North Coast Historical Wargamers of Lake County, Ohio, had the pleasure of sponsoring one of the unique actions occurring during the three­day battle of Gettysburg. You can find the details of the OOB and the set-up for this scenario in Enduring Valor: Gettysburg in Miniature Vol. 2, by Scott Mingus, Sr. The following narrative describes the action fought with 15mm miniatures using JR3 rules at "Drums Along the Maumee V" in Toledo on May 15, 2004. Three CSA players fought two Union players for control of the Evergreen Cemetery promontory at Gettysburg.

By 7:00PM, plans were laid to break the bite of the Union fishhook position on Cemetery Hill and to neutralize the barb of Culp's Hill. The Confederates would commit all the reserves in their front to the attack as soon as they could be ordered to go up (CSA rolled to go on turn 2). Rebel sharpshooters (i.e. snipers) opened fire shortly before the 7:20 launch of the advance down the brickyard lane. Their accurate fire so disheartened the remnants of the 75th OH that they broke and retreated up the hill. Union guns finally targeted and drove off the sharpshooters, then opened up on the 21st NC, advancing across the fields and over fences and streams. Long-range Confederate guns on Benner's Hill targeted the Union line in support of the CSA advance. This was generally ineffective except for driving off the 54th NY, which routed from their fire, widening the gap in the line.

General Hays ordered forward the pride of Louisiana, who exchanged shots at long range with the 17d' Connecticut, which had advanced to fill the gap left by the Ohio boys. The two regiments then continued to fire at short range until the 5th LA was driven back, shaken and out of the battle. Hays personally accompanied a charge by his elite 6th LA, supported by the 9th LA, which resulted in a melee that decimated the 6th and wiped out the defending 17th CT.

Colonel Harris had been hit and was down, but not before calling for Ames to reinforce the gaps opened by the loss of the 25th OH and the 54th NY. The 6g'h NY and the 153rd PA had been given orders to move when CSA General Hays went down with a serious wound during melee. The infuriated Tigers of the 9th LA now charged the exposed left flank of 68th NY and rolled them up. Next hit was the 153rd PA as the New Yorkers fled past them down the lane. The Pennsylvanians were subsequently caught in the flank as they too were moving and soon routed along with the 68th. The charge ended with the 9th LA disorganized and behind Union lines. Robinson and the crew of Steven's guns had heard the noise to their left, but could not see in the dark nor distinguish between the fighting, the routing Yankees or the pursuing rebels.

Reinforcements from "Red" Carroll's Brigade, led by the 14th Indiana in attack column, hit the disorganized 9th LA and drove them back the way they came, and then they surged through McKnight's orchard toward the sound of the guns.

Earlier, the 57th NC had moved to Menchey's Spring. The gathering darkness had silenced ranged fire from Stevens or other Union guns supporting the defense. The main opposition to them was the shaken and green 33rd Massachusetts, which took heavy casualties while doing their duty. The 41 st NY, seeing two of their own regiments swarm past in sheer terror, headed uphill to take a position on the Baltimore Pike for a second line of defense. In good order, the 33rd MA followed them, unintentionally clearing the way for the charging Confederates to sweep between them and the Iron Brigade, holding the base of Culp's Hill.

This move by the 41st NY and 33rd MA was too late to support Weidrich's battery. The gunners received a charge from the 8th LA, who had the fortune of being overshot by a shell with a too­long fuse. Having taken Weidrich's guns, they were blasted by Stewart's cannister, but maintained good morale. By this time, the 7th LA had also come close enough to Ricketts' guns to fire on and dispatch the crew. The 8th LA then charged Stewart's battery, which had fired the last of its cannister but had not stopped the attackers. Stewart's gunners were driven off, but the fight had taken its toll, and the victorious but shaken 8th LA would not advance any further that night.

While hand-to-hand fighting in the gathering darkness was occurring in the lunettes, Smith's Brigade, supported by Gordon's Brigade, had moved to the environs of the Wagon Hotel. They waged a fierce firefight with Krzyzanowski's 58th & 119th NY regiments. The 58th soon took enough casualties to be routed off the field, taking with them Hill's gun crew.

The time was now 9:40PM and eleven Union regiments had received 2,400+ casualties in killed, wounded and captured. With Harris wounded and Ames killed and 2,400 men lost across eleven Union units, many of whom had left the field in rout, the US position was in dire condition. Smith's and Gordon's eight additional regiments were quickly pressing toward the cemetery. The 119th NY would not hold for long against the weight of this advance, and only the remaining guns and a few remaining Union regiments now occupied the crest of the hill.

To this point, the Confederates had lost just fewer than 1,600 men across six regiments and had achieved a minor victory. With the tide of battle with them, the surprise and inability of the defense to coordinate in the darkness, and Robinson fixed on Culp's Hill by his orders and limited knowledge of the situation, it seems very likely that the CSA would have swept the hill within the next hour of fighting (the game lasted 7 turns before running out of time).

Would this result have opened Washington for attack, or would the threat have caused the war­weary Northern government to start peace talks? Who knows? The game indicates that by committing the reserve early and the extraordinary fighting by the Louisianans and Carolinians (combined with some bad shooting and morale die rolling by the Union players) could have had a different result than what happened historically.

All players commanded their troops with skill and enthusiasm, and all had a good time.