Chattanooga (Lookout Mountain & Missionary Ridge)

Back in November, I was fortunate enough to tour a few ACW battlefields between Nashville and Atlanta (see my report here), including the Battle of Chattanooga. This week I got to wargame the battle.

I thought it would be tricky to turn into a good scenario. It has two major episodes: the preliminary storming of Lookout Mountain on 24 November; then the storming of Missionary Ridge on 25 November. Set-piece assaults on well-entrenched static defenders are not always the most interesting to game (as I discussed here), and combining the two episodes that were several miles apart and on different days is a challenge.

However, Crispin rose to that challenge and I am happy to say he has done a great job of the scenario design. Incorporating two separate frontal assaults into a single scenario actually makes them far more interesting together than they would be individually, as the connection between them creates options, introduces decisions, and generates maneuver for both sides. We had a fun evening - it moved swiftly, had its moments of drama (both comedy and tragedy), and was all over in two hours. This bodes well for when Crispin runs it at the next BBB Bash Day in Slimbridge on 22 June (as announced in various places, eg here).

Ten captioned photos below illustrate how it went, followed by some Reflections.

Panoramic view, looking south from the Union side of the river. Chattanooga and its surrounding fortifications dominate the centre of the table. Several of the US divisions immediately in front are anchored in place for the first few turns, while Hooker's force (top right) is poised to assault the Confederate outpost on Lookout Mountain. Most of the Confederate army is dug in on Missionary Ridge (left of pic), which culminates in a high point at Tunnel Hill (out of pic bottom left). Sherman's force in the woods lower left will operate against that end of the ridge. White counters indicate objective locations. There are 8, not all visible; US needs to take/hold 5 or 6 to draw, 7+ to win.

A better view of Missionary Ridge. I commanded its Confederate defenders. Dave had the tough task of storming the heights. Figures are Baccus 6mm. Armies and terrain all done by Crispin (except for Mark's earthworks).

Hooker's men on their start line behind the railroad. Crispin led the attack here, while Mark marshalled the defence.

Looking out from Lookout Mountain (nowadays a very pretty little park). The US assault columns form up but struggle to get the movement rolls for a coordinated attack. Consequently, one division will stumble forward into the Confederate cannister alone and be wiped out by a Confederate counter-charge. Union fire from a second US unit will eventually whittle the Reb division down and render it Spent, but the US ran out of time and couldn't quite take the objective here.

The key to the US plan was this isolated Confederate division linking Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. The idea was to smash that quickly, get behind Lookout Mountain, and sweep down against the southern end of Missionary Ridge ...

... which meant Sherman's men facing the other end of the ridge were to sit tight for the whole of Day 1, then attack in coordination with the anticipated breakthrough.

When the Union did eventually roll forward against Missionary Ridge, it didn't go well for them. Their artillery tried to suppress the Confederate guns in their redoubts but failed to make much impression, whereas Confederate fire disrupted and pinned down every US attempt to advance. Perhaps focusing on one sector and/or working round the flank would have helped the Union attack to go better.

Revenge! Crispin's men in the centre eventually managed to bully a second Confederate linking division.

"Now you're gonna get it!" said Dave as he launched his assaults. Sadly, it was his own men who "got it". Here's one attack about to bounce off the southern end of Missionary Ridge ...

... while that sad little 2-base remnant unit (centre left) is what's left of a last desperate and futile US charge next to Tunnel Hill.

As the Union had made no impression on Missionary Ridge and failed to take Lookout Mountain, the result was a Confederate victory. We had time for a good post-battle discussion of why the Union plan hadn't worked out, how it could have gone differently, and what other plans both sides could follow. Definitely worth being played again (as it will be in a month's time - come to Bash Day and join in!).

Reflections

The happy idler. Ensconced in my entrenchments on Missionary Ridge and with an opponent not even deigning to advance to the attack until Turn 6, I did virtually nothing all game but roll firing dice. I had to make a couple of rally rolls but I lost just one base to the attackers' fire. My only movement was to form up my lefthand division from its firing line into depth in preparation for Dave's last-ditch assault. Now, I talk a lot about how important it is to have decisions to make, and I had hardly any - but I still enjoyed the game. That's partly because I've been on the go so much the past few weeks that I was just happy to sit back and take it easy! But also because there was enough going on elsewhere on the pitch that I could savour the bigger picture and appreciate how both sides' plans were working out overall. (Plus good company, the aesthetic of a nice layout, etc.) So in some respects it was actually good not to have much to do in my own sector.

Which is better: wargame first, or battlefield tour? Having visited Chattanooga last autumn meant I was familiar with the battle and had a reasonable appreciation of the ground before wargaming it. That definitely helped bring some episodes to life during the game, eg when Crispin's Union attackers were hunkered down below the literal cliffs of Lookout Mountain, or when action was happening at other specific locations I'd visited along Missionary Ridge. Compare that with my trip to Vitoria earlier this month, which I'd wargamed last year: during the wargame, although I'd read a little about the battle, I had a less clear picture of the history and didn't relate it so closely to events on the table. When I was on the Cerro de Jundiz, although I had a vague recollection of the game, I couldn't actually point to a spot on the Vitoria battlefield and say "oh, that's where my cavalry charge routed your best brigade" (or whatever), so there wasn't quite the same productive connection. On balance, then, I think I'd say it's better to visit the battlefield first, then wargame it - provided you do the necessary reading beforehand to get enough out of the visit.

Clausewitz was right. I recently read Clausewitz's chapter on attacking a cordon defense (which is effectively what the Confederate line on Missionary Ridge was). If the Union had followed his advice, we might have had a harder time of it.

