Turn Six
6:20 PM, September 5, Cloudy Skies (Visibility: 25 Hexes)
Union:
Union Moves:
The three brigades of Birney’s division continued their courses with Ward’s men heading towards Monocacy Junction while the other brigades headed west for Hope Bridge. Ward’s brigade is moving in a diversionary manner towards the Junction and has orders to turn south once that mission is completed.
Confederate:
Confederate Moves:
The brigade of Brig. Gen. Joseph Davis has arrived and headed west over the Hope Bridge joining the majority of Heth’s Division there. Pettigrew has consolidated his lines some near Hope Hill to better block the road west.
To the north Johnson’s brigades have begun to build trenches near the crossing points over the Monocacy River (See Map Below). The Louisiana Tigers will cover the northernmost crossing at Hughes Ford. The Texas Brigade is taking up a position near the Toll Gate Bridge. The Stonewall Brigade and Steuart’s Brigade have moved to cover Crums Ford while Jones’ Brigade is at Monocacy Junction.
Above: The northern crossing points over the Monocacy River. Each is being defended by different parts of both Stuart's Cavalrymen and Johnson's infantrymen.
End of Turn six:
Total Strength:
USA: 5,383 (+0)
CSA: 20,957 (+2,299)
​
Total Casualties (infantry + cavalry):
USA: 0
CSA: 0
​
Artillery Losses:
USA: 0
CSA: 0
Right: The overhead map of the battlefield. Pettigrew's men alone are holding the Hope Hill area where Birney is advancing.
editor's note:
The concentration of Pettigrew’s men at the last moment before the enemy heads over Hope Hill was timely. The Federals should walk directly into a hail of fire during the next turn and will take heavy losses in the valuable sharpshooter units if they do.
Turn Seven
6:40 PM, September 5, Cloudy Skies (Visibility: 25 Hexes)
Union:
Union Moves:
Federal caution saved them. Brogden, perhaps sensing that heading blindly through a narrow gap into thickly wooded hills would be a bad idea, halted his column and dispersed skirmishers with the sharpshooters. This move likely saved them from losing a few dozen men in front of Pettigrew’s ambush. Ward’s brigade continued its feint on Monocacy Junction to the north.
Confederate:
Confederate Moves:
Heth’s divisional artillery has arrived and crossed west over the Hope Bridge as Heth is now digging in to block the river crossing. Pettigrew’s brigade has begun to fall back towards the bridge as well as Heth’s division in now nearly all across the river safely.
To the north Johnson’s men are entrenching more as they guard the northern river crossings.
Swanson wrote to Hively that he was setting Johnson’s “men to digging trenches (especially at Monocacy Junction and some other key hexes where time may be of the essence).”
End of Turn Seven:
Total Strength:
USA: 5,383 (+0)
CSA: 22,797 (+1,840)
​
Total Casualties (infantry + cavalry):
USA: 0
CSA: 0
​
Artillery Losses:
USA: 0
CSA: 0
Right: The overhead map of the battlefield. The sharpshooters of Ward's brigade have halted before crossing Hope Hill. Heth's men are digging in on the western side of Hope Bridge.
editor's note:
The Federals wisely halted before crossing the Hope Hill area as they were headed for big trouble. The movement of Ward’s brigade towards Monocacy Junction, now that they are spotted, has had the desired effect of putting immediate pressure on the Confederates to cover all of the crossings as rapidly as possible. With the falling back of Pettigrew’s Brigade the path is slowly opening towards Hope Bridge for the Federals. With some luck they may secure the eastern side of the crossing during the night and be prepared to lay down a heavy artillery fire across it by morning.
Turn Eight
7:00 PM, September 5, Dusk (Visibility: 4 Hexes)
Union:
Union Moves:
Substantial Union reinforcements have finally reached the field. Three of Pleasonton’s cavalry brigades have arrived from the east and one from the north just to the east of the Monocacy River. To the south the leading brigade of Schenck’s division, III Corps, has arrived and is moving for Urbana. (See Map Below)
The cavalry brigades were hurried westward to begin clearing out the enemy scouts and probing the crossing points across the Monocacy. The four brigades all deployed their scouting units ahead of their main column and quickly ran into some enemy scouting units. The first firing of the day occurred as the 8th Illinois charged a band of enemy scouts and captured the lot of them. At Hughes Ford the scouts of Custer’s brigade made contact with the Louisiana Tigers entrenching across the river.
