Turn One
4:40 PM, September 5, Cloudy Skies (Visibility: 25 Hexes)
This turn was skipped by the admin of the game (myself) as I rotated the turn and chose passwords for both sides. This guarantees that neither side can see the entire battlefield setup before the beginning of the battle. Turn two is the first real turn of the game.
Turn Two
5:00 PM, September 5, Cloudy Skies (Visibility: 25 Hexes)
Union:
The battle has begun with a pre-game strategy session between the co-commanders Brogden and Mallory.
Mallory began the talks by pointing out that, “Our forces enter the map spread out all along the eastern side, with some even entering from the north and some from the south. I see no good way (roads or even paths) to connect our northern and southern wings. If they are to consolidate on our side of the river, it will mean a slow, overland march.” Mallory then went on to list the seven possible crossing sites of the Monocacy River and the fact that the best ground near these crossings was always on the eastern side of the river. “In order to win, we need to take at least two of the three objectives, so we are by necessity the aggressors.” Mallory then laid out his strategic thinking that, “Given all this, it seems to me the best place to focus our main attack would be at the Monocacy Junction objective. There are two crossings very close to the objective, and two other crossings within supporting distance (one ford to the north and one ford to the south). All four crossings have high ground on our side of the river, which should give our artillery an advantage. Given the central location of this objective, it would be easier to consolidate our forces there - and there is a chance that might be a weak spot in the Rebel line, if it ends up being between the forces controlled by the two players.”
Brogden then replied to Mallory that, “Since the Rebs have no real reason to cross over the river I would recommend we cross as soon as possible. Generally, I'm a big believer in a few strong feints to keep the opponent off balance and moving to defend. A large attack on one point is usually necessary to crack open a defender who chooses to dig in.” Brogden then countered Mallory’s plan to concentrate against Monocacy Junction with his own. “I think we should move rapidly to all the fords in our areas of influence. You take the northerly crossings and I'll take the southern crossings. We need to have at least a division to cover Monocacy Junction and several within supporting distance if he decides to be bold and cross to attack us. First things first… find a weakness and probe it. He will then be forced to respond to any crossing we make.” Brogden ended his comments with the statement that, “I'm a big believer in getting there first with the most. Forcing him to react and spread out his forces until we find a way for major numbers to cross this will cause him try and cover far too many crossings. We have plenty of time to determine where our major thrusts will be.”
Mallory agreed to the alteration in plan from one with a concentration at Monocacy Junction to one of immediate advances on all of the river crossings. He replied to Brogden that, "If we can make them think we're attacking all of the crossings evenly so they remain spread out, we can focus wherever we want to.” (See Map Below)
Mallory, with the II Corps and Kilpatrick’s Cavalry Division, would advance to the crossings in the north. To the south Brogden would lead the III Corps and Buford’s Cavalry Division against the southern crossings. The I and VI Corps were still at least a day’s march away and would be split between the commanders when they arrived. Mallory would command the VI Corps and Brogden the I Corps.
Having agreed upon a plan the game began in earnest with the first Union move. Brogden commented confidently to Mallory that, “they will have some places weaker than others where we can cross and attack. Unforeseen opportunities will develop as the Rebels bask in their defenses.”
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Union Moves
The first regiments of Ward’s brigade (Birney/III) arrived at 5 PM. Marching past the Worthington House towards Urbana the 1st and 2nd US Sharpshooter regiments were supported by a two-gun section of artillery. They came to a halt a few hundred yards in front of a concealed enemy scouting party of 10 men.
Editor's Note: Both sides have numerous 10-man cavalry units to use as scouts during the battle. The Confederates have fifteen such 10-man units and the Federals have twelve of these units to use. The Federal mounted scouts will only arrive when the cavalry forces themselves arrive in a few hours.
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Confederate:
The replay showed the arrival of the Federal units moving towards Urbana and halting ahead of the scouting unit near the town.
Swanson began the Confederate strategy discussion by suggesting that he take command of Ewell’s Corps in the north while Hively took command of Hood’s Corps to the south. The cavalry would be divided between them as circumstances warranted. Swanson stated right away that he couldn’t, “see the opportunity for anything fancy in this battle (e.g. broad flanking movement) and it looks like a straightforward defensive situation. I am hesitant to have any units move east of the river (scouts excepted) lest they be cut-off and destroyed.”
