Perryville
Perryville Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- 1.0 Terrain and Map Notes
- 2.0 Union Special Rules
- 3.0 Confederate Special Rules
- 4.0 General Special Rules
- 5.0 Minor Variants
- Scenario 1: The Historical Battle
- Scenario 2: Early Confederate Attack
- Scenario 3: Encounter at Perryville
- Scenario 4: The Armies Assembled
- Historical Losses
- Designer's Notes
- Player's Notes
- Battle Notes
1.0 Terrain and Map Notes
1.0a Town Hexes. The town hexes of Perryville are shown by the reddish-brown buildings with random (non-orchard) trees, and the occasional fence line. All town hexes are connected to all adjacent town hexes with secondary roads.
1.0b Casualty Tracks. These have been omitted in this game. Their function is essentially duplicated on the Loss Charts and counter space proved too limited to allow the inclusion of the needed markers.
2.0 Union Special Rules
2.1 Buell's Immobility (Scenario 1, only)
Buell sets up in hex 12.34 and neither he nor the army HQ may move. Buell may issue orders only from that location -- in effect, unless the corps commanders come to him, he is limited to writing aide-delivered orders.
Buell may displace (even if unable to move) if any enemy unit comes within 3 hexes of his location. This movement occurs instantly during the phase in which the enemy unit came within 3 of his location. Buell may displace the full leader's movement allowance from his location. On arrival at his new location, Buell again becomes "bolted to the ground" until the next time an enemy unit approaches to closely and triggers another displacement. Buell may displace any number of times in a game, but may only travel one turn's movement per displacement. The Union player may never self-trigger a displacement.
Buell is unable to issue any orders at all until he successfully obtains initiative. No other Union leader, even if promoted to army command, is affected by these special Buell rules and these rules are not in effect in scenarios 2, 3 and 4.
2.2 Acting Army Commanders
If Buell becomes a casualty, other Union officers take command of the army in accordance with the following order of seniority.
- Thomas
- Crittenden
- McCook
- Gilbert
2.3 Thomas's Command Restrictions
Thomas is not considered to be in the chain of command (unless he takes over army command), and does not receive orders. He can issue orders to any one commander (or assign a divisional goal) at a time only by obtaining initiative. Even if stacked with multiple leaders, Thomas may issue an order to only one of them in a single turn. Thomas may send orders via an aide (again at the rate of one per initiative success) and these orders are handled as any order from the army commander would be (acceptance, etc.). Thomas may spend any number of command points on any of his orders. Thomas does not matter for the purposes of the "one initiative roll per command" rule.
If Thomas assumes army command, ignore the above and he functions as a normal army leader.
2.4 Anti-Initiatives
Gilbert has an anti-initiative rating of -1. There are no other Union anti-initiatives in the game.
2.5 Attachments and Detachments
No Union infantry brigades or divisions may be attached or detached to commands other than the ones they start with.
2.6 Cavalry Organization
The Union cavalry brigade begins all scenarios attached to the Union 3rd Corps. If desired, the Union player may automatically reassign it to another corps during any Command Phase. The brigade may also be assigned to the army HQ -- in which case orders must be sent from the Army commander directly to it in the form of divisional goals. Should the brigade get wrecked, it automatically is a 'wrecked brigade of a wrecked division' for Morale Table purposes.
3.0 Confederate Special Rules
3.1 The Confederate Wing Structure
Bragg's Army of Mississippi was divided into two wings. Treat each wing as if it were a normal corps.
3.2 Cavalry Brigades
The four Confederate cavalry brigades (not counting the one assigned to Marshall's Division -- that brigade is part of that division) are assigned to their higher headquarters directly. That means that the LW, and RW brigades must be within command radius of their Wing HQ; the two Army of Kentucky brigades must always be given divisional goals to operate, but have no actual command radius to contend with. These brigades may function freely as long as they are within the correct command radius and can be given divisional goals or assigned to a division if desired. These brigades always function as 'corps of one division' for Corps Attack Stoppage purposes. If they become wrecked, they (each) get the -6 morale modifier as a wrecked brigade of a wrecked division -- as their 'division' is instantly wrecked when the brigade is.
3.3 The Army of Kentucky
The optional Army of Kentucky has no corps structure and is not subordinate to Bragg in any way (Bragg may not issue A of Ky units orders). Smith must issue orders directly to each division and these are handled as divisional goals. The divisions have no "corps" command radius to be within (divisional radii are handled normally). Corps attack stoppage treats each division as a corps of one division and the division commander is handled as a corps leader would -- to include loss modifications to the Corps Attack Stoppage Table.
Because of the use of divisional goals, orders given to the Army of Kentucky divisions should be more specific about routes, objectives, locations and limits than normal corps orders.
When using the Army of Kentucky, the order of command succession becomes more complex. If either Bragg or Smith becomes incapacitated, the surviving army commander automatically takes command of all forces. The new overall commander may issue orders to the two wing commands normally, but must still issue orders directly to the divisions of the Army of Kentucky. The army command slot emptied by the loss of Bragg or Smith is not filled by a successor, but remains empty for the rest of the game.
