This article is my personal interpretation of events at this time. Any mistakes are my own.
On a cold morning in February of 1862 a watery sun shone through the clouded sky over Fort Bliss. Within, and around its environs 2,500 men went about the business of preparing for conflict: saddling up, checking weapons, storing rations, packing ammunition and receiving orders.
This was no mob of ragamuffins. This was a formation of professional soldiers committed to fighting for the Confederate cause led by experienced officers.
Unfortunately the General with the job with leading this force lacked the Martial Spirit for the task ahead. Brigadier General Henry Hopkins Sibley had grandiose ideas of bringing all of New Mexico under Confederate control. He said he had sold the idea to the Government in Richmond for this campaign. However there were those in the force who doubted that a General who was permanently drunk could sell anything !!
An additional important problem, one that Sibley seems to have overlooked in his grand scheme, was that although New Mexico had some Southern sympathizers it was staunchly Union. Also, the Mexican locals were not enarmoured with their Texan neighbours. Nonetheless the Confederate Brigade set out on the 140 mile ride to Fort Craig, the main Union post in the territory. Sibley’s plan was to take the fort then move further North onto the main Union supply base at Albuquerque.
.jpeg)
The Union Commander of Fort Craig was the complete opposite of the Confederate General. Colonel Edward Canby was taciturn, energetic and a total professional. When he received intelligence that a Confederate force was heading toward his Headquarters he set about organising the defense.
All outlying forces were called in. Additional volunteer troops were sent for from Colorado. The forts defenseworks were strengthened. Eventually, the Confederate army arrived at Fort Craig forming up outside the walls. Sibley hoped to draw out the Garrison, but Canby kept his men firmly within the fort.
After an Officers briefing, having noted how strong the forts defenses were, the Confederates decided to march around the fort. The grey-clad troops crossed the Rio Grande River from west to east, then marched north intending to recross the Rio Grande upriver from the fort cutting the forts supply line to Albuquerque..
However the Union General Canby, was not one for sitting still. Leaving a small force to guard fort Craig, Canby mustered every man he could to march north and stop the Confederates from crossing the Rio Grande and realising their mission…
CONFEDERATE ARMY OF NEW MEXICO:
2,550 Officers and men = 2.550 x 12 = 31pts.
Nominal Command : Brigadier General Henry Hopkins Sibley. ( To quote a phrase from Mr Albert’s book:” the Officers were not sure if Sibley was ill because he was drunk, or drunk because he was ill”!) on a number of occasions he recused himself from Command when battle was imminent.
Actual Command: Colonel Tom Green @ 1 point
2nd Command: Lieutenant William Read ( “ Dirty Shirt”) Scurry @ 1pt.
1 Artillery Battalion = 4 Batteries each of 3 guns and 30 gunners = 360 gunners = 0.360 pts x 12 = 4pts r/d = 4 stands of Light Horse Artillery @ 1pt = 4pts.
The 2nd Texas ( Arizona Militia ) Mounted Regt = 250 Men = 0.250pts x 12 = 3pts = 3 stands of Cavalry @ 1 point = 3pts. Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Pyron @ 1 point.
The 4th Texas Mounted Regt = 600 men = 0.600pts x 12 = 7pts r/d = 3 stands of Cavalry @ 2pts = 6 points. + Colonel James Riley @ 1 point.
The 5th Texas Mounted Regt = 600 men = 0.600pts x 12 = 7pts r/d = 3 stands of Cavalry @ 2pts = 6 points + Major Samual Lockridge @ 1point.
Note: If you wish to represent the Company of Lancers within the 5th Regiment, the muster would read: 2 stands of Cavalry @ 2 points. Lockridge @ 1 point. 1 stand of Cavalry @ 1 point and one stand of Lancer Cavalry @ 1 point.
On the battle plan the Lacers are shown as a dotted square to the right of the 5th Regiment.
The 7th Texas Mounted Regt = 600 men = 0.600pts x 12 = 7pts r/d = 3 stands of Cavalry @ 2pts = 6pts + Colonel William Steel @ 1pt.
THE UNION ARMY OF NEW MEXICO:
3,800 Officers and men. = 3.8 pts x 12 = 46pts r/u.
C-in-C: Colonel Edward Canby @ 1pt.