Swanson then suggested the following strategy for the game, “Ewell's Corps will hold the northern three fords from Hughes Ford to Crums Ford. I will also look to send some units south to help the cavalry at Monocacy Junction as many of your forces are not arriving for several hours. Hood's Corps will hold the four southern fords from the Hope Bridge east of Buckeystown up to and including Monocacy Junction once your forces are on the battlefield. I'm thinking Monocacy Junction may become a joint responsibility when we're fully set up.” (See Map Below)
Swanson wrote that the cavalry should spend their first few hours digging trenches (as they are FIXED in place until 7 PM) while the scouts active east of the Monocacy actively sought high ground and good positions to observe the oncoming Federal army. If forced back from the Monocacy River Swanson suggested that “we sacrifice the objective at Buckeystown and form our southern line roughly along Ballenger Creek. This will give us a smaller area to defend and let us take advantage of good interior lines. Hopefully, if we do have to withdraw to that position, we can inflict enough casualties upon them so that a Draw becomes a Victory.” Hively reviewed the plan and agreed with its outline. The two officers were then set and ready for battle.
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Confederate Moves
The Confederate scouts east of the river began to fall back ahead of the arriving Federal infantry of Ward’s brigade. The town of Urbana was quickly abandoned, and the Confederate horsemen melted away into the countryside.
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To the northwest of the river the division of Maj. Gen. Edward Johnson marched through Frederick City to the east along the Baltimore Pike. Swanson explained that with Johnson’s Division he was, “sending one brigade down to Monocacy Junction, one to Crums Ford and two brigades (with all the artillery) to defend Toll Gate Bridge and Hughes Ford. If my scouts detect any movement in my direction, I'll have to have the infantry vacate at least one of the defensive positions to bolster the one that the enemy is approaching. We cannot let them get any units west of the river early on or we are in big trouble.”
End of Turn two:
Total Strength:
USA: 532
CSA: 12,924
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Total Casualties (infantry + cavalry):
USA: 0
CSA: 0
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Artillery Losses:
USA: 0
CSA: 0
Right: The overhead map of the battlefield. The leading elements of the III Corps have only just begun to arrive in the southeast. Johnson's Confederate division is the largest unit on the field currently and is headed for the river crossings east of Frederick City.
editor's note:
My thoughts on the Confederate plan:
Swanson and Hively seem to be playing strictly defensively. I understand the inclination to do so because the Monocacy River seemingly offers a perfect defensive line cutting across the battlefield from north to south. But, I must admit I am surprised given Swanson's usually aggressive nature. Also, despite this being a double-blind game, one should always seek to gain the initiative in any battle to keep one's opponents unbalanced. Even if that initiative is a feint meant only to deceive your enemy it may still pay great dividends later on. But by planning a purely defensive battle west of the river I feel like all initiative is being handed to the Federals, along with 2/3 of the gaming board, from the very first turn.
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My thoughts on the Federal plan:
For the Federals the decision to “move rapidly to the fords” is a very good one. The Federals have no way to know it, but they are numerically inferior to the Confederates throughout the first 24 hours of battle. But the Confederate commanders have no way to know this either. What the Federals lack in strength they must make up for in initiative and this plan is surely bold. By moving rapidly forward, if successful, they can reach the heights on the river’s edge by nightfall or early morning. Once emplaced on the high ground near the river crossings they can force their way across at numerous points and get into the open fields beyond the Monocacy. Once across the Confederates will have few natural terrain advantages to utilize and the fighting will be on even ground.
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The Federal have no way to know that their original plan, to go straight for Monocacy Junction, would have put them up against one of the most heavily defended parts of the the Confederate line. Stuart's men have constructed abatis there and they are already building breastworks and trenches under Swanson's watch. With the Confederate strategy of not contesting any ground east of the Monocacy River the Federal strategy will be much easier to achieve before nightfall on the first day. They will be able to reach all of the crossing points and by dawn on day two be able to start feeling for a good crossing point to utilize.
Turn Three
5:20 PM, September 5, Cloudy Skies (Visibility: 25 Hexes)
Union:
Union Moves:
The remainder of Ward’s brigade arrived on the field with four more artillery pieces from the III Corps Artillery Reserve. They continued their westward march unopposed, but observed by enemy cavalry, through the town of Urbana along the Hope Road.
