Gettysburg in 10mm, with Fire and Fury Rules

About This site

2008-11-17T19:48:00.005Z

This 10mm recreation of Day 2 at Gettysburg was played at Jasons house in Bristol, UK, and in an experiment was posted to the web as it happened.

The "as it happens" format meant that the newest items were always posted at the top of the page, so now (after the battle has ended) the battle is shown in reverse order on this site.

This means you need to scroll down to the bottom of the page and then work up if you want to follow the course of the battle.

The pictures are all thumbnails of 800x600 or 600x400 resolution originals. If you click on any of them you will therefore see a bigger, more detailed picture.

If you have a Google/Blogger ID you can post comments - which will appear on the site. Feel free to add clarifications etc.

We used standard Fire & Fury and 10mm figures from a number of manufacturers, mostly Pendraken or Minifigs. With 4 players per side, many of whom were new to the rules, we still managed to play to a de-facto conclusion in maybe 12 hours of game time.

If you want to mail me with questions, please go to the main www.madaxeman.com site and mail me from there.

The End

2008-11-16T13:51:00.003Z

At 5:00pm in the afternoon, the battered Confederates realise their best chance has now gone for the day, and decide to pulll back their many, many spent brigades and regroup.

The Union breathe a sigh of relief, and start the long process of restocking.

In the Confederate camp, Lee is able to tell Longstreet that the right flank attack has failed, and maybe tomorrow the weakened Union center is the place to attack.

Lees logic is impeccable. With Picketts division relatively unscathed, they can lead the attack.

And surely they cant roll 1's again tomorrow....

The end

Rebels 5pm

2008-11-16T13:11:00.002Z

Pickett throws 2 brigades into combat, and Pettigrews brigade also piles forward. This is the big chance to turn the battle!!

but two "1's" in the vital combats and the rebel yell turns into a rather strangled yelp as the Union line creaks, but does not break.

It feels like the end is nigh. And with Pender again failing make headway along the crest of Cemetery Ridge ....

...the rebels start searching the suburbs of Gettysburg for a chubby female vocalist....

Union 5:00pm

2008-11-16T12:56:00.002Z

Telling fire from the Union, and the Rebels start to run out of ammunition in key areas of the field - but they can't pull troops out of the line now !

The Union sweep down Cemetery Hill and sweep the tired rebels from the field

Breaking through the first line with ease, the blue tide smashes into the first of Picketts troops under Kemper.... The Veterans are Committed!!

The fresh, well led rebels are caught by surprise (committed a day to soon), and also get swept away!!

Rebels 430pm

2008-11-16T12:31:00.003Z

Ewells attack falters, and is checked, and Johnson again makes no heawday.

The Union re-take the defensive positions on the far side of Cemetery Hill

The Confederacy's morale starts to crack as they see wave after wave of fresh troops in blue moving up to the front lines

Rebels 430pm

2008-11-16T12:18:00.001Z

2 views from the Union lines.

The rebels fail repeatedly to start their sweep along Cemetery Ridge from Cemetery Hill, as Perrin stalls and dithers over whether to attack or not!

but Johnsons & Ewells troops again push forward, still stuck in intense battle.

Union 430pm

2008-11-16T12:04:00.002Z

The meatgrinder continues on Cemetery Hill - no real advantage to either side as yet

AP Hills attack up the middle of Cemetery Ridge faces a counterattack from Caldwells Division - but Wrights Confederate brigade hangs onto their toehold at the top of the ridge!!!

The thin blue line is facing a breach !!

Where else can Meade commit reserves??

The Rebels look toward the Union lines

2008-11-16T11:51:00.002Z

Probably Perrin looks along the Ridge from Cemetery Hill. One good charge into the flank of the Union.....

Posey gazes towards his destiny on Cemetery Ridge

Union Turn 430pm

2008-11-16T11:50:00.002Z

The Union throws more troops into the swirling melee on Cemetery Hill - a unit of Zouaves (OK, maybe not bythis time in the war, but if you paint them, you may as well use them) charges into the flank of the overextended Rebel attack still coming forward from Ewells command

Hello Manchester!!

2008-11-16T11:36:00.002Z

rebels 4pm

2008-11-16T11:27:00.002Z

both sides are piling troops onto Cemetery Hill.

