1.0 INTRODUCTION

After the North Anna is a two player operational level game covering U.S. Grant's overland campaign following the battles of the Wilderness and Spottsylvania Courthouse. Players must own a copy of Lee Takes Command by Clash of Arms Games in order to play the game. The Lee Takes Command map and some of the counters and most markers are used. The game uses all the Standard Rules and most of the Exclusive Rules from Lee Takes Command as well, along with the charts and tables, except where noted below. These rules are organized to mirror the Lee Takes Command rules as much as possible.

The situation is this; the Union Army of the Potomac has been heavily reinforced and faces a much-weakened, but still deadly, Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. The objective of the Union player is render the rebel army ineffective and capture Richmond. Failing in that, the Union Player must cross the James River in preparation for a siege of Petersburg. The Victory Conditions reflect the situation of both armies at the conclusion of the game. The game begins on the May 26th AM turn and ends at the conclusion of the June 12th PM turn. The Union player is the First Player.

1.01 Game Scale: As in Lee Takes Command, each turn is one half a day, so only one round of combat is allowed each turn.

2.0 ARMY ORGANIZATION

The pressure of years of war had wrought vast changes in both side's forces. Use the following information in place of Module 2.0 in Lee Takes Command.

2.1 The Confederate Chain of Command

The two overall Confederate Commanders are Lee and Davis. Under them are two distinct field formations, the Army of Northern Virginia (ANV) under Lee's direct command and the Richmond and Petersburg Defense Forces (RPDF) under Beauregard which is cooperating with Lee (sort of) but reports to Davis. Each force is comprised of various corps, which are the principle formations in the game.

2.11 ANV Chain of Command: Lee is the Commander of all Army of Northern Virginia formations which consist of the I, II and III Corps, plus attached cavalry and artillery. Lee has no replacement, he cannot become a casualty. These Corps are led by Officers Anderson, Ewell, and A.P. Hill respectively. If any of these Officers becomes a casualty, they are replaced by a generic " 1-1 " rated Confederate replacement Officer. There are an endless number of these generic replacements. To be fully in command, all infantry units in the ANV must trace command to their respective Corps Officer and the Corps Officer must trace to Lee.

2.12 RPDC Chain of Command: The Richmond and Petersburg Defense Command (RPDC) formation for game purposes is treated as a single corps-sized formation with attached artillery. This "Corps" is led by Officer Beauregard. If Beauregard becomes a casualty, he is replaced by a generic " 1-1" rated Confederate replacement Officer. They are an endless number of these generic replacements. To be fully in command, all infantry units in the RPDC must trace command to Beauregard (or his replacement) and Beauregard must simply trace a LOC to President Davis (wherever he is) to be in command. His replacement however, must trace to Lee.

2.13 Restrictions: Units from the two forces may not be transferred between the two forces, nor may they stack in the same Area. This latter restriction is lifted if Beauregard is replaced.

2.14 Independent Units: The Confederate Player also has three infantry divisions (Pickett, Hoke and Breckinridge) that are not assigned to any particular corps at the start. These units may move and defend normally as per the Standard Rules, but in order to Force March or execute any Attacker Combat Order, they must be assigned to an existing ANV Corps Officer or Beauregard. The Confederate player should note this attachment on his Unit Status Sheet. Once assigned, the unit traces command to that Corps Officer for the rest of game and may not be subsequently transferred to another.

2.2 The Union Chain of Command

The overall Union Commander is Grant. Under him are two distinct armies, each with its own Commander, the Army of the Potomac (AOP) under Meade and the Army of the James (AOJ) under Butler. Each army is comprised of various corps, which are the principle formations in the game.

2.21 AOP Chain of Command: Meade is the Commander of all Army of the Potomac (AOP) formations which consist of the II, V, VI and IX Corps, plus attached cavalry and artillery. Meade has no replacement, he cannot become a casualty. These Corps are led by Officers Hancock, Warren, Wright and Burnside respectively. If any of these Officers becomes a casualty, they are replaced by a generic "0-0" rated Union replacement Officer. They are an endless number of these generic replacements. To be fully in command, all infantry units in the Army of the Potomac must trace command to their respective Corps Officer and the Officer to Meade. Note that Grant need not be traced to. AOP Officers may trace directly to Grant instead, if a path to Meade cannot be demonstrated, and still be in command.

a. Burnside's IX Corps has special restrictions on it. IX Corps units may move and defend normally as per the Standard Rules. But in order for any IX Corps units to Force March or conduct attacks, Grant must be in or adjacent to the Area containing Burnside, who in turn must in or adjacent to the Area containing the IX Corps units wishing to Force March or execute Attacker Combat Orders. This restriction is lifted if Burnside becomes a casualty.

