The Battle of Shiloh: 1000 hours to 1300 hours

Ken was over for another installment of the Battle of Shiloh using the excellent "Altar of Freedom" rules.  For those who missed the first part, check out last week's post where we played the 7am to 10am turn.  We were able to push from the 10am turn to the 1pm turn this past Sunday and things aren't looking so great for the Union I'm afraid...

Grant orders a general withdrawal to a new, tighter defensive line behind the initial positions, following Bragg's piercing of the hornet's nest.  He'll use relatively fresh Divisions to cover the left flank as fighting has worked its way up the to the banks of the Tennessee River.  These forces will ensure Breckenridge's Reserve Corps don't walk straight into Pittsburgh Landing unopposed.

Vacating the Hornet's Nest at the 10:00 hour.

Grant's troops, mostly of Sherman's Division, fall back to positions northward in the woods while strong Union Artillery covers the approach.  This will be important in the coming hours.

View from the Rebel side - note the solid defensive line forming up.  We're not going to make it too easy for Johnny Reb to change the course of history!

Ken and I still did a fair amount of looking things up in this battle as we came across a few new situations we hadn't previously encountered last game.  I will say things did come a little easier for us, and both of us are getting more "dangerous" in our application of the rules.  At 12:00 noon, disaster struck the Union side as I completely guessed wrong what the rebels would do and it cost me a big setback.  Meanwhile Ken is still sending attacks against the entire line at this point, on the right, in the center, and on the left.

The rebel breakthrough at the sunken lane sees the union evacuate the position in a hurry!  the Rebs are right on their heels.

Breckenridge reaches the Union positions on the left flank int he woods and hard fighting ensues.  The Yanks are pushed back!

Note the new Union line curving from center-left down and to the right.  The most beat-up units are from Sherman's Division in the center where I have some Brigades that have quite a bit of fatigue on them.

 I did learn to cover you defenses with artillery.  nothing is better at breuaking up an attack than artillery.  If you wait until they're in small arms range, youre toast!  On more than one occasion, my batteries distinguished themselves in action. 

Rebels massing in the center to go after Sherman's Division again

Ken presses his advantage now.

 My die rolls were generally awful in this game but in some cases, I rolled enough 6's when it counted to avoid a complete and utter rout!

More assaults against a brigade of Sherman's division with 2 fatigue!  Remarkably they'd hold!

More Union units sent to the back of the line with the Confederate onslaught

 High drama at high noon as Ken throws more units against the battered line.  While one of the Brigades has pulled back, a lone battery from Sherman's Division covers their approach.  Ken assaults it and his assaulting brigade is routed due to a combination of modifiers and me rolling a "6".  The first broken brigade of the battle!  This Union battery earns a fatigue marker, and also earns their place in history by repulsing a Brigade attack as the enemy charged again and again into the very muzzle of the guns!  This had the added bonus of disrupting the entire Rebel divisional attack by destroying the brigade in contact.  Sherman's line is saved once more, but this time by a battery of medium guns!

Sherman's artillery routes a Rebel brigade!  Heroes all!

The broken brigade - who tried to rally and rolled a "1"!  Brigade evaporates!

 So there you have it.  Ken is arranging his forces for a killing blow against Grant's line but it'll take time and coordiantion.  I have a heap of reinforcements coming in soon if I can only hold!  Rebels are a mere 17 inches from Pittsburgh Landing!  Talk about a nail biting defense.

We continue to be impressed with Altar of Freedom, specifically for the command and control mechanisms, and the resource management aspect of it.  We may try to meet earlier to finish the battle in the next sitting.  Next up...First Manassas?