Looks like a meatgrinder is being formed... (probably for hamburgers)

Rebels 4pm

2008-11-16T11:22:00.002Z

The Rebel attack from Cemetery Hill along the ridge of Cemetery Ridge falters, as the leade brigade pauses for breath.

The Rebels take the opportunity to build a strong position on Cemetery Hill, moving up their artillery for close range fire support.

Andersons Division see a weak spot developing on his original target of Cemetery Ridge, and he throws one of his brigades up the hill...

Withering Fire!!

2008-11-16T10:48:00.002Z

The Union open up on Cemetery Hill and devastate the Rebels front line..

Suddenly the reserves under Pickett look a long way away - and a little light in numbers...

The Union reinforce Cemetery Hill

2008-11-16T10:45:00.002Z

and the grand battery assembles on Little Round Top

The center of Cemetery Ridge

2008-11-16T10:35:00.002Z

and welcome to one of our visitors from the appositely named Mount Victory, Ohio, United States!!

The scene looking toward Little Round Top

2008-11-16T10:34:00.002Z

The 2nd day (for us - Union 4pm in game terms)

2008-11-16T10:29:00.002Z

At 4pm, the situation is balanced.

Rebels are swarming all over Cemetery Hill, but Meade has committed his remaining reserves to check them, gambling that he already has enough strength on his left to hold back Longstreet who is demoralized after the battering doled out by Humphreys.

Without Picketts division, which is now marching through the town of Gettysburg the Rebs would face a desparate struggle to hold onto their gains on Cemetery Hill as the Union forces start to assemble in ever greater numbers. But with him, and his fresh veterans, they maybe have a chance if they can time their attacks correctly

On the Rebel right, Huphreys valiant resistance has crumbled, but the Union have an imposing battery on Little Round Top as the Rebs regroup in the valley below.

Cemetery Hill

and finally

2008-11-15T18:47:00.001Z

Humphreys finally breaks and the Rebels collapse the forward deployed command like a pile of dominoes.

But rather later than planned...

Rebels 330

2008-11-15T18:42:00.002Z

The rebels pour more men into the attack, as Penders troops, who have elected not to mount a frontal attack on Cemetery Ridge, are also committed to the left hook and join in as Rodes men sweep over Cemetery Hill. Penders forces are set to start to roll up the Union lines on Cemetery Ridge!!

Turn 330pm

2008-11-15T18:41:00.001Z

Picketts reserves arrive and start to move up through Gettysburg in a long column of butternut-clad veteran men.

(Pickett of course only played a part in the battle on day 3, as his troops were held in reserve by Lee, but in this scenario they march to the sound of the guns...)

Rebels 330pm turn

2008-11-15T18:38:00.002Z

Humphreys holds on ..

Rebels 330pm turn

2008-11-15T18:30:00.001Z

In the last move before the two armies break for the (real) evening to go for a curry...

Humphreys again takes a beating...

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Union 330pm- turn

2008-11-15T18:11:00.003Z

I and XII Corps marshall their men (and guns) to form a revised front - and the newly refomed Union defensive line on Cemetery Hill dishes out a barrage that blows away the overextended Rebel attack - suddenly the tide seems to have turned!

Union 330pm

2008-11-15T17:45:00.002Z

Hello to our visitor from Glen Burnie, Maryland !!

your boys are taking one helluva beating Mr Northerner !!!

(apart from Humphreys of course...)

Yankee 330pm turn

2008-11-15T17:42:00.002Z

Meade now has a dilemma. One wing is holding up as Humphreys looks to hang on, but he could still collapse at any moment - and his reserves have been committed to shore up this eventuality, but still look a little thin shoudl Humphreys troops come streaming back through his lines in rout.

However his right flank is now - surprisingly - in dire trouble.

Where does he commit his next batch reserves? Left or right?

Well, its now decision time - the reserves are here....

correction

2008-11-15T17:36:00.002Z

The Rebs are taking Cemetery Hill not Culps Hill

Either poor map reading, or foresight - you choose!

Rebels 3pm

2008-11-15T17:35:00.002Z

Ewells Division is also sweeping over Culps Hill - even if Johnson is bogged down!!

The entire right hand end of the Union line is in tatters...

Rebels 3pm

2008-11-15T17:30:00.002Z

But over the field, Humphreys checks yet another Rebel Charge. Outrageous!