The order of succession for army command is as follows (use only the leaders actually in play, skip any which are not yet in play (rearrange command when they do show up) or who have been lost):
- Bragg
- Smith
- Hardee
- Polk
- Stevenson
- Heth
- McCown
- Churchill
- Marshall
3.4 Confederate Command Complexities
When only Bragg's army is in play, the CSA player commands his forces normally. When the Army of Kentucky is in play, the CSA player treats them as two separate armies. Both Smith and Bragg issue orders to respective commands in the same turn. However, the Confederate player may never issue more than 15 command points worth of orders in a single turn when both leaders' orders are combined. The 15 available command points may be divided in any desired manner between the two army commanders. This rule has no effect when using the Beauregard option.
3.5 Anti-Initiatives
There are no Confederate anti-initiatives in this game.
3.6 Attachments and Detachments
Confederate divisions may attach and/or detach one brigade at a time. Detached brigades need not be assigned to another division but may be given divisional goals.
4.0 General Special Rules
4.0a Plus Weapons. There are no plus weapons units in this game.
4.0b Countermix Limitations. Because of this game's smaller format, we were forced to reduce the number of strength markers available in the countermix. Only in one scenario (#4) will this be a problem, albeit a minor one. There are not enough strength markers to fill out every potential unit in the game. In that scenario (barring getting strength markers from another CWB game or a friend), you can either play without strength markers as suggested in the series rules, or mark each brigade with its A fire level and adjust only when a brigade no longer has an A available.
4.0c Panic and Status Rules. This game does not use the series rules covering panic, panic demands or army status.
5.0 Minor Variants
5.1 Union Minor Variants
5.1a Buell remains uninjured. Buell is free from rule 2.1 and able to move normally. Also, flip Buell to his 1 rated side. This option gives the Confederates 8 VPs.
Historically, Buell had been thrown by a horse on the afternoon of the 7th and was injured enough to restrict his mobility. Throughout the battle he stayed at the Bottom House and did not play a significant role in the affair.
5.1b Thomas shows greater initiative. Flip Thomas to his 4-rated side. This option gives the Rebels 8 VPs.
Thomas had little influence on the battle. His position as Buell's Second in Command was both awkward and nebulous, and so he seemed content to follow the cautious lead of his commander. He did materially better in later battles.
5.1c Thomas takes Command. Replace Buell with Thomas with Thomas rated as a 4. Thomas is now the army commander and has no restrictions. This option gives the Confederates 10 VPs.
The Lincoln government was convinced by the time of the battle that Buell needed to go. He was actually removed from command a few days before leaving Louisville, but was reinstated when his nominated successor (Thomas) declined the position. Thomas felt that Buell already had a plan in motion and should have the opportunity to redeem himself on the field.
5.2 Confederate Minor Variants
5.2a Breckenridge reaches Kentucky. Allow Breckenridge, Br-RW, one optional RWb (5) to set up w/i 2 RW HQ. This option gives the Union player 2 VPs.
Breckenridge was a prominent pre-war Kentucky politician (Buchanan's Vice President) and his division contained a full brigade of Kentucky troops to boot. Bragg desperately wanted these troops to join him, believing that they would stimulate recruiting. For their part, Breckenridge and his 'Orphan' brigade wanted nothing more than to return to their native state. Unfortunately, they had to come from west Tennessee and never made it to Kentucky.
5.2b Withers returns to Polk's command. Allow Withers, the units of W-RW, and one optional RWb (5) to set up w/i 2 RW HQ. This option gives the Union player 2 VPs.
Withers's Division was originally detached to help Smith and never rejoined Polk's main body until after the battle. It was, however, close enough to Perryville (Salvisa, 10 miles away) to have made it to the field before the action commenced.
5.2c Beauregard Resurgent. This option is only used when both the Armies of Mississippi and Kentucky are on the map. Beauregard acts as an army commander for both armies. Beauregard arrives with Bragg. Smith commands the Army of Kentucky as if it were a single corps and no longer issues orders -- Smith is relegated to the status of a game corps commander. Bragg's status is the same as Thomas's and subject to the same special rule as Thomas is (see 2.3), and Beauregard need not issue orders to or through Bragg. If any corps commander becomes a casualty (including Smith) Bragg automatically takes charge of that corps as a regular corps commander. If Beauregard is killed or wounded, command reverts back to the pre-option arrangement. This option gives the Union player 2 VPs.
The crippling factor for the South in this campaign was the complete lack of effective coordination between the various forces of Smith and Bragg. Beauregard was at the time the ranking commander in the West and could have assumed command of the united Rebel armies. [Ed. Note: "United Rebel Armies?" Nice oxymoron, Dave.] Of course, this all supposes that Jefferson Davis could have swallowed both his pride and his intense dislike of Beauregard for the greater good of the Southern cause. A big if, indeed.
5.2d McCown arrives. Allow McCown and T-C-Ky to join the C-Ky division when it arrives. Churchill is not used, though he may be used as a replacement if McCown becomes a casualty. This option gives the Union player 1 VP.
McCown was another of the elements Bragg tried to assemble to reinforce his army. Churchill led this division into Kent with Smith, but McCown and his last brigade was delayed and only got as far as Knoxville, Tennessee.
5.2e The Army of Kentucky. Scenario 3 is a variant postulating that all the Rebel forces in central Kentucky were concentrated so as to fight a decisive engagement. Players may wish to experiment with lesser participation by Kirby Smith's army. If so, use the following:
Before play, the Rebel player chooses which of the various Army of Kentucky units he wants to include. This selection may be done in secret or as an agreement between both players -- as they desire. Units selected must be divisions or cavalry brigades and the Union player gets 1/2 VP for each brigade introduced into play (round the total up). If Smith, the army supply train and HQ are used (they come as a group), they give the Union player 1 VP. Determine arrivals according to the variable arrival schedule given in scenario 3 -- omit rolls for non-participating units.
