Marching through Georgia....Part 2

 

The two maps I opted to use giving a playing area of 15 x 10 hexes. The Confederate forces will be deployed in around the small town on the left with the Union advancing on a broad front after having crossed the small river on the right.



Before I describe the battle that I will be fighting as part of my ACW renaissance I wanted to post some pictures with the actual set up so that I could set the scene. If I am honest taking pictures under artificial light using the laminated Axis and Allies maps is a horrible experience as the glare is awful. This weekend was a challenge because it was so dank and overcast that I had to abandon the attempt to fight the action simply because photography was so difficult. My man cave has two roof windows that under normal weather conditions makes for a very light and airy space. However, because of the angle of the roof it means that the lights tend to funnel straight down rather than diffusing. This means that if using artificial light you have a very well lit area but at the cost of reflected glare on any shiny surface. Going forwards I will need to think about to reduce this so that the maps are more photograph friendly.

 

The forces deployed for the start of the action. The Confederates also have an additional infantry unit and a cavalry regiment deployed to the rear as a reserve (see the next picture). The fieldworks can be clearly seen between the two small woods to the north and south of the town. The Union forces have deployed for action from their marching order after having crossed the small river.

 

 

The full Confederate force. The artillery is deployed to have a wide field of fire and is not only fortified but has infantry on either flank as well as the woods. It is a good position but for the open ground north of the woods above the town and the hills (see the picture before the above) that dominate the town.

 

 

 

The Union forces deployed on a wide frontage thereby giving them the option to favour either flank whilst pinning the main the Confederate position. Note the 3 point artillery units meaning that they have greater staying power than their Confederate counterparts.

 

 

Whilst the Union forces outnumber those of the Confederates they certainly do not possess an overwhelming numerical advantage. They will need to be careful how they attack as they cannot afford to sustain too many casualties so they are really forced to seek a flank to exploit. The Union artillery could have a substantial impact on the outcome should it be able to secure the hills so the Confederates will need to mindful of this.

 

 

The Confederates, given their numbers, have deployed sensibly and have prudently kept a small reserve to help counter any flanking attempts. Whether or not this will be sufficient remains to be seen.

 

 

I am really looking forward to fighting this engagement and whilst the dialogue above has been rather bland in content, the after action report will resume its full purple prose vigour!