2.22 AOJ Chain of Command: Butler is the Commander of all Army of the James (AOJ) formations which consist of the X and XVIII Corps, plus attached cavalry and artillery. Butler has no replacement, he cannot become a casualty. These Corps are led by Officers Gillmore and Smith respectively. If either of these Officers becomes a casualty, they are replaced hy a generic "0-0" rated Union replacement Officer. They are an endless number of these generic replacements. To be fully in command all infantry units in the AOJ must trace command to their respective Corps Officer and the Officer to Butler to be fully in command. Note that Grant need not be traced to. AOJ Officers may trace directly to Grant instead, if a path to Butler cannot be demonstrated, and still be in command.

2.23 Transferring Units Between Armies: During the Communications Phase, units from the Army of the Potomac and James may be transferred back and forth to each other. The Union Player should note on his Unit Status Sheet which unit is being transferred and the Corps to which it is being assigned to. This may take place at any range or location away from the Officers/Commanders in charge. The unit must still trace command to its new Officer and respective Commander of course. If transferred back, it must be placed under its former Officer. Transferred units may move and defend normally on the turn of transfer as per the Standard Rules. However, for any transferred unit to Force March or execute Attacker Combat Orders during the same turn, Grant must have started the Communications Phase in or adjacent to the Area containing the transferring unit(s).

EXCEPTION: Players may not transfer units between Corps in the same Army, nor may entire Corps be transferred from one Army to another. Lastly, no Corps may be completely eliminated via transfers

2.3 Home Areas

Both sides have Home Areas. The Union may switch Home Areas as the game progresses, the Confederacy may not.

2.31 Confederate Home Area: The Confederate Home Area throughout the game is Richmond (Area 77). Lee must be able to trace a LOC to Richmond each Communications Phase or the Union Player will receive 1 VP.

2.32 Union Home Area(s): The Union Home Area is the same Area as the one containing the current Union Supply Base marker.

3.0 WEATHER

Each turn's weather will either be Clear, Rain or Heat. Do not roll on the Optional Weather Table, use the result preprinted on the Turn Record Chart. Use the Rain Weather rules as is from Lee Takes Command but add a new Weather Condition for Heat detailed below.

3.11 Heat: If the current Weather is Heat, then players must add + 1 to any rolls on the Straggler Loss Table.

4.0 NAVAL OPERATIONS

Ignore this section entirely. There no naval operations, gunboats or shore batteries used in this expansion module. Instead it is replaced with more detailed supply rules.

5.0 SPECIAL TERRAIN

Use all the printed Special Terrain rules from Lee Takes Command except for Rule 5.13 and Rule 5.32 which are modified as follows:

5.13 Gully Swamps Case e: Units may not Force March across a gully swamp. This rule applies to Lee Takes Command as well.

5.32 Destroyed Bridges: The bridge between Areas 15 and 26 is considered destroyed at the start of the game.

5.4 The James River

The James River represented a significant water obstacle and some special rules are required to simulate its effects. The James may not be crossed except for the bridges at Richmond and the special Union crossing rules below:

5.41 Crossing the James: Only Union forces may cross the James River in the absence of the bridges at Richmond. To do so, the Union player must use the following procedure:

1) Up to two Union combat units (plus any number of Leaders) may cross from any one Area containing an anchor symbol (a port) to any other one Area containing an anchor symbol during the Union Player Movement Phase. The units undertaking the crossing must have started the turn in the Area they are departing from and not otherwise moved that turn.
2) If eligible, then simply place the units in the new Area containing the anchor symbol either across or along the same side of the river. The Union Player may not move into an Area containing enemy units.
3) Once across, the units may not move any further that turn. They may move freely on their following turn.
NOTE: If playing with the optional rules, players may not use pontoon or corduroy bridges to cross the James. It's too wide.