The Union may yet be rolled up like Longstreet planned - but from the other end of the line ...

Rebel 3pm turn

2008-11-15T17:27:00.002Z

The Rebels attack up Cemetery - and a withering hail of union fire fells Ramseur

But his brigade sweeps the enemy away nonetheless and they continue their charge up and over the hill...where they break yet another brigade with some more outrageous dice !!

The Union are looking like they ma be cut off on Culps Hill - can Johnson and Ewell press home there too?

Rebels 3pm Turn

2008-11-15T17:17:00.002Z

Humphreys gears up for another last stand.... The Rebels are throwing everything at him now

Union 3pm

2008-11-15T17:04:00.002Z

Humphreys redresses his lines and holds on

n

On Culps Hill, the Union batters Doles with fire, and sends a lone brigade downhill to try and follow up Doles where they checked the Rebel advance. But advancing into a wall of Rebel musketry from the occupied positions at the foot of the hill, and enfiladed as they advance, it soon looks like a grave error...the rest of the Union fire is relatively ineffective, and none of the Union divisions on Cullps hill manage to rally to follow up as well.

The next Confederate turn could see some more "sweeping from the field..."

Except on their right where the heroic Humphrey's proves that his genius decision to occupy the wheatfield was right all along.

Union 3pm

2008-11-15T16:50:00.002Z

Brilliant ! We've tracked some visitors from Washington watching this page.

Hello there you Federals!!

(click the "traffic stats" link on the right to see who else has visited)

Union 3pm

2008-11-15T16:43:00.002Z

Here is the large scale view of the field with Cemetery Hill and Culps Hill in the foreground.

XII Corps hold firm on their defenses, but Doles brigade is in their rear..

Union 3pm

2008-11-15T16:41:00.002Z

2 views of the field:
Looking back from Culps hill along Cemetery Ridge

The Rebels advance on Little Round Top as the Union Artillery reserve begins to be deployed

The outcomes...

2008-11-15T16:17:00.003Z

The rebels falter and are thrown back from the foot of Little Round Top
The rebels under Johnson falter and are thrown back from Culps Hill
The Rebels under McLaws push pack the resilient Humphreys, but fail to break him decisively

The Rebels under Doles sweep Smith of the Union from the field and rush onto Culps Hill!!!

Doles continues his attack and blows away the "German" brigades and continues to move up the Hill, rolling a fabulous 10 in the initial combat, and then a 10 in the breakthrough charge as well !!!

Rebs 230pm

2008-11-15T15:50:00.004Z

Laws has bypassed the irritatingly stubborn Humphreys and swept away Ward in and around devils Den. he contnues his charge and aims for the top of the Cemetery Ridge bypassing Little Round Top

Rebs 230pm

2008-11-15T15:50:00.002Z

Laws goes in again to the top of the Ceetery Ridge

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Rebs 230pm

2008-11-15T15:48:00.001Z

Stuart throws in most of his Division led by Avery supported by Hayes

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Rebs 230

2008-11-15T15:46:00.002Z

McLaws sends his men in again - surely Humphreys can't stand again....?

Rebel 230 turn

2008-11-15T15:44:00.005Z

General Lee can't be too happy at the moment. His right flank under his favourite son, Longstreet is bogged down. And Johnson still appears to be lost in the woods.

But the Rebel Yell is ringing out across the battlefield as 4 separate charges go into Cemetery Hill from all directions

Dole, who has led his men through Gettysburg charges up to the first line of defences smashing into the "German" troops defending Cemetery Hill....

The "German" troops had a poor reputation in the Union army, and so why they were defending this key pivotal part of the battlefield is a bit of a mystery. But the Union generals today had no time to pull them out before Doles arrived

Union 230pm

2008-11-15T15:17:00.001Z

Little Round Top is now thickly populated with bluecoats - and 5 guns - and the main battle line is looking increasingly robust as Meade marshals his reserves into place. Humphreys delaying action is changing the course of history...

Rebels 2pm

2008-11-15T15:06:00.003Z

Wilcox's Brigade (from Andersons command, moving to its right) smashes into Humphreys right flank at the same time!

Laws takes a pasting as he charges in on the Rebels right flank and a huge volley from the Union (10 on the dice) strikes them down like they were scything corn....

All of Huphreys command is now engaged in hand to hand action...

