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After Action Reports => Digital Gaming AARs => Topic started by: Tripoli on April 11, 2022, 12:29:32 PM

Title: The First Battle of Kernstown, 23 March 1862
Post by: Tripoli on April 11, 2022, 12:29:32 PM
Kernstown 23 March 1862

This is an ongoing AAR of PBEM game between Arizona Tank and myself playing  the First Kernstown  scenario using WDS's "Campaign Shenandoah" game (https://wargameds.com/products/campaign-shenandoah).    Arizona Tank is playing the CSA, and I'm playing the Union.  We started this game after some of the comments.  We decided to play this game after a discussion in the "Books and Reading" thread on the battle.  See here: http://www.grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=26128.msg702149#msg702149  for the thread.

A bit of historical background regarding the battle. The battle was the result of Jackson's orders to prevent General Nathaniel Banks from withdrawing his forces from the Shenandoah to reinforce McClellan's Peninsular Campaign.  On March 21, Jackson received information that Banks had split his force.

Jackson received incorrect intelligence that a small detachment under Col. Nathan Kimball was vulnerable.  In fact, Jackson was facing a full infantry division more than twice the size of Jackson's force. In command was Colonel Nathan Kimball, who was given temporary command the day before after B.Gen Shield was wounded.  Kimball had ten rifled artillery pieces on Pritchard's Hill, a dominant position just west of the Valley Pike.  These guns drove off the CSA cavalry, which was trying to flank the position from the east.   

Jackson, seeing the Union position on Pritchard's hill was too strong to flank from the east, tried to maneuver his two infantry brigades to flank it from the west.  Kimball, harassed by the fire of the Rockbridge Artillery and believing that Jackson outnumbered his forces, launched an assault on Sandy Ridge in an attempt to silence the battery. Colonel Erastus Tyler's3rd brigade was ordered to attack the Confederate.   Tyler's brigade advanced in column, and suffered significant casualties from the Confederates positioned on Sandy Ridge, behind a stone wall.  However, reinforcements from Kimball and artillery fire from Pritchard's hill eventually allowed the Union forces to form their line.  The Union's superior numbers, and the artillery on Pritchard's hill eventually wore down the CSA.. After several hours of fighting, exhausted and running low on ammunition,   CSA BGen. Richard Garnett, concerned about his ammunition and the potential for an disorderly retreat, ordered the CSA forces to withdraw from Sandy Hill.

Partially in response to the battle, the Lincoln administration, concerned about the safety of Washington, DC sent substantial reinforcements, troops originally meant to support McClellan's campaign against Richmond, back to the Valley.  Consequentially, despite being defeated, Jackson actually accomplished his mission.

Sources: https://www.nps.gov/cebe/learn/historyculture/first-battle-of-kernstown.htm
https://www.essentialcivilwarcurriculum.com/the-battle-of-first-kernstown.html
https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/kernstown-battle-of/


(https://www.essentialcivilwarcurriculum.com/assets/images/site/topics/ECWC%20TOPIC%20Kernstown%20First%20PIC%20Map%20by%20Hal%20Jesperson.jpg)
Title: Re: The First Battle of Kernstown, 23 March 1862
Post by: Tripoli on April 11, 2022, 12:50:20 PM
1300L 23March 1862

Since I'm playing the Union, and on the defensive, plan is pretty simple: wait to see how the CSA deploys, and use my superior numbers to blunt the offensive, then counterattack.  I anticipate that the CSA attack will largely develop along historical lines.  Because of the Union artillery on Pritchard's Hill, I think Arizona Tank will have to flank the Union from either the east or the west, and the area to the east lacks sufficient cover and has a Union brigade (Sullivan's 2nd Brigade) already holding the ground.  Because of this, my best guess is that Arizona Tank will flank me to the west, where there is more cover and concealment.  One of the interesting things about the deployment is that units of the 1st Brigade (84th PA and 67 OH) and 2nd Brigade (5 OH) are intermingled west of the Valley Turnpike.  And 1st Brigade 14th IN is for some reason deployed east of the Valley Turnpike.  This will potentially cause me problems as somebody (likely the 5th Ohio) is going to be out of command range of their brigade commander.  Additionally, Col. Kimball is so far to the rear that most of 1 Bde will be out of command range for a 1-2 turns.

