Battle of
Gaines Mill
June 27 1862

Sweep the Field with a Bayonet

by Joseph A. Cenzial

On May 31, 1862, General Robert E. Lee assumed command of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. After a brief restructuring period, Lee focused his attention towards the immediate threat of General George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac poised on the outskirts of Richmond. Thus began the Battles of the Seven Days.

Despite a marginal victory the day before at Mechanicsville on June 26th, McClellan ordered Major General Fitz-John Porter to stave off the Army of Northern Virginia long enough for the rest of the Army of the Potomac and its supply wagons to effect orderly withdrawals across the Chickahominy and James Rivers. Porter deployed his troops near Gaines Mill and dug entrenchments alongside a circular marsh called Boatswain's Swamp. The Confederates were eager to avenge the losses suffered from the day before and maneuvered to opposing positions.

Special Scenario Rules

Units sizes are as per On to Richmond rules: all Federal units consist of six stands of infantry per brigade, all Confederate units consist of eight. Union artillery for the start of the game has been assigned to divisional commands. This reflects the rearguard orders of Porter to delay the Confederates while McClellan was withdrawing the rest of the Army of the Potomac. A. P. Hill's division was under fire for hours on the day before at Mechanicsville and again prior to the 2:00 pm starting time of this scenario.

At the start of the game, roll a D10 for each brigade of the Light Division. If a 1 or 2 is rolled, the brigade will lose one stand prior to the start of the game. Any lost stands do not count as Union victory points and brigades losing stands in this way cannot rebuild any stands lost prior to the start of the game.

All units are armed with rifle-muskets except for the Federal cavalry, which has carbines. General Jackson was lethargic, fatigued and not at his best during the Battle of Gaines Mill, hence his seemingly low leadership rating. Roll a D10 whenever Jackson is to give a morale pass or uses his modifier in a combat situation. On a roll of 1, 2, or 3, he cannot perform the task. If the dice roll for a morale pass results in failure, the pass is not lost and it can be used in a later turn.

All artillery units will begin the game with one hit marked against each of them. This replicates the frenzied activity of the previous day's fighting.

The Federal set-up area is to be treated as medium works.

Boatswain's Swamp does not have any effect on line of sight, but is treated as a hill for movement purposes. This also includes any movement across the stream flowing through the swamp.

Victory Conditions

The Confederates will win automatically if they hold Alexander's Bridge and the Grapevine Bridge for two consecutive turns. Otherwise, at the end of the 9:00 pm game turn, the player with the most victory points will be the winner. The victory points are calculated as follows: 1 victory point per enemy stand lost as a result of becoming a casualty or routing; 3 victory points per enemy artillery stand lostÐhits do not count.

Union Order of Battle

Army of the Potomac

V Corps

Brigadier General Fitz-John Porter Firebrand: 4 morale passes

First Division Brigadier General George Morell

Second Division Brigadier General George Sykes

Third Division Brigadier General George A. McCall

VI Corps

First Division (arrives 4:00 pm at point S) Brigadier General Henry Slocum

II Corps

First Division Brigadier General Israel Richardson

Cavalry Brigade

Cooke's Brigade (armed with carbines), regular

Reserve Corps Artillery

1 stand rifles, average

Confederate Order of Battle

Army of Northern Virginia

General Robert E. Lee

Longstreet's Corps

Major General James B. Longstreet Firebrand: 4 morale passes

Longstreet's Division

A. P. Hill's Command

Major General Ambrose Powell Hill Aggressive: 3 morale passes

The Light Division

Jackson's Corps

Major General Thomas J. Jackson Aggressive: 3 morale passes

(Except for Ewell's Division, Jackson's Corps arrives at 4:00 pm at point J in march column.)

Whiting's Division

Jackson's Division

Ewell's Division (arrives at 4:30 pm map section E in march column)

D. H. Hill's Division (arrives at 4:00 pm map section H in march column)

Corps Artillery:

2 stands smoothbores, average

Figure Notes

Many famous brigades were at Gaines Mill. Listed below are the more popular units that everyone has painted or has wanted to paint. (The second unit I ever painted was Duryee's Zouaves; the first one was the Louisiana Tigers.) The presence of Zouaves and other specialty troops are a colorful addition to the game because it allows for variations from the standard "blue vs. gray" games. This is a good recruiting or demonstration game because of the visual appeal of different types of troops.

Meagher's Irish Brigade: The Irish brigade is represented by green battle flags and anything else that can be modeled onto the stand to make them more Gaelic. A Father William Corby figure would be interesting.

Berdan's Sharpshooters: Since On to Richmond is a brigade level game, the sharpshoo- ters will not have any effect on the game. They can be used to represent any single Federal brigade starting the game. The visual appeal of their green uniforms will break up the monotony of blue-jacketed Federal troops.

The 5th New York Volunteers: The Duryee Zouaves were a part of Warren's Brigade. These troops wore red fezzes with white turbans. When one thinks "Zouave", the 5th New York epitomizes the concept.

The Louisiana Tigers: Not to be outdone by their Yankee counterparts, the Confederate army also had zouaves. Taylor's Brigade of Ewell's Division contained the Louisiana Tigers which not only had a colorful uniform but a colorful history as well. Their leader, Major Robedeau Wheat, was killed at Gaines Mill. General Taylor was suffering from a temporary paralysis and was not present during the battle.

Hood's Brigade: Old Glory makes exquisite Texans. The Lone Star is clearly marked on most of these figures' slouch hats. Also, the individuality of dress in the Texas Brigade can be played up by painting or adapting a variety of figures. Effective Texans can also be achieved by painting some of the figures in a civilian motif.

Bibliography

Dodwey, Clifford. The Seven Days: The Emergence of Robert E. Lee. The Fairfax Press, Fairfax, Virginia, 1964. (Also reprinted as Lee Takes Command. Barnes & Noble, Inc., New York, 1992.)
Editors of Time-Life Books. Lee Takes Command. Time-Life Books, Alexandria, Virginia, 1984.
Johnson, Curt and McLaughlin, Mark. Civil War Battles. The Fairfax Press, New York, 1977.
United States War Department. The War of the Rebellion: The Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Series I, Volume XI. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1984.

Map

Large Map (slow: 83K)

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Battle ofGaines MillJune 27 1862