047/048 - Chickamauga Meeting Engagement
More About This Scenario
Meeting Engagement setups are always intriguing and are usually amongst the most popular battles with any title. This meeting engagement is a massive one which looks to appeal to those wishing to escape the traditional confines of the Battle of Chickamauga. But it is also a very challenging scenario that comes with some definite issues which you should be aware of before you choose to fight here.
Beginning this scenario without a proper understanding of its dynamics will cause you problems as the game plays out. This is evidenced by the fact that although the Confederates outnumber the Federals here, they still lose more than they win according to the Department of Records.
Let’s take a look at all the different aspects of this scenario and break it down. Doing so will help you better understand this scenarios positives and negatives and allow you to be more prepared for your next battle here.
Analyzing the Numbers
With over 5,000 additional men in this scenario, you might think that it would be an easy battle to win. You would be wrong. Nearly 2,500 of the additional Confederate soldiers are cavalrymen. Their usefulness on a battlefield as heavily wooded as Chickamauga is severely limited. The associated point loss for their casualties is a major reason why people may struggle with this scenario. Cavalry losses count twice as much as infantry losses do in the Victory Point column. Therefore, any standup fighting between your cavalry and the enemy infantry is a losing proposition.
The Federals also have forty additional artillery pieces on the field. On a battlefield where artillery will likely be used at close range, this is important. There are few open fields where fighting is likely to occur, but even in these fields the Federals will have an advantage in firepower. Their artillery pieces are of a significantly better quality than our own and produce a much higher fire value on average. This, coupled, with their forty additional pieces, give the Federals a clear-cut advantage.
When you combine the problem of the Confederates having "too many" cavalrymen and the Federal advantage in artillery, it is easy to begin seeing why this battle is more difficult for the Rebels.
The Cavalry Problem
It is great to see Forrest leading a full Cavalry Corps here at Chickamauga. You'd assume, understandably, that the Confederate cavalry would be unbeatable. But that is simply not the case. The Federals, shockingly, have a higher quality rating than we do. They also have far better weaponry. This makes the Federal cavalry an incredibly dangerous opponent to run into at Chickamauga.
The Federal cavalrymen are armed with Carbines, Repeaters and Spencers at Chickamauga. All of these weapons have a greater Fire Value at one hex than do the Rifles, Muskets, and Pistols our units are predominately using. Given that you should ideally only look to use your cavalry against the enemy's cavalry - you must be very careful when doing so in this battle. With better quality and better guns the Federal cavalrymen are not to be sneered at.
An Infantryman's Fight
The battle in this scenario will inevitably become one of infantry versus infantry. In this contest, we have advantage on paper. But is that really the case? It is debatable. Diving into the numbers more will help us clear up this question.
The Confederates do have over 3,500 additional infantrymen in this battle. But if you look at the number of units with over 600 men in them you will see the Rebels have about 3,500 in just five units. In other words, our entire advantage is negated by the fact that our numerical superiority is heavily weighted by the presence of these five mammoth infantry units.
But aren't larger units better? No. Large units accrue fatigue at the same rate as small units do. When a small unit is heavily fatigued, you simply remove them from the line and rarely notice their absence. But when large units are fatigued, removing them from the line can leave a larger hole to fill. Larger units are also magnets for enemy fire and are more likely to rout as a result of the concentrated fire they receive.
Not only do the Confederates have the problem of having too many large units, we also have the problem of having too many small units. By small, I mean units with under 200 men. You will notice the Rebels have an overall advantage of 30 regiments in this battle (160 vs. 130). But the number of units with under 200 men is 32. Much like our numerical advantage is wasted with the numbers being crammed into a few large units - our advantage in movable units is wasted with the overabundance of small units on the map.
The number of Federal units with less than 200 men, and more than 600, is just 6 (803 men). For the Confederates the number of units in that range is 37 (7,927 men). Units ranging in size from 200 - 599 are ideally suited for the purposes of our games. This means 95% of the Federal units are of an ideal size while just 77% of ours are.
Small units do not pack enough Fire Value to do much damage in a standup fight such as frequently occurs at Chickamauga. And the larger units accrue fatigue too quickly to be reliable long term. Therefore, the infantry situation at Chickamauga is not nearly as advantageous to the Confederates as you might assume at first glance.
Did you know?
McLaws is absent during the Battle of Chickamauga. This leaves his crack division (Kershaw and Humphreys) in a perpetually "detached" status. This will hurt their ability to stay on the firing line and recover from disruptions and routs.
