The Battle of Chickamauga, much like the entire Western theatre, has always been overshadowed by the events in the east. In this case, particularly by the Battle of Gettysburg with its high drama and familiar terrain features. Chickamauga, however, was battle of the same ilk and the more one reads about it, the more one's appreciation of this intense struggle increases. Chickamauga has famous personalities, military blunders, repeating weapons, elite units, numerous charges and a last ditch stand. This battle made and destroyed reputations and it is interesting to see who performed well here and who did not. The Confederate side presents a special treat in that Longstreet, Hood and the First Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia were sent to Bragg for use in this battle. Scenario for On to Richmond Most maps of Chickamauga are confusing and few agree, so I suggeat you fill the battlefield as best you can keeping the roads, bridges, and strategic points listed in the scenario. Our war games group, the Benedict Arnold Society, played this scenario on hexes so for 25mm substitute six inches wherever the word hex appears. We began the game using numbered chips that corresponded to actual brigades and batteries to simulate hidden movement and poor visibility. It was the first time I ever experienced units being flanked by chip movement thought to be a decoy chip, units wasting their initial volley firing on decoys, in the case of a repeater armed brigade, not firing into a hex thought to contain a decoy chip and when the next division card was flipped, having the actual unit in that hex fire on the repeater armed unit with impunity. Chickamauga was a great deal of work and just to set it up and brief all the players is very time and labor intensive, but it all makes for an exciting and terrific wargame. UNION COMMAND STRUCTURE First Day: Rosecrans (cautious). Thomas (exceptional). Crittenden (cautious), McCook (Cautious), Mitchel (cautious). Second Day: Rosecrans (depends on first day's results) Thomas (exceptional), Crittenden, McCook, Mitchell (all cautious), Granger (aggressive). XIV CORPS-Thomas 1st Division Baird (aggressive). Brigades of Scribner, Starkweather (Breechloader armed), King. All veterans. 2nd Div. Negley (poltroon) Beatty, Stanley, Sirwell, all regulars 3rd Div. Brannan (agressive), Connell, Croxton, VanDerveer all vets. 4th Div. Reynolds (aggressive)-Wilder "Lightning Brdge? (mounted infantry, repeater armed), King (reg.), Turchin (vet.) Corps Arty. XXI Corps-Crittenden 1st Div. Wood (aggressive). Brigades of Buell (reg.),Harker (vet) 2nd Div. Palmer (aggressive); Croft, Hazen, Grose, all (reg.) 3rd Div. Van Cleve (poltroon) Beatty, Dick, Barnes all (reg.) XXI Corps Arty. XX Corps-McCook 1st Div. Davis (poltroon) Brigades of Carlin, Heg. all (reg.) 2nd Div. Johnson (aggressive)-Willich, Dodge, Baldwin all (reg.) 3rd Div. Sheridan (poltroon) Lytle, Laidbolt, Bradley all (reg.) XX Corps Arty. Cavalry Corps-Mitchell 1st Div. McCook (cautious), Brigades of Campbell, Ray Watkins all (reg.) 2nd Div. Crook (average), Minty (veteran), Long (reg.) All cavalry "carbine" armed RESERVE CORPS-Granger (aggressive) 1st Div. Steedman (firebrand) Brigades of Whitaker, Mitchell, McCook all (green); Reserve Corps Arty. CONFEDERATE COMMAND STRUCTURE Bragg (first day), Walker, Buckner: average Polk: poltroon, Hill,Wheeler,: cautious Longstreet, Hood,: firebrand Forrest: exceptional Forrest's Cavalry Corps (all dice rolls on Firebrand chart) Armstrong's Div. (firebrand)-Armstrong's Brigade (Vet.), Forest's Brigade (Elite). Pegram's Div. (Firebrand), Davidson, Scott, (Veteran) (When dismounted, fight as infantry, carbine armed with no negative modiffers for being cavalry). Hood's (Longstreet's) Corps (Law & Kershaw (aggressive) Hood's Div. (under Law) - Robertson, Benning, Law, all (Elite) McLaw's Div. (under Kershaw) - Kershaw, Humphreys, all (Vet.) Johnson's Div. (Firebrand).-Gregg, McNair, Johnson, all (Vet.) Buckner's Corps Stewart (aggressive), "Little Giant" Div. Clayton, (Reg.) Bates, Brown, (Vet.) Corps Arty. Preston's Div. (aggressive) Gracie, Kelly, all (Reg.) Hill's Corps Breckinridge (aggressive) Div. Helms, Adams, Stovall, all (Reg.) Cleburne's(firebrand),div.-Deshler, Polk, Wood, (all Vet.) Corps Arty. Walker's (aggressive) Reserve Corps Gist's (Aggressive) Div. Colquitt,Wilson,Ector, All (reg.) Corps Arty. Liddell's (aggressive) div. Govan, Walthal (regulars). Polk's Corps Hindman's (aggressive) Div. Anderson, Manigault, (Reg.); Deas (vet.), corps arty. Cheatham's (aggressive) Div. Jackson,Maney,Smith,Wright, Strahl all (regular). Wheeler's Cavalry Corps Martin's (average) Div. Russell, Roddey (all reg.) Wharton's (average) Div. Crews, Harrison, (all reg.) A note on artillery: the corps artillery consists of one battery/gun model; we combined the effects of rifled and smoothbore guns after reading Paddy Griffith, McWhiney and Jamieson and much group discussion. Also, the heavily wooden terrain forbad much artillery use and this was a good way to simulate the condition. 1.1 Victory conditions: greatest number of points determines victory. For each enemy unit eliminated: infantry 5 points, cavalry 7.5, artillery 10 points. For either side both days: points for either side occupying these hexes (terrain features), each turn cumulatively: A. Viniard's 1 point, Kelly's 2 pts. C. Lafayette Road and Rossville Gap Road crossroads 2 points. 1st day Union only: bridges-10 points per turn held, fords 5 pts. 1st day C.S A. only- D. McFarland's Gap 5 pts. E. Rossville Gap hex 10 points. Second day increase this to 10 & 20 points. Second day: units exiting gaps D/E: Union count 1/2 points (infantry count 2.5 instead of 5 pts.), C.S.A. double points. 