5.42 Tracing Across the James River: The Union player may trace command and supply paths across the James River if necessary. Command and supply may only be traced from an Area containing a port anchor symbol to any Area on the other side containing a port anchor symbol as well. Crossing the James itself counts as one Area towards the total length of the path (which principally aftects Grant's arrangements with Burnside and transferring units).

5.43 Combat Across the James: Combat is not possible across the James River except across the bridges at Richmond (treat as a crossing point over a Major River).

6.0 UNION COMMAND RESTRICTIONS

Ignore Section 6.1 altogether. Section 6.2 is modified as below.

6.2 The Union Home Base

The Union Home Base is designated by placing the Supply Base marker in the corresponding Area. Place it Supply Base side up at all times.

6.21 Starting Home Base: Initially, the Union Home Base/Supply Area can be any Area along the northern mapedge, including Area 11 (Overland).

6.22 Shifting the Base: The base may be shifted on any AM turn only to any Area containing an Anchor port symbol during the Union Communications Phase following the occupation of the Area by an effective Union cavalry or infantry unit. This includes the reinforcements from the Army of James disembarking at Area 86 (White House) on Turn 9. Just pick it up and place it in the new Area.

6.23 Restrictions: Any sole occupation of the Union Home Base by an effective Confederate combat unit (infantry, cavalry or artillery) prevents all Union units in the Army of the Potomac from moving closer to Area 77 (Richmond) or the James River the following turn. The Confederate player also receives 5 VPs each turn he solely occupies the Union Home Base. This movement restriction and VP award is in effect only as long as the Area containing the Union Home Base is solely occupied by an effective Confederate unit.

7.0 CONFEDERATE COMMMAND RESTRICTIONS

8.0 SPECIAL UNITS AND RULES

Ignore Section 8.3 altogether. The other sections are modified as follows.

8.1 Supply Rules

8.11 When to Determine Supply Status: Supply status is checked by a Player each AM turn (every other turn) during his Communications Phase, and lasts until the next AM turn when another check is required. Each Player is thus required to check supply status once every two turns.

8.12 Supply Sources: The Union supply source is the Areas containing the Union Supply Base counter. All supplies originate from that Area. The Confederate supply sources is Area 77 (Richmond). All supplies originate from those Areas. Units in a supply source Area are automatically in supply. Units adjacent to the supply source Area are also automatically in supply, unless an enemy unit solely occupies the supply source Area.

8.13 Tracing Supply: If a unit is in or adjacent to an Area that contains a railroad or road, and can trace a path along that railroad or road free of enemy units (do not count dummies, ineffective enemy units, or Leaders) back to a supply source Area(s), than the unit is considered to be in supply (see Rule 8.14 below for tracing supply through mutually occupied Areas).

EXCEPTION: If the adjacent Area containing the railroad or road is across a major river, the supply line may only be traced if a crossing point connects the two Areas.

8.14 Tracing Supply Through Mutually Occupied Areas: In Rules 8.12 and 8.13 above, the supply path may be traced through mutually occupied Areas so long as at least one friendly unit in the Area is either an infantry, artillery or cavalry unit (effective or not). Militia infantry units alone in an Area, dummy units and Leaders do not count for purposes of this rule.

8.15 Out of Supply Effects: Units that are judged to be out of supply suffer the following penalties:

1. They may not Force March, and may not recover stragglers, and;
2. Their combat strength total is halved (total first, then halve losing any fractions), in addition to any other modifications to combat strength they may be under, and;
3. Infantry and artillery units found to be out of supply must roll on the Straggler Loss Table for possible losses. A unit adds + 1 to the die roll if this is its third or fourth turn out of supply and +2 if this is the fifth (or more) consecutive turn out of supply. This modifier is cumulative with the Straggler Table die roll modifier for the current weather condition.

8.2 Garrison Units

The Confederate player has one infantry division (Steven's) and one artillery unit (Jones') that are the Richmond Garrison. Use Section 8.2 rules from Lee Takes Command but apply them to these two units only. Ignore the rule requiring the two units to operate only in the Richmond Fortified Zone, they are free to go anywhere.

