We want our Whiskey! Gettysburg Soldiers at ATC

By Troy Hill

“It is General Burnside’s special request,” Ferrero yelled to the two regiments, “that the two 51sts take that bridge. Will you do it?” Quickly, the teetotaling Cpl. Lewis Patterson replied, “Will you give us our whiskey, Colonel, if we take it?” The fired-up Ferrero answered affirmatively before asking again, “Will you take it?” “Yes,” the men shouted back. Sure enough, they did, and the men of the 51st Pennsylvania got their whiskey back. Source: Emerging Civil War:

I’m on a quest to play just about every American Civil War rules-set I can find. From the chart-heavy simulation depths of Johnny Reb II, to the abstract Army-Level approach of Altar of Freedom, I want to give each an afternoon’s play.

After a day of Johnny Reb II at my local game store, I can see where my tastes run to the more abstract. Currently in queue I’ve got Fire and Fury, both regimental and brigade tomes.

So when I saw that Larry Reber of the GettysburgSoldiers.com rules was going to be at HMGS-Great Lakes’ flagship event, Advance the Colors, I knew I had to wheedle my way into a game.

I was too slow to the mustering station to grab a ticket to the Friday event. But I grabbed one early the next morning, for Larry’s afternoon session.

The scenario was the Burnside’s Bridge end of the Battle of Antietam.

I learned that the Friday evening Yank players from the two 51sts managed to secure their whiskey easily.

Well almost. Larry told me the next day that the scenario called for them to get a supply wagon across the bridge, and the players were too focused on chasing the Rebels off the board.

So, the game master’s pendulum of fate swung the other way for our Saturday afternoon attempt. Larry added reinforcements to the Rebels, and, I suspect allowed them to come on the board a bit earlier. But, I’m not sure.

What I do know is we ended up in a bloody stalemate.

I secured a seat at what would be the southern end of Burnside’s forces. That meant I needed to get my men across the small ford in Antietam Creek, lest that pesky Rebel, Powell Hill, who was giving our family name a black eye by fighting against the Union, show up with reinforcements. Yes, I had a score to settle, to bring honor back to the Hill name.

The Battle Commences

The brave Union commanders to my “north” pushed the two 51sts toward the bridge, laying down a withering fire to make Sucesh dive for cover. Unfortunately, they already had good, hard cover. The boys in blue could drive them back for a moment, but the Rebs returned before the lead could make it fully across the bridge.

At the southern end, I ordered my artillery to set up in the field overlooking the ford, where it could fire over our infantry and cavalry. There I attached the force commander to add his leadership to help with the accuracy of our shot.

In hindsight, I should have detached a stand or two from my cavalry, and positioned them to watch for that dastardly General Hill. Larry our game master, wandered by in the third turn to give me that suggestion.

Instead, I wasted a few turns with the cav, trying to get them across the ford quickly. In hindsight, running them up to the creek, dismounting with their more accurate carbines, and laying into the rebs, would have  been a better option. Maybe. Powell Hill had his troops paralleling the creek, and they have been revealed a turn earlier had I planted the Cavalry at the water’s edge.

My artillery spent time on counter battery fire, while my lead infantry regiment fired at the Rebs in the tree-line. We killed horsed, knocked out a limber, and forced the Rebs to recrew a gun with infantry. But we couldn’t break the artillery nor the infantry. Every time they fell back, they’d regroup and surge forward to meet our advance with hot lead.

Up to the North, our lads attempted another volley or four, and charged again and again up the curve of the bridge, only to meet withering fire. Again they retreated.

Behind the Rebel lines, more Succesh reinforcements arrived – with their leadership played by stand-in General Longstreet (due to the Larry only having Longstreet’s miniature available to be unplanned command of unplanned reinforcements). Getting “Longstreet’s” boys into the fight made the bridge into an even-bloodier mess.

And Powell Hill’s troops got their artillery unlimbered and stared counter battery fire. There was no way I could aid the two 51sts by Flanking Tombs’ forces. And with the reserved from “General Longstreet” arriving, General Ferrero’s troops were out gunned.

No one got their whiskey that night.

The Rules

I’m impressed with the simplicity of the Gettysburg Soldiers rules. However, to someone not used to reading wargaming rules, they may be rather murky at first. But the simplistic layout of numbers rules, in the order you’ll most likely need them quickly makes sense.

Numbered up to 100, the rules are short and simple, with a variety of full color illustration, usually of actual miniatures on a faming table. Even the examples of artillery firing are photographs with curved arcs to show how guns on elevated hills can fire over troops.

Pages 19 and 20 give the firing and combat charts, that are at the core of the game. They’re what give GS the “Fire and Fury-light” feel.

For shooting, bonuses and penalties are added up for the units firing, and that number added or subtracted from a 2d6 roll, and cross-referenced to the Firing Chart. That chart is based either upon the number of stands firing at the enemy unit, or Artillery vs Troops or other artillery. Typical results are 0-1 stands killed, and perhaps and the unit falls back one full move, still facing the enemy (Retreat, rule #60).

An exceptionally good roll might result in the unit being routed (Rout, rule #61), whereby the unit under fire becomes unnerved and “temporarily leaves the fight.” Like the route action, the unit withdraws one full movement, and faces away from the enemy. A “General” must be used to rally them.

The downside to the simplistic nature of the rulebook, was illustrated when I had my cavalry route from fire. My opponent, who had experience with the game, inferred that my general could move to rally, but that was his action. I wanted my general to ride half his move to rally, then half back to the battery.

Larry explained that was allowable, mimicking several times ACW generals rode down multiple groups of fleeing soldiers to rally them, and get them back into the fight. He’d covered it in the FAQ, since there is no place in the rules that says a General must stop to rally.

Hand-to-Hand Melee

This to is covered in a chart, similar to shooting. This is decided by opposed 2d6 rolls by both attacker and defender. Conditions such as unit experience (eg: Hardened Veterans, rule #66) or Mounted Cavalry in Woods, (Rule #71) may alter the outcome for each player’s roll. Add and/or subtract these from the die roll for that player. Compare the results. The chart breaks the differences down between Union winning the roll, an by how much vs the Confederates winning, and by how much.

It’s interesting that the fighting is treated as simultaneous, and both sides take casualties. An even-up roll equals one stand per side as casualties, where winning by 7 or more kills three stands on the opposing side, and one on the winning side.

Sequence of the turn

This one threw me off when reading the book. Rules 87 to 92 cover the turn sequence.

Each side rolls 1d6, high number deciding which side will maneuver first. Side A wins the roll, and elects to go first, so Side A completes their maneuvers, then Side B does their maneuvers.  Then another roll-off to see who fires first in the shooting phase.

Then any units that engaged in melee do their roll-offs.

Overall Rating

I’d give this game a solid 4/5. The only downside is coming to grips with the layout of the rules, and the few odd missing bits, such as how a general rallying his troops mentioned above. In future printings of the book, I’d love to see the FAQ incorporated into the rules as 63.a. “A general may move his full move distance and rally as many troops as he can reach, and/or return to his original position if he has enough movement remaining.

Is this game the same as Fire and Fury? No, but it’s a close cousin. What it does well is present a simple set of rules that I see as great for gaming conventions and other events. Want to fight a 4×6 table sized battle in a few hours, or a larger battle in a single day? Gettysburg Soldiers is a fun way to play.

Check out their website, along with some of Larry’s custom ACW painting, at their website here.