(https://i.imgur.com/F1HnZpy.png)


Title: Re: The First Battle of Kernstown, 23 March 1862
Post by: Tripoli on April 11, 2022, 07:22:26 PM
Confederate Move, 1300L 23 March 1862

Arizona Tank opens up with an aggressive move straight up the middle, almost completely surrounding the detachment of the 8th Ohio located in Kernstown.  I had planned on pulling them back across Hoyle Run and forming the skeleton of a defense line  along the Valley Pike during my movement phase.  But it doesn't look like I'm going to get that chance.  They aren't even going to be a speed bump for the Confederate Brigade that will melee with them.  The only good news is that the 2 gun detachment of the West Virginia light artillery located along Hoyle Run scores a lucky shot, destroying one gun of one of the Confederate batteries deploying along the Pike.

(https://i.imgur.com/gVqLpUA.jpg)
Title: Re: The First Battle of Kernstown, 23 March 1862
Post by: MengJiao on April 12, 2022, 09:48:38 AM
Quote from: Tripoli on April 11, 2022, 07:22:26 PM

Arizona Tank opens up with an aggressive move straight up the middle, almost completely surrounding the detachment of the 8th Ohio located in Kernstown.  I had planned on pulling them back across Hoyle Run and forming the skeleton of a defense line  along the Valley Pike during my movement phase.  But it doesn't look like I'm going to get that chance.  They aren't even going to be a speed bump for the Confederate Brigade that will melee with them.  The only good news is that the 2 gun detachment of the West Virginia light artillery located along Hoyle Run scores a lucky shot, destroying one gun of one of the Confederate batteries deploying along the Pike.


  I think in the Great battles boardgame version of this battle, I took the earlier start option, so the Federals can deploy much farther back and it takes the Confederates awhile to put an attack
together.  Plus I pretty much ignored the flanks as much as possible...But those stone walls can be very useful.
Title: Re: The First Battle of Kernstown, 23 March 1862
Post by: Tripoli on April 14, 2022, 01:35:13 PM
1300 23 March 1862 Union move
Sure enough, the 8th Ohio was overrun.  Now there is nothing blocking the CSA forces from charging up the Valley Turnpike, splitting the 1st and 2nd Brigades and threatening the artillery on Pritchard's Hill.  I shift both brigades closer to the pike to close the gap, but none of my units have enough movement points to close it. It is almost like Arizona Tank planned it that way.....

(https://i.imgur.com/xVmq6EP.jpg)
Title: Re: The First Battle of Kernstown, 23 March 1862
Post by: JasonPratt on April 19, 2022, 09:43:45 AM
I am unreasonably happy to be reminded that the JTS/HPS legacy rolls on!  :dreamer: :notworthy:

(Also with the "Campaign Series" at Matrix/Slitherine, of course.)
Title: Re: The First Battle of Kernstown, 23 March 1862
Post by: Tripoli on April 19, 2022, 05:54:01 PM
Quote from: JasonPratt on April 19, 2022, 09:43:45 AM
I am unreasonably happy to be reminded that the JTS/HPS legacy rolls on!  :dreamer: :notworthy:

(Also with the "Campaign Series" at Matrix/Slitherine, of course.)

Yes, the John Tiller series is nice in that it provides a pretty good civil war game, and you can play just about any USCW or Napoleonic  battle on it.  I only wish the AI was better.

As I go through this game, I'm I'm going to try to illustrate some interesting "factoids" about the Civil War.  The first of these mini-essays is about the 8th Ohio, the 1st Battalion of which Arizona Tank overran on Turn 1. 

