Lee Moves North

With our campaigning in the Peninsula completed August has found us focussed on Lee’s campaign in Northern Virginia against General Pope.

The first was Cedar Mountain fought on the 9th of August 1862. Cedar Mountain is, in Volley & Bayonet terms, a small engagement. Historically Jackson is caught by an aggressive Banks and must contend with the complexities that a single road brings when your troops are stacked up in road column. Being a smaller battle we fought the battle twice and in both games our Confederate commander was challenged by similar issues. One of our two refights can be found here.

Union artillery at Second Manassas and south of Stony Ridge. Warrenton Turnpike is some distance behind these guns.

More recently we gathered to refight Second Manassas, fought historically on the 28th to 30th of August.

It has been many years since I’ve refought this battle and I admit to being particularly interested in this refight. Surprise, uncoordinated forces, delays and terrain all combined to produce, in my view, an excellent game which modelled many of the historical challenges that the historical armies faced. If you are interested photos of our version of Second Manassas it can be found here.

Now, I must turn my attention to the terrain for our next American Civil War refight.