From: tbarnes@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (thomas wrentmore barnes)
Newsgroups: alt.war.civil.usa
Subject: what happened in a charge?
Date: 12 Oct 92 17:15:34 GMT
Organization: Indiana University

****WAR GAME GRIPE ALERT*****
(press n to skip)

I was recently took part in an ACW miniatures battle (Johnny Reb rules
for those of you who care), when I had a unit destroyed in what seems to
be an ahistorical way. Here is the situation

              ***zz**     *****
              ***zz**     ******
          ******xx****    *******
          ***** xx*****   *****q*
          **********y     ********
          *********y*     ****U
          ********y*      **U
	  *******y*       *U
          ******y*        U
          ********       U
                          ***
                          ***
                         q

z = 200 man confederate regiment in "attack column" (sort of a doubled
line) [for JR wargamers I've omitted the lagging 5th stand due to ASCI
limitations]. Ordered to charge U. Range to U = 6" = 300 yards.

x = z. Range to U = 5" = 250 yards

y = 160 man (originally 200 man) confederate regiment in line. Armed
with rifle muskets. Ordered to "first fire" (essentially sustained fire
to soften up an enemy in preparation for a charge. It gives a slight
advantage over "hold fire" in damage). Range to U = 3" = 150 yards.

U = Union infantry 180 man (originally 200 man) regiment in line. Armed
with rifle muskets. Ordered to "first fire" (to get the slight bonus to
damage against the nearest rebel unit).  

q = flanking union units in line. Armed with rifle muskets. Approx. 180
men.
All units are average quality with good morale.

PLAY OF THE ENGAGEMENT: Because visibility through woods (*) is rolled
randomly on 1 die each turn, the union can only see unit y. (Visibility
is 150 yards, woods are "broken terrain", this is a simulation of a
hypothetical attack on Pope's forces East of Chancellorsville, after Lee
had repulsed Hooker on the second day.) Union shoots at unit Y and
causes 60 casualties (dead, wounded, lost, ran away, helping wounded,
etc.) over 15 minutes. Unit Y shoots back causing 40 casualties. The
woods hinder fire and protect some potential union casuaties. [Saving
Throws on 1,2,3].  
	At some time in the turn, confederate unit  x charges. Due to
the rules, the Union regiment doesn't get to fire its guns or
counter-charge the rebs, even when they break into the open 100 yards to
the front of the union regiment. In spite of this the Union morale holds
and the charge goes to contact, then to melee [yes, this was a fluky die
roll]. The confederates and the bluebellys club each other the secesh
take 140 casualties (again, this doesn't represent k.i.a.s, it also
represents men who are no longer effectively in the fight - ran away,
helping wounded, wounded, playing dead, lost, musket malfunctioned
etc.), the yanks take 120 casualties. After a short time the johnnies
have had enough and refuse to go forward [shaken morale], the
northerners decide they too have seen enough and rout [routed morale].
They run directly away from the enemy 6" through the woods (300 yards)
and show every sign of running all the way back to Banks Ford.
	Then, confederate unit z goes in. It miraculously avoids being
fired on by y, colliding with the rear of x, getting caught up with x as
it is forming for the charge, or being shot at by U while the Union is
still in good order. It goes directly to where the fleeing yankees are,
pursing them 11" (550 yards) through broken terrain into an area where
there is a known enemy force and where there might be more enemies they
can't see. They catch up with U, hit them on the rear and round up the
unit as prisoners. 
	In 15 minutes z has gone 550 yards through broken ground (when
they can only see 150 yards ahead of them at any one time) into ground
occupied by the enemy, ignoring full strength, active Union units not 50
yards to either side of the unit they caved in, without any support and
has taken prisoner or killed 60 men in less than 15 minutes! Quite an
impressive feat, especially when you consider that they took no
casualties and only need to spend a turn reordering their disordered
troops (15 minutes).
	Does this scenario gall you too? 
	Here's what I think would have happened, in "real life".
	Union shoots at Y for the 1st 5 minute or so of the period. Then
z appears, z has taken a few casualties from being near the fire fight
and not taking cover (it was forming an "attack column" for a charge,
remember). It is slightly slowed for having to tell Y to stop firing and
for having to skirt Y slightly. With a whoop and a yell the rebel boys
go in, charging blindly through the woods to the sound of the guns.
	There is a lull in the fire as the yankees realize that the rebs
have stopped firing on them, replaced by frantic fire as the federals
hear the rebel war cry and see the first butternut figures rushing
from the trees. Unit z takes casualties, but goes to contact. Both sides
hold (very unusual) and vicious hand-to-hand struggle ensues. The Union
routs and runs away. Some johnnies chase after them, but most are
reluctanct to pursue, they drift to the rear or gather up their wounded
as quickly as possible. There are full strenth Union regiments not 50
yards away!  As they fall back to their original position, they collide
with unit x which has delayed its charge for some reason. x and z get
intermingled, but z fights its way through. They take the Union
position, but don't go more than 150 yards past it. There might be union
reserves, and there are enemies to either side of them. Now they're in
trouble. Next turn they will have to turn to face one or the other of
the union units on their flanks or fall back! The routed men in blue
rout back 550 yards or so, and keep on going next turn, gradually losing
cohesiveness as a unit.
	Alternately, both rebel units could pile in at the same time,
taking casualties and anhilating the yanks. In this case it is entirely
possible that they could capture or kill the whole unit as it was
running away.
	Does anyone else have any ideas as to what might have happened
in a charge under similar circumstances?
	Does anyone have different or similar opinions on whether the
scenario as presented is historically possible or not?
`
Thanks in advance, 

Tom 
Newsgroups: alt.war.civil.usa