1st U.S Cavalry = 200 men = 0.200pts x 12 = 2pts r/d = 2 stands of Cavalry @ 1point = 2 points..
3rd U.S. Cavalry = 200 men = 0.200pts x 12 = 2pts r/d = 2 stands of Cavalry @ 1 point = 2 points.
Major Thomas Duncan @ 1point.
5th U.S. Infantry = 400 men = 0.400pts x 12 = 5pts = 4 stands of Infantry @ 1pt = 4pts + Captain Benjamin Wingate @ 1pt.
7th U.S. Infantry = 200 men = 0.200 pts x 12 = 2 pts r/d = 2 stands @ 1point = 2pts.
10th U.S. Infantry = 200 men = 0.200 pts x 12 = 2 pts r/d = 2 stands @ 1 point = 2pts.
Colonel Benjamin S. Robert’s @ 1 point.
1st New Mexico Infantry = 560 men = 0.560pts x 12 = 7pts r/u = 3 stands @ 2points + Colonel Kit Carson @ 1 point.
2nd New Mexico Infantry = 360 men = 0.360pts x 12 = 4pts r/d = 2 stands @ 2pts.
3rd New Mexico Infantry = 360 men = 0.360pts x 12 = 4pts r/d = 2 stands @ 2pts.
4th New Mexico Infantry = 0.360 men = 0.360pts x 12 = 4pts r/d = 2 stands @ 2pts.
5th New Mexico Infantry = 0.360 men = 0.360pts x 12 = 4pts r/d = 2 stands @ 2pts.
2nd ColoradoVolunteer Infantry = 300 men = 0.300pts x 12 x 4pts r/u = 2 stands @ 2pts.
Graydon’s Independant Cavalry Company = 100 men = 0.100pts =1 stand @ 1point.
Mc Rae’s Artillery Battery = 6 guns each with 30 gunners = 180 gunners = 0.180 x 12 = 2pts r/d = 2 stands of Light Horse Artillery @ 1point.
BATTLE NOTES:
* Dismounted Cavalry are 1pt less than their mounted selves. If the mounted Cavalry are 1 point then just throw a basic die roll for the dismounted stand.
* The Confederates retain the Initiative Point for the entire battle.
* The Confederates win any tied results.
MORALE
1) Add up the points of each army to arrive at a total.
2). That total is then halved to get a final number.
3) Those numbers are then SWAPPED OVER. In this case ,the Union Army is 31points, The Confederate army is 46 points.
Note: This is because one of the Union Volunteer Regiments panicked which caused other Regiments to waver.
As Stands are removed, the points are deducted from the total of the respective Army.
* The battle will be played for 8 Game Turns and/or until one side’s Morale Total is reduced to Zero.
The Union Player also wins if they stop the Confederate stands from reaching the Rio Grande. ( the Confederates were short of water)
The Confederates also win if they control the crossings at the river and remove all the Union stands from the east side of the river
* This is a regimental sized battle, therefore, stands of a regiment must always remain in squares adjacent to each other even on a diagonal. This rule also applies to each of the regimental commanders present.
* If for any reason the stands become separated, each stand of that regiment will deduct 2 points from its Firing and Close Combat die rolls.
* FIRING:
The Confederate troops were armed with shotguns, pistols and smoothbore carbines therefore the range for all Confederate and Union Cavalry carbines small is 2 squares.
The range for Union Infantry muskets is 3 squares as the Federal troops were better armed.
The Confederates were also hampered with their artillery. They were outranged by the Union guns therefore: Confederate artillery has a range of 4 squares. The Union Artillery is 6 squares.
I’ve put small squares of card with the Regimental number on each stands.
*TREES:
The trees cannot be moved. They block line-of-sight for shooting and hamper movement.
* THE RIO GRANDE:
The river can only be crossed at the Fords. Any stand being forced into any other part of the river will be lost.
THE OLD RIVER BED:
*The silt from this had gradually built up into an embankment, the river having changed its course by natural means. Therefore, Union troops firing at any stand behind the Embankment must deduct 2 points from all Firing die rolls.
* The Embankment is classed as “Trench” during Close Combat.
* McRae’s Battery: These Union Guns became the focus of some intense fighting during the battle and a morale booster for the Confederates. If either of the Union Artillery stands suffers a “ move-back”as a result of Close Combat, that stand is removed by the Confederate Player.
