This is the Battle of Bull Run as played using the Command
Combat: Civil War rules set. You can find it at:
www.commandcombat.com
We played it at Friday Night Dice in Sun Valley: http://www.meetup.com/fridaynightdice/
The battle begins with Evans' and Cocke's brigades holding the bridges to keep
the Union from crossing. Taylor, commanding the first division of the
Union, is trying to cross the stone bridge on the northeastern side of the
battlefield.
Taylor's first brigade, under
General Schenk, put pressure on Evans, who backed up to Henry House Hill.
He kept two batteries of smoothbore artillery on his left to put fire onto the
enemy coming across the bridge. Cocke, meanwhile, boldly crossed the
bridge in front of him, despite Union reinforcements coming on behind Schenck.
Now aware that they had been outflanked, Confederate
Generals Beauregard and Johnston rushed their divisions north to deal with the
oncoming threat.
Cocke's bold move across the bridge
paid off, as he rushed the Federals, pushing them back off the road.
Cavalry from the Federal second
division came out of the woods behind Evans' batteries, which turned to face
them. The cavalry pulled back into the woods for a while until it caused
a traffic jam with oncoming infantry, at which point they rushed out and took
the batteries; but not before they did a lot of damage to the columns trying to
cross the stone bridge.
The Confederate divisions made it to Henry House Hill just
as the second and third Union divisions made it to the stone house. Both
sides formed lines of battle.
Kershaw and Smith's brigades came by rail, running straight
from the train into the battle.
Taylor's division, meanwhile, was struggling against a very
bold opponent. Evans and Cocke were keeping them pinned up behind the
river, causing many of their men to retreat past picnickers who had come from
Washington to watch the battle. (Yes, that's actually a part of the
game. You can see picnickers at the top center of the picture, and their
are more just off frame.)
The fight just north of Henry House Hill went in favor of
the Confederates, and the Yankee second division under General David Hunter ran
for their lives.
The Union third division under S.P. Heintzelman tried to
form up and salvage the mess that was in front of them...
...but the disaster to their left with Taylor's division,
which had never recovered at the stone bridge, was turning hopeless.
Evans, who was quickly gaining the name "Stonewall Evans," would not
retreat, but kept pushing forward. Cocke, meanwhile, held the road, preventing
any reinforcements from that direction.
The Confederates charged batteries on Matthew's Hill and
took them, turning them on Heintzelmen's men beyond it. They charged in
response, taking the guns back, and the Confederates did the same. The
guns changed hands five times until the Confederates at last had them, and used
them on the Federals.
Cocke's men on the road at last charged Taylor's guns near
the stone bridge and took them. They now had almost all of the Federal
artillery.
The Confederates were now on three sides of the
Federals. They pressed them back toward the woods.
At some points they boxed the Federals in on three sides,
and the walls closed in. In this picture, they chewed up the last
remaining strong brigade, the Fire Zuaves.
At last they had the Federals cornered in the woods.
With one last push, they pressed them off of the battlefield.
It was a Confederate victory, and
they scored 35 points. The Union only scored 4.
