Subtitled, "A Book of Miniature Warfare Rules for the American Civil War", this 8 1/2'x11", 77- page booklet is written and published by Edward Pauley. I can only assume that the title stems from one of "Stonewall" Jackson's nicknames, "Old Blue Light" (because of his bright blue eyes). The rules are intended for use with 20mm miniatures. One figure represents 30 men and one miniature cannon represents two real ones. Each turn represents 1/2 hour of real time, and in all distances and ranges 1mm represents 2 feet.

However, the rules also call for 4-man infantry stands to be 80mm wide , whereas 120 men in two ranks would take up about a 110 foot front, and if 1mm=2 feet the stand should be only 60mm wide. Each infantry stand represents 2 companies. Five stands make a regiment. With 20 figures representing 30 men each that makes a 600-man regiment. This would be about the right size for 1861-2 but is much too large for the rest of the Civil War - and the book says the units' organizations are based on 1863!

Cavalry are mounted on two-man stands, 50mm wide (which is about right), which represents a "squadron" - with 10 stands to a Confederate regiment and 12 to a Union regiment. Mr. Pauley is here confusing squadrons with troops (or companies, so each such stand should be called a troop. Two troops made a squadron, but in 1863 the Union cavalry dropped squadrons and used 4-troop battalions instead (3 btns. per rgt.).

Guns are to be mounted on stands 56mm square, which is a little too wide. Two guns were supposed to occupy a 28yard front, which, in the ground scale, equals 42mm. Very spurious brigade, ,division and corps organizations are provided. Corps organizations seem a bit superfluous anyway, considering that 6 regiments in line formation, side by side, would reach from one end of a 8' table to the other! So anything larger than a brigade (4 or 5 rgts, with attached artillery and cavalry, would have little room to manuever. Anything larger than a division (2 - 5 brigades) would be tripping all over itself!

Even with, say, a 6'x12' table I doubt if you could handle more than 2 or 3 small divisions with attached artillery and cavalry. (In contrast, with my 9mm troops organized for GRAND ARMY rules I could, and will when I complete my collection, maneuver the entire Army of the Potomac and Army of Northern Virginia on a 6'x12' table!)

So, while his scale and organization are better than a lot of rules, I'm still not too impressed. The actual rules are a bit better. considering that we are talking about comparatively small-unit actions with large-scale miniatures.

Movement is simultaneous, via prewritten orders. Fire, also simultaneous, comes after movement and is divided into 3 phases: cannister and counter-battery, infantry and cavalry, shot and shell. Infantry may move at Common Time (150mm) Quick Time (180mm) or Double Time (230mm), which would be about right for a move of a minute and a half - or a bit slow for half-hour moves! A given stand cannot move at Double Time twice in a row, and if it moves at all the turn after Double Timing it can only be at Common Time. Units cannot Quick Time more than two consecutive turns. Cavalry also have 3 speeds: Walk (200mm), Trot (350 mm) and Gallop (500mm) which would be about right for turns representing about a minute and 10 seconds. So either the cavalry moves should be longer or the infantry shorter. (Just about every set of rules I've ever seen underestimates the speed of cavalry on the battlefield.)

Artillery have the same 3 categories but at 10mm less per turn. I would say this is too fast, though I have no actual figures to go by. Also it makes no distinction between types of cannon, though there was a considerable weight difference between, for instance, 3" rifles and 12# Napoleons (not to mention 20# Parrots). Only 4 formations are provided for infantry and cavalry: column, line, square (inf. only) and "open", which is anything that doesn't meet the definitions of the others. (Skirmishers are provided for by having 4 individual figures, on 20mm-square stands, for each regiment. These are used to replace one regular stand whenever skirmishers are needed.) Of course various movement penalties are caused by various types of terrain. A forced march rule is also provided, allowing infantry units to Double Time from 2 to 8 consecutive turns, but they must then rest 1 turn for every 2 they force-marched. Small Arms fire is fairly conventional, with casualties taken in terms of figures "killed", which must be kept track of on paper. Unlike some (dumb) rules, allowance is made for the range at which fire takes place.

There are 3 ranges. Realistic allowance has also been make for the varying ranges and rates of fire of various types of small arms. A very odd rule makes it very difficult to move out of firing line formation once it has been formed. Artillery fire works much like infantry fire, with three ranges provided for each of the 11 most common types of ACW field piece. Allowance is also made for different types of ammunition, target and, to a limited extent, the type of piece firing. This is a much nicer system than the conventional bounce stick and cannister pattern. The artillery rules are the best part of this booklet.

Melee procedures are very complicated but not unrealistic, and end with the loser having to retire in good order I retire in broken order, retreat or rout, depending on how badly it was beatten. Morale is the weakest part of these rules as it is completely tied to casualties suffered and is checked only when losses are taken. You could, therefore, get a green militia regiment to single- handedly charge the entire Army of Northern Virginia, while in column formation, without firing a shot, provided only that it hasn't suffered heavy casualties. Ridiculous!! There is provision for rating units as elite, standard or substandard, which effects their firepower, melee ability and determines how many casualties effect their morale. Morale is also improved by the presence of a command figure.

Optional rules are provided for: weather; supply (of ammunition); more detailed rules on differences in types of artillery ammunition; hidden movement; recovery of demoralized forces; destruction of walls, fences, etc; additional skirmishers; cavalry vedettes; militia; legions; independent battalions; irregular cavalry; field works (fortifications); siege artillery; mountain artillery; engineers; and a special rule for "disposition cards".

The latter provided for adding a bit of surprise to the game by presenting each side, secretly, two cards. One contains information or instructions favorable to that side, and the other is unfavorable. For instance, a favorable one might give special information about fords, secret paths, etc. or indicate extra reinforcements. An unfavorable one might call for the withdrawal of units, or some units being understrength, or cavalry having to be permanently dismounted due to lack of horses. A nice idea.

All In all, though it has its faults, this is the best published set of Civil War rules I've seen, with the exception, of course, of my own GRAND ARMY rules. But then, I haven't seen them all. B.L.M. sells for $6.00 and is available from Edward Pauley, 10 St. Jams Court, Springfield, IL 62703.

Miniature Warfare

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