Brogden reiterated to Mallory that he was “going to feint at Monocacy Junction” so that they could bluff the Rebels into thinking they would attack there. Meanwhile he was “going to assemble a substantial portion of the III Corps just east of the Hope Bridge as much hidden as possible.”
Confederate:
Confederate Moves:
Pettigrew continued to pull back uncontested over the Monocacy River as the final brigade of Heth’s Division, Brockenbrough’s, arrived on the field.
To the north the Louisiana Tigers wiped out the 10-man Union scouting party near Hughes Ford and inflicted a further 31 casualties on the 1st Michigan Cavalry of Custer’s brigade who were within rifle range of the ford. The Confederates at Hughes Ford had been working hard to build trenches and had just finished when the Federals appeared. “I finished the trench up north just in the nick of time,” Swanson wrote, “and was able to open fire on their cavalry at once.”
Above: The Federal cavalry rides into the battle from various points along the eastern and northern edges of the map.
End of Turn eight:
Total Strength:
USA: 12,812 (+7,429)
CSA: 24,154 (+1,357)
​
Total Casualties (infantry + cavalry):
USA: 41
CSA: 10
​
Artillery Losses:
USA: 0
CSA: 0
Right: The overhead map of the battlefield. The Union's cavalry has arrived in strength from the east and from the north.
editor's note:
Moving forward as rapidly as possible with the cavalry was the absolute right move. By putting pressure on the Confederates as quickly as possible and driving them back over the river the Federals can secure their own lines and start the process of getting across the river sooner.
Turn Nine
7:20 PM, September 5, Dusk (Visibility: 4 Hexes)
Union:
Union Moves:
The Federals under Custer moved into line and began to engage the Confederates at Hughes Ford. The cavalrymen enjoyed higher ground and wooded terrain while the Federals were behind their trenches. Elsewhere the Union cavalry continued to drive off Confederate scouts and push on towards the multiple crossings of the Monocacy River. At the Toll Gate Bridge Federal scouts stumbled upon the Texans of Robertson’s Brigade entrenching in column.
To the south Birney’s division continued its methodical advance over Hope Hill while Ward’s brigade moved on Monocacy Junction to get a good look across the river before nightfall. At Urbana the second of Maj. Gen. Robert Schenck’s brigades arrived to increase Federal numbers on the southern portion of the field.
Mallory wrote to Brogden that, “The Rebs seem to be spreading out all over.” At Toll Gate Bridge he wrote that if the Texans wanted to fire back, they would have to “change to line formation to fire at us and at least that will stop their progress toward entrenching. Next turn, I will plan to move two dismounted cavalry units up into the woods and fire into the Rebels, who are in a clear hex.”
Confederate:
Confederate Moves:
The Confederates returned fire at Hughes Ford while at the Toll Gate Bridge the Texans who were not entrenching opened fire on the cavalrymen.
Near Monocacy Junction the units of Jones’ Brigade and Hampton’s Cavalry Brigade opened fire on the 20th Indiana who had approached the crossings inflicting 35 casualties. More importantly Brig. Gen. John H. Ward was killed in the exchange.
Above: The Confederate position at Monocacy Junction is a strong one as the Federals are finding out.
End of Turn Nine:
Total Strength:
USA: 15,630 (+2,818)
CSA: 24,125 (-29)
​
Total Casualties (infantry + cavalry):
USA: 123 (+82)
CSA: 39 (+29)
​
Artillery Losses:
USA: 0
CSA: 0
Right: The overhead map of the battlefield. Fighting between Confederate scouts and Federal cavalry is ongoing in many places. Schenck's division is arriving from the southeast.
editor's note:
Ward’s was a regrettable loss for the Yankees. His presence with the 20th Indiana in an exposed position (even though they didn’t know it was so exposed when they occupied the hex) was unnecessary. The scouting could have been accomplished by the 20th Indiana without the presence of Ward in the same hex. It is a common mistake we all make, me included, and I am sure we have all lost commanders from such instances and cursed our own foolishness and bad luck afterwards.
