Thursday, February 20, 2014

Battle of Iuka: After the lull

Holy smokes! Has it really been two week since my last mini-course session?  A brutal winter and a brush with a stomach bug meant that our game was on hiatus for a very long time. My students are troopers, however, and with only a minimum of review, they were ready to knock each other around again.

This shows the situation after three and a half turns.  The Confederates, on the right, have been able to bring up their reserve brigade. Forming a second line behind the first to provide defense-in-depth is more complex than Tyler thought, and he is racing against time to prevent a Union breakthrough.  The lonely Alabamans on his right (at the top of the screen) did not receive the order to perform a bold flanking maneuver until it was too late.  However, the Confederate artillery fires a devastating close-range volley at the Union Zouaves in front of them.  In response, the Union finally moves up their reserve brigade.  Their front line puts pressure on the Confederate crescent-shaped defense. The rebels, spread thinly to hold a wide front, manage to disperse many of their casualties, but a hard push by the Union will cause them to evaporate.

The Alabamans finally execute a move to fire down the Union flank.  The battered Zouaves break and run.  Meanwhile, Tyler forms the second line of his defense.  And not a moment too soon. Steven gangs up on the regiment holding the center of the Confederate line.  The Confederate regiment evaporates, leaving just a thin skirmish line behind them.  Neither side has felt confident enough to risk a charge against the enemy yet.  I have a feeling that is about to change.


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