8.4 Entrenchments

By 1864 both sides realized the effectiveness of well dug-in troops on the defensive, especially the Confederates, whose dwindling numbers were beginning to tell against them. Thrown almost completely on the defensive, the Confederates relied heavily on entrenchments to attempt to slow the Union drives.

8.41 Building Entrenchments: Entrenchments may be constructed by each stack of units a Player has in an Area at any time during a friendly Movement Phase, under the following conditions:

1. The unit(s) building the entrenchment consists of at least one infantry or garrison infantry unit (there may be cavalry or artillery units present as well); and,
2. The unit(s) will not move during its Movement Phase, and;
3. The unit(s) does not attempt to recover stragglers, and;
4. The unit(s) will not declare an attack or engage in combat during its Combat Phase.

a. A unit's supply status has no effect on its ability to entrench. Entrenchments may be built in any Area terrain type (including Swamps) except the Richmond Fortified Zone. The presence of other friendly or enemy units, or other entrenchment markers in an Area, has no effect on a unit's ability to entrench, but a maximum of only one entrenchment marker per stack per Area is permitted. More than one stack may entrench at the same time.

EXAMPLE: It would require at least six units, a stack of five units and a stack of one unit, each with at least one real infantry or militia infantry unit in it, to build or maintain two entrenchment markers in the same Area.


NOTE: The Dummy units in this context represent labor parties (or slaves in the case of the Confederacy) used to maintain the entrenchments.

8.42 Procedure: To identify a unit or stack building entrenchments, at the beginning of the Movement Phase place an entrenchment marker on top of the unit(s), pick and shovel side face up. At the end of the Movement Phase, flip the counter over to the entrenchment side and place the marker at the top of the stack.

8.43 Combat Effects of Entrenchments: The Attacker never receives any benefit from having his units occupy entrenchments during combat. If the Defender's units in a Line Position are entrenched, then at the end of each combat round those units suffer one less combat strength point loss than called for by the CICs and FCRT.

EXAMPLE. A defending Line Position required to lose three strength points by the end of the first combat round would only lose two instead.


EXCEPTION: Entrenched defending units that are issued the Counterattack Order that round do not receive any entrenchment benefits. They suffer the full number of combat strength points called for as losses.

8.44 Cavalry and Artillery: While these unit types may not construct entrenchments, these units receive the entrenchment benefit if defending in an entrenched Line Position, either alone or stacked with each other.

8.45 Line Position Deployment Restrictions: If a single stack of units occupying an entrenchment marker is deployed during the Combat Phase into two or more Line Positions, then only one of the Line Positions is considered to be occupying the entrenchment and receives the entrenchment benefit.

a. If there are two or more entrenchment markers in an Area, players may freely mix their units in Line Positions on the Battle Board. Just because a unit is under an entrenchment marker on the map doesn't mean it has to set up in an entrenched Line Position and vice versa.

8.46 Removing Entrenchments: Entrenchments may be removed at any time during the owning Player's turn. If a Player completely vacates an Area (whether voluntarily or not) containing friendly entrenchment markers, they are removed from play. Dummy units may not solely occupy entrenchments by themselves. If a Player had six units occupying two entrenchment markers between them, and three units left the Area, one entrenchment marker would have to be removed.

8.5 Combat Round Restrictions

This rule is in full effect. Only one round of Combat per turn is permitted.

8.6 Troop Density Level

Players must use the Standard Rules Section 7.6 (Troop Density Level) when playing After the North Anna. It is not an optional rule in this game. Use the Troop Density Levels printed in the Lee Takes Command Charts and Tables.

9.0 VICTORY CONDITIONS

Both players earn and record Victory Points (VPs) for accomplishing certain objectives during the game as per the rules in Lee Takes Command. Points are earned differently as laid out below.

9.01 Confederate: The following VPs are awarded during the Confederate Victory Point Phase of each turn of the scenario:

1. 2 VPs for each Union Strength Point loss due to combat since the previous Victory Point Phase.
2. 5 VPs for each turn the Union Home Base is solely occupied by an effective Confederate cavalry or infantry unit.

The following VPs are awarded at the end of the game:

3) 1 VP for each Union Straggle Loss at game end.
4) 2 VPs for each ineffective Union infantry division at game end.
5) 1 VP for each effective Confederate infantry division at game end.
6) 10 VPs if no effective Union infantry divisions are south of the James River by game end.

