This article is my personal interpretation of the battle. Any mistakes are my own.
The situation in The Western Theatre for the Confederacy had not been going well. A Union Army under General Curtis had moved south from central Missouri, pushing the Confederate forces further back in front of him. Sent by the Confederate President Jeff Davis, Major General Earl Van Dorn had high hopes of taking Saint Louis and restoring Missouri along with control of the Mississippi to the Confederacy.
However the situation had not gone according to plan. Van Dorn,s Army of the Trans-Mississippi numbered 16,000 troops. He was more than confident that he could overcome the Union Army of 11,500 opposed to him. However, partly through disorganisation and a fragmented command structure, events proved otherwise.
The Union troops under Curtis had pushed the Confederate force south west out of Missouri and over the border into Arkansas. Eventually, realising that his supply line was becoming tenuous, Curtis called a halt at Sugar Creek. A defence line was established, along the northern bank of the Creek, facing south in expectation of a Confederate counter attack.
Van Dorn did indeed want to attack, but not frontally, against the well positioned Union troops. From their position at Camp Stephen, south west of the Union position, Van Dorn wanted to outflank the Union army from the left.
Using a track known as The Bentonville Detour, Van Dorn hoped to circle his Confederate troops around the Union Army attacking it from the rear and cutting off the supply route. The Confederate forces still suffered from some lack of organisation , and disharmony amongst the Senior ranks. The men were already exhausted from their previous manoeuvres. Orders were issued that only light rations and limited ammunition were to be carried.
With Sterling Price’s Missouri State Guard leading the column, the army started its march. It took time for the army to cross Sugar Creek and a gap opened up at the rear of the column, between Pikes Brigade and the rest of the Army. Also, small Union detachments had felled trees along the Detour.
Such was the delay that Van Dorn ordered McCulloch to take his three Brigades back along the Ford Road, east toward Elkhorn Tavern. Meanwhile Prices Division continued northeast around Big Mountain to meet up at the same place.
General Curtiss became aware of the Confederate movement when McCullochs troops were spotted moving east along the Ford Road toward the Union army. General Curtis was not prepared to sit still while the Confederate army maneuvered on his flank——————-.
UNION ARMY OF THE SOUTH-WEST.
11,500 = 11.5 points x 3 = 35pts r/u.
Brigadier General Samual R. Curtis. Commanding @ 2 points.
1st DIVISION,
General Peter Osterhouse @ 1 point.
2 stands of Line Infantry @ 2pts = 4 points.
1 stand of Skirmish Infantry @ 1 point.
1 stand of of Light Artillery @ 1 point.
2nd DIVISION
General Alexander Asboth @ 1 point.
3 stands of Line Infantry @ 1point = 3 points.
2 stands of Regular Cavalry @ 1 point = 2 points.
2 stands of Light Artillery @ 1 point = 2 points.
1 stand of Heavy Artillery @ 2 points.
3rd DIVISION
General Franz Sigel @ 1pt,
General Jeff Davis @ 1pt.
2 stands of Infantry @ 2pts = 4 points.
1 stand of Infantry Skirmishers. @ 1pt.
1 stand of Regular Cavalry @ 1pt.
1 stand of Light Artillery @ 1pt.
4th DIVISION,
1 General Eugene Carr @ 1pt,
4 stands of Line Infantry @ 1pt, = 4 points.
1 stand of Regular Cavalry @ 1pt.
1 stand of Light Artillery @ 1pt.
THE CONFEDERATE ARMY of the TRANS-MISSISSIPPI;
16,000 = 16 points x 3 = 48 points.
RIGHT WING;
Divisional General Benjamin McCulloch @ 1 point.
General Albert Pike @ 1 point.
3 stands of Line Infantry @ 2pts = 6 points.
2 stands of Regular Cavalry @ 1pt = 2 points.
2 stands of American Native Cherokee Light Cavalry @ 1pt = 2pts.
Major-General Earl Van Dorn ( commanding ) @ 1point.
General Louis Hébert @ 1pt.
4 stands of Line Infantry @ 2 points = 8pts
1 stand of dismounted Cavalrymen ( no horses) @ 1pt.
1 stand of Skirmish Infantry @ 1pt.
General James McIntosh @ 1pt.
4 stands of Regular Cavalry @ 2pts = 8pts.
3 stands of Light Artillery @ 1pt = 3pts.
LEFT WING;
Missouri State Guard;
Major-General Stirling-Price @ 1pt.
2 stands of Light Artillery @ 1pt = 2pts.
3 stands of Line Infantry @ 2pts = 6pts.
3 stands of Regular Cavalry @ 1pt = 3pts.
Playing Notes for the historical battle.
First Day:
* This Part will be played for 8 Game-Turns.
* No stands of either side may enter Freetown Wood, ( a fictional name I’ve used as a geographical location).
* Big Mountain and Little Mountain cannot be crossed by any stands.
* Sugar Creek can only be crossed by the bridges. Any stand entering the Creek will be lost.
* The fence around the field is only a boundary marker and does not impede movement for any stands.
* Only Hébert’s Brigade will move toward the Ford Road first on the first Game-Turn. The stands of Osterhouse’s Brigade cannot move until they have line of sight to any Confederate stands on Ford Road.
* From Game-Turn 2. On the Confederate side, Hebert’s and McIntosh’s Brigades move into the Ford Road. On the Union side, Osterhouse and Asboth’s Brigades can move.
* From Game-Turn 3, Hebert’s, McIntosh’s and Pikes Brigades can move up the Ford Road. On the Union side, Osterhouse, Asboth and Davis’s Brigades can move.
* From Game-Turn 4, All stands of both sides can move.
* If any Stands from McCullochs division have to “ move-back”, they must do so on the Ford Road. Any stands that cannot move back are removed from play.
* The Union side retains the Initiative Point for the entire battle of eight Game-Turns.
* The Union side also wins any tied results.
* At the end of eight Game-Turns, the side with the lowest number of stands lost, is the winner. If the result is tied, the battle goes on for another eight Game-Turns.
Note: The stands start the battle from their finishing position from the previous battle.
* Any stands on Pea Ridge being fired on by Union Artillery will suffer a 2 point reduction to their die roll if they return fire within the same Game Turn.
* Union Artillery add 1 point to their die roll when firing on any target on Pea Ridge.
This is because Pea Ridge had a layer of rocky shale on the surface. Every time a cannon round hit the Ridge, shale was thrown up like shrapnel, causing Confederate units to retreat.
Playing the Game;
This is a tough battle for the Confederates. They have the numbers but not the space to deploy. I have tried to reflect the lack of mobility and cohesion within the army by reducing the space for movement.
This battle was a bit tricky to re-enact as it was not a set-piece but a running battle consisting of a series of moving skirmishes.