This option allows players greater freedom in tailoring the game to their particular needs, either for play balance or for historical interest.
Scenario 1: The Historical Battle
The historical battle of Perryville lasted from 1:30pm until darkness ended the fighting at 6:30pm. It proved nothing and any minor victory won by the Rebels was negated by the overwhelming Union forces close at hand. During the night, Bragg's army began a retreat that would eventually see them slipping away into Tennessee full of disappointment and frustration. The seeds of Bragg's downfall in later battles were sown in this fruitless conclusion to this confusing campaign.
- First Turn: 1:30pm, 8 October 1862
- Last Turn: 6:00pm, 8 October 1862
- Game Length: 10 turns
Union Information
Set Up:
- 28-3-1: 33.21 ex 32.20
- 9-3-1: 27.21 ex 26.20
- 17-3-1: 29.21 ex 28.20
- 33-10-1: 30.20 ex 31.21
- 34-10-1: 30.22
- 1b each in: 31.22, 27.21
- 1 Corps HQ: 27.23
- 1 Corps Supply: 28.24
- Cav: 22.24
- 1-3 (all): w/i 1 18.28
- 9-3 (all): w/i 1 15.23
- 11-3 (all): w/i 1 18.22
- 3x 3b: One with each 3 Corps division.
- 3 Corps HQ: 17.29
- 3 Corps Supply: 17.30
- Buell, Army HQ, Army Supply: 12.34
Initial Orders:
1st Corps is ordered to defend the ridge line between 27.25 and the Hartz house, west of Doctor's Fork.
Cav has no orders, but is attached to 3rd Corps.
3rd Corps is ordered to defend Peter's Hill between the 20.xx hexrow and the J. Boswick house, west of Bull Run.
Union Command Restrictions: Buell may not issue orders to any unit until he successful obtains initiative. At the beginning of each Union Command Phase, Buell attempts to obtain initiative. If he does so, he may freely issue orders from that turn on. If not, he may not issue orders, but may try for initiative again in the next turn.
Artillery Ammunition: 80
Confederate Information
Set Up:
- Bragg, Army of Miss HQ, Army of Miss Supply: 22.04
- LW HQ, LW Supply: 24.10
- P-A-LW: 14.13 ex 13.13
- A-A-LW: 21.15 ex 20.15
- J-A-LW: 23.13
- B-A-LW: 25.12
- J-B-LW: 27.12
- W-B-LW: 29.11
- C-B-LW: 27.09 (in column)
- L-B-LW: 21.05
- Cav-LW: 3.14
- 2x LWb: One each with A-LW and B-LW
- RW HQ, RW Supply: 31.10
- C-RW (all), RWb: w/i 3 33.10
- Cav-RW: 37.12
Initial Orders:
P-A-LW is detached and has a divisional goal to defend the Springfield Pike between Bull Run and Perryville.
L-B-LW is detached and has been given a divisional goal to act as army reserve. It may not move until Bragg gives it new orders.
RW must advance via the Dug Road to attack the Union 1st Corps in order to capture the intersection of the Mackville and Benton Roads.
LW is ordered to cross Doctor's Fork in the vicinity of the H. Bottom house and attack the Union 1st Corps with the same objectives as RW.
Cav-RW has a divisional goal to cross the Chaplin River via the Gammon house and attack the Union line along the Benton Road.
Cav-LW has a divisional goal to defend the Lebanon Pike south of Perryville and west of the Chaplin River.
Artillery Ammunition: 65
Reinforcements: None.
Victory Conditions
Award points as follows:
- Each enemy wrecked brigade (including straggler losses): 1 VP
- Each enemy wrecked brigade (counting non-straggler losses only): 2 VPs
- (A player only gets credit for one of these for a given brigade, at no time is a single brigade worth 3 VPs.)
- Control of all town hexes of Perryville: 3 VPs
Subtract the CSA total from the USA total and compare the resulting positive or negative number to the below.
| Difference | Result |
|---|---|
| 6 or more | USA Major Victory |
| 2 to 5 | USA Minor Victory |
| -1 to 1 | Draw |
| -5 to -2 | CSA Minor Victory |
| -6 or less | CSA Major Victory |
Scenario 2: Early Confederate Attack
Bragg's original intention was for Polk and Hardee to launch a dawn attack on what he thought was a small flanking column of Federals. The two wing commanders, after discovering that they were dealing with most of Buell's army, elected to await further developments. The potential morning attack -- when only one Union Corps was on the field -- might have been a more lucrative undertaking for the small Rebel army.
- First Turn: 5:00am, 8 October 1862
- Last Turn: 6:00pm, 8 October 1862
- Game Length: 27 turns
Union Information
Set Up:
- 11-3 (all), Cav, 3b: w/i 2 15.32
- Remainder of 3 Corps: w/i 2 12.33
- Buell, Army HQ, Army Supply: 12.34
Initial Orders:
11-3, Cav are ordered to advance on Peter's Hill and capture that location. Cav and the 3b are attached to 3 Corps.
Remaining units 3rd Corps are to advance to the vicinity of the Peter's house and defend the crossing of the Springfield Pike over the Doctor's Fork.
Command Restriction: Buell's restrictions on movement are in place (see 2.1). He can, however, issue orders normally and without the initiative restriction in scenario 1.