9.02 Union: The following VPs are awarded during the Union Victory Point Phase of each turn of the scenario:

1. 1 VP for each Confederate Strength Point loss due to combat since the previous Victory Point Phase.
2. 1 VP for each turn Lee is unable to trace a LOC to Richmond
3. 10 VPs for sole possession of Area 136 (Arrowfield) by any effective Union combat unit.
4. 1 VP (maximum) if any effective Union infantry division (no matter how many) is currently adjacent to Area 77 (Richmond).
5. 20 VPs for sole possession of Area 77 (Richmond) by any effective Union combat unit.

The following VPs are awarded at the end of the game:

6) 1 VP for each Confederate Straggle Loss at game end.
7) 2 VPs for each ineffective Confederate infantry division at game end.

At the end of the game, the side with the greatest number of VPs is the winner, tie scores is a draw (but Grant retains command and will grind down the Confederacy within a year).

10.0 SCENARIOS

There is only one scenario in this expansion game.

10.4 "After the North Anna"

This scenario covers all the movements and actions of the Army of the Potomac and the Army of the James under the overall direction of Lieutenant General U.S. Grant. The scenario starts with his leftwards sidling movement following the stalemate at the North Anna River, to his decision to cross the James River and attempt to take the city of Petersburg. The scenario is 36 turns long and begins on the May 26th AM turn and ends on the June 12th PM turn. Each player's units begin the game already on the map or appear as reinforcements.

Union (1st Player):

Place the following units in Area 4 at start:

The VI Corps:
- Officer Wright
- 2nd Division
- 3rd Division
- VI Corps- Artillery

Place the following units in Area 5 at start:

The VI Corps:
- 1st Division
The Cavalry Corps:
- 1st Cavalry Division
- 2nd Cavalry Division

Place the following units in Area 124 at start:

- Entrenchment Marker
The X Corps:
- Officer Gillmore
- 1st Division
- 2nd Division
- 3rd Division
- X Corps Artillery

Place the following units in Area 125 at start:

Army of the James:
- Commander Butler
- James Cavalry Division

Place the Supply Base counter (from the LTC game) in any Area along the north edge of the map at start. The Union Player may initially place up to three dummy infantry units and three dummy cavalry units as well. More are available (up to the limits stated in Section 2.4 of Lee Takes Command) as Union reinforcements arrive.

Union Reinforcements:

On Turn 1 (May 26th AM) at Area 4:

United States Army:
- Commander Grant
Army of the Potomac:
- Commander Meade
The II Corps:
- Officer Hancock
- 1st Division
- 2nd Division
- 3rd Division
- 4th Division
- II Corps Artillery

On Turn 1 (May 26th AM) at Area 6:

The V Corps:
- Officer Warren
- 1st Division
- 2nd Division
- 3rd Division
- 4th Division
- V Corps Artillery

On Turn 2 (May 26th PM) at Area 6:

The IX Corps:
- Officer Burnside
- 1st Division
- 2nd Division
- 3rd Division
- 4th Division
- IX Corps Artillery

On Turn 3 (May 27th AM) at Area 4:

The Cavalry Corps:
- 3rd Cavalry Division

On Turn 9 (May 30th AM) at Area 86:

The XVIII Corps:
- Officer W. Smith
- 1st Division
- 2nd Division
- 3rd Division
- XVIII Corps Artillery

Confederacy (2nd Player):

Place the following units in Area 2 at start:

- One Entrenchment Marker
The I Corps:
- Officer Anderson
- Field's Division
- Kershaw's Division
- I Corps Artillery
The II Corps:
- Officer Ewell
- Rhodes' Division

Place the following unit in Area 3 at start:

- One Entrenchment Marker
The II Corps:
- Early's Division

Place the following units in Area 12 at start:

- One Entrenchment Marker
- Pickett's Division (ind)
The III Corps:
- Officer A.P. Hill
- Mahone's Division
- Heth's Division
- III Corps Artillery

Place the following units in Area 13 at start:

- Commander Lee
- Breckinridge's Division (ind)

Place the following units in Area 14 at start:

- II Corps Artillery
- Hoke's Division (ind)

