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Battle of Twin Forks

Era

American Civil War 1863

Difficulty (of 5)

4

Players Possible

6

Actual

2

Time Elapsed

3 hrs

Author

Terry Cabak

Basic Map

Basic Description

• No cavalry in this battle.

• Advance to Combat type.

• Rush for the high ground.

• Random brigade placement across 3 identified zones

1/A.  Union forces crossing under fire from one rebel battery at the white bridge.

2/B.  Brigade elements moving toward the found crossing near a farm.

3.      Brigade elements firing in preparation for forces to cross just right of their position.

4.      Rebel positions on the ridge (now the parking lot of a local library).

Details

Photo 1 (View from Confederate Position 3 in Photo 2).

Left Flank

Photo 2

1.      Rebel batteries advance to the ridge, fire a few times then are forced to withdraw. They reposition rearward near a farm but are ineffective; one battery on the right side of the creek performs a vital role however and is shown in that position here.

2.      Heavy Casualty area as rebel regiments are chewed up as they clear a forest and clear the corn fields in disorder.  One after the other eventually rout back except for two regiments that cannot be dislodged; these units save the rebel left.

3.      Meanwhile, units from another brigade hold Union forces from crossing the creek though they suffer heavily and need to be replaced by reserve units.  At this point in the battle, no rebel reserves remain and the situation is tense.

Center

Photo 3

1.      Having reached the hill, the only Rebel rifled battery in the area unlimbers just in time to shoot once then be shot to pieces; it withdraws and re-engages Union forces later in the battle and is the main reason that Rebel forces are not destroyed faster.

2.      Union regiment that attacks from (4), melee’s, and wins.  At this point, Rebel regiments are counter-assaulting it from two directions.  Nearby, another melee occurs.  Meanwhile, the ridge is littered with fallen and the scene is quite ominous for both sides.  However, Union forces are staggered in their arrangement, able to bring heavy firepower down upon the rebel forces that arrive from the bridge (7).

3.      Union forces continue to arrive and bolster the line.

4.      Union divisional command is killed here.

5.      Rebel artillery has recovered, gone back atop the hill and is firing at Union batteries on the far right at (6).

Rebel Right (end-on; top of photo is Center)

Photo 4

1.      Union heavy rifled batteries (two) establish themselves in this farmer’s field and immediately chew up advancing Confederate infantry (3).

2.      Union smoothbore artillery advances with a regiment, surmounts a hill and positions behind a wall, then blasts away for several turns, hitting only 25% of the time (wet powder, no shell in tube etc.).

4.      Rebel units reach a wall and fire upon the battery at (2), chewing up the crew and horses and sending it packing toward (8).

5.      Near this farm, a rebel regiment lingers on the reverse side of the slope out of danger, and only in the time of this photo does it act with other regiments, surmount the hill and begin to threaten the Union line.  This becomes the main rebel assault in the area but the regiments advance to engage with rifle fire only.

6.      The Union regiment supporting the smoothbore battery, flanks a rebel regiment on the hill, routing it.  The Union zouave unit is itself fired upon by other units on the reverse slope of the hill.  Meanwhile, Rebel units have followed the routing artillery reaching (8), where they fire into the flank of the Union artillery causing no discernable damage.  The game is then called as not winnable for the Confederates.