Cold Steel

We played several more turns of the Antietam game last night.  The fight in the East Woods was bitter.  Seymour's and Gordon's brigade combined for a glorious charge against Walker's brigade, resulting in bloody hand to hand fighting.  Down to their last figure, the rebel unit was rallied by General Lawton.  Then the yankees charged into them again.  Seymour's brigade was decimated, and more than a few men of Gordon's green brigade also fell.  But Walker's men are still, just barely, holding on to their piece of the East Woods.

Hand to hand combat in the East Woods.

On the other side of the field, Hampton's cavalry charged into Patrick's brigade, but the infantry held off the cavalry charge.  The fighting in the West woods started off grim for the south as Gibbon's brigade pushed on and routed Brockenbrough's battery after having dispatched both Grigsby's and Johnson's brigades.  However, Early's brigade caused enough damage to Gibbon's Iron Brigade for them to fall back and regroup north of the Miller farm.  In fact, the union really enjoyed using the "Fall Back" card to pull worn troops out of action and back to the base line where they get to add a figure back into the unit.

The Union army regroups for renewed action.

Unlike real history, the Miller Corn Field was an eye of calm in the center of the storm.  Starke's and Warren's brigades held the corn field unopposed, and eventually moved to the north edge of the field where they started a fire fight with the yankee artillery in the North Woods.

The corn field and the west woods are held by the rebels.

For those keeping score, the count is US 2, CS 0.  However, I may in future games assign VP's to certain geographic features like the west woods, corn field, and east woods.  More to come, stay tuned.  I am also trying to figure out how to take better photos more consistently.  Please be patient.