Laws line charges in with a 3:1 advantage.... +5 on the factors - but still only "drives back" Ward, who falls back to Cemetery ridge as the Rebs carry the position !!!!!

Then Birneys troops in their advanced position, against all odds, drive back Kershaw!!!

Then, to rub it in further, Carr drives back his opponnents too!

Maybe Huphreys position is the right one....?

Rebels 2pm

2008-11-15T15:06:00.002Z

Wilcox's Brigade (from Andersons command) smashes into Humphreys right flank at the same time!

Laws takes a pasting as he charges in on the Rebels right flank and a huge volley from the Union (10 on the dice) strikes them down like they were scything corn....

All of Huphreys command is now engaged in hand to hand action...

Laws line charges in with a 3:1 advantage.... +5 on the factors - but still only "drives back" Ward, who falls back to Cemetery ridge as the Rebs carry the position !!!!!

Then Hahrahan drives back Kershaw!!!

Then, to rub it in further, Carr drives back his opponnents too!

Maybe Huphreys position is the right one....?

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Rebels at 14:00

2008-11-15T14:42:00.002Z

The Rebels finally gird their loins and charge Birney in the rocky area in front of Round Top - this time with overwhelming odds in their favour. Can they sweep him away before the Union reserves get to Little Round Top?

Union 2pm

2008-11-15T14:25:00.001Z

The Union troops under Sykes (V Corps, Fisher & Barnes) manage to occupy little Round Top as Humphreys troops take a pounding from Longstreets men. Sykes has moved his men up just in the nick of time...

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sorry, that was 2pm....

2008-11-15T14:18:00.002Z

of course. Clocks didn't strike the half hour in the 1800s

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Union 14:00

2008-11-15T14:17:00.002Z

The Rebel attack is moving out in front of Cemetery Ridge as 230pm strikes on the town clock...

Rebels 1330

2008-11-15T14:03:00.002Z

The over confident Union generals open the Champagne early as Longstreet begins to turn their flank wi Robertson, Law and Benning under Hood.

(remember what I said about the ACW having a lot of drunk generals. Well, quite a few were posh as well, so we needed to simulate that too.)

The Rebels had to make do with Mexican Cava, as a Union blockade prevented them getting the good stuff from the kitchen - which was behind the Union lines.

Rebels 13:30

2008-11-15T14:00:00.002Z

The Rebels under Ewell still fail repeatedly to advance to the foot of Cemetery Hill, as the struggoled to move throught the thick undergrowth and lost their footing repeatedly on a dense carpet of low rolling D-1o's

Union 1330

2008-11-15T13:45:00.002Z

View towards Cemetery Ridge from AP Hills Corps.

(The flags aren't correct. Unless we got very lucky occasionally)

Union 1330

2008-11-15T13:39:00.002Z

V Corps moves up as the Rebels digest the consequences of stalling at the first hurdle against Humphreys and the forward elements of III Corps.

(Historically Humphreys command was quickly was swept away and skedaddled back to the Cemetery ridge in short order and in disarray - but they were made of sterner stuff in 10mm apparently)

Union 1330 Turn

2008-11-15T13:37:00.002Z

Gearys Corps waits at the top of Cemetery Hill patiently for the Rebels to struggle through the undergrowth. And it was a real struggle...

Confederate Turn 1 - 13:00

2008-11-15T13:28:00.002Z

After both sides mostly run short of ammunition several times in the first artillery phase, the Rebs start to advance..

Hills command moves up steadily in the center (photo above),

..but Ewells flank attack stalls as Johnson rolls some Tardy and Hold Position dice (photo above)

Kershaw and Semmes (in McLaws Division, pat of Longstreets right hook) suddenly see an opportunity and charge into Grahams disordered Brigade! (Photo above).

The rebels take horriffic fire at cannister range as they charge and lose 2 bases in casulaties on the way in... and then the Union hold firm with a 9-2 dice roll win, outweighting the +3 combat factor (whist worn, outnumbered, disordered and low on ammunition).... Kershaw falls back outside musket range....ouch!!

13:00

2008-11-15T12:53:00.002Z

The Union move first (they historically always had the first move in all battles, so the rules are accurate in that respect.)

Humphreys consolidates his advanced position and pulls Burling back to the Cornfield...