Historically, this unit was one of the more famous Union regiments in the Civil War.  Originally a 3 month unit, it became a 3 year unit in June 1861.  Its first real action was at Kernstown, where  it attacked and defeated a portion of Stonewall Jackson's force, while suffering almost twenty-five percent casualties.  It later fought at Antietam at the Sunken Road, where it took 50% casualties, but captured the road.  It participated at both Fredricksburg and Chancellorsville, largely as part of the the reserves.  At Gettysburg, the 8th Ohio helped to repell Pickett's charge, routing Brockenbrough's Virginia brigade.  It also participated in the 1864 Overland Campaign, including fighting in both the Wilderness and at Cold Harbor, where it suffered significant losses.  It was then placed in reserve until its enlistment expired in July 1864.  The hard fighting experienced by the unit gave it a dubious honor: more of its men died from hostile action than of disease.
Title: Re: The First Battle of Kernstown, 23 March 1862
Post by: W8taminute on April 19, 2022, 06:57:01 PM
John Tiller.  Is he the guy that used to make those Civil War games for Talonsoft?
Title: Re: The First Battle of Kernstown, 23 March 1862
Post by: Grim.Reaper on April 19, 2022, 07:10:56 PM
Quote from: W8taminute on April 19, 2022, 06:57:01 PM
John Tiller.  Is he the guy that used to make those Civil War games for Talonsoft?

Yes, he started there
Title: Re: The First Battle of Kernstown, 23 March 1862
Post by: W8taminute on April 20, 2022, 10:13:55 AM
^Cool.

I always like those short videos of re-enactors firing muskets everytime you ordered one of your units to fire.  That, for me back then, was really immersive. 
Title: Re: The First Battle of Kernstown, 23 March 1862
Post by: Tripoli on May 14, 2022, 10:21:37 AM
 On Turn 2, the CSA did exactly what I feared: He blitzed up the Valley Turnpike through the hole left by the routed 8th Ohio with a Brigade-sized force in column.  It looks like he will try to flank the Union artillery position on Pritchard's Hill.  Although I have the 2nd Brigade shift to the left, and 1st Brigade shift to the right as quickly as possible, the gap between the two brigades is too large to close before the CSA brigade pushes through it.  However, the 5th Ohio is in a position to melee part of the confederate brigade.  My plan is to try to disrupt AZ Tank's flanking move by meleeing and disrupting one of his regiments.  Hopefully, the Union artillery can deal with the other two. 

A second confederate brigade, supported by artillery is forming near the foot of Pritchard's hill.  I have a thin line of two regiments from the 1st Brigade form along a stone wall north of Opequam Church to hold.  The Union cavalry and 3rd Brigade enter the map, but are still several turns away.

(https://i.imgur.com/R6D6FAd.jpg)
Title: Re: The First Battle of Kernstown, 23 March 1862
Post by: Tripoli on May 22, 2022, 11:31:57 AM
My melee attack on the confderate brigade on the Valley turnpike routs one of the CSA regiments.  But ArizonaTank's aggressive move by this brigade against my weak center means that his other two regiments have successfully flanked my artillery position on Pritchard's Hill.  Without any infantry support, it is very questionable whether the position will hold.

(https://i.imgur.com/JtzCb31.jpg)

Meanwhile, on my right flank, two regiments of a second Confederate brigade have flanked my position on the stone wall.  Fortunately, the US 3rd Brigade has entered the map, and elements of the Cavalry Brigade are approaching the battle line.  On my left flank, the 13th and 14th Indiana are approaching the Valley Turnpike.  I should be able to seize the victory hex at Kernstown, which is a small consolation for the loss of Pritchard's Hill

More importantly,  his aggressive move has opened a gap between the CSA brigade on the Valley Turnpike, and the brigade that is flanking my right.  I'm hoping to throw  together what will effectively be a Union "Kampfgruppe", made up of a mixture of 1st and 2nd Brigade regiments on my left, and drive in this gap between his brigades.  I will then use the 3rd Brigade as the "hammer" to hit the CSA Brigade on the Valley Turnpike.  Right now, this gap is being covered by 3 batteries of unsupported CSA artillery.    I'm planning on keeping the 14th Indiana in column to attack this position before they all unlimber.  As an aside,   I'm surprised by the amount of artillery the CSA has.  Hopefully, the Union can  attrite some of the CSA advantage in this department.