1.2 Conclusion of first day victory conditions: If one side's total points exceeds the other's by 25 the higher scoring army C.O. will retain his rating while the lower scoring army C.O. will be reduced one rating level. 1.3 If one side concludes day one with 50 or more points more than his opponent, the battle concludes, and victory will be given to the highest scorer. Any of these rules, conditions etc. can be altered or changed in any way the players see fit. 2.0 Game length-first day 12 turns, Night turn, second day 12 turns 2.1 Night turn- card deck not used. a. Units in enemy zone of control must withdraw. b. Units may dice to rebuild brigades. roll on the "4 turns at rest" line on the Res. Brdge. Table. c. Works may be erected in any hex containing an inf. brigade. Do not roll dice just place/ mark works. d. No unit may advance towards enemy but may make one regular move if not rebuilding brdge. or works. e. C.S.A. army reorganizes and is divided into two wings: Polk commands the left and Longstreet the right. 3.0 Day 2 rules: 3.1 Granger's Reserve Corps is activated and will react to any order from Rosecrans. 3.2 Kershaw's Div. (Confederate), may be placed anywhere in the Confederate line or behind it but not in an enemy zone of control. (adjacent hex/ 6 inches). 3.3 C.S. Wing Commanders: Once Bragg issues his orders for Day 2, Wing Cmdrs. are free of activational restraints, thus Longstreet may activate all of his corps. 3.4 A reminder: all inf. and cay. brdges. are considered to consist of 6 stands. 4.0 Orders/Messengers/Couriers- Write message on an index card and place in div. card deck for the next card flip turn. Write the appropriate general's name on the card who is to receive the message. 5.0 Cavalry may mount or dismount normally; only Forrest's Corps will not have any negative modifiers germane to dismtd. cav. operations and will fire and melee as Infantry when dismounted. 5.1 Cavalry arms: all cavalry will be considered carbine armed. 6.0 Wilder's Lightning Brigade: Spencer repeater armed, mount and dismount as cavalry but fire and melee as infantry. When mounted, never charge, fire, or melee. Mounted is for transportation only. 7.0 Activation Rule (thanks to B A.S. member Kevin Wenker), an army commander may initiate as many corps as he has morale passes and may also expend a pass to activate additional corps. 7.1 Radius of Corps, cmdr. to division cmdr. in hexes: Poltroon 2 cautious 4, aggressive 6, firebrand 8 exceptional 10. Modifiers to roll for division outside the Corps command control: poltroon -10, cautious 5, firebrand +5, exceptional +10, Unit green 5, reg 0, vet.+5, elite+10. Roll on Artillery Morale Chart; disregard rout& withdrawals 00-19 stand, 20-39 deploy; 40-49 half speed, 50+ no effect Roll per brigade or arty. Bn.; per division in large games. 8. Field works cover a hexes 2 front facets. 9. Division commanders will not be used as figures in the game but units will roll as if they were present. No morale passes are to be used from the cavalry div. commanders. 10 Set On/Deployment 10.1 C.S. - Forrest anywhere east of Chickamauga Creek at Reed's Bridge or north of it. All other C.S. forces set on up to one hex east of Chickamauga Creek between Dalton's Ford and Reed's Bridge as assigned by Bragg player. 10.2 Optional Polk or Walker's Corps may begin game west of the creek within two hexes of any unoccupied ford or bridge, in any formation. 10.3 U.S deployment: Wilder and Crook's Cavalry anywhere west of Chickamauga Creek. 10.4 XXI Corps: anywhere within two hexea either side of the Lafayette-Chattanooga Road south of Kelly House 10.5 XIV Corps: Brannan-on Ringgold/Reed's Road, Baird on Alexander Bridge Road, Reynolds at Widow Glen's, Negley enters turn 1 from south on Dry Valley Road. 10.6 Granger's Reserve Corps: at Mc Affee's Church; may mapmark,set on or set on decoy counters but may only react to any enemy within zone of control, may not initiate movement until ordered by Rosecrans on day 2. 10.7 XX Corps- enters day one turn one from south on Lafayette Chattanooga Road. 11. Second day set on, entry, special rules etc. 11.1 Granger's Res, Corps may react and activate to any Rosecran order. 11.2 Wheeler's Cav. Corps. may enter turn 1 or any turn thereafter from the south, east of Lafayette Road 11.3 McCook's Cav. Div. and Long's Brigade of Mitchells' Corps enter from the south on turn 1 or any turn thereafter on Lafayette Rd. or Dry Valley Rd. 11.4 at the begining of the second day (or curing the night turn), all morale passes for all officers are replentished up to but not exceeding the officer's original allotment. 12. Hidden movement: Use counter or chips with a number corresponding or name core responding to an actual brigade or artillery battery plus one decoy chip per division to mislead the ememy and simulate the poor visibility and confusion germane to the Battle of Chickamauga. The actual units are not placed on the board ( unless player so desires), until a unit enters a zone of control, is fired upon, or itself isaues fire. In closing, this is not the definitive scenario for this battle and a rousing good game can be had by playing some or all of it. I'm certain it can be tinkered with even more to play smoother, faster and more enjoyably. Back to The Zouave Vol VII No. 4 Table of Contents Back to The Zouave List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 1993 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