Artillery Ammunition: 80
Confederate Information
Set Up:
- B-LW (all, less L-B-LW), LWb: w/i 1 17.06
- L-B-LW: 6.18
- LW HQ, LW Supply, Army of Miss Supply: 15.07
- A-LW (all), LWb: w/i 2 13.08
- RW HQ, RW Supply: 15.09
- C-RW (all, less Sm-C-RW), RWb: w/i 1 14.11
- Cav-RW, Cav-LW: w/i 2 of any Perryville hex
Initial Orders:
L-B-LW is detached and has a divisional goal to advance to Peter's Hill and defend that position between Bull Run and Doctor's Fork.
Both RW and LW have orders to advance and attack the Union 3rd Corps along the Springfield Pike.
Cav-LW has a divisional goal to defend the Lebanon Pike south of Perryville.
Cav-RW has no orders.
Artillery Ammunition: 65
Reinforcements
Union:
| Time | Area | Units |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00am | A | 3-1 (all), 1b |
| 10:30am | A | McCook, 1 Corps HQ & Supply |
| 11:30am | A | 10-1, 1b |
All of the above have orders to move to the vicinity of the Russell house and defend -- 3-1 and the 1b has a divisional goal to that effect until the corps HQ shows up. The 1st Corps sector is between the Russell and Hartz houses, west of the Chaplin River and Doctor's fork.
Variable Union Reinforcements: Starting with the 2:00pm Command Phase, the Union player rolls two dice. On any roll of 10 or more, the Union units below enter the map at either area D or E (Union player's choice -- or he may mix the two). They are ordered to defend the ridge south of Peter's Hill from the 9.xx hexrow south. (If you are using any option that allows Thomas to be on his 4-rated side, the above roll becomes 9 or more.)
Units brought on: Thomas, 2 Corps (all)
Confederate:
| Time | Area | Units |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00am | G | Bragg, Army of Miss HQ |
| 10:00am | G | Sm-C-RW |
Sm-C-RW has orders to report to its division.
Victory Conditions
Same conditions as scenario 1.
Scenario 3: Encounter at Perryville
A more organized Confederate response to the Union advance from Louisville would have concentrated the total Rebel force in front of Herrodsburg. Perryville would have become the focal point of this grouping and would give Bragg and Smith a real chance to defeat Buell and preserve the souther hold on central Kentucky. Such a concentration would have produced a classic meeting engagement. This scenario examines that possibility and introduces variable arrival times to capture the uncertainty of such situations.
- First Turn: 5:00pm, 7 October 1862
- Last Turn: 6:00pm, 9 October 1862
- Game Length: 77 turns
Union Information
Set Up: No Union troops start on the map. Buell is under no mobility or order restrictions.
Artillery Ammunition: 180
Confederate Information
Set Up:
- LW (all, less Cav-LW: w/i 3 any Perryville hex
- Cav-LW: 17.29
Initial Orders: All Confederate units have orders to defend in place. (This is a divisional goal in the case of Cav-LW.)
Artillery Ammunition: 150
Reinforcements
With one exception, both sides' reinforcements are variable in nature. All variable reinforcements list an initial arrival time (an hour turn such as 6:00pm) and a location modifier (a positive or negative number).
Each hour turn, roll two dice for each "hour group" of units scheduled to arrive that turn or earlier which has not yet made it onto the map. Note that a given hour can have more than one hour group and these groups are treated separately. Roll for each hour group separately each hour turn until it does arrive on the map (or the game ends). On a modified roll of 10 or more, the hour group arrives and determines its arrival location below.
Furthermore, for each hour turn after the first, add one to the roll. This modifier is cumulative. For example, if a group was to arrive at 6:00am and it is now noon, add a total of 6 to the dice roll. The group would now enter on a roll of 4 or more which, with the modifier, would give it the required 10 or more modified roll.
Location: When a group arrives, determine its exact entry point using the location die roll. Each player has a Location Table. For each group which successfully arrives, the owning player rolls one die and adds the location modifier associated with the group. The result will be the entry area the group must use to enter the map.
Entering units may do so in any desired formation and have orders to move to either their corps HQ, the army HQ, or (in the CSA's case only) Perryville -- in that priority, if the command is present. Of course, leaders may roll for initiative once they are on the map to change this.
Union Non-Variable: October 7th
| Time | Area | Units |
|---|---|---|
| 5:30pm | B | Buell, Army HQ, Army Supply, 3 Corps (all), Cav |
Orders: Move onto the map and halt for the night (must halt no later than 7:00pm but may move until then).
