Union cavalry general Hugh Judson Kilpatrick was a known womanizer, a trait that almost got him captured on March 9, 1865 while sleeping in camp with a beautiful southern belle, Marie Boozer, while stopped at Solomon's Grove, North Carolina. Having heard that Confederate troopers under General Wade Hampton were in his rear, Kilpatrick split his own forces in an effort to trap Hampton. Instead, in a surprise attack led by the 3rd Alabama Cavalry, the rebel force struck, but in poor strength due to much of the cavalry being stuck in a swamp. Nevertheless, Kilpatrick barely evaded capture, running out of his tent in his underwear, and leaving Miss Boozer to fend for herself. Such a good story lends to an interesting scenario for my skirmish rules. Actual troop strengths and how the attack took place will be changed to make the scenario playable, but the historical concept will be left intact. This is one of those times that having Stone Mountain's camp pack would come in handy. THE SCENARIO In the scenario, Kilpatrick is bedded down in a tent surrounded by the tents of his bodyguard unit, consisting of two companies of cavalry with 28 men per company - all armed with repeating carbines. The Confederate force that reached the Union camp will consist of 4 companies of the 3rd Alabama, led by Captain Sam Pegues, all armed with carbines. It is just becoming dawn when the attackers burst upon the sleeping camp. Only ten Union troopers are awake, serving as sentries posted around the camp. The warning comes too late for any fully organized resistance. Three of the Confederate companies are dismounted; the fourth being mounted and leading the charge, which takes place at 7 in the morning. The 10 sentries are left to fight alone for the first full Impulse, with 10 additional troopers being allowed to join the tight at the beginning of each Impulse until all are engaged, captured, or dead. The dismounted Confederates may begin their attack on the camp from the south and east at the beginning of the 2nd Impulse, one company entering the clearing each Impulse until all are engaged. No charges can be made from within the woods or from the swamp areas to the north and west. Charges must begin from within the clearing. The scenario will last for a total of four turns (one hour), at which point the Confederates must leave due to Kilpatrick's units arriving. VICTORY CONDITIONS Victory conditions are very simple. The Confederates hope to capture or annihilate the bodyguard, capture Kilpatrick, and capture Kilpatrick's personal flag (carried by Company A). Kilpatrick must remain within the boundaries of the camp for the first full game turn, after which he can attempt to flee into the swamp on foot, leaving his carriage and girlfriend behind. To capture Kilpatrick, he must either be completely surrounded by rebels, or at least two Confederate troopers must come into base-to-base contact with his figure without being killed or severely wounded by his pistol. Remember that all officers and sergeants are armed with pistol. A complete victory for the Confederates is effected by capturing Kilpatrick. A minor victory would involve being able to capture the colors, plus killing or capturing over half of the bodyguard. A complete Union victory would be to avoid both of the Confederate victory conditions, while a minor victory can be accomplished by avoiding Kilpatrick's capture and also inflicting at least equal losses on the rebels. If the Confederates over-run the camp and capture Kilpatrick's tent, they can ridicule Marie Boozer for being a "Union slut". ORDERS OF BATTLE Union Brig. Genl. Hugh Judson Kilpatrick (4) Company A (color company) (Elite): 1 Capt. (5); 1 1st Lt. (3); 1 2nd Lt. (3); 1 1st Sgt. (3); and 24 privates with repeating carbines. Company B (Grizzled Veteran): 1 Capt. (3); 1 1st Lt. (2); 1 2nd Lt. (2); 1 1st Sgt. (2); and 24 privates with repeating carbines. 2 Wagons. 2 10 pdr Parrott Rifles Confederate Capt. Sam Pegues commanding (3) Four Companies of cavalry: Do random die rolling to find makeup of each Company as per Option 1 on page 5 of Advance The Colors. Also roll for troop morale for each Company, none being less than "Green", and for officer skill level. However, prior to doing any die rolls, select which Company will be the color guard, and which Company will be mounted. There will be no field and staff officers, Capt. Pegues serving as the senior field officer in this scenario. Back to The Zouave Vol IV No. 2 Table of Contents Back to The Zouave List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 1990 The American Civil War Society 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