Title: Re: The First Battle of Kernstown, 23 March 1862
Post by: Tripoli on June 26, 2022, 12:36:50 PM
1340 local time, 23 March 1861 (turn 3)

As I feared, ArizonaTank's two regiments successfully attack and destroy one of my unsupported artillery batteries on Pritchard's Hill, and are posed to take the second battery, and there is nothing to stop him.  My two regiments at the stone wall at the foot of Pritchard's hill are similarly at risk of being flanked and defeated by his second brigade.  However, I have several pieces of good news: 1) The 8th Ohio rallies and will be able to offer some support at the stone wall; 2) The 13th and 14th Indiana were able to close a Confederate battery before it could unlimber and will be able to melee it; and 3) Most importantly, my cavalry, and Tyler's 3rd Brigade are arriving on the field.  I'm going to move the cavlry brigade to my right flank to shore up the defenses at the stone wall, while the 3rd Brigade moves into the center.  My plan is for it to attack and defeat the unsupported Confederate brigade that advanced across  Hoye run.

(https://i.imgur.com/MolQ2qm.jpg)

Title: Re: The First Battle of Kernstown, 23 March 1862
Post by: Tripoli on September 01, 2022, 12:04:40 PM
1400 23 March 1862

ArizonaTank is on a roll.  His Confederates overrun the second Union battery on Pritchard's Hill.  And his attack on the stone wall routs  the 84th Pennsylvania on the far right position along the stone wall north of Opequam Church.  The 67th Ohio is my only combat effective unit on my entire right flank.  And the Confederates have just flanked it's position......

1400 23 March CSA Move
(https://i.imgur.com/9AjAZmT.jpg)

The 67th Ohio is going to have to hold on at the stone wall to buy time for Broadhead's Cavalry to deploy.  I'm gambling that the Confederates on my right flank are disrupted after their successful attack on the stone wall and Pritchard's Hill, so they will not be able to fully exploit their success. The Third Brigade deploys along the Valley Turnpike.  My hope is to squeeze the disrupted Confederate units between Broadhead's Cavalry and the 3rd Brigade and defeat them. As a first step in this plan, the 3rd Brigade surrounds the 42nd Virginia along the Valley Turnpike.

1400 23 March USA Move

(https://i.imgur.com/dFnS8gC.jpg)



Title: Re: The First Battle of Kernstown, 23 March 1862
Post by: Tripoli on December 18, 2022, 04:19:22 PM
1420 23 March 1862

In an attempt to stabilize the Union position, I melee the Confederates SW of the McCardell house.  If successful, this will give me space on the north edge of the creek to deploy for the defense of Pritchard's Hill, and force the confederates away from the Kernstown bridge.

(https://i.imgur.com/9xoOvCs.jpg)



Title: Re: The First Battle of Kernstown, 23 March 1862
Post by: Tripoli on December 18, 2022, 04:26:04 PM
1440 23 March 1862

The 1420 Melee attack was successful, and blunted the CSA attack on my left flank.  And the end of the 1440 turn, the line has stabilized, with the arrival of Col. Broadhead's Cavalry Brigade, on my right, and the 3rd Brigade in the center, and the 2nd Brigade on the  Union Left.  The Confederates have a significant artillery advantage with 16 guns on the field, compared to my 2 guns, which are moving to replace the lost Union battery on Pritchard's Hill
(https://i.imgur.com/OC4wgvp.jpg)
Title: Re: The First Battle of Kernstown, 23 March 1862
Post by: Tripoli on December 18, 2022, 04:34:28 PM
1500 23 March 1862
By 1500 the Union lines have stabilized, and I'm considering my options for a counterattack.  The 67th Ohion and 13th Indiana are on the Kernstown bridge, and not visible to the Confederates.  The CSA batteries are largly concentrated to the SW corner of the town. I have a regiment that got separated early in the battle and may be able to flank the artillery position, and overrun a couple of the batteries.

