The skirmish line is an often misunderstood and neglected formation in Civil War Games. Many players, myself included, became interested in Civil War tactics after they became wargamers. Many never even try to study the historical tactics. If it is not used in it's historical perspective, the skirmish line becomes either useless or a type of novelty/gimmick formation. One player in my club uses skirmishers to charge unsupported artillery. It works, but that tactic wasn't used in the Civil War nearly as often as he uses it. Chris isn't a history buff, and plays whatever works best. Barry and I are the club history buffs, and are always telling Chris that such and such a tactic wasn't used that way in the Civil War.
For those of us that are interested in playing the game with a reasonable degree of historical accuracy, skirmish formations don't become really useful until hidden markers are used. My favorite explanation of the historical use of a skirmish line isn't from a history book or a training manual, but from a book of short stories. The story is A Son of the Gods: by Ambrose Bierce. Lt. Bierce served as a topographical engineer on the staff of Gen. William B. Hazen during the Atlanta Campaign.
After the war he became an author and wrote several short stories that take place during the war. In A Son of the Gods, the Federals are following up a Confederate withdrawal. They have encountered an obstacle, and signs indicate that the Rebels may be waiting up ahead.
"For this powerful army, moving in battle order through a forest, has met with a formidable obstacle -- the open country. The crest of that gentle hill a mile away has a sinister look; it says beware! Along it runs a stone wall extending to the left and right a great distance. Behind the wall is a hedge; behind the hedge are seen the tops of trees in a rather straggling order. Among the trees what? It is necessary to know." (Bierce, 25)
This story says that it would be suicide to assault the position from the front -- if the Rebel army is there. Imagine this on your gaming table. All you see are hidden markers. To hesitate may cause you to lose a chance at a flank attack, but if the rebels are there in force you are toast! A friend of mine marched a brigade into a clearing surrounded by hidden markers once. I destroyed it in three turns with only taking light casualties myself. Obviously this is not something that you want be on the receiving end of. I think that it is worth noting that Bierce considered a stone wall and a hedge as sufficient cover to hide an enemy force.
Bierce says that if only a small group went out to scout they could be captured or shot by only a small number of Rebel stragglers. That is not enough to answer the question of what is there. Bierce tells how such a question was answered in the Civil war:
"But how to ascertain if the enemy is there? There is but one way, - somebody must go and see. The natural and customary thing to do is to send forward a line of skirmishers. But in this case they will answer in the affirmative with all their lives; the enemy, crouching in double ranks behind the stone wall and in cover of the hedge, will wait until it is possible to count each assailant's teeth.
At the first volley a half of the questioning line will fall, the other half before it can accomplished the pre-destined retreat. What a price to pay for gratified curiosity! At what a dear rate an army must sometimes purchase knowledge!" (27)
Thus, Ambrose Bierce has explained the primary use of a skirmish line; to get itself shot to hell and expose the enemy positions. It is obviously valuable knowledge to the commanding general, but I wouldn't want to be one of the skirmishers. Skirmishers were sacrificed to prevent the main force from being caught in an ambush. The smoke and excitement caused by the skirmishers was supposed to expose where the enemy positions are and screen the main force from the enemies view. Ideally, this allows the attacking general to determine the best place to attach and get into position before he has to expose his main force.
I realize that some troops did fight in loose formations similar to the skirmish formation, such as the "Indian Rush", but the vast majority of the rank and file were not trained to do this. The basic historical use of the skirmish formation is for the skirmishers to go out and try to get themselves shot at. If they make it back great! If they don't -- they were expendable.
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© Copyright 1992 The American Civil War Society
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