In early April I received my long-awaited copy of Gaines Mill. Now, with several months of combat along the Chickahominy behind me, I would like to offer my views on the Union player's tactical situation. So, without further delay, fall in beside me as we reconnoiter the pine thickets, swamps, and broken ground of the James River peninsula looking for Rebels. I guarantee you that we will find some. Union Objectives In fact, I will guarantee you that the Confederates will look for us before we look for them. General Lee's number one priority at Mechanicsville and Gaines Mill was to destroy 5 Corps. You can expect your Confederate opponent to be of a similar mind-set. Face it, 5 Corps is in a dangerous position. Therefore, the number one Union goal is to maintain a cohesive and effective fighting force above the Chickahominy. While keeping this priority in mind, the Union player should also try to hold as much key terrain as possible, and he should inflict a much damage as he can on the attacking Confederate forces. Enemy Forces Of course, inflicting damage on the Army of Northern Virginia is easier said than done. The Confederates enjoy a rare numerical advantage in these battles. General Lee leads the CS forces with a 3 rating. AP Hill's, DH Hill's, and Longstreet's divisions, which start the game on the map, total just under 32,000 soldiers. These units all have solid morale (primarily B ratings) and are led by 4-rated commanders. Soon after the campaign game begins, Stonewall Jackson arrives with his Valley Army of almost 17,000 men, serving in three divisions. These units also have solid morale. Generals Ewell and Winder lead their units with 3 ratings, while General Whiting leads his men with a 2. The weak link in the chain of command is General Jackson himself. Unless optional rule 3.6a is used, Jackson "commands" his divisions with a 0 during 26 June, and he has a 2 in 3 chance of keeping that rating during the next day. Bring some lemons for your opponent to suck on while he's trying to get the Valley Army moving. Tell him that you're just trying to make the gaming experience as historically accurate as possible. However, he probably won't appreciate the gesture. The Confederates also have Stuart's 600-man cavalry brigade and almost 60 gun points at their disposal. Clearly, the Rebel army has the capability to ruin 5 Corps' day. Friendly Forces Even though the Union forces are outnumbered, they can deal with the enemy threat. Of course, General McClellan with his 0 command rating and his headquarters on the opposite side of the Chickahominy is not the man for the job. (Yes, it's your opponent's turn to be smug now.) I would rely on General Porter, the 5 Corps commander, more than on McClellan for these scenarios. Save your leadership challenges for the full nine-map campaign game when it becomes available. Anyway, as General Porter, you start the campaign with 26,000 soldiers divided into three divisions. Porter has a command rating of 3, while all of the 5 Corps division commanders have ratings of 2. General Morell leads three B-rated brigades and one C-rated brigade. General Sykes leads one A-, one B-, and one C-rated brigade. Finally, General McCall has two B- and two C-rated brigades under his command. The 5 corps commander also has 27 gun points and 2 cavalry brigades under his control. However, both cavalry brigades are D-rated units. Good luck accomplishing anything important with them. At 9:00 pm on 26 June, the Union force receives 5 additional gun points from the artillery reserve. Starting at 4:00 am on 27 June, the Union player has an almost 17% percent chance to receive reinforcements (in the campaign scenarios). He must roll a 10 or better during his Command Phase to receive this much-needed help. After the first successful roll, General Slocum arrives with his 6 Corps division and 5 gun points. Slocum has a command rating of 1, with which he leads two C-morale brigades and one B-morale brigade. After the second successful roll of the dice, the Union player receives General Richardson's 2 Corps division. Richardson leads one A-, one B-, and one C-rated brigade with his command rating of 4. The Union force totals almost 42,000 men. However, only some 26,000 men are available for the entire first day of battle, and the arrival of the other 16,000 soldiers is not guaranteed. The Union player must make the most of his entire force in order to win. Terrain The Union player must also make the most of the battlefield's terrain. Fortunately, the ground around Mechanicsville and Gaines Mill is highly defensible. The Chickahominy River--uncrossable except at bridges--and its associated swamplands border the battlefield roughly along its southwestern edge. The landscape itself alternates between rolling clear terrain and stretches of heavy woods. Streams cut the land in all directions. Many of these streams are bordered by nearly impenetrable swamps. Finally, a well-developed system of primary and secondary roads crosses the field. Battle Plan Armed with the knowledge of how the opposing forces compare and the ground on which they will fight, I will now describe a general course of action that the Union player can follow to achieve his objectives. Keep in mind that victory determination is based on a comparison of total casualties, wrecked formations, and key terrain held (2 victory points each for seven critical road intersections). There are a few main points that the Union player must keep in mind as he executes his battle plan. Although outnumbered, 5 Corps enjoys the advantages of centralized command, interior lines of communication, and