Battle of Fredericksburg the refight

Over the weekend I finally got up to Micks fir the refight. Myself and Dave were given the command of the Union forces while Mick and Tom took the Confederates. As C in C, Dave decided that he would demonstrate in front of the stonewall on ST. Marys heights, while I would detach a Corps yo try and hold Jacksons Corps while using the others to storm the Confederate positions. It was going to be a blood bath and so it proved.

Early doors Dave managed to get some union guns into Fredericksburg and concentrated on counter battery fire. This proved very effective, knocking out 3 guns early on.

My advance began very slowly. With only 2 pontoons I was struggling to cross the river. Dave also tried to cross with another Corps, but with only 1 pontoon he also struggled. Mick decided to take advantage of the situation and committed a division to try and push the union troops back. After a couple of rounds of heavy fighting his assault was checked with heavy losses. He was to rue these losses later in the game.

Eventually on my flank, my first Division faced off against Jackson trading Artillery fire at range. Meanwhile my first 2 Corps gnarly got across and organised ready for my assault.

With my troops in position we began to advance into some murderous Artillery fire. Still we advanced as Artillery then hit the flanks causing yet more casualties. But still my brave lads continued. I also managed to get more Artillery of my own into position and began to silence the Confederate guns. Eventually we reached the heights and I threw them in only to be bloody repulsed. Tom and Myself then began trading assaults as I struggled to get up onto the heights. However I was drawing in the Confederate reserves from Jacksons Corps.

Over on the Union right, Dave realised that with thinning Confederate reserves he could begin a major assault against the wall. It took some bitter and protracted assaults to finally break the Confederate position and get over the wall. At this point Mick Bemoaned the loss of his division from the early counterattack. With pressure beginning to build all across the Rebel line, cracks were beginning to show. But time and again they threw back our assaults. Now though our numbers finally began to tell as first Longstreets Corps began to fall back, while A number of Jacksons divisions were fought out. It was pretty much the same on the union side with a large number of divisions out of action.

Well after approximately 12 hours of gaming we finally called it a day. Longstreets Corps had been pushed back and Jackson was fought out. The union troops had finally gained the hieghts above Fredericksburg. While on the left another assault would probably have broken through the Confederate defence. All in all a great and hard fought game, very enjoyable.