The Vicksburg Campaign
1975-1976
Way back in early 1976 I published in our "Mississippi Wargames Group" BULLETIN, an account of the progress to date of the "Vicksburg Campaign". This was a mammoth campaign game run by Mike Lowry. Mike wrote up the 3-page article and drew the two maps that accompanied it. I have found five photos that I took during the campaign (probably not the battle of "14-mile creek" described in the article). We fought these battles (there were at least 4, one of which was massive) with 25mm troops using Mike's home rules set. I thought you might enjoy reading about it. To avoid confusion of my remarks and those of Dr. Lowry, his text will appear in black, and mine in a brownish color. - Jay Stribling 10/13/99.
The Vicksburg Campaign
by: Michael W. Lowry
The Vicksburg campaign, considered by many military historians to be the turning point of the American Civil War, is currently (1975 Editor) being refought by the Mississippi Wargames Group. The scope of the campaign is somewhat limited, in that it begins May 10, 1863, with the following strategic map and troop positions:
The game involves strategic moves on the above map, similar to a boardgame. The game master adjusts movement and gives intelligence information to the respective commanders. When units make contact combat may occur, and the various units are transferred to the tabletop. The tabletop is constructed with the aid of topographical maps.
The game begins at that point in the campaign when Grant received information that Johnston was soon arriving in Jackson, Miss., with reinforcements for Pemberton’s army. In history Grant quickly moved on Jackson and the smaller force, defeated it, and then turned to engage Pemberton at Champion Hill.
The campaign rules are kept to a minimum (3-4 pages) and the campaign is fought with the services of a Game Master or referee. The referee serves as an intelligence source for each commander, but also as a confuser, playing the roles of a contraband slave, a Southern planter fleeing the Union advance. In other words, creating the “Fog of War”.
Game master Mike Lowry (in white shirt) and Robert Whitfield (General Pemberton) view the terrain.
The campaign rules are too long to be included here, but some of the basic differences for the two armies are listed. 0nly the CS player can move by railroad, while only the US play-er can make movements at night. In the actual campaign the US troops made several night marches by detailing men to keep large bonfires going alongside the roads. The US player is allowed two night marches per division.
Most of the US troops were from the Western states and were masters at improvisation, examples abounding of their prowess at bridge repair or bridge building For this reason, engineer troops are not needed in the campaign for the US troops. The CS player is not allowed to rebuild bridges as fast as the Union troops, and never at night.
Supply can be a very tricky Problem for first-timers at campaigning, so it is kept simple in this campaign. Food and forage is ignored. The CS player has an inexhaustible supply of ammunition at Vicksburg; however, he must move it to his troops in the field. The US player has a real ammo supply problem, each infantry regiment carrying 15 units of fire and having 15 in reserve. One UP is expended per tactical turn of fire, with 16 tactical turns representing one day. Each US artillery battery has 12 UF in its limbers and 6 in reserve at divisional headquarters. Grant has more ammunition at Grand Gulf, but its arrival time on the strategic map is known only to the Game Master.
Tim Chadwick, confident of victory.
Each player has several subordinate commanders, and a system is designed to recreate the difficulties of command control. Each subordinate commander is given a rating of 1-4 (poor, mediocre, good, excellent) The distance between the headquarters of Grant or Pemberton and the unit receiving the order is cross-indexed with the corps/division level commander through whom the order must pass. Then the odds are read off on a chart and a die roll determines whether the units obey.
The only differences in organization are on the brigade level Strengths. The CS brigades have five regiments per brigade, while the US have three. Each CC brigade has an artillery battery, while each US division (composed of two brigades) has an artillery battery. No official Confederate corps existed. While the US brigades have been reduced by two regiments, the CS brigades have been kept intact, but several CS brigades have been eliminated entirely from the roster. Thus, the proper proportions are kept between the troop strengths.
In this campaign the commander-in-chiefs are Jay Stribling as U.S. Grant, and Robert Whitfield as Pemberton. Others who have participated in tactical situations are:
An incredibly young Mark Stevens (I think this is Mark) writing orders to the troops.
