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.