Sawmill Village

And my playing around with an ACW Portable Wargames continues ...

Yesterday I decided to follow up my Prairie Grove game with something using a simpler terrain. I was flicking though Charles Stewart Grant's 'Scenarios For Wargames' when I came across Scenario 41 (Chance Encounter). This is, of course, the classic 'Sawmill Village' scenario which I've often read about, but never played. And, according to the intro, it was first played in 1958, so is celebrating its 60th anniversary.

It would have been rude not to play it. 

I adapted the terrain for a square grid. 

And gave both sides eight units instead of six.

And added in the road after I started playing.

I had each side march along their entry edge until they reached the road, then turn onto it and march along it until they spotted each other. How did I do this? Well, here's how:

Both sides were set up in their order of march. When a side's card came up, they moved two spaces along their route, with units entering the board in the preset order. After the move I checked line of sight. The sides could see each other if their closest units were at or less than the number shown on the card which activated that side. The village counted as two squares for the purposes of this check. From the next card onward the units would activate as normal.

Here's the two columns approaching each other, blissfully unaware of each other's presence.

The Confederates reach the edge of the village and spot the Union column. The fight is on!

Both sides form up, but the Confederates hold the village.

The Union send forward their cavalry (dismounted, of course, but I adopts the OHW approach of not bothering to represent this).

A fierce fight ensues for the village.

The Union fall back and reform, but have already lost their cavalry.

A run of activations gave them a chance to form up properly and press home some decent attacks on the Confederates.

The Confederate left collapsed.

And the Union took the village.

Unfortunately the cards now gave the Confederates a counter-attack ...

... and they retook the village.

This pretty much broke the Union force, so I called the game at that point.

And I set it up again, partially because I had a better idea for terrain and cover, and wanted to work it through. To be honest I'm not sure where I'm going with it yet, though.

This time the Union got a run of moves, and made it to Sawmill Village before the Confederates had really got too far onto the field.

They spot each other.

The Union form up and the shooting starts.

Both sides got their troops organised in a neat and tidy manner.

The first Confederate attack on the village was halted by Union cavalry supporting from a nearby hill.

Meanwhile the Union artillery was doing fearful execution on the Confederates.

Soon the rebels were cleared from around the village, but they were mounting a second attack from the woods on the Union left.

It was a bold try, but their losses were already high, and after a few assaults their army withdrew from the field, beaten.

Really this scenario seems to be won by whoever holds the village first, since it forces the other side into attacking an equal force in a defensive position. Even if that side captures the village, the attack weakens them to the point where a decent counterattack will generally retake it. It was great fun to play such a classic scenario, though, even if I haven't currently resolved my terrain issues.