good defensive ground. Furthermore, its opponents are under pressure to attack with a force that is prone to time delays and coordination problems. Do not let the Confederates dictate the course of the entire battle just because they must attack. Stick with your plan and make them earn the ground they gain (i.e. don't give away victory point hexes for free). Also, keep in mind that your soldiers are more important than any terrain on the map, that you must make effective use of reserves to win, and that you cannot afford to get your force caught in the open by the Rebels. Remembering these basic principles will contribute greatly to your success. Ultimate success, however, is based on the proper execution of a classic delaying action, or fighting withdrawal. The Union player must gradually trade space for time. He must anticipate enemy moves and conduct "just in time" maneuvers of his own that will ensure the survival of his force. As the sun sets on 27 June, the Union player wants to have an effective fighting force above the Chickahominy that has held as much of the battlefield as possible. Fortunately, the Union force starts in a position that will help it achieve these goals. Game Begins As the game begins, two Union divisions are positioned due east of Beaverdam Creek on either side of the Mechanicsville Turnpike. This is a great position. The entire Union front is protected by the creek and its swamps. The Federal left flank is secured by the Chickahominy. The Union right flank is unsecured by terrain, but it will take almost three hours for a strong Confederate force that starts near Mechanicsville to envelop it. This gives the Yankee commander ample time to react to the Rebel threat. Roughly 2,000 yards to the rear of the main line sits Porter's headquarters and two brigades of cavalry. The third division of 5 Corps opens the battle guarding the bridges over the Chickahominy approximately 4,000 yards south of corps headquarters. Hold the line along the creek as long as possible. This position will enable you to punish any frontal attack that the Rebels are foolish enough to throw at you. It will also buy you time should the enemy attempt to flank your position from the north. I recommend moving Sykes's division from its location near the Chickahominy bridges as soon as possible to a defensive position facing north near Walnut Grove Church. This move will simultaneously provide the main line with accessible reserves while refusing the Federals' exposed right flank. Once Sykes moves into line, send the two cavalry brigades that start near Corps headquarters to secure critical road junctions in the Union rear. Or, if the Confederates attempt to outflank the Yankee line from below the Chickahominy, send the cavalry to impede their crossing until an infantry force can be diverted to stop their attack. Unless your opponent is completely incapable, unlucky, or both, the time will come for you to withdraw your forces from the Beaverdam Creek line. The decision on how many divisions to move at one time, how rapidly to move them, and where to move them will depend on the amount of pressure applied by the Army of Northern Virginia. Ideally, you will be able to cover the movement of your main body with a strong rear guards. However, remember that even an emergency corps retreat is better than getting your force bogged down in an untenable situation. This is especially true if you can't get your movement orders accepted quickly enough. Regardless of how you move, have several good fallback positions in mind before you have to use them. Move rapidly to the closest position where your force can establish an effective defense. Remember to use the terrain to your advantage. Streams that cross the main Rebel avenues of approach will be very helpful to you, and the Chickahominy will protect your left flank across Map B. Map B is also where you can find the battlefield's prime defensive ground. For example, you can establish an effective line facing northwest along the road that leads from the upper Trestle Bridge through Fairfield and on to Beulah Church. The stream that runs in a north/south line from Walnut Grove Road past Gaines Mill and flows into the Chickahominy is also easily defended. And of course the Boatswain's Swamp/Turkey Hill area where the historical battle of Gaines Mill was fought is probably the best defensive position on the entire battlefield. There are also strong positions on Map C that are located due east of McGehee and along Matadequin Creek if the Southern forces push you back that far. Wherever you choose to fight, you will have a much better chance of achieving your goals if you make the Rebels attack you on ground that you pick. Conclusion Gaines Mill provides the Union player with a unique opportunity to experience Civil War maneuver warfare as he has never been able to do before using the CWB. The Union leader has a lot of ground to defend with a small number of soldiers. He is outnumbered and virtually cut off from the main body of the Army of the Potomac. Victory rests solely on his analysis of the situation, and in his ability to properly execute a plan of action based on that analysis. My battle plan is by no means the only answer to the Union's tactical problems, but I hope that it helps you to develop your own course of action to lead 5 Corps to victory above the Chickahominy. See you on the Peninsula! Back to Table of Contents -- Operations #27 Back to Operations List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master List of Magazines © Copyright 1997 by The Gamers. 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