Confederate:
Confederate Moves:
The arrival of Heth’s leading brigade, under Brigadier General J. Johnston Pettigrew, was sent northward from their arrival location just east of the Monocacy River. They then unexpectedly turned eastward contrary to the original plans of the commanders.
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Heth moving east? I had hoped this would happen. Hively had made the sole decision to turn Heth eastward and into the hills in front of, rather than behind, the Monocacy River. He wrote Swanson asking, "What are your thoughts on defending on the eastern side of the Monocacy River? I'm sending Pettigrew's Brigade to set up a defense along Hope Hill to at least try to protect the bridge nearby.” Swanson answered that, “It sounds very risky as it's too far forward of the rest of our line. I would not be surprised if you have a whole Yankee corps heading west along the road from Urbana to Buckeystown. If they have any cavalry arriving with them, any units too far forward could have their line of retreat cut. But moving as you propose may ensure the safe arrival of the remainder of Heth's Division from the south as you can block any rapid advances by the enemy towards Hope Bridge.” Swanson then went on to point out that he would be unable to assist Hively in the south, should he be heavily attacked, as his own forces were going to be spread thin in the north.
Hively replied that he agreed defending west of the river to be more ideal. But he was not proposing an attack by Heth. He was suggesting a light defense to allow the rest of Heth’s Division to arrive safely and cross over Hope Bridge west of the river. Swanson wrote back that it was “up to your judgement what to send east and how far, I'm just advising caution.” He also pointed out that in a blind game nobody really knew where the enemy would come from or in what numbers. More scouting would be needed.
End of Turn three:
Total Strength:
USA: 2,332 (+1,800)
CSA: 15,501 (+2,577)
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Total Casualties (infantry + cavalry):
USA: 0
CSA: 0
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Artillery Losses:
USA: 0
CSA: 0
Right: The overhead map of the battlefield. The III Corps continues to arrive near Urbana in the southeast and the Confederate scouts, so numerous east of the river, scatter to observation points. Johnson's Division begins to disperse to the numerous crossing points north of Monocacy Junction. Heth starts to arrive in the south.
editor's note:
I believe an opportunity was missed right here at the start with the arrival of Heth's Division. Heth’s large division arrives from the south along a road just to the east of the Monocacy River. Their uncontested arrival offers the Confederates an opportunity to reach very good defensive high ground east of the Monocacy River before the arrival of Union infantry can confront them. Confederate scouts are picketed in the area and the roads and hills are already confirmed to be free of enemy units. (See Map Below)
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Moving Heth into this area could have really changed the dynamic of the battle in numerous ways. First, given the already late time of 5:20 PM it would be impossible for any serious Federal attack to materialize and advance before nightfall. This could have delayed Federal plans for at least 12 hours as they would have been forced to halt for the night far to the east of the river. Heth’s men could have used the night to entrench and forced the Federals to spend a good portion of the second day of battle maneuvering, trying to ascertain Confederate strength east of the river, and potentially attacking the Rebels in their entrenched positions. Once pressed, with his back to a river, Heth could have disengaged and fallen back over the river rather than fighting an all-out battle east of it.
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Were Swanson and Hively to know that the very slow-arriving III Corps was by itself facing Heth for a full 18 hours they might not be so quick to fall back. Especially with another 8,600 Confederates (AP Hill's Division) arriving by nightfall on the first day of battle. Playing a double-blind scenario really forces players to scout ahead and plan for more contingencies than a traditional game where you know all the strengths and arrival times of your opponents. In this instance the Confederates are making the safe move by falling back immediately west of the river. But will this strategy of giving up so much ground right away work? Is it too safe? We will see.
Turn Four
5:40 PM, September 5, Cloudy Skies (Visibility: 25 Hexes)
Union:
Union Moves:
Two regiments of United States Sharpshooters have continued directly west along the Hope Road while the remainder of Ward’s brigade has taken the northwestern road out of Urbana. Colonel deTrobriand’s brigade has arrived on the field and are marching for Urbana.
Confederate:
The arrival of deTrobriand’s brigade was observed by Confederate scouts which prompted Swanson to write to Hively that it looked like “a whole Union Corps” was arriving from the southeast. The direction of Ward’s brigade marching northwest from Urbana made him wonder if their destination was Monocacy Junction rather than the Hope Bridge. “I may divert a second brigade to Monocacy Junction if they move that way.” Hively decided that he would not move to reinforce Pettigrew’s Brigade as it headed east towards Hope Hill. “I sent the second brigade across the Monocacy, I'll have them start entrenching as soon as possible. I'll direct all the rest across to that area.” Swanson concurred with the decision.