Will Ward’s feint towards Monocacy have the desired effect of pulling Confederate units towards the center while the main efforts are made at the flanks? We will have to wait and see. But the fact that they are being seen opposite Monocacy Junction just before sundown bodes well for their deception. Unless the Rebels launch a night reconnaissance to investigate Union strength opposite their center they will only be able to guess as to whether or not the action by Ward was a feint or not.
Turn Ten
7:40 PM, September 5, Dusk (Visibility: 4 Hexes)
Union:
Union Moves:
The Federals continued to skirmish at selective crossings while bringing up more men and guns. The final brigade of Schenck’s division arrived near Urbana as it followed the other brigades west towards Hope Bridge. To the north the constant back and forth with Confederate scouts continued as more small units were flushed out and captured.
Mallory observed to Brogden that, “He seems to be covering all the crossings but more so the crossings leading to his victory hexes.” He continued that we, “have the advantage in artillery. Let's use it. My thought (for up north, at least) is to make a clear path for the artillery that will be showing up. As the artillery approaches the crossings, I'll have them unlimber two or three hexes away from the crossings. Unlimbering in the dark will cause them to disrupt, but they'll have the rest of the night to recover. I'll try to entrench and build breastworks as well. When the sun rises, our guns will be in position to blast away at the Rebs at close range.” Brogden agreed with this and wrote back that, “I imagine they will strongly defend the crossings on the direct routes to victory hexes. The good news is that they will tie down a substantial number of troops at those places while trying to determine our main push. It looks like they were trying to cross at the northernmost crossing with cavalry but were dissuaded. Finding and eliminating their cavalry scouts on our side is important while keeping their main cavalry on the other side. We have plenty of time to determine where best to make our main thrusts.”
Confederate:
Confederate Moves:
The Confederates have continued to entrench at all the crossing points. Artillery has been brought up and into the trenches at Hughes Ford in the north to make that position more formidable. The Toll Gate Bridge crossing is the weakest of the Confederate positions thus far. Defended by the Texas Brigade, the crossing point is dominated by high ground on the opposite side of the river. The 1st Texas continues to entrench in column (making trenches) at the river’s edge despite being under the guns of Farnsworth’s cavalrymen and already taken 30 casualties.
End of Turn ten:
Total Strength:
USA: 18,250 (+2,630)
CSA: 24,071 (-54)
​
Total Casualties (infantry + cavalry):
USA: 178 (+55)
CSA: 93 (+54)
​
Artillery Losses:
USA: 0
CSA: 0
Right: Action around Monocacy Junction and the continued advance of the Union forces towards the river crossings.
editor's note:
Brogden was actually incorrect when he stated that it appeared the Confederates were about to cross over the river in the north with cavalry. Swanson was just using any and all available units to build breastworks and trenches as quickly as possible and units from Fitz Lee’s Cavalry Brigade were available for the task. Further, the Federal players are mistaken that the Confederates are concentrating more on any one particular crossing than another. As of this point they are trying to reinforce them all and are unsure where the Federals will make their main efforts.
The Union plan to bring up their guns in the darkness and set them up opposite the crossings is a very good one. The land on the eastern side of the river is almost always superior and at a higher elevation than that to the west where the Confederates are defending. Dozens of Union batteries will be arriving by morning and they will greatly outnumber any cannons the Confederates can mass against them. By utilizing the higher ground near the fords it should be just a matter of time until they can swarm across under the protection of their guns.
The Confederate decision to keep digging in at Toll Gate Bridge is an interesting one. The Texans are getting shot up each turn badly in column formation. Can Farnsworth’s men drive them back before they complete the trenches? If so then it will be very hard for the Confederates to retake that hex and entrench before heavy Union columns reach the area opposite it and make it untenable. Even with trenches in place the crossing point there will be a “hot spot” as it is susceptible to bombardment from many nearby ridges.