Iuka 1862 Valour and Fortitude Game

 

Initial Union deployment

Initial Confederate deployment

Confederate forces advance

Union forces also advance,
some battalions though the fields.

Turn three sees all the Union brigades on the table

It's pretty congested at the Union end of the table

Can the weight of Union numbers win the day?

Confederate artillery battery is deployed on a hill,
Union cavalry threaten the Confederate flank

Last Sunday Craig, Gary, Rob, Rick, Chris and I met down at Vikings Club in Lanyon for the Canberra Regional Wargames Group's monthly meeting. We played our first ACW Valour and Fortitude game, the scenario was Iuka 1862. We actually played a game of this battle about two years ago with the Osprey rules With Hot Lead and Cold Steel but the V& F game was quite different with rules and also a different take on the actual scenario. Craig, Gary and I commanded the Union brigades, Rob, Rick and Chris commanded the Confederates. The Union and Confederate forces contested the road, the main objective in the game. 

The Union forces suffered early losses and struggled to make headway. The terrain, inexperience (most Union brigades were rated green), and congestion of their forces hampering their attack. The Confederate artillery battery deployed on a hill, was effective and proved a thorn in the Union side the whole game. The Union forces eventually had some success, their weight of numbers began to tell, and the game was in the balance. In the end the Confederates managed to hold on and win the game.

Confederate and Union forces contest the
road the main objective in the game

Union forces suffer early losses

Union artillery battery is deployed

Confederate artillery battery proves effective,
a thorn in the Union side the whole game

Terrain and congestion of forces hampers the Union attack

Union forces finally have some success

Game is in the balance

Confederate forces hold on and win the game