Robinson pushes Baxter forward to reinforce the XI Corps on Cemetery Hill

Ayres and Crawford turn their commands round to march towards Little Round Top and shore up the halfwit Humphreys vulnerable rear before the Rebels can take advantage!

(Photos of Cemetery Hill and Ayres & Crawford)

(the ads below sometimes appear because the original battle postings were sent from a hotmail account to Blogger (which then turns them into web posts like this one). However hotmail publishes adverts in its mail footers, so if they sneak in to some posts sorry - especially if they arent relevant to the site!)

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This is it - the start position

2008-11-15T12:10:00.002Z

Time for a beer, and then we can execute our plans !

(many ACW generals from both sides were raving alcoholics and there are many documented incidents of poor decisions made under the influence of alcohol. We intended to simulate all aspects of the battle and so serious drinking throughout the game was merely a necessary part of our committment to historical learning.)

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and here is the photo

2008-11-15T12:04:00.002Z

of the rebels moving through the town

Gordon (in Ewells Corps)..

2008-11-15T12:03:00.002Z

.. thinks about fording Rock Creek to join Johnson to swing round the flank of XII Corps

(we will actually start moving troops soon, promise...!)

Cemetery Hill again

2008-11-15T11:55:00.003Z

Schurz forces seen from a Union helicopter-carried observation post as they wait for the attack of Johnson up the wooded portion of Culps Hill.

Unlike many other Fire & Fury scenarios, very little of the Gettysburg battlefield is densely wooded enough to delay movement or confer combat advantage, which makes setting out terrain easier.

This bit however is wooded enough to cause real problems for the attacking Confederates....

Ewell & Rodes in Gettysburg

2008-11-15T11:53:00.002Z

The town was one of the few areas on the map to delay infantry moves.

Here the Rebel army moves up under cover of the houses, as the local population cower in their cellars.

For some of the locals this was their first experience of war, but for many they would see far worse in future when their houses returned to their natural habitat of WW2 Russia.

(Well, how many ACW 10mm houses can anyone actually buy - Russian ones are made of wood as well...)

XII Corps prepare to be assaulted

2008-11-15T11:30:00.002Z

..as Johnson moves up for the Rebels on the far side of the table, with his 4 slow moving brigades under Jones, Wiliams, Steuart and Walker struggling through the woods and up the slopes of Culps Hill

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Cemetery Ridge seen from the direction of Gettysburg...

2008-11-15T11:13:00.002Z

This shows Smythe & Hall from II Corps occupying the line of a low wall which would come to be known as The Angle.

The Emmitsburg Road is from LKM scenery.

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Cemetery Hill

2008-11-15T11:12:00.002Z

Schurz and XI Corps brace themselves for the assault from Gettysburg.

We probably missed a layer of terrain under the cloths around here - the 2 hills could have been a bit more prominent and had an extra layer of contours or two - the dip between Cemetery Hill and Culps Hill was also mising - but we remebered to take it into account in the game later!

McLaws & Longstreet

2008-11-15T11:10:00.002Z

The right hook moves up to the start line... will Longstreets plan to overwhelm the Union left and roll up their lines along Cemetery Ridge actually work this time ?

(as Confederate players, we pretty much stuck to the original plan of Lee & Longstreet, to attack on both flanks and push ahead wherever an opportunit presented itself. This was partly as starting with the historical deployments forced us into it, but mostly as it seemed the most likely to succeed.

Humphreys advanced position

2008-11-15T11:01:00.002Z

Looked like a good idea at the time.....

Flanks, what flanks..????

(In the actual battle Humphreys has chosen to deploy in what he thought (apparently) was a more defensible position - which left his entire III Corps some considerable distance forward of the rest of the Union lines, and with exposed flanks. How this came to pass is rather murky...

In th ebackground you can see Pendrakens naval gun - here for amusement rather than simulation - well, if you own one, you have to use it sometime don't you!!

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Hills Corps gets ready

2008-11-15T11:00:00.001Z

Waiting for the order to advance, looking towards The Angle and Cemetery Ridge

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The battlefield before the troops arrive

2008-11-15T09:55:00.001Z

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Yes!! It works!

2008-11-15T09:49:00.001Z

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Test

2008-11-15T09:48:00.001Z

Testing the site

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Troops Gather near Gettysburg

2008-11-10T21:59:00.001Z