Recently our little group did a small scenario of the Battle of Logan's Crossroads or Mill Springs.
I structured the game from a scenario published by Potomac Publishers and from the Experience the Mill Springs Battlefield website.
I took a few liberties with the Order of Battle and terrain.
It was our fourth game with Black Powder rules and while everyone enjoys the system and mechanics we found ourselves looking up a lot of rules.
I chalk that up to Black Powder is different than what most of us were used to 30 years ago when we gamed the ACW. It's worth the effort to get it right and so the game took longer than expected.
As the scenario designer I was well pleased. Historically, Confederate General Zollicoffer was a bit of a firebrand as he charged forward with a couple of regiments in an effort to over run the surprised Yankees before they were fully organized.
So it was in our game as our General Zollicoffer led the CSA cavalry and Zollicoffer's infantry brigade against a picket of Union cavalry and 1\2 of an infantry regiment.
Both Union units were over run but not before Union reserves arrived in the nick of time along a fence line. The solitary Union unit that arrived first at the fence should have been over run but it defended heroically until further reserves counterattacked and destroyed the Confederate regiment Zollicoffer was personally leading.
Zollicoffer's death like it did historically was the Confederate high tide and although they still had a chance to win they just fell short as sufficient Union reserves were brought up to stop them.
I did not like how long the game took but I was pleased with the scenario and the drama as it was a narrow Union victory.
I did not like how long the game took but I was pleased with the scenario and the drama as it was a narrow Union victory.
Below are my pictures of the game in no particular order. Running a game and being the combat photographer and chronicler all at the same time is not a skill I've mastered yet.
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| Confederate battery. All the guns in the game were 6lb smoothbores. |
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| Two small units of Confederate cavalry led the advance. |
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| 1\2 of the 10th Indiana holding a stone fence. They did well and it took a little time to rout them. |
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| Part of Zollicoffer's brigade. The regiment has lost two casualties bringing it very close to "shaken" in the Black Powder rules. General Crittenden looks on. He was rated very low in the game. |
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| Part of Zollicoffer's brigade approaching the fence line. Unit reserves are approaching from the other direction. |
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| The Confederate Cavalry routed their Union counterparts but got in trouble themselves and it took quite a while to get them back in order. |
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| The heroic stand of the 4th Kentucky. The Union Regiment in the background would counter attack and two of three CSA units would rout and Zollicoffer would perish. CSA high tide! |
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| Standard size unit in my ACW games. I'm not sure why this unit has two National Colors. Hmmm. |
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| One of the units that would pursue but not break the remnants of Zollicoffer's Brigade. The flags were hadn't painted about 30 years ago. |
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| A late arriving Union brigade to shore up the Union right. |
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| Hurry up boys! |
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| Reb left flank attempting to turn the Union line before the reserves arrive. |
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| Carroll's CSA brigade takes the fence on the Union left but in turn is flanked by the two Union batteries just off the road. |
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| Farthest CSA advance on either flank. One Union regiment has just routed in the firefight. |
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| Just enough, just in time to form a line! |
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| The battle was a near run thing as the Confederates came on with great elan! |
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| Another shot of the stand of the 4th Kentucky (US). The historical battle was unusaul as Tennessee units were on both sides. |
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| Zollicoffer's Brigade taking some hits! |
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| The Confederate flanking movement on the Union left. |
One of the things I enjoy the most about gaming is constructing a historical scenario and using the actual order of battle and utilizing the unit names in the game. I found this excellent OB online and used it to supplement the info from Potomac Publishers scenario book.
Link to website
ORDER OF BATTLE, US ARMY
Brig. Gen. George Henry Thomas - about 4,400 effectives
2nd Brigade - Col. Mahlon D. Manson
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10th Ind. Inf. - Lt. Col.William Kise
| 710 effectives |
4th Ky. Inf. - Col. Speed Smith Fry (w)
| 400 |
Co. C, 14th Ohio Inf. - Capt. J. W. Brown
| ? |
3rd Brigade - Col. Robert L. McCook (w)
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2nd Minn. Inf. - Col. Horatio Van Cleve (minus Co. A)
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500
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9th Ohio Inf. - Maj. Gustave Kammerling
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628
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12th Brigade - Col. Samuel Powhatan Carter
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12th Ky. Inf. - Col. William A. Hoskins
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478
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1st Tenn. Inf. - Col. Robert K. Byrd
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610
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2nd Tenn. Inf. - Col. J. P. T. Carter
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442
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1st Ky. Cav. - Col. Frank Wolford
(Cos. A, B, C,H)
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250
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Btty. B, 1st Ohio Arty. - Capt. William E. Standart
(6 guns - rifled 6-pounders)
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122
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Btty. C, 1st Ohio Arty. - Capt. Dennis Kenny, Jr.
(six James rifles - probably rifled 6-pounders;
possibly only four of the guns were rifled, the other
two smoothbore)
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110
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9th Ohio Btty. - Capt. Henry Shepard Wetmore
(two 10-pounder Parrotts, two 12-pounder howitzers)
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104
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ORDER OF BATTLE, CS ARMYMaj. Gen. George Bibb Crittenden - about 5,900 effectives
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