Confederate Moves:
The brigade of Brig. Gen. George T. Anderson arrived from the south behind Pettigrew’s. Formerly of Hood’s old division the veteran brigade marched north and crossed west of the Monocacy at the Hope Bridge. Pettigrew’s brigade of 2,577 men then continued east for Hope Hill in the opposite direction.
To the north Johnson’s Division continued to disperse to cover four different crossing points with their five brigades.
End of Turn four:
Total Strength:
USA: 3,718 (+1,386)
CSA: 17,365 (+1,864)
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Total Casualties (infantry + cavalry):
USA: 0
CSA: 0
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Artillery Losses:
USA: 0
CSA: 0
Right: The overhead map of the battlefield. Ward's brigade is moving towards Monocacy Junction where Stuart's Cavalry is still fixed in place. At Hope Hill Pettigrew's Brigade moves east to block the pass through the hills. Johnson's division continues to disperse in the north.
editor's note:
Having just the four regiments (albeit large ones) of Pettigrew's Brigade heading towards a full Federal division intent on marching as quickly as possible to the river may not be enough to give them pause. But if there is one brigade in the Confederate army capable of putting fear into the Federals it might be Pettigrew’s. His large and good-quality regiments defending higher ground would be hard to quickly dislodge or overpower. How will the Federals respond when they see Pettigrew? It will be another turn at least until Pettigrew is spotted though.
Turn Five
6:00 PM, September 5, Cloudy Skies (Visibility: 25 Hexes)
Union:
Editor's Note:
The Federals continue to spot only the Confederate scouts and have yet to get a look at Pettigrew's Brigade now in the Hope Hill area.
Union Moves:
The two U.S. Sharpshooter regiments have continued up the Hope Road while the rest of Ward’s brigade moves northwest on the Araby Church Road. Graham’s brigade, along with Major General David Birney, arrived south of Urbana and have begun moving in the wake of the sharpshooters westward on the Hope Road.
Mallory and Brogden have discussed the presence of the enemy scouts and what to do about them. In the end Brogden put forward the principle that they would ignore the small enemy scouting parties and allow their own cavalry to chase them back over the river once they arrive in an hour. Mallory agreed with this as the infantry would be unlikely to catch them by themselves. Until the cavalry could arrive the infantry would just have to ignore the scouting parties.
Confederate:
Confederate Moves:
Archer’s Brigade, the next unit to arrive for Heth, followed Anderson’s men west over Hope Bridge. Pettigrew’s men then began to spread out and deploy on Hope Hill covering the main road towards the bridge.
In the north Johnson’s Division continued to disperse over a large area to cover four different crossing points.
Swanson and Hively were having their own discussion about the scouts at the same time that their opponents were. Hively commented that he wanted to save as many of the scouting units as possible for use later in the scenario. He also recommended hiding a few units east of the river for operations behind enemy lines if feasible. Swanson urged him to use his scouts as he saw fit as they were useful tools to get an idea of enemy intentions and numbers.
End of Turn five:
Total Strength:
USA: 5,383 (+1,665)
CSA: 18,658 (+1,293)
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Total Casualties (infantry + cavalry):
USA: 0
CSA: 0
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Artillery Losses:
USA: 0
CSA: 0
Right: The overhead map of the battlefield. Heth's Division is concentrating west of Hope Bridge while Pettigrew remains at the Hope Hill area. Birney's division is divided with most of Ward's brigade headed as a diversion towards Monocacy Junction.
editor's note:
I don’t love the use of Pettigrew's Brigade at the moment to be honest. Their position on Hope Hill is a potentially strong one but they are setting up to only lightly contest an enemy advance rather than trying to seriously delay it until nightfall. It may still work out that the Federals wholly halt their advance upon running into enemy infantry so we will have to wait and see how cautious they are once the rifles start firing. Pettigrew has set up out of sight along the road and is well-placed to give the enemy sharpshooter units a full broadside as they enter the Hope Hill area. Had the Confederates concentrated more of Pettigrew’s men directly across the road they would be an unmovable force given the little time left before dusk and then dark.