Dove Creek: Historical Outcome
Robert Haworth of Stenhouse Game Productions (www.stenhousegames.com) provided the following Old West skirmish-level scenario. It was created for use with the outstanding Yellow Ribbon: Rules for Indian Wars, 1850-1890, by Greg Novak [Ulster Imports, UK: 1988]. However, all unit ratings and other key game concepts are explained at the end, and can be readily adapted for play using other rules.
SUMMARY
Action Type: Raid on Indian Camp
White Players: 2
Indian Players: 1
Attackers: Whites
Men/Fig.: 5
BACKGROUND:
In January 1864, Texas organized a militia to replace the increasingly scarce Confederate regulars who had been patrolling the state's western frontier of settlement from a chain of small forts. In December of that year, a mounted militia company tracked a large village of Kickapoo Indians as the latter made its way south from the Kickapoo reservation in Kansas.
Early in the Civil War, Kickapoos had cooperated with the Federal Government by launching devastating raids on other, Confederate-allied tribes in the Indian Territory (later Oklahoma). Once the Indian Territory had been secured, however, the Lincoln Administration curbed Kickapoo raiding activity. At the same time, impressed with these Indians' fighting ability, the Government pressed them hard to enlist for regular service in the Union Army. Tiring of such manipulation, the tribe eventually decided to migrate to Mexico to join Machemanet's band of Southern Kickapoos, who had moved there a few years before. They set off, and by 1 January 1865 had reached the South Concho country. Just a few days' journey from the international border, a snowstorm forced them into a sheltered site along Dove Creek.
Although the militia company had at length been forced to abandon the Indians' trail, the reports it sent back prompted Texas to mobilize a force of both militia and regulars (state troops) to find and annihilate the Kickapoo village. State authorities feared that the Kickapoos were not "just passing through", but instead planned to overwinter on the Concho and attack the line of settlement in the spring. [The Kickapoos were rumored to be part of a supposed conspiracy of Jayhawkers (pro-Union Texans) and other Indian tribes to disrupt West Texas. This fantasy was probably inspired by mounting Confiederate defeats on other fronts.]
With plenty of wood and water available, the naturally- strong position on Dove Creek proved so attractive to the footsore Kickapoos that they were still there on the morning of 8 January, when the Texans attacked.
Texas' punitive expedition had trouble coordinating its approach march. The militia, which was composed largely of poorly-armed old men, boys, and semi invalid veterans of the fighting in the East, took so long to assemble that the impatient state troops departed without them. The regulars were still about 60 miles in the lead when their Tonkawa scouts discovered the Kickapoo village. A messenger was sent back to the militiamen urging them to hurry. Accordingly, a body of 220 picked militia began a punishing forced march, arriving at the rendezvous point late the next morning. [The balance of the command, left behind on the Concho, constituted a slow-moving pack train its escort (about 100 men).]
The regular and militia commanders hastily concocted a plan and then, even as the last of the 220 came straggling up on jaded horses, moved to execute it.
TERRAIN NOTES:
Dove Creek is fordable anywhere along its length at a cost only 1/2 move; its intensely cold water, however, means that no stand may occupy the creek itself from turn to turn. The rocky, steep-sided ravines (shown as narrow white parallels on the map) are treated as Broken terrain by all types of stands. Ravines provide Light Cover to any stands occupying them. Patches of briars are shown as small dark puffs: they prevent the passage of Mounted stands through them, and cost foot stands 1/4 of a move to traverse. Finally, they upgrade the Light Cover normally associated in occupying a ravine to Hard Cover for Indian (only) foot stands sheltering immediately behind them (with respect to the direction of the incoming fire).
The groves of scattered live oaks shown provide Light Cover to all stands inside, but are otherwise treated as Open terrain. For the treatment of Indian wickiups, see Setup/Entry: Indians, and the scenario Special Rules. All other grund on the map consists of winter-hardened prairie dappled with light snow [Open terrain].
WHITE ORDER OF BATTLE
HQ, FOSSETT'S COMPOSITE CAVALRY BATTALION:
One CPT (Fossett), one 2LT, one SG , and two striker (enlisted) figures. Armed and rated as the regular cavalry below, except Ammo = 5 and Morale = 15.
