Here’s an account of a game played in Kidderminster in the first week of August 2019. This was an American Civil War battle fought with 20mm figures (courtesy of Nick) using the Fire and Fury Rules (Brigade Edition), which were first published in 1990. The orders of battle were as follows: -

Andy W and Dave B shared command of the Union forces, Clive and Neil W were the Rebel generals and Nick was the umpire. The aim of both sides was to seize control of the crossroads in the centre of the table and force the opposition to withdraw from the field.

The game opened with the Union divisions moving forward quickly to occupy the hills in the centre and on their right wing with artillery and infantry The Confederate troops moved forward with the aim of holding the Northern forces on their right and then converging on the crossroads to deal with the remaining enemy divisions in the centre and left. This plan worked remarkably well. General Johnson’s 2^nd Division engaged Andy’s two Union divisions in the left centre and engaged in a prolonged fire fight punctuated by occasional charges while the Rebel cavalry on the far left dismounted and held the attention of a couple of Union brigades. Meanwhile, on the Confederate right, Early’s division swept forward, routed the Union cavalry and then destroyed the artillery situated on the hill. Despite a spirited fight back by one of Dave’s Brigades, this effectively knocked his division out of the contest and the remaining Rebel infantry wheeled left and began to march towards the enemy infantry on the central high ground.

The Confederate forces facing Andy’s remaining divisions were now suffering heavy losses and making no progress. The outcome remained in the balance until Clive’s division started to make its presence felt on the Union centre left. After a period of “softening up” the defenders, the Rebel infantry stormed the central hill and forced the depleted Union brigades to abandon the position. At this point, General Hancock conceded the field to the Rebs.