(https://i.imgur.com/szDp3av.jpg)

At the end of the US  move, this is the situation.  There is one more Union regiment to the left of the confederate batteries that does not show up in this view:

(https://i.imgur.com/0Au7ZlY.jpg)
Title: Re: The First Battle of Kernstown, 23 March 1862
Post by: Tripoli on December 18, 2022, 05:29:36 PM
Deleted: accidentally put this post out of order
Title: Re: The First Battle of Kernstown, 23 March 1862
Post by: Tripoli on December 18, 2022, 05:37:33 PM
1520 23 March 1862

The CSA horse artillery limbers and approaches the Kernstown bridge, likely to get a better firing position on the flank of my troops in Kernstown.  The units at the Kernstown bridge march out of the hollow where they were concealed and position to engage this isolated battery.  Meanwhile, my regiment on the CSA right flank get into position to attack the confederate batteries.

(https://i.imgur.com/jkqLMx4.jpg)
Title: Re: The First Battle of Kernstown, 23 March 1862
Post by: Tripoli on December 18, 2022, 06:04:26 PM
1540 23 March 1862

I'm slowly getting into position for the attack.  There is a gap between the CSA forces on the east and west side of the Valley Turnpike that I can use to turn ArizonaTank's right flank.  Meanwhile, I have a single infantry regiment approaching the flank of the CSA artillery batteries on the SW edge of Kernstown.  I don't think they have been spotted yet.....

(https://i.imgur.com/02dW0ko.jpg)

One of my failures as a gamer is that I am unable to resist temptation.  In this case, I probably should have waited one more turn before launching the attack.  However, ArizonaTank's guns were beating my units in the front pretty good, so rather than suffer more disrupted units, I launched a general melee across the front. The result was that the CSA horse artillery on my left was disrupted and sent fleeing.  However, across the front, the Union failed to make significant gains.  In part this was due to the strong confederate position.  THey were behind stone walls or fences, and generally higher than the Union troops coming out of the river valley.  :

(https://i.imgur.com/0BjoE3i.jpg)

At this point, ArizonaTank and I called the game a draw.  The both the Union troops and the Confederates were exhausted.  The CSA didn't have the numbers to attack the Union troops, and the Union would have had to reconstitute while under confederate artillery fire before resuming the attack.  Union losses in the game were 1435 Infantry, 174 Cavalry and 10 Artillery, while the CSA  lost 1759 infantry, 7 cavalry and 8 artillery.

Title: Re: The First Battle of Kernstown, 23 March 1862
Post by: Tripoli on December 18, 2022, 06:12:15 PM
Comparing this game to the historical battle: I don't think that Jackson could have won this battle.  He simply didn't have the forces he needed to force Shield's off Pritchard's Hill.  But I also believe the decisive factor in the battle was that, unlike General Banks,   General Shields wasn't intimidated by Jackson.  Shields fought rather than retreat.  Had Banks been on the scene, it might have been a different outcome.