TWO COMPANIES, TEXAS STATE (REGULAR) CAVALRY,
each with: One 1LT, one 2LT, one SGT, two CPLs and 11 private figures, all armed and rated as follows:
WEAPON: Sharps Carbin (paper) (AMMO: 16)
| Foot Move | Foot Ex. | Mtd. Move | Mtd. Ex. | Field | CCbt | Marks | Morale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dismtd. Cav. | 11 | Avg | 10 | Good | Avg | Avg | 14 |
BROWN COUNTY CO. 2nd TEXAS FRONTIER DISTRICT MILITIA.
One elected leader (2LT equivalent) and nine private figures, armed and rated as follows:
WEAPON: Sharps Carbine (paper) (AMMO: 10)
| Foot Move | Foot Ex. | Mtd. Move | Mtd. Ex. | Field | CCbt | Marks | Morale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dismtd. Cav. | 11 | Crack | 11 | Avg | Poor | Avg | 12 |
HQ, TOTTON'S PROVISIONAL MILITIA BATTALION:
One CPT (Totton), one SGT, one striker (enlisted) figure, and two stands of Tonkawa Indian scouts. Armed and rated as the two companies immediately below, except Ammo = 5 and Morale = 12. For the Tonkawas, Foot Move = Indian, Mtd. Move = Crack, and CCbt = Good.
[ The horses of Totton's entire battalion begin the game Exhausted, and cannot recover in the time span represented by the scenario.]
TWO COMPANIES [Bosque and Erath Counties, TX] 2- TEXAS FRONTIER DISTRICT MILITIA,
each with one CPT, one SG and 12 private figures, armed and rated as follows:
WEAPON: Sharps Carbine (paper) (AMMO: 14)
| Foot Move | Foot Ex. | Mtd. Move | Mtd. Ex. | Field | CCbt | Marks | Morale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dismtd. Cav. | 8 | Poor | 4 | Avg | Poor | Avg | 11 |
THREE COMPANIES (-), [Johnson, Comanche, and Coryell Counties, TX] 2nd TEXAS FRONTIER DISTRICT MILITIA,
each with one LT and six private figures. Armed and rated as the two companies directly above, except Ammo = 7.
INDIAN ORDER OF BATTLE
THREE KICKAPOO WARBANDS (Plains Indians), each of 12 or 3d6 figures controlling player's choice), armed and rated as follows:
WEAPON: Well-armed 1860-70
Marks: Good
| Foot Move | Foot Ex. | Mtd. Move | Mtd. Ex. | Field | CCbt | Medicine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indian | -- | Avg | 8 | Crack | Crack | 3d6+1 |
NOTES: Mounted Move and Mounted Exhaustion ratings reflect the effects of winter on the Indian pony herd. All three warbands begin the game having been alerted to danger (Activated). Kickapoo leaders known to have been present at the battle included Papequah, Pecan, and Nokowat.
PLAYER ASSIGNMENT
One of the two White players controls Fossett's Composite Cavalry Battalion and exercises overall command; the other player controls the remaining White forces. See the Special Rule, Battlefield communications.
SETUP/ENTRY
Whites: Fossett's Battalion, plus any one company of Totton's Militia Battalion, enter the north edge of the table west of Dove Creek on Turn 1. The remaining White units enter on turn 1, at the same point Totton's militia did; all will have entered by the end of Turn 4.
Indians Each Kickapoo warband begins the game within 6" of any wickiup (including inside). A wickiup model can conceal up to five Indian (only) stands; such stands are not placed on the table until they enter the lineof-sight of any Whitecontrolled unit, or fire. Stands belonging to the same warband should be placed in adjacent wickiups to the extent possible. While intact wickiups are obstacles to lines-of-sight traced across them, they provide their occupants no cover from fire. See below for the procedure by which wickiups may be destroyed (burned). There are no Indian reinforcements in this scenario.
SPECIAL RULES:
OBJECTIVES
Whites: The objective of Fossett's raid was to deprive the supposedly hostile Kickapoos of the ability to overwinter near the Texas line of settlement (or, failing that, to pose a threat to the line come spring). Therefore, the Whites win by accomplishing at least two of the following objectives:
- Burn half or more (rounded up) of the Indians' wickiups;
- Escort at least half the pony herd off the north edge of the table (ponies cannot be deliberately killed);
- Kill or seriously wound at least 10 Kickapoo figures (leaders included). Lch 10 White figures lost counts as one White objective NOT obtained.
Indian: Avoid a White victory.
SCENARIO DESIGN CONVENTIONS
SUMMARY: In Yellow Ribbon (YR), each base holds only one figure. There are two basic types of figures: individual and collective. Officers, many NCOs, Indian leaders, and "personalities" are represented by individual figures.