Union Variable: All are on October 8th
| Time | Modifier | Force |
|---|---|---|
| 5:00am | -2 | McCook, 3-1 (all), 1 Corps HQ, 1 Corps Supply, 1b |
| 8:00am | -2 | 10-1 (all), 1b |
| 1:00pm | +3 | Crittenden, 5-2 (all), 2b, 2 Corps HQ, 2 Corps Supply, Thomas |
| 3:00pm | +3 | 6-2 (all), 2b |
| 5:00pm | +3 | 4-2, 2b, 2b(3) |
Union Location Table
| Mod Roll (One Die) | Area Used |
|---|---|
| -1 to 0 | H |
| 1 to 2 | A |
| 3 to 4 | B |
| 5 | C |
| 6 to 7 | D |
| 8 | E |
Confederate Variable:
| Time | Modifier | Force |
|---|---|---|
| October 7th | ||
| 9:00pm | +1 | Polk, C-RW (all), RW HQ, RW Supply, RWb, Cav-RW |
| 10:00pm | +1 | Br-RW (all), RWb, Army of Miss Supply |
| October 8th | ||
| 5:00am | +1 | Bragg, Army of Miss HQ |
| 6:00am | +2 | W-RW, RWb |
| 7:00am (group 1) | +2 | Smith, Army of Ky HQ & Supply, S-Cav-Ky, M-Cav-Ky, Kyb |
| 7:00am (group 2) | +3 |
Confederate Location Table
| Mod Roll (One Die) | Area Used |
|---|---|
| 2 or less | F |
| 3 to 6 | G |
| 7 or more | H |
Note on use of optional troops: For this scenario, the above listed Confederate troops are not considered optional and do not give the Union player victory points. The following options may be used, but do give the Union player victory points: 5.2c, 5.2d.
Victory Conditions
Victory points are awarded to each player for the following:
- 1/2 VP for each ford over the Chaplin River held by the player
- 1 VP for each bridge over the Chaplin River held by the player
- 1 VP for each enemy brigade wrecked by losses including stragglers, or 2 VPs for each enemy brigade wrecked by permanent losses alone, ignoring stragglers.
Again, note the the above are never awarded in combination for a single enemy brigade, the player gets one award or the other, never both.
Subtract the CSA total VPs from the USA total VPs and compare to the following:
| Difference | Result |
|---|---|
| 14 or more | USA Massive Victory |
| 9 to 13 | USA Major Victory |
| 4 to 8 | USA Minor Victory |
| -3 to 3 | Draw |
| -8 to -4 | CSA Minor Victory |
| -13 to -9 | CSA Major Victory |
| -14 or less | CSA Massive Victory |
Scenario 4: The Armies Assembled
Early on the morning of the 8th, Buell noted the expected arrival times of his other two corps and regretfully postponed his planned attack until the 9th in order to be sure everyone would be up. Historically, Bragg beat him to the punch which resulted in the Rebel attack on McCook's corps.
There was an alternative, however. Bragg could have elected to concentrate his troops as well and then deliver a more powerful assault when he was ready. A more fruitful use of the time available could have seen all the Rebel forces poised to strike the Federals on the 9th.
This scenario is logically derived from scenario 3 by simply by-passing the gathering of forces to present them in a set-piece action. Each player starts with his troops on the game map, but without any issued orders. The final outcome is left to fate and skill.
- First Turn: 5:00am, 9 October 1862
- Last Turn: 6:00pm, 9 October 1862
- Game Length: 27 turns
Union Information
Set Up:
- Buell, Army HQ & Supply: 12.34
- 1 Corps (all): w/i 4 30.22
- 2 Corps (all), Thomas: w/i 3 9.23
- 3 Corps (all): w/i 5 18.23
- Cav: 22.24 attached to 3 Corps
Initial Orders: No orders are currently in effect and Buell has no restrictions.
Artillery Ammunition: 180
Confederate Information
Set Up:
- Bragg, Army of Miss HQ & Supply: 22.04
- RW (all): w/i 5 13.11
- LW (all): w/i 5 21.11
- Army of Ky (all): Anywhere north of 33.xx (inclusive) and east of the Chaplin River.
Initial Orders: No orders are currently in effect.
Note on Optionals: All optional forces are used in this scenario (including McCown and T-C-Ky) with no victory points awarded to the Union player for them. If the Beauregard option is used, it adds its victory point effect.
Artillery Ammunition: 150
Reinforcements: None.
Victory Conditions
Same as scenario 3.
Historical Losses
CSA Brigade ending strengths, 7pm October 8th.
| Brigade | Strength |
|---|---|
| D-C-RW | 11 |
| S-C-RW | 10 |
| M-C-RW | 7 |
| Sm-C-RW | 11 (est) |
| B-A-LW | 11 (est) |
| A-A-LW | 17 |
| P-A-LW | 14 (est) |
| J-A-LW | 11 (est) |
| L-B-LW | 18 |
| C-B-LW | 6 (est) |
| J-B-LW | 12 |
| W-B-LW | 15 (est) |
Due to the lack of some CSA unit reports, some brigade losses are estimated based on the intensity of their engagement and the more complete knowledge of total CSA losses.
Union Brigade ending strengths, 7pm October 8th.
| Brigade | Strength |
|---|---|
| 9-3-1 | 16 |
| 17-3-1 | 17 |
| 28-3-1 | 15 |
| 33-10-1 | 18 |
| 34-10-1 | 24 |
| 30-9-3 | 9 |
| 35-11-3 | 20 |
| 36-11-3 | 28 |
| 37-11-3 | 27 |
1 Corps Artillery lost 8 gun points.
Designer's Notes
Why Perryville? After all, the historical battle was such a lopsided affair as to be unplayable without hamstringing the Federals through virtual inactivity. In unrestricted play, Bragg doesn't stand a chance.
My desire to design this game stems from an interest in what might have been, not what actually happened. The actual battle was a brutally mismanaged affair that cost Buell his job and should have cost Bragg his. While the South pulled off a kind of limited tactical success, the real Confederate position in Kentucky was perilous in the extreme.
But, what if both armies met in a serious battle for Kentucky? Once assembled, Bragg and Smith's forces add up to over 56,000 men -- more than Buell's 51,000. Now there's the real battle for Kentucky -- as it should have been.