If the Confederate Player manages to capture both Artillery stands, 10 points are added to the Confederate Player’s Morale total.
THE HISTORY.
New Mexico is an unforgiving environment for man and beast. Even the local population were at subsistence level. Therefore everything required for a campaign had to be carried either by the men, or in waggons.
There were native tribes in the area raiding both Union and Confederate supply trains if the opportunity arose. The weather also played its part in bringing yet more problems for the soldiers of both sides to cope with.
When the war started there was a change of personnel. Officers resigned their commissions and soldiers left their posts in order to sign up to the Confederacy. Therefore some forts became vacant. Others like fort Craig were strengthened by the remaining Union Command.
Although on the western fringe of the main theatres of conflict, New Mexico could not be neglected by either side. Both sides could use the state to make incursions into each others territories.
This is the first of four battles in what became known as the Glorieta Campaign.
THE LANCERS:
Company B of the 5th Virginia Mounted Rifles carried a lance. During the battle they charged the Colorado Volunteers thinking it was a Green Regiment that would break. That was a deadly mistake. As the Confederates thundered toward them, the Commander of the Union troops coolly ordered a firing line. As the Confederates came up. The Union troops unleashed a massive volley which ripped through men and horses alike.
The survivors of the charge turned and galloped back to their line, where they promptly threw away their useless lances and took up their pistols and carbines. Therefore:
* If the lancers are used they do not get the three points for Close Combat against Infantry on flat open ground.
* Cavalry do not get the three points for attacking Infantry in the open. ( This is because the cavalry don’t have swords and the Infantry are armed with bayonets)
* The Lancer stand cannot fire until it has been in Close Combat at least once. Having done so, the stand must move back and spend one Game-Turn with the Regiment after which it may move and fire.
CAVALRY AND FIREARMS:
These are my personal perceptions of the tactics used. Those with a deeper knowledge of events will have a better understanding.
During this era, American Cavalry fought as Dragoons, very often dismounting to fight. This is because Infantry Muskets were now rifled giving a much greater range and accuracy. Charging formed Infantry or Infantry behind cover could be deadly as proven by the actions of the Lancers..
The weapons of choice being a knife, smoothbore pistols and carbines. ( a smaller version of the musket that the infantry carried.) Swords were carried by Officers and in some Regular Union Cavalry Regiments but not very much by the Confederates.
They were more a badge of rank and very rarely used. The troopers preferred to use their pistols rather than swords.
Now. I don’t know the exact course of events during this battle. Whether the Confederates advanced on foot or used their horses, or a mix of both. There was a thin screen of trees between each of the protagonists which made it difficult for each side to see what was happening. Therefore it could be a mixture of both, so Players have leeway as to how they fight the battle
To cover both events I use mounted figures with dismounted figures and horses:
* figures can ride then dismount within the same movement phase, or vice-versa.The cannot perform this action with enemy stands in adjacent squares. Stands can mount up and ride within the same movement phase but not with enemy stands in adjacent squares.
* Stands may fire within the same Game-Turn that they dismounted.
* Stands may not claim cover from the Embankment when mounted.
* When mounted, all Firing is at PISTOL RANGE. ( one square)
* When dismounted all Firing is at CARBINE RANGE ( two squares).
CREDITS:
The figures are all 15mm and are a mix of Miniature Figurines. Peter Pig and Essex figures. The waggons and mules are from Peter Pig. Nearly all the Command Figures are Peter Pig. The flags are from Peter Pig.
The trees are from various manufacturers. The hills are made of self adhesive cork tiles cover with Fine Turf from the Woodlands Scenics company. The square outline is ( I think?) Jarvis Scenics Sand. The river sections are thin card. The hedging strips are from Pendragon Miniatures.
The dry river sections are from a Wargame Show bring-and-buy. The Embankment is made from Panscrubbers and BlueTack. The cloth covering is from Deep Cut Studios. It’s the “ Iberian Plain” with a Custom 2” square overlay.
As always. The table is 3 feet ( 90 cm) x 2 feet ( 60cm ). The stands are 40mm x 40mm and cut from picture framing card. The 40mm round stands are from Sarissa Precision.
