Vol. I by Scott Mingus, Marek/Janci Design

"Just what I need, another Gettysburg book," I thought. Having recently relocated, I'd become painfully aware of just how many books I'd accumulated over the years, and a good many of them are devoted to the most famous American Civil War battle of them all. But, as I'll explain, I believe this book to be a very worthy addition to any ACW gamer's collection.

"Enduring Valor: Gettysburg in Miniature" is a scenario book tailored to Johnny Reb III, but would be easily adaptable to any regimental-level system. It was written by HMGS member and ACW enthusiast Scott Mingus. Essentially, Scott has broken this epic battle down into bite-sized pieces. Volume I contains 13 historical scenarios from the battle. I was immediately impressed by the physical quality of this publication.

It's a 64 page soft cover book, and to my surprise, it's lavishly illustrated in FULL COLOR. It's packed with maps, photographs, and period illustrations that are all beautifully printed in color. Many of the photos feature landscapes of the battlefield as it appears today. Many more photos are of nicely painted miniature ACW soldiers on beautiful terrain layouts as depicted on the scenario maps. Production values of this publication are first rate. The book's physical quality reminds me of Fire & Fury, which of course also featured scenarios of Gettysburg and also featured photos of painted figures on custom terrain.

The Scenarios

The 13 scenarios in this Volume cover roughly the first half of the battle, starting with the Witmer Farm fight of June 26, 1863, between the Pennsylvania Militia and men of Early's Division. I didn't expect to see a scenario for this preliminary action, so its addition was a pleasant surprise. It's a small battle between a regimental-size Union force against several veteran Confederate regiments, most of which enter play as reinforcements. The map is 3'x3' (for 15mm figures -- conversions are provided for 10mm and 25mm figures). I doubt that I'll ever play it, but it's a cool little scenario of a lesser known part of the Gettysburg campaign.

The next scenario, "Herr's Ridge," brings us to July 1, 1863, and the battle proper. It depicts Gen. Buford's stubborn dismounted cavalry defense of McPherson's Ridge against Archer's and Davis' infantry brigades. I once played a very similar JRII scenario at a convention in Cincinnati many years ago. Scott's scenario starts at 8 am and ends with the 10 am turn (using 20 minute turns), so the game ends when the leading elements of the Union I Corps arrive. The map is a 4'x5' grid, and includes such details as the quarry, a small impassible feature just north of Herbst (or McPherson's) Woods and just east of Willoughby Run.

The third scenario is "McPherson's Ridge, Phase 1," which covers the attack of Gen. Wadsworth's 1st Div. I Corps (including of course, the Iron Brigade) against Archer's and Davis' brigades. The map is the same 4'x5' layout used for the previous scenario. Game length is seven turns, from 10 am to noon.

Next we have "Forney's Fields," depicting Confederate Gen. Rodes' disjointed attack on the I Corps' right flank on Oak Hill. In this scenario, Daniel's and O'Neal's brigades are fixed in their starting positions until released by a die roll. This simulates Rodes' piecemeal commitment of his brigades during the actual battle. The 3'x4' map includes the muddy depression in front of the stone wall held by Baxter's Union brigade, where Iverson's brigade came to grief and which would later become known as "Iverson's Pits." This scenario runs from 2 pin until 4:20 pm.

"McPherson's Ridge Phase 2" starts at 2 pin and covers Pender's attack on the I Corps position on McPherson's Ridge. It uses the same map layout as the previous two scenarios on this ground. This is a seven-turn battle, ending at 4 pm.

"Seminary Ridge" depicts the afternoon assault on the final Union position west of town. The 4'x5' map is shifted east and now covers Seminary Ridge as well as McPherson's Ridge. Many of the Union units start this scenario at reduced strength, representing casualties from the earlier fighting. The Union player gets 2d6 inches of hasty works before the game starts. This fight lasts from 4 pm until 5:40 pm.

"Blocher's Knoll" shifts the action to the Union right flank, with Barlow's division defending the knoll that would later bear his name against Early's assault. Again, a 4'x5' map is used. This battle lasts from 2:40 pm to 5 pin. Optional morale reductions can be applied to XI Corps units to simulate their low morale after Chancellorsville.

The "Blocher's Knoll + Forney's Fields" scenario combines the two individual scenarios on a 5'x8' layout, which is the largest scenario map in the book. This combined scenario adds units to the two separate scenarios, and lasts from 2:40 pm to 5 pm.

"Coster's I ast Stand" (gotta love that title!) depicts the famous "Brickyard Fight," that is, Coster's brigade's rear-guard action on the northeast outskirts of town. This scenario lasts seven turns, from 4 pm to 6 pin, and takes place on a 3'x3' map. This is one of the smaller scenarios, but it's nice to see this little part of the battle included.

"Pitzer's Run" is the first of the July 2 scenarios. This is based on the original Johnny Reb II scenario by John Hill, with the map changed to an 18"x18" square. This is the smallest scenario in the book, with each side having only two regiments. The game starts at noon and ends when the first unit is removed from play.

"Devil's Den" depicts Ward's brigade defending Houck's Ridge against elements of Hood's division. The small 2'x2' map is centered on the famous "triangular field," over which the Texans charged Smith's 4th NY battery. This fight lasts nine turns from 4:20 pm until 7 pm. During the last few turns, the Union get off-board artillery support, representing fire from Hazlett's battery on Little Round Top. Scott's notes mention that Houck's Ridge was the site of an inter-tribal Native American battle, and that the triangular field is of particular significance to descendants of the participants of this much earlier battle.

"Little Round Top" depicts the 20th Maine's famous defense of that hill. Included in the set-up are a few 2nd U.S. Sharpshooters with the detached Company B of the 20th Maine. Optional leaders include Gen. Warren, Col. Chamberlain and Col. O'Rouke of the 140th NY. This scenario is played on a 2'x2' square, and can be combined with the "Devil's Den" scenario above.

"Peach Orchard" is the final scenario in this volume. Starting at 5 pin, it depicts Longstreet's attack on the Union III Corps' exposed position along the Emmitsburg Road. Played on a 5'x6' map, this scenario lasts until 7:40 pin. .Notes indicate that this can be combined with the "Rose Farm" and "Cemetery Ridge" scenarios, presumably which will be included in a later volume.

All of the scenarios are presented in a standard format. Historical commentary and background information set the stage. Orders of battle, special scenario rules and victory conditions are all included. Most of the scenarios are won by holding geographic objectives and/or inflicting enemy losses. Troops strengths for each regiment are indicated both as numbers of actual combatants as well as the number of figures at a 1:30 ratio. Weapon types and morale ratings are also included for all units. The scenario maps are based on solid research, and are quite attractive and detailed. Of particular note, all fence lines appear to be included, both snake rail fences as well as post rail fences. In fact, it could take a lot of miniature fencing to fully duplicate several of the layouts. My copy included an errata sheet that corrected a number of typos in the first printing.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who games ACW at the regimental level, whether you use JRIII or not. Many of the scenarios will easily fit onto a standard 4'x6' Geohex mat, allowing gamers with limited space and modest figure collections to recreate the many dramatic moments of this momentous battle. Scott Mingus tells me that Volume 2 is currently in the proofing stage. He has also completed the manuscript for 16 South Mountain / Antietam scenarios which are in final playtest. He has also completed drafts of six more scenarios for a third volume of the Gettysburg campaign. Scott then plans to turn his attention to Chancellorsville, and has hopes to add Shiloh to his series of regimental-level scenarios. Sounds like he has some very ambitious plans, and I wish Scott much luck. I'm looking forward to seeing his many scenarios.