In some ways, Perryville is a natural for the CWB, given the command arrangements that hampered both armies. Additionally, it is a smaller-sized action and doesn't take a long time to play -- even when using most of the options. While we intend to publish almost all of the Civil War's major battles, we also want to mix smaller games in with the behemoths.
I started by designing the historical action, which as a situation plays very quickly. Of course, I don't expect the historical scenario to hold a player's attention for very long. With that in mind, I began the long process of adding in variant troops to create a mix of options that added great flexibility. Despite the fact that there are only four scenarios, combining these with the minor options gives the player a large range of play possibilities. This game can be tailored to quite disparate skill levels -- simply by adjusting the CSA troop strength.
Not all available options were used. In order to fit the game into its format, I had to scrap a Union option which would have added more troops. Buell sent out a diversionary column under Joshua Sill of almost 20,000 men which could have been included. When confronted by counter-mix problems, I decided that Sill was the least important (after all, there are already plenty of Federals) and he fell by the wayside. The Sill variant will appear in a future issue of Operations, our house rag.
As is customary with my designs (if you can call two games a trend), I have pursued the "anybody but Bragg" option here as well. P.G.T Beauregard was included because he was available, had been in charge of the Army of Mississippi as recently as April of '62, and because he was such a better soldier than Bragg. In future designs of mine (where Bragg is included) this trend will continue. Now that the series has moved west, Confederate players are going to have to resign themselves to Bragg and his ilk. I'm sure that die-hard Federal mug across the table won't mind.
Once again, victory conditions are slightly different than the last game I did. Why do I keep changing conditions? Mostly because I approach each battle individually and don't refer much to what has come before. This time, you get points wrecked by stragglers as well -- albeit lesser amounts. This rewards a player who inflicts greater temporary disruption upon his opponent as well as permanent losses. I felt that either commander, even if they had won significant tactical success, would have failed to follow up that success if their own forces needed extensive recovery before being ready to fight again. This was a common enough problem for most commanders during the war, but here the indecisiveness of all senior officers magnified it tremendously.
On a minor note, players will notice that we've started to identify CSA units by state affiliation as well. In some cases, these are approximate IDs, since some CSA brigades contained units from more than one state. Where possible, mixed brigades were assigned the state of the largest number of regiments in the brigade.
Player's Notes
Confederate:
For scenarios 1 and 2, I can only offer this advice: Hit hard, hit quickly, and be ready to run if the giant wakes up. You have an opportunity to inflict significant damage on portions of his force, as long as Buell remains uninvolved and doesn't get lucky with initiative.
I advocate picking on the 1st Corps almost always. They're the weakest and the greenest -- as their morale will attest. You can look for flank moves, but be cautioned that this will eat up time. Once the Federals start to move, you need to fall back and fort up. The balance must be struck between hitting him one more turn and risking encirclement -- or playing it safe. The latter course will stave off crushing defeat, but will produce a lot of drawn games. With the early attack, you have some chance of defeating him piecemeal, if your troops can sustain the effort.
Union:
Historically, you have some real disadvantages. The Rebs will pick on you as long as you can't respond. Close ranks, fall back as needed, and pray for good die rolls. I suggest rolling for each division individually, since every commitment helps. Sooner or later, you're bound to get everybody involved, and then you can really hurt him.
Battle Notes
By the beginning of September, 1862, Southern prospects, dimmed by reverses earlier in the year, seemed on the upswing. McClellan had been driven from the gates of Richmond, and Lee -- fresh from the victory at Second Manassas -- was invading Maryland. To further swell Rebel hopes, major Confederate forces were taking the offensive in the West as well.
In the aftermath of the Rebel retreat from Shiloh, the war in the West hit another lull. Between February and April, the Union advanced from the Ohio river to northern Alabama and Mississippi -- slicing off huge tracts of Confederate territory. Both New Orleans and Nashville had fallen, industrial centers the South could ill afford to lose. But then the Federal armies halted, spending valuable time securing their lines of communication over the newly captured Southern railroads. The Rebel armies in the west took advantage of this pause to recapture the initiative.
Two major Rebel forces were in the field between the Appalachians and the Mississippi River, the Army of Mississippi (under Braxton Bragg), and the troops of the Department of East Tennessee (under Kirby Smith). Bragg's army numbered about 35,000 men, while Smith could muster about 20,000. Separated, they were heavily outnumbered by the Union forces. Bragg especially so, since he faced Henry Halleck's combined armies of more than 100,000.
Bragg had recently assumed command of the army. Jefferson Davis had relieved its former commander P.G.T. Beauregard -- both men intensely disliked one another and were too proud for their own good. With his new command, Bragg searched for a way to resume to offensive and reclaim the upper South (Tennessee and Kentucky).
Two events conspired to hand him an opportunity. First, Halleck dispersed his forces between Memphis and Nashville and launched expeditions toward both Vicksburg and Chattanooga. This dispersal brought about a lack of success everywhere. Second, Kirby Smith encouraged Bragg to join him in an invasion of Kentucky via East Tennessee. By side stepping east and then striking north, Bragg would avoid having to hit the Union armies in western Tennessee head on. The strategy made sense and it offered a way to redeem Southern fortunes in the west. Rumor also indicated that a substantial portion of Kentucky's population would support and join the invading armies. Swelled by new recruits, the Confederate armies could crush the Union garrison forces and return the front to the Ohio line.