The Scenario Setup
The battlefield map is a small submap of the larger Chickamauga/Chattanooga map. This is most unfortunate as it really cuts down on the ability of the players to maneuver. As a result the action is very concentrated and impossible to avoid.
The LaFayette Road is the main north-south roadway on the battlefield. The road is crucially important to the Federals as they receive men from both the north and the south. This road represents the only convenient way to connect their two halves on the battlefield.
For the Rebels, their movement is hindered by the lack of any good north-south roads on the eastern side of the battlefield. Confederates arriving from the east will have to utilize trails in order to move south and join the main body of the army.
The Federals have just under 24,000 men arrive from the north early in the battle (including Wilder's Brigade). These forces will be completely on the field by 7 AM on the second day of battle. This is on turn number 32 of the game. The bulk of both armies arrive on the southern half of the map starting after 8 PM of the first day (turn 19). The Federals will arrive much faster and sooner on the southern part of the map than will the Confederates (not arriving until 5 AM on the second day - turn 28).
The strangest and most bizarre design decision with this scenario was the placement of two large forces arriving on the map at the same time and just 15 hexes apart. At 5 AM (turn 28), the forces of Crittenden's corps begin to arrive from the south. Fifteen hexes to the east, the men of Cheatham's Division of Polk's Corps begin to arrive simultaneously. This places an incredible amount of importance on holding open Lee & Gordon's Mill for the Federals. If they lose this crossing point then Crittenden is vulnerable to being cut off and pushed into Chickamauga Creek and destroyed.
The Confederates arrive very slowly at the start of the scenario. About half their total force will be comprised of cavalry units which will hamper your offensive abilities on such a heavily wooded battlefield. Starting at 5 AM on September 19 the Confederate army begins to quickly arrive. The army more than doubles in just a few hours and continues to grow into that afternoon. The reinforcements then slow down with just a few thousand more trickling in on the 20th.
The Federal army swells in numbers earlier than do the Confederates. Their earlier arrival times allow them to reach critical positions on the battlefield sooner and with more men.
This scenario will be harder for the Confederates at the start for numerous reasons. To begin with, they are outnumbered soon after the start and remain so for about 50 turns. The Confederates are accustomed to being outnumbered though. But here our army is composed too largely of cavalrymen at the start and this will force us to make difficult choices about how to use them when the enemy infantry is moving aggressively. A large Federal windfall of points early on will allow them to sit back on chosen defensive ground later in the battle once your own reinforcements arrive.
Personal Conclusion
Moderate Union Advantage
Tactical Tips
1) Use Your Cavalry Carefully
As mentioned above, Forrest's Cavalry Corps should not become a dismounted infantry force going up against Union infantry. This will result in you losing too many points in a standup fight. You can still use Forrest to engage and delay enemy infantry but do it cautiously and without needlessly exposing them for too long a period.
Even when fighting enemy cavalry, remember they have the advantage! The Federal cavalrymen are very well-armed and are above average in quality. Unless you can utilize modifiers while fighting them, you will be taking more losses than you inflict. These early point losses can quickly accumulate if you are not careful and result in an early defeat or a point deficit you can never overcome.
2) Reunite Your Army
The battlefield is a hard one to fight on because of the poor north-south road network and the meandering Chickamauga Creek dividing our forces. With Crittenden's corps arriving from the south (east of the creek) it creates numerous problems about where to fight the major battle and even where to concentrate. Pick the ground you want to fight on though and don't wander off to attack any enemy lines in the woods without a purpose being served by doing so.
3) Be Aggressive (But Do It Intelligently)
The Confederates have a lot of issues to deal with in this battle - but so do the Federals. Their army is divided by a creek (the same as yours) and they must find a way to unite their men. They will likely be looking to damage Forrest and the Confederates in the north at the start of the battle and then secure Lee & Gordon's Mill that evening. If you can move aggressively for Lee & Gordon's Mill with Forrest then you might be able to wrestle the initiative away from the numerically superior Federals. If you can keep them back on their heels for the first part of the battle where their numbers are far greater than your own, it will help you in the long run. Doing this should (hopefully) keep your losses manageable and set you up for success on days two and three.
Final Thoughts
I want to really love this battle - but I don't. It just feels off. From the overly small map to the odd arrival locations, the scenario just doesn't flow as well as you might hope given that it is a meeting engagement. But it can still be a fun scenario to play. Remember, as you always should, to look to capture and destroy enemy wagons. This is a long battle and the Federals have fewer wagons and supplies than we do. If you can damage their supplies you can begin to make them sweat as their wagons are used up.