Battle of Arrowfield Church
May 9, 1864
Article, Scenario, and Map by John Hill
Article, Scenario, and Map by John Hill
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0n May 8, Major General Ben Butler broached his Army of the James out from Bermuda Hundred and turned south towards Petersburg. On May 9, elements of the Eighteenth Corps approached Swift Creek, just four miles north of Petersburg. Although additional Confederate units were on the way, at that moment, only two Rebel brigades Johnson Hagood's and Bushrod Johnson's - then blocked the Federal path to Petersburg. While Johnson defended east of the Richmond Turnpike, Hagood's Brigade blocked the main advance along the Richmond Turnpike. Hagood attempted to resolve conflicting orders by aggressively moving across Swift Creek and charging the Federals near Arrowfield Church. Though the resultant heavy losses forced Hagood to withdraw, his bold action sufficiently impressed the Federals that they halted their advance for the day. While this scenario portray Hagood's daring decision to confront the Federals north of Swift Creek, his disastrous charge isn't recommended. Order of Battle
Brig. Gen. C. Heckman
25th MA 16 figs Vet RM 27th MA 16 figs Vet RM 9th NJ 12 figs Elite RM Brig. Gen. I. J. Wister
12th CT 16 figs Vet RM 2nd NH 12 figs Elite RM 148th NY 20 figs Green RM Brig. Gen. G. Marsten
96th NY 16 figs Vet RM 98th NY 16 figs Vet RM 139th NY 16 figs Vet RM Artillery
S/4th US 2 Sec Elite 10# PRT UNION COMMAND LEVELS All Federal commanders, including Weitzel, are Level One leaders. It any Federal brigade losses one element, it c annot advance. Batteries are considered a divisional asset, and do not count against a brigade. If the Federal command, as a whole, losses four elements it cannot advance.
Brig. Gen. Johnson Hagood
21st SC 12 figs Vet RM 25th SC 16 figs Vet RM 27th SC 16 figs Vet RM 7th SC 8 figs Elite RM Artillery
CONFEDERATE COMMAND LEVELS: No CSA divisional commanders present, as Johnson was withhis brigade. Hagood is considered to be a Level One leader. If Hagood loses two elements, it cannot advance. If Hagood loses three elements, it must withdraw. Batteries are considered a brigade asset, andtehir loss counts against Hagood. GAME LENGTH & SCENARIO ADJUSTMENTThe scenario is 6 turns long and is designed to easily be played in an afternoon. Given the fact that the Federals will most likely drive Hagood off, it is an excellent scenario to introduce a new player to the game system. If the new player is Union, the amount of benefit to be given the new player can be adjusted by increasing the chance of White's brigade arriving early by upping the "favorable" die roll numbers for his arrival. If the new player is Confederate, simply do not use Marston's brigade. VICTORY CONDITIONSFOR THE UNION TO WIN, they must eliminate or drive off three of Hagood's regiments by the end of the scenario. Any Confederate regiment that routs must immediately head toward the bridge. Once across Swift Creek, Rebel units are considered to have been driven off and may not recross to the northern side. FOR THE REBS TO WIN, they must have at least three unrouted regiments north of Swift Creek at game's end. Battle of Arrowfield Church Large Map (slow: 186K) Back to The Zouave Vol XII No. 1 Table of Contents Back to The Zouave List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 1998 The American Civil War Society This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. |
"On the 9th, I was ordered to take part of my brigade and make a reconnaissance in front of my line... the object was accomplished...but I became more heavily engaged then I desired with a heavy force in my front and my loss was severe."