On Turn 19 (Day 19 of a 20-day campaign), the Union and Confederate armies finally clashed in a major battle. The Union troops had consolidated just outside of the Confederate depot at Port Republic, while the Rebels beefed up the garrison there and dug in, anticipating an attack. Because the victory conditions are to capture the enemy depot while holding on to your own, this battle was a do-or-die affair for the Rebs. They put the bulk of their troops behind fortifications defending the town, with a smaller force farther forward on the road leading to Port Republic, which was designed to slow down the Union attack. When the troops took the field, it looked like a Union victory was a foregone conclusion. The Union forces heavily outnumbered the defenders and there was plenty of time in the day to get the troops into their attack positions and overrun the defenses. If they could just barge into the streets of Port Republic by nightfall, victory, not just in the battle, but in the campaign too, would be theirs. But that was not to be. The Union attack involved a thrust at the Rebel delaying force, then a bombardment of the Confederate fortifications by the massed Union batteries, followed by a multi-division attack on the fortifications themselves. The Rebel delaying force did its work well, slowing the Union attack down. And once the force was driven off and the Union batteries deployed, they had great difficulty causing Rebel casualties because of their heavy entrenchments. The batteries were also hampered by supply difficulties in their rear. Gradually, they ran low on ammunition and their fire slowed. The infantry attack began well, but was heavily shot up crossing the open fields outside of the Port Republic lines. One Union brigade was finally able to penetrate the lines, but its attack stalled too. In the end, with daylight fading, the Union forces withdrew to their morning positions. Casualties on the Union side were moderate as stragglers returned to the ranks during the night. The Rebel casualties were light. It appeared that another Union attack on Port Republic would come on Day 20. Meanwhile, all was quiet elsewhere in the Shenandoah. In several locations, enemy forces eyed each other, but no one made any attacks. Day 20 will decide the issue. Back to Table of Contents -- Lone Warrior #129 Back to Lone Warrior List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2000 by Solo Wargamers Association. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com