Vitoria battlefield visit

Vitoria was the biggest battle of the Peninsular War. Roughly 80,000 Allied troops defeated some 60,000 French. A battle that size deserves to be wargamed, as we did last year (see here and scroll down), and a battlefield that important deserves to be visited, as I did last week.

I benefited considerably from Jonathan Jones's blog report of his own visit to Vitoria (thanks, JJ!). You can find that on his "JJ's Wargames" site, here. JJ focused mainly on the various contested bridges across the Zadorra. I took a different approach and hope that my report therefore complements JJ's nicely.

The Duke of Wellington's tea set! On display in the Álava Museum of Arms in Vitoria.

Our tour began with a visit to the Museo de Armería de Álava. Based on a personal collection, donated in the 1960s, then added to over the decades since, this museum has enough to keep you busy for a good 90 minutes to 2 hours. The ground floor is assorted arms and armour from prehistoric times through to the 18th century. The second floor is where the real excitement starts for us C19 enthusiasts, as most of it is devoted to the battle of Vitoria. Uniforms, weapons and equipment from the period, plus quite a lot of personal effects from notable personages (Wellington, Marshal Jourdan, General Murillo, etc). A grand relief map/diorama that is helpful for getting oriented prior to touring the battlefield, plus several dioramas with miniature figurines depicting various episodes. The second floor is rounded off with weapons from other parts of the world (Africa, Oceania, Japan, etc) and some Spanish uniforms and paraphernalia from the Carlist wars and more recent history.

Logistical notes: we found it convenient to park in the underground car park at Plaza Amárica. It's then less than a 10-minute walk to the museum. We hoped to have lunch at the nearby Casa de Napoleon. That was fully booked but we did very well at Asador Orio.

We decided the best place to see the battlefield from was the central knoll above Ariñez: the Cerro de Jundiz. (Viewpoint #5 on the map on this site.) We spent 45 minutes on a 3km round-trip hike up there and back and studying the battle from it. I took these three panoramic photos that cover about 90 degrees each, starting from the French left on the Puebla Heights, working across the front centre, then down the right to Vitoria itself and the French right rear beyond the city.

Panorama #1. The first Allied column under Hill debouched through the Puebla gap (the notch in the skyline at the right of the picture), then fought its way all along the skyline ridge (the Puebla Heights) to left of pic and beyond. 

Panorama #2. The first two French lines (Gazan and d'Erlon) were arrayed across the flat open ground here, with the Zadorra river covering their front and right. The second Allied column came through the village of Nanclares, nestled against the dark woods centre left. Wellington commanded from a knoll behind it. To the right of that, a higher light green patch is "Kempt's Hill" - high ground in a bend of the Zadorra that concealed an unguarded bridge at Tres Puentes, where Kempt's division got across and established a foothold. The rest of the column crossed there and at Nanclares and Villodas.

Panorama #3. (Not a great pic, sorry.) The third and fourth British columns arrived here: Dalhousie's (really Picton's, as Dalhousie was late) from Mendoza (the light-coloured tower near left edge); Graham's force all across the right half of the pic, tasked with cutting off the retreat, against various villages commanding crossings of the Zadorra near Vitoria. The city itself is visible near right edge of pic. In a nutshell: Picton showed good initiative and attacked at the right time to ensure the two French lines in the centre were effectively outflanked and driven back repeatedly; Graham was a little too cautious, so although he did eventually cut off the enemy's direct route back to France, the French army was able to escape by heading a bit further east towards Pamplona initially.

A lot of action also happened between the knoll and Vitoria, but that is all covered by industrial estates now, so I figured you didn't need a photo of that. Essentially it was just more of the same anyway - Allied lines driving back disordered French lines - really only notable for including the biggest artillery duel of the Peninsular War, when the Allies had to bring up 70+ guns to suppress a similar number of French cannon.

As noted above, the battle featured significant fights at a number of crossings of the Zadorra. We only visited this one, the Puente de Iruña at Tres Puentes. Consider it typical.

Our visit made clear just how big and sprawling a battle this was, and how remarkable it was that Wellington managed to pull off coordinating his four widely separated columns as well as he did. Apart from that, my major take-away from the trip and associated reading was how the fog of war hampered the French defence. While Wellington had full information (thanks to his spy network and the support of the local population), the French did not dare to send out scouts very far or in small patrols, as they would fall victim to Spanish guerrillas. Consequently, for a start, they didn't appreciate quite how outnumbered they actually were. Furthermore, they assumed Wellington would be approaching them more directly from the south and likely to threaten their left across the Puebla Heights, and did not expect his big left hook against their right rear. I'm talking with Mark Smith about how we can reflect this in his Vitoria scenario for the eventual BBB Peninsular War scenario book.

I hope my report will encourage some of you readers to enjoy a visit to Vitoria yourselves. If you do go, I hope what I've written here will be helpful. Buen viaje!

PS - First Carlist War

I tend to dismiss the First Carlist War. It seems to me to be disproportionately popular among wargamers. Obviously this is because the availability of beautiful 28mm Perry figures makes it attractive and gets it plenty of play in the glossy mags, but this protracted series of inconclusive skirmishes just doesn't feature enough substantial battles to pique my interest, even though I normally go for the exotic and off-beat. However, on this trip we did pass through one Carlist War battlefield: Ramales (1839). This seems to have been a big enough fight to inflict nearly 1,000 casualties on each side, so perhaps it merits attention. I was struck by the terrain here. Ramales is in a steep river valley, surrounded by the region's characteristic conical hills. How did they find enough room for a battle there? It would be a challenge for any wargamer's terrain collection! Perhaps I will take up that challenge at some point ...