Nashville, Smashville! (ACW 1864)

We first fought the ACW battle of Nashville a decade ago. (Report here.) Now that my primary focus is to put together a complete collection of fully playtested ACW scenarios, it was time to revisit it. Of course, we now have the advantage of another ten years' experience of scenario design. I would also add the advantage of having walked the battlefield on my recent tour of ACW battlefields between Nashville and Atlanta, except that it is covered by the city and there's not much left to see.

Our game this week was an exciting and entertaining one, but it did confirm that the scenario needs some fine-tuning. 

This panorama of autumnal Tennessee pretty much sums up the game. The Confederates start in a very thin line, strung out in their fortifications along the heights above Nashville. The pic doesn't show, but there's another foot of manoeuvre space on each flank. Their left is anchored by the strong redoubts 1-5 (represented as two Forts) but their right is hanging in the air.

The white counters are Objectives: the two Forts; Shy's Hill and Overton's Hill (the Rebs' second line); and the two road exits that are their line of retreat. It's a two-day battle.

The US outnumbers the Rebs 3:2 and includes a cavalry corps with deadly repeating carbines. Exploiting their superior numbers, the Union forces will erupt from Nashville to execute a double envelopment, while pinning the Confederate centre. The redoubts hold them up on Day 1 but they wipe out the right-hand Confederate division. The Confederates are able to redeploy during the Night Interval, so fall back and dig in on their second line.

Dave W and I were playing the Confederates vs Mark and Crispin. Our right would surely have been overwhelmed on Day 2 if it had not been for what the pic doesn't show: the arrival of Forrest's cavalry behind the Union left. Historically, he was in range to do so, but did not appear. The scenario allows the possibility and we got lucky. His small but agile force was able to pin and distract enough US divisions to stop them reaching Franklin Pike or storming Overton's Hill. Meanwhile, although one of Dave's Forts fell, the other held out. However, we had lost half our army in the process.

All figures are Baccus 6mm from Crispin's collection. The custom-made terrain is his too.

Here are some pics of how it went in more detail, followed by a few Reflections.

Turn 1: US cavalry (top left) is racing around the Confederate left while US XVI Cps advances to pin the centre. No shots fired yet because of the morning fog.

I didn't take any more photos of Day 1 as I was too busy having my right wing crushed.

Day 2, looking at the Confederate left. The US cavalry was repulsed on Day 1 but is preparing to renew its assault on Redoubts 4 & 5 (left of pic). As the Confederate centre has fallen back to its second line positions, the US centre (XVI Cps, top right) shifts its attention to Redoubts 1, 2 & 3.

On our right, having overwhelmed Brown's division on Day 1, US IV and XXIII Cps will try to do the same to the rest of Cheatham's corps in its new second-line position. However, salvation is at hand, top right - Bedford Forrest and his merry men have arrived.

Forrest contemplates how his 4,000 men can best take on the 25,000 bluebellies in front of them.

The answer is to divide and harass. (Forrest's two units are right edge and top right.) This is enough to impede that US division lower right in its attempt to overrun the battery in the foreground defending our LOC. (Yellow counter = Disrupted.)

French's division held out valiantly for a long time against superior Union numbers and firepower. I think this Fort finally fell with just one turn to go.

On our right, the last of Cheatham's infantry divisions has disintegrated. Only the battery positions (presumably supported by a few surviving clusters of grim-faced riflemen) hold the line. Can they stand?

The Union charges in once more against the lefthand Fort, but two of Lee's divisions look solid and safe on two of the objectives in the second line (foreground). Time running out for the Union.

Confederate cavalry continue to cause enough minor havoc in the Union rear to detain and delay IV and XXIII Cps.

Redoubts 4 & 5 fall at last. Union cavalry exploit and get ready for a climactic assault on the other Fort in combination with XVI Cps.

The Union assault is repelled! The Fort stands! Victory is now beyond the Union grasp. Can they manage a draw?

Union hopes rest on one last desperate assault on Overton's Hill. Inspired by John Bell Hood's presence, Clayton's division sends the Yankees tumbling back. Victory to the Confederacy!

Reflections

Inevitable doom. That's how it felt for me on the Confederate right on Day 1. Just two units, with an open flank, facing 3:1 odds? My Entrenchments were never going to be enough. I did consider defusing the threat by falling back on Turn 3 as soon as the Union gun line was set up, but figured that would only bring them closer to our LOC that much sooner. I couldn't move, had more targets than I could possibly engage, all I could do was hope Mark rolled improbably low on his firing dice. It's not a pleasant feeling. But is probably uncomfortably historically accurate.

Salvation! Hence our whoops of palpable relief when Forrest showed up. That made it a much more interesting game for me and no doubt more of a challenge for Mark, who would otherwise have demolished me with his customary efficiency. That single die roll made such a huge difference, I've suggested to Crispin that if Forrest does appear, there should be a trade-off such as a reduction in the Union objective target for victory.

The other side of the hill. While Dave and I felt generally beleaguered and doomed, Mark was equally daunted by the successive fortifications he had to assault. When both the attackers and the defenders find a scenario to be a difficult tactical challenge, that's a good sign. Well done, Crispin!

The draft version of Crispin's Nashville scenario is in the BBB IO group files here. (You need to join the group to get access to the files.)