Place the following unit in Area 22 at start:

The III Corps:
- Wilcox's Division

Place the following units in Area 25 at start:

The Cavalry Corps:
- Fitz Lee's Cavalry Division
- W.H.F. Lee's Cavalry Division

Place the following units in Area 77 at start:

- President Jetferson Davis (from the LTC game)
- Steven's Richmond Garrison

Place the following unit in Area 97 at start:

- Drewry's Bluff Battery

Place the following unit in Area 98 at start:

- Chaffin' s Bluff Battery

Place the following units in Area 123 at start:

- One Entrenchment Marker
The Richmond-Petersburg Detense Command:
- Officer Beauregard
- Ransom's Division
- Colquitt's Division

Place the following units in Area 137 at start:

- One Entrenchment Marker
The Richmond-Petersburg Defense Command:
- Whiting's Division
- Jones' Artillery

The Confederate Player may initially place up to seven dummy infantry units and one dummy cavalry unit as well. One more dummy cavalry unit is available as Confederate reinforcements arrive.

Confederate Reinforcements:

On Turn I (May 26th AM) at Area 22:

- Hampton's Cavalry Division

11.0 OPTIONAL RULES

All optional rules in Lee Takes Command Module 12.0 may be used tor this variant as well except for Section 12.1. If using Section 12.3, the Engineer brigade must stack with Grant.

12.0 HISTORICAL COMMENTARY

General U.S. Grant's reputation for winning battles in the Western Theater brought him great acclaim by the people in the North and this did not go unrecognized by Abraham Lincoln. Thanks in part to his shattering victory at Chattanooga in Nov. 1863, he promoted Grant to Lt. General, in command of all U.S. Forces, on 12 March 1864. Grant would leave Sherman, his trusted subordinate, in command of the western armies tor a drive on Atlanta. Grant himself would travel with George Meade and the Army of the Potomac tor a drive on Richmond and Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.

Prior to his 1864 Overland Campaign, Grant had determined there would be no retreating by the Army of the Potomac, once contact had been made with Lee's Army. He realized that as long as constant pressure was maintained by Federal forces on all fronts, one rebel army could not afford to send troops to assist another rebel army in even more dire straits.

Grant's plan was simple - the Army of the Potomac would drive directly south, cross the Rapidan and Rappahannock Rivers above Fredericksburg, swiftly move through the defense and tangled underbrush of the Wilderness and attempt to engage Lee's army in the open. He would have 120,000 men. In the meantime, Major General Ben Butler was ordered to move his 30,000 man Army of the James up the James River, establish and tortify a base at City Point and Bermuda Hundred and be ready to move against Richmond from the south as Grant approached from the north.

Plunging into the Wilderness on 5 May 1864, Hancock's II Corps in the vanguard, followed by the V, Vl and Burnside's IX Corps, the Union Army was wary of its old adversary - the Army of Northern Virginia. While Grant was strung out on the narrow roads, Lee struck and the two antagonists became embroiled in a vicious, confused and blind struggle on 5 and 6 May. By the end of the second day, both armies lay exhausted. Lee had bloodied Grant with 17,500 casualties, while suffering 7,500 of his own. Neither side had gained an advantage. Undaunted, Grant decided to move by his left, toward Spotsylvania Court House, in an effort to get between Lee and Richmond. This was a crucial decision. All previous Union advances had always resulted in the Army of the Potomac "calling it a day" and retiring if less than complete success occurred. A faster march by the Confederates, however, allowed Lee to arrive at Spotsylvania first and Grant's army came upon an entrenched enemy on 8 May. Between 9 and 19 May, Grant tried to break the Confederate lines. A massed, 20,000-man assault by 11 Corps overran a horseshoe-shaped salient on 12 May, yielding 2,000 Confederate prisoners and 20 guns, but still Lee's lines held. Grant suffered another 17,000 casualties against 9-10,000 Confederate losses, during 10 days of fighting.