Man/Fig. shows how many actual persons one collective stand represents. For ample, at Men/Fig. = 5, one collective stand represents five actual men. The man-to-figure ratio is the same for both sides.
Map: The diagram shown assumes a standard, 6' x 8' miniatures wargaming table, at one linear foot per square. While the YR ground scale is officially 1"=10 yards, the current scenario abstracts this measure for gameability's sake. The map concentrates on terrain that had (or could have had) a significant .pact on the course of the action at Dove Creek.
TERRAIN NOTES: In Yellow Ribbon, terrain is described as Trail, Open, Broken, or Impassible. There are three movement modes: Foot, Mounted, and Wheeled.
ORDERS OF BATTLE (OBs): Figures shown in plain text are collective figures; NCO and Officer figures are individuals. I have identified the Indian leaders known to have been present at the engagement by name. Frequently, several units on the same side have identical ratings. Units that differ somewhat from this "norm" have the differences spelled out in their OB entry. All White-controlled units are assumed to possess revolvers unless otherwise indicated. In YR, this is important consideration in Close Combat. Army officer and NCO ranks are abbreviated as follows:
- Cpt: Captain
Lt. Lieutenant
Sgt Sergeant
Cpl Corporal
Unit rating charts employ the following terms:
| FACTOR | EXPANSION | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| AMMO | Ammunition | Expressed in Ammunition Factors (AF). In YR, a unit's Marksmanship determines its chance of expending an AF when firing. Once AF = 0, it may no longer fire. |
| Foot Move | Foot Movement | Modes are: Dismounted Cavalry (Dismtd. Cav.), Infantry, or Indian. This rating reflects both physical conditioning and relative encumbrance. |
| Foot Ex. | Foot Exhaustion | A number from four to 12, expressing the relative risk per turn that a unit Charging on foot will be reduced to half movement in Foot mode for the duration of the scenario. |
| Mtd. Move | Mounted Movement | Ratings are: Poor, Average, or Crack. They reflect both horsemanship and quality of mounts. |
| Mtd. Ex. | Mounted Exhaustion | A number from four to 12, expressing the relative risk per turn that a unit Charging on horseback will be reduced to half movement in Mounted mode for the duration of the scenario. |
| Field | Fieldcraft | Ratings are Poor, Average, or Crack. Reflects a unit's ability to use cover and concealment in combat. High Fieldcraft reduces the likelihood of some types of combat damage. |
| CCbt | Close Combat | A unit's melee ability, rated as Poor, Good, or Crack. For Army units, possession or non-possession of revolvers and sabres is factored into this rating. |
| Marks | Marksmanship | Poor, Average, Good, or Crack. Superior shots usually expend fewer AF to achieve a given effect, and can inflict (optional) Critical Hits. |
| Morale | Morale | A number from six to 15, reflecting a unit's level of training, leadership, and fatigue at the start of the scenario. Better troops are higher-rated. |
| # FIGS | Number of Figures | 'To Be Determined" (TBD) is shown if the size of the warband is not fixed by the scenario, but is the product of a dice roll. |
| Medicine | - | A dice range set anywhere from ld3 to 3d6, reflecting an Indian warband's relative proclivity to "stick around" after experiencing losses (or success) in battle. As a general rule, warbands composed of young braves have low Medicine ratings; the Medicine of more seasoned warriors is higher, that of warriors defending their camp highest of all. |
| Applies to Indians only: # Figs and Medicine | ||
OBJECTIVES:
The victory conditions provided in this section, while at times quite precise, are suggestions only. You can enjoy a satisfying game if they are used as the default conditions; however, players and umpires may wish to measure victory in their own terms. I have therefore tried to give an idea of the objective of each side, on the theory that the side that achieves its intent has--all other things being equal-won the battle. In the spirit of YR, players are encouraged to come up with individual victory conditions as well, unique to the historical personality they represent.
The terms "casualties" or "losses" refer not only to figures killed, but to those captured, routed off the table, or otherwise dispersed by hostile action.
GENERAL
Turns. Following the lead of YR, I specify no length limit for this scenario. As a practical matter, which side has won will generally become obvious after eight to 12 complete gameturns have elapsed. The length of the game may be fixed in advance by mutual agreement of the players, or by fiat of the Referee if one is available.
Light and Weather. This scenario takes place in full daylight and clear weather.
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© Copyright 2001 Hal Thinglum
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