Battle of Cutler's Farm - Turns 4-6

9:30 am - game turn 4 on the battlefield. On the Confederate left the flanking manoeuvre rolls on - Hood's division swings round to face south west and deploys across the cornfields, while the long column of Ewell's division creeps up in support. Hood's guns deploy to join with Fitzhugh Lee's horse artillery in keeping the Union cavalry at bay. Desperate to delay the approaching Rebels, Ian has spread Tompkin's troopers too thinly which causes an 'unsupported' deduction from their morale die rolls, and they start to back off.

Hood deploys while Ewell comes up. Both divisions have
aggressive orders.

Fitzhugh Lee in the foreground - in the distance Hood has already begun
 to engage the Union right flank near the Barnes House

Hood's command is in 'assault' mode and Whiting's Brigade introduces the Yankees to the twin horrors of the bayonet and the Rebel Yell. Hood himself is in the thick of it, lending his morale bonus to the front line, until he is badly wounded. But he has done the job - two Federal units break and Butterfield's division crumbles away . . . . . . . .



Fierce fighting in Farmer Barnes' front yard - again ! Off to the right you can see
 the rest of Longstreet's men engaging the Union centre.

Routed Federals stream away from Whiting's brigade - although the Reb
strength point marker shows they didn't have it all their own way!

The battle in the centre was subject to some low combat losses and good die rolls for morale, in true quirky ACW style. With neither side having assault orders this meant they were able to stand and keep slugging away at each other for another hour and a half ! However this kind of stalemate benefits Ian as it gives time for a constant stream of fresh Yankee brigades to come up from Sharpeville. There are always so many soldiers in the Union army !

Union brigades are like buses used to be - there will
always be another one along in a minute !



The centre from the Union perspective - both sides have their reserve artillery deployed here.
 On the ridge in the background you can just make out the silhouette of General Lee!



The centre from the viewpoint of General Wilcox's Confederate division -
 the brigade of a certain George Pickett in the foreground !

Just after 10:00 am General Lee arrives on the field, having been held up on the road behind the supply train. He moves onto a nearby ridge, assesses the Confederate right flank and sends Jackson new assault orders for Starke's division. Lee and Jackson are 'A' grade commanders and Starke is a 'B' and they are all less than a mile apart, making the execution of the order quick enough to surprise Ian who had just nipped out to make a cup of tea!

Lee arrives to get a grip on the situation

Starke's division - in the left foreground Winder has just routed Doubleday's brigade
but in practise the rest of the line is too weak or shaky to make much
use of the new assault orders

General Bayard's dismounted cavalry are swarming round A.P.Hill's flank -
Bayard shown here with his formidable corps commander, John Buford

On the extreme right of the Confederate army, A.P.Hill's troops have more or less been fought to a standstill, hamstrung by the pressure of an entire Federal cavalry division on their flank. At the end of turn 6 the Rebels have 2.5 demoralisation points and the Union 4.5. Still anybody's game !