful Union artillery, are keen for vengeance and get thoroughly stuck in! Burnside’s men are thrown back through Franklin’s Brigade to the river.
Above: General Heintzelman rides over to steady Franklin’s Brigade and quickly rallies them before leading them in a charge up the hill! However, Rebel musketry stops the charge dead in its tracks.
Above: Generals McDowell and Hunter both try to rally Burnside’s Brigade, which has now withdrawn as far as the Stone House.
Above: On Henry House Hill meanwhile, the Rebels charge again! However, this time Cocke’s Brigade decides that it has urgent business that needs attention back at the tree-line, while Hampton (having found a new horse) can’t persuade his tiny brigade (now missing one-third of its strength) to push forward. Consequently, only Bartow’s Brigade charges,
Above: Over on the Confederate left flank, Porter’s Union brigade has pushed down off the Bald Hill to engage Kershaw’s Rebels. However, Kershaw quickly gains the upper hand in the firefight, leaving Porter’s Red-Legs disordered.
Above: The Rebels are quick to take advantage of Porter’s discomfiture, as both Kershaw and Elzey’s newly-arrived brigade charge!
Above: The Rebel charge is completely effective and Porter’s Brigade is thrown back over the Bald Hill!
Above: Wilcox’s freshly-arrived Union Brigade and Palmer’s cavalry are disordered by Porter’s withdrawal, but now have to prepare to receive the Rebel assault.
Above: But further problems have arrived on the Union flank, in the form of Juball Early’s Brigade.
Above: Back at the Stone House, it seems that the combined efforts of Generals McDowell and Hunter have managed to rally Burnside’s shaken men. Howard’s Brigade in the meantime, stands in reserve at the Stone House.
Above: Up at the Robinson House, Bartow’s second charge has not gone well, thanks to the lack of support from the neighbouring brigades and the fact that Sykes’ Union brigade has now moved in to support Franklin. Heavily outnumbered, Bartow is grudgingly forced to give ground. However, fresh Confederate infantry have now arrived at the tree-line, in the form of the main body of Cocke’s Brigade.
Above: Having re-established themselves at the Stone House Knoll, the Union artillery resume their bombardment of the Rebel lines, this time making life miserable for Jackson and his supporting battery.
Above: Despite the battle raging to his left, Jackson remains firmly emplaced behind the stone wall at the Robinson House. Someone on Johnston’s staff exclaims in disgust, “There is General Jackson, hiding behind that stone wall!”
Sadly, General Jackson was never able to shake off this unfair accusation of cowardice and remained known as ‘Stonewall’ Jackson until his dying day.
Above: However, Jackson had very good reason to be concerned for this sector of the battlefield. Everyone else seemed to have forgotten about Tyler’s Division (Sherman’s and Keyes’ Brigades), but they were now crossing the Youngs Branch and were within striking-distance of the Robinson House.
Above: Tyler had struggled to get his inexperienced brigades to move forward, so decided to ‘go Napoleonic’ and formed them into field columns. This worked in moving them forward, but would make them juicy targets when they reached the Warrenton Turnpike.
At this point we had played eleven turns and with only three turns left to play in the scenario, our Mams called us in for our tea…
With Union forces largely stalled in the centre and with their right being driven back by superior forces, the only hope now for the Union side to complete the objective (the clearance of all Rebel forces from the tree-line on the Henry House Hill) was for Tyler’s Division to decisively defeat Jackson’s Brigade at the stone wall. It was going to take at least two of the three remaining turns to reach that point (all three turns if they wanted to shake out into line or supported line formation before charging) and they would then have to inflict a devastating defeat on Jackson, while also somehow ejecting the remaining four brigades and three batteries from the tree-line. This was clearly going to be an impossible task and so we called it a day and declared it to be a Confederate victory!
Just to satisfy our curiosity, we did however, ‘jump forward’ to see what would happen when Tyler charge the stone wall… Jackson’s musketry stopped both brigades cold and they failed to press home their charge.
My thanks to Al and Dave for a great game! 🙂
Models Etc
The troops are all 10mm Pendraken Miniatures from my own collection. I use my own reduced ground-scale and basing-scheme for playing Fire & Fury, the details of which are linked here. The buildings are a mixture of Pendraken and Timecast. I would have put out fences, etc to decorate the table, but it was already very ‘busy’, so decided not to, as they only tend to get in the way.