The Campaign opened on the 10 May AM move with Grant ordering Mclernand to advance across Fourteen Mile Creek towards Edwards Station. McPherson was ordered to move NW from Dillon towards McClernand' s right flank and support his advance. Waiting at Fourteen Mile Creek was S.D. Lee's Alabama brigade, with Barton's brigade guarding the approach from Dillon, and Waul's Texas Legion in reserve at the Mt. Moriah schoolhouse. The rest of the AM turn was spent by the US troops deploying along the south bank of Fourteen-Mile Creek and reconnoitering of the creek by the officers of the various regiments.
Carr’s division deployed to the right and Hovey's division to the left of the main road. Lee called down Waul’s crack troops from the school house and deploy-ed it as a reserve behind a copse of woods.
Mike Lowry (on left) and Mark Stevens (right) confer.
Meanwhile, McPherson’s advance along the road Just north of Fourteen-Mile Creek snaked along unmolested the entire AM turn, with Sanborn's brigade in the lead. McClernand arrived on the field at the beginning of the 10 May PM turn, and ordered an immediate assault on Lee’s position. While McInnis' brigade made a flank march to the left which was concealed by woods, the other three brigades of Hovey's and Carr's Division s made a frontal assault.
The first few turns the units occupied themselves in crossing the fords. One regiment, the 99th Illinois, made a Foolhardy rush across the bridge in column, and was decimated by the withering fire from the Alabamians, who had no other target to fire at. The green 99th promptly routed. However, Slack’s brigade on the Union left soon got on the right flank of the Confederate troops, and a charge resulted in the successful rolling up of that entire flank. Lee threw the Texas Legion into the fight, but by this time the XIII Corps had two batteries across the creek, and the position could not be regained. Two sections of CS Napoleons were lost due to the concentrated fire of the Union troops. All during this fight, Lawler’s brigade had been crossing the creek at a narrow ford and deploying for the assault. While not actually engaged, they managed to pin three Confederate regiments to that flank, and thereby prevent their use at more critical points on the battlefield.
During the AM turn, Lee had sent couriers towards Edwards Station asking for reinforcements. Green’s brigade which was already headed that way, was spurred along. Much straggling occurred, and just as the lead regiment arrived in Lee’s rear, so did McInnis. Green’s 19th Arkansas and 3rd Missouri Battery easily Drove McInnis away, but Lee despaired of being able to hold the position with an unknown enemy force on his flank and rear. He then ordered a retreat to the crossroads about 750 yards to the rear. On arriving there, he learned that Barton had been ordered to advance about 1-1/4 miles to the east to meet and enemy advance from that quarter.
Marshall Jones consults the rules. Note the potable rations on table.
Early in the PM turn, Sanborn’s brigade had made contact with the 20th Mississippi Mounted infantry, and a running action ensued, with the prolonged artillery and the accurate fire of the Confederates holding up the Union advance. Finally, Sanborn’s veterans put some much pressure on the thin skirmish line that the 20th Miss. Mounted Inf. Was speeded up considerably. The Union advance continued until nightfall, and ended ½ mile from Blackwell’s Plantation, where Barton’s Brigade had arrived a few turns before. During the PM turn, Sherman’s lead division (Steele) arrived at Dillon and promptly began entrenching.
Mike's article ended here. I have his journal which has handwritten accounts of skirmishes and another minor battle (Sledge's farm). The maps are cute but they do not scan well. I probably cannot reproduce them.
How did the campaign turn out? Well, through adroit maneuvering, the general Grant (myself) managed to get between the Confederate General Pemberton and Vicksburg, thus ensuring that the city would fall without a long seige. Unfortunately, while all of this maneuver was happening, the Union division under General Sherman was trapped by the Confederates and well chewed upon. (Nearly destroyed). I hope that you enjoyed the pictures and Mike's article. - Jay Stribling
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