Meanwhile, Butler had managed to land the Army of the James, comprising the X and XVIII Corps, at City Point on 5 May, without opposition. Butler felt he could cut off Richmond from the south that day, but his corps commanders - Gillmore and Smith, disagreed. He instead decided to drive on Drewry's Bluff, the strong Confederate Fort Darling, seven miles south of Richmond on the James River. Having completed three miles of impregnable entrenchments across the neck of Bermuda Hundred, Butler launched his attack on Fort Darling on 15 May. The local Confederate Commander, Pierre G. T. Beauregard, gathered together all his available forces in the form of the divisions of Hoke, Ransom and Colquitt and launched a counterattack, driving the Union Army back into the entrenchments at Bermuda Hundred. Pickett's Confederate division was ordered up from Petersburg whereupon the Confederate forces built their own entrenchments opposite Butler, thereby effectively bottling up and neutralizing the Army of the James.

Grant again shifted the Army of the Potomac south and east on the night of 20-21 May. Alert to the danger to his right flank, Lee moved on the same night to a position behind the North Anna River. He had about 50,000 men and deployed his three corps in a strong S-shaped position. The Army of the Potomac, almost double Lee's strength, arrived opposite the Army of the Northern Virginia on 23 May. The VI Corps was crossing the river, on the Union right, when it was attacked by Hill's III Corps. VI Corps forced its way across following a sharp struggle that cost each side over 600 casualties and Hill retired to his entrenchments. On the Union left, Hancock's II Corps encountered opposition from Ewell's II Corps and crossed only part of his command.

Hancock completed his crossing on 24 May, while on the Federal right center the V Corps also moved south of the river to a position east of VI Corps. On Grant's left center, however, the IX Corps remained north of the river, finding the apex of the Confederate position, held by Anderson's I Corps, too strong to attack. Grant was now vulnerable to attack, with his army split into three widely separated parts. However, the Confederate high command could not take advantage of this situation - both Lee and A.P. Hill were sick. Ewell was exhausted from trying to fight on one leg and Anderson (filling in for Longstreet who had been wounded in the Wilderness battle) was inexperienced. Following two days of light skirmishing Grant again marched his army by his left flank toward Cold Harbor, ten miles northeast of Richmond. Lee moved with him, keeping the Confederate Army in front of the Confederate capitol.

Aggressive as always, Lee hurried I Corps forward to seize Cold Harbor. Early on 1 June the Confederates attacked toward the crossroads, occupied only by two cavalry divisions under Phil Sheridan. The Federals barely managed to hold their ground until VI Corps arrived at 9 a.m. to repulse the assault. Both armies then moved into position, facing each other on a seven-mile front stretching roughly north-south between Totopotomoy Creek and Chickahominy River. The XVIII Corps had been ordered to join the Army of the Potomac from Bermuda Hundred and, along with VI Corps, counterattacked Anderson at 6 p.m., but failed to break the Confederate line. The 2,200 Federal casualties demonstrated the new-found effectiveness of entrenched defenders.

Grant resolved to take advantage of his numerical superiority - 108,000 men against the 59,000 available to Lee. At 4:30 a.m. on 3 June he ordered three of his corps to launch a massive assault to gain the Confederate Center and right flank, held by I and III Corps, respectively. From right to left, the attacking Federals were XVIII, VI and II Corps. The Union troops ran into a murderous frontal and enfilade fire. It was probably the best defensive position the Army of Northern Virginia ever occupied. Within an hour the assault had been stopped all along the line with 7,000 Union troops dead or wounded. Lee's losses were less than 1,500. General George Meade called off the attack and his troops dug in where they were halted. The two armies fought from their respective trenches, within a hundred yards of each other, for the next eight days.

The costly repulse at Cold Harbor caused Grant to change his tactics. In the month-long drive on Richmond he had suffered more than 50,000 casualties, in contrast to Lee's losses of 30,000. On the night of 12-13 June Grant began a southward march to cross the James River. By circling east of Richmond to attack Petersburg, some 23 miles south of the Confederate Capitol, he hoped perhaps to find a "soft underbelly" to exploit.

Bibliography

Vol. VI, Number 7. Civil War Times Illustrated, November 1967
Boatner III, Mark M. The Civil War Dictionary, David MacKay Co. N.Y. 1967
Eggenberger, David. A Dictionary of Battles, Crowell, 1969

13.0 CREDITS

TURN RECORD TRACK

After the North Anna Unit Status Sheet: Confederate
After the North Anna Unit Status Sheet: Union

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