Unquestionably, these were grandiose goals. Still, a major Confederate victory in Kentucky would clearly damage the Union cause, and at the least liberate Nashville and middle Tennessee. With all of these goals in mind, Bragg agreed to join Smith, and the largest Southern offensive of the war began.
In August, Smith bypassed the Union garrison at Cumberland Gap and crossed the barrens of eastern Kentucky to arrive in the fertile Bluegrass region mid-state. At the end of the month (the same day as the CSA victory of 2nd Manassas), Smith's men smashed a Union force of green recruits at Richmond, Kentucky. That action routed organized Federal resistance in the state and threw authorities in Ohio and Indiana into a panic. Union General Nelson, defeated at Richmond, retreated to Louisville and grimly prepared for a last-ditch defense. His command was yet more of the new green Federal regiments who were arriving to meet Lincoln's latest volunteer call.
Smith entered Frankfort, the capitol, by September 3rd. He dispersed his troops to secure most of the Bluegrass where some semblance of a planter class indicated strong Southern support. Smith intended to recruit heavily and, once joined by Bragg, capture Louisville.
Bragg was on the way. Moving some elements by rail to Chattanooga, Bragg led the majority of his army around and east of Nashville. There, Halleck's easternmost column had come to rest. On September 17th, lead elements of the Army of Mississippi captured the Federal garrison at Munfordville, Kentucky. Although this was another collection of recruits, they fought well before succumbing to Bragg's numbers. Their commander, Col. John Wilder, gained later fame leading a brigade of mounted infantry with the Union Army of the Cumberland.
Union General Don Carlos Buell was commanding the Nashville forces. With both Bragg and Smith in central Kentucky, he had no choice but to follow. Leaving the Tennessee state capitol strongly garrisoned, he led the rest of the Army of the Ohio northward. Buell entered Louisville on the 26th and secured the city's safety. He set about reorganizing his army and refitting in preparation for ousting the Rebels from the rest of Kentucky.
To this point, Smith and Bragg had done well by transferring the seat of war hundreds of miles to the north and relieving great pressures on the deep south. But now, deep flaws in the confederate command structure became apparent. Bragg and Smith were both independent departmental commanders, but Bragg was a full General, two grades higher than Smith (soon to be only one, since Smith was promoted to Lieutenant General on October 9th). However, Bragg was out of his jurisdiction, operating in Smith's department and confusing the command issue. Neither commander was placed in charge of the overall expedition. They were operating under an agreement to "co-operate" with each other. Instead of unifying, the two armies, Bragg's Mississippi and Smith's newly designated Army of Kentucky remained dispersed. Smith recognized that his own authority would be submerged if unified with Bragg and he remained aloof.
Bragg elected to avoid any assault on Louisville. Instead the Rebels contented themselves with recruiting and preparing to install in Frankfort a pro-confederate state government, created earlier by Kentucky seccessionists in exile. The recruiting was a failure and few Southern patriots hastened to join the Rebel armies. Most Kentuckians were Unionist and any southern supporters feared the Confederates were temporary occupiers of the state. Bragg hoped that the official sanction received by installing a new government would reverse that trend. Without a real sense of purpose, the two Rebel forces remained scattered and awaited Buell's move.
Buell was under intense pressure to act. Lincoln and the Ohio River Valley governers wanted Kentucky freed of Rebels quickly and fumed at any delay. However, his men required resupply and refit, and Buell needed to integrate some of the thousands of new troops into his field force. Some delay was inevitable, but each day cost the Union commander dearly in political coin.
Throughout the last week in September, Buell re-organized his army. He created three corps integrating veterans from Nashville with the new men. Two of his new commanders were Generals McCook and Crittenden, who had led divisions earlier and were adequate, if not spectacular, officers. His third choice, however, was less fortuitous. Charles C. Gilbert was a regular army captain who was hurriedly handed a brigadier general's commission and given command of the defeated remnants of Nelson's command with the latter's wounding. This was an emergency measure by the ranking Union officer in the Department of Ohio, General Wright, and was subject to Lincoln's approval. Lincoln did so, but Congress never approved the promotion. Gilbert was, therefore, never more than a captain.
At the time, however, he seemed to be a general. Nelson had recovered from his Richmond wound, but was then murdered by Union General Jefferson C. Davis (ironically) -- leaving Buell with a shortage of officers. So, Gilbert got the 3rd Corps.
One other very competent officer was available to Buell, but he represented a political threat. Major General George Thomas was Buell's second in command. Frustrated with Buell's inaction at the beginning of October, Lincoln issued an order relieving Buell and promoting Thomas in his place. Thomas refused the appointment because he knew Buell was ready to move and deserved a chance to prove himself. Even though Thomas was one of the least self-serving men in either army, Buell deemed it better to pigeonhole Thomas than to give him a corps where he might outperform his chief. (Halleck used this same technique on Grant after Shiloh.) As a result, it destroyed effective performance.
When Buell finally moved out, he was terrified of making a mistake. After all, Lincoln had already relieved him once and was only in command because of Thomas's refusal. For his part, Thomas was unwilling to use initiative in even trivial matters -- afraid that Buell would construe it as political maneuvering. This was hardly the recipe for an aggressive campaign to liberate Kentucky.