Historically, the Union casualties were 590 (118 killed, 450 wounded, 22 captured or missing), and  Confederate 718 (80 killed, 375 wounded, 263 captured or missing), so ArizonaTank and I had a much bloodier battle than occurred historically.
Title: Re: The First Battle of Kernstown, 23 March 1862
Post by: JasonPratt on December 31, 2022, 11:09:23 AM
Forgot this was running, caught up on it this morning!  :bd:

Would also like to hear AzTank's after-action comments.
Title: Re: The First Battle of Kernstown, 23 March 1862
Post by: nelmsm on December 31, 2022, 12:59:51 PM
Nicely done! 
Title: Re: The First Battle of Kernstown, 23 March 1862
Post by: MengJiao on December 31, 2022, 01:05:48 PM
Quote from: Tripoli on December 18, 2022, 06:12:15 PM
Comparing this game to the historical battle: I don't think that Jackson could have won this battle.  He simply didn't have the forces he needed to force Shield's off Pritchard's Hill.  But I also believe the decisive factor in the battle was that, unlike General Banks,   General Shields wasn't intimidated by Jackson.  Shields fought rather than retreat.  Had Banks been on the scene, it might have been a different outcome.

Historically, the Union casualties were 590 (118 killed, 450 wounded, 22 captured or missing), and  Confederate 718 (80 killed, 375 wounded, 263 captured or missing), so ArizonaTank and I had a much bloodier battle than occurred historically.

  Shields was injured before Kernstown and was recovering on the day of the battle.  A certain Colonel Kimball actually ran the Yankee army at Kernstown.
Title: Re: The First Battle of Kernstown, 23 March 1862
Post by: Tripoli on December 31, 2022, 01:24:19 PM
Quote from: MengJiao on December 31, 2022, 01:05:48 PM
Quote from: Tripoli on December 18, 2022, 06:12:15 PM
Comparing this game to the historical battle: I don't think that Jackson could have won this battle.  He simply didn't have the forces he needed to force Shield's off Pritchard's Hill.  But I also believe the decisive factor in the battle was that, unlike General Banks,   General Shields wasn't intimidated by Jackson.  Shields fought rather than retreat.  Had Banks been on the scene, it might have been a different outcome.

Historically, the Union casualties were 590 (118 killed, 450 wounded, 22 captured or missing), and  Confederate 718 (80 killed, 375 wounded, 263 captured or missing), so ArizonaTank and I had a much bloodier battle than occurred historically.

  Shields was injured before Kernstown and was recovering on the day of the battle.  A certain Colonel Kimball actually ran the Yankee army at Kernstown.

You are correct: Kimball was the commander on scene- I had a senior moment when I typed up that sentence.  :)  Unlike other Union commanders, Kimball was not intimidated by Jackson, and his fighting spirit was a large reason for Jackson's loss.   Throughout the war, he continued to make a name for himself as a combat leader: At  Antietam, Kimball led a Brigade of General French's Division at the Sunken Road, eventually taking it.  He also fought at Marye's Heights, where he was  wounded.  Eventually, he commanded a division at  Vicksburg, and at the part in the battles of Franklin and Nashville.   
Title: Re: The First Battle of Kernstown, 23 March 1862
Post by: ArizonaTank on January 04, 2023, 03:31:11 PM
Quote from: JasonPratt on December 31, 2022, 11:09:23 AM
Forgot this was running, caught up on it this morning!  :bd:

Would also like to hear AzTank's after-action comments.

I really have to thank Tripoli for doing all of the heavy lifting here. The plan was for me to contribute to the AAR...but clearly I failed. Kudo's to Tripoli for producing a very nice one.

I also appreciate Tripoli's patience with me...sometimes it took me weeks to get my turns back.

Having said that. All I will say is that I tried to summon Stonewall's spirit and started very aggressively. My drive up the middle, managed to get a few of Tripoli's units back on their heels. I even took some Union guns early on. But things started to fall apart once guys in blue started showing up all over the place and Tripoli organized them. Trip quickly pushed my guys back and I had to use stone walls to keep my line from collapsing. I managed to get most of my guns into action. They helped, but were not decisive IHMO. I had some cavalry and horse guns, that I completely whiffed on their disposition. In the last turns, most of my guys were low on ammo and disrupted.

In the end, Tripoli was kind to offer me a draw. But I think that had we continued, old Stonewall was just a few turns away from breaking.