Union: 216 inf, 63 cav, 20 gunners, 3 horse teams; 3 foot artillery pieces, Confederate Army: 238 inf.; 85 cav.; 22 gunners; 3 horse teams; 2 foot artillery pieces. 20 men = Regiment 40 = Brigade 80 = Division This campaign was fought with the opposing generals out of the wargames room, each with his own map of the terrain and in touch with the field commanders by intercom. By the use of a periscope, the field commanders could report back only on enemy activity that was visible to their own troops. thus giving much greater scope for hidden movement, a factor which played a decisive part in the outcome of the engagement. Preliminary moves were made on a map until sufficient contact was made and troops arrived from off the field at intervals during the battle. The action being fought on Southern soil, Confederate troops were in position early, as follows: I brigade on the Yorktown Read near the mill; 3 brigades on the right behind the s tone wall; a cavalry regiment to the east of the woods on 13 "Eton Read; a cavalry regiment in camp near Woodville; cavalry brigade and infantry brigades off the field to the east. The cavalry regiment in camp was despatched via south of Beacon Woods and Tanuck Road to reinforce infantry at the mill while an infantry brigade was moved from the east across the hayfield and through Boston Woods to a defensive position behind the hedgerow. An artillery piece was positioned behind the stone wall west of Maine Road to command the road into Yorktown and another (horse artillery) on the northern edge of Boston Woods by a hut. As these troops were settling down, Yankee outposts appeared north of Yorktown and three scouts entered Glazier's Station to survey the Confederate dispositions. While a Confederate horse artillery piece was sent to the mill from Woodville, Union infantry appeared in strength with three guns north if Yorktown, were immediately fired upon and lost a gun and six infantry. Return fire killed three men behind the stone wall south-east of Yorktown. As part of a long-term strategy involving a general shift of troops to the left flank, the Confederate gun east of Boston Road was moved across this road to a position behind the hedgerow, while the cavalry to their right were moved on to the road to make way for infantry brought across Maine Road from the stone wall. A Union cavalry regiment was now in possession of Glazier's Station and three infantry brigades advanced towards the town from the north, losing seven men to the Confederate hedgerow gun in the way. Union infantry also occupied Yorktown. A gun was brought up and opened on the Confederate gun south of the town, killing two crewmen. No more Confederate guns now appeared from the east and were unlimbered behind the stone wall while a further gun was moved up from Woodville along Boston Road to an eventual position by the hut east of the road. By this time two infantry brigades had been moved from the stone wall across Maine Road to cove east if Boston Woods. These were eventually to be moved secretly, screened by cavalry, to the hedgerow (in the left. bringing Southern strength there to 120 men. To the north, however, Yankee troops continued to pour into Glazier's Station. a gun was unlimbered northeast of the town and immediately shot by five Confederate Scouts who appeared north of the mill on the outskirts of some woods there. killing four Another piece unlimbered on high ground further north of these woods. Meanwhile, in the centre. Confederate artillery fire killed five men in Glazier's Station and drove a Yankee gun east of Nashville. At this stage, a further Confederate infantry brigade moved on to the held from the cast. along the stone all, to link up with a brigade already there. At this stage, having concentrated a number of troops in the west, the Yankee commander took the initiative, sending two infantry divisions from Glazier's Station in waves toward the mill supported by a regiment of cav. From the Southern lines, everything that could was brought to bear on these advancing troops, the resulting losses to Union arms at the first volleys being 21 infantry and 2 cavalry dead. In an attempt to counter this attack on the opposite flank a Confederate cavalry brigade was brought on and positioned in two regiments at either end of the stone wall, while infantry from advanced into the southern outskirts of Yorktown. Two Union infantrymen in Yorktown were shot dead. But now a fresh Union cavalry brigade appeared on Salem Road cast of Yorktown, were fired on by the two Confederate guns behind the stone wall and lost four men. They immediately charged these guns in the first pitched battle of the campaign. Resulting losses were as follows: Union, 14 cavalry. Confederate, 16 cavalry, 6 gunners. The remaining Confederate cavalry were forced to retreat south into the hayfield where they managed to re-form. The guns were spiked before the Union troopers could get them. The Northerners, though, so engrossed in charging these guns, failed to protect their right flank adequately. A determined attack here by infantry, and a counter-attack by Rebel cavalry sent them reeling back to Salem Road. Back on the western theatre, a continuous fire was kept up on the advancing Union divisions, a further 19 infantry and four cavalry being killed. Finally, the attacking force reached the Confederate lines near the mill, but found more troops defending that position than had been supposed. owing to the previous foresight of the Confederate CIC who had anticipated such a move. The attack was, however. pressed home with the following losses: Union, 16 men. Easily beating off this charge, the Confederate cannon and infantry opened up on the retreating enemy killing a further 18 of them. Southern losses at the mill were 12 men. Further successes for the Confederates occurred around Yorktown where the remnants of the Union cavalry brigade were pursued and attacked by cavalry and infantry the result being four cavalry and nine infantry dead on the Confederate side, and the entire Union force (26 men) wiped out. Just north of Yorktown, to where another Union infantry brigade had retreated, an all-out attack by cavalry front the centre and infantry front the stone wall, resulted in the total destruction of the Union force, 24 being captured, together with three guns. Confederate losses were three cavalry, 10 infantry. This success signalled a general Southern advance. In the west, a further 21 Yankees were killed by Rebel gunfire, while a reply from the two remaining Yankee guns killed eight Confederate cavalrymen around Yorktown. The remaining Union troops with two guns were now grouped on or around the high ground north-west of Glazier's Station and, in face of the advance of overwhelming forces. they withdrew to the north, thus ending the campaign. Armies at the close numbered: Union: 17 infantry; 6 cavalry; 0 gunners; 2 guns. Confederate: 184 infantry-, 49 cavalry; 17 gunners; 7 guns. Using, the intercom system certainly makes for added realism, as the Yankee commander found to his cost, enabling hidden movement to be made, terrain permitting, without resorting to messages on paper with troops kept off the field, although at least three rooms are required, one for the wargame itself and one for each opposing commander. Back to Table of Contents -- Wargamer's Newsletter # 122 To Wargamer's Newsletter List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1972 by Donald Featherstone. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com