On October 1, Buell's army left Louisville. It was a four-pronged advance -- three corps headed southeast to sever Rebel supply lines, and a fourth column (under Joshua Sill) acted as a diversion against Frankfort. Buell's army numbered some 60,000 men, while another 20,000 marched under Sill.
Bragg and Smith's men were still dispersed and the two armies remained separated. When notified of the Union advance, Bragg mistook Sill's diversion as the main effort and Buell's force as the diversion. Bragg decided to have Polk and Hardee defeat the 'diversionary' column and then re-unite the Confederate army at Salvisa to crush the rest of Buell's army.
On October 4th, the Confederate army installed the state government, and then promptly evacuated in front of Sill's advance. Bragg's plan had already fallen apart because Smith was still too far away. Polk and Hardee had recognized the Federal main effort for what it was. Wisely, they chose not to attack and, instead, fell back toward Perryville.
On the evening of October 7th, the lead Union troops reached Perryville and the two sides skirmished that night. While still trying to concentrate his scattered forces, Bragg ordered Polk and Hardee to attack at dawn.
The Rebel troops at Perryville numbered 16,000 men. Buell had three of his corps within easy reach of the field and outnumbered the Southerners three to one. The two Confederate wing commanders agreed they couldn't attack and, instead, prepared to defend. They also neglected to inform Bragg of this decision or of the size of the enemy force they confronted.
Bragg rose the next morning and did not hear the opening of an attack. He became concerned and rode on to Perryville. There, only some minor fighting occurred as Union troops pushed back an advanced Rebel brigade. Buell was still assembling his three corps and did not wish to attack until the next day.
Bragg arrived at mid-morning, furious at the lack of action. He overruled the wing commander's defensive plan and ordered an attack on the Union left flank -- McCook's Union 1st Corps. This corps was short one division (which was off with Sill) and was the weakest of Buell's corps, anyway. As they moved north, the Confederates left only one brigade of infantry and one of cavalry to screen the approaches Buell's other corps were using to arrive.
Finally at about 1:30pm, Bragg's army attacked. The battle itself was a straightforward affair. The three Confederate divisions attacked en echelon and drove McCook's men back. The Rebels overran twenty-three cannon -- the Union recaptured twelve later on. The main action was over about 7:30pm.
The only Union troops involved in the main action aside from McCook's was one brigade from Gilbert's corps which moved to McCook's aid and suffered 500 casualties. Towards the end of the fight, one brigade each from the 2nd and 3rd Corps advanced on the town via the Springfield Pike, but did not engage in any serious fighting. There advance, however, alerted Bragg to the reality of the threat he faced.
The Federals's poor showing can only be attributed to their commanders. Immobilized from his injury on the 7th (he fell off his horse), Buell remained at his headquarters all day. An acoustical freak of nature kept him from hearing the battle less than two miles away. McCook seems to have made no effort to inform his commander of the attack until it was almost over. Gilbert -- though he could witness the fighting and his subordinate Sheridan repeatedly requested permission to join the fight -- failed to take any action save sending one brigade to McCook's support. He, too, failed to notify Buell of the fighting. Thomas and Crittenden's Corps arrived on the field at about 3:30pm and took up their previously assigned defensive positions south of Gilbert. Thomas hesitated to violate his instructions from Buell and assumed that if Buell needed him, word would be sent.
The word, of course, never came. Second Corps sat out the afternoon's fighting. At dusk, Thomas and Crittenden finally showed some initiative and sent forward a brigade to threaten Bragg's line of retreat. Supported by one of Gilbert's brigades, that brigade drove back the Rebels and entered Perryville, but returned to Union lines as darkness set in.
The Rebels won a tactical success against McCook, but Bragg was now aware of the size of his enemy. The remaining Confederate forces were still anticipating a consolidation elsewhere and were not within supporting distance of Perryville. Faced with a certain Union attack the next morning, Bragg ordered a withdrawal.
The rest of the campaign was mysteriously anti-climatic. Neither side had lost enough troops to cripple their armies (the Union lost 4200, the South 3400), but no further effort was made towards fighting. Bragg finally concentrated the entire Rebel army near Herrodsburg in order to counterattack. Buell (back at Perryville) launched the planned attack on the 9th only to find out that the enemy had withdrawn. He then slowly pursued the Rebel force.
Ultimately, Bragg changed his mind about another fight. He declared complete victory and withdrew to Tennessee. Smith's army followed, though he did approach Polk and Hardee in an effort to convince Bragg to fight.
Buell followed slowly and did not press the issue. On October 24th, Lincoln relieved Buell (again) and replaced him with William S. Rosecrans. Thomas was bypassed because of his previous refusal of the job and guilt by association with Buell. He was given a corps command and later commanded the army after Rosecrans's own defeat.
Perryville cannot be counted as a Rebel defeat, but neither was it a victory -- except of the most limited kind. Much of eastern Tennessee was free of Union threat for a while. However, the seeds of later disaster were sown in Kentucky. Serious rifts developed between Bragg and his commanders which would soon be intensified at Stones River. The unbelievable dissension that would eventually lead to the disappointment of Chickamauga, the mess of Missionary Ridge, and which crippled the Army of Tennessee throughout the war began here.
For his part, Kirby Smith eventually got all the independence he ever craved. After Perryville, he commanded the Trans-Mississippi Department which was quite far from Richmond. After the fall of Vicksburg, Smith was even more isolated. Made a full general in 1864, he commanded what became known as "Kirby Smithdom" until the very end. He did fairly well and the job suited him.