McPherson at Resaca, Part 1

[kipt]

McPherson at Resaca

Om January 25, 2025. The Gentlemen's Gourmet Gaming Society played the above scenario from Brad Butkovich's "The Road to Atlanta" booklet.  Seven players with myself as umpire met at the battlefield in my garage.  Four Union players,




left to right Tom, Logan (brand new to the game and group), Didier and Bruce, and three Confederate, also left to right, George, Dave and Jon.

Commands for the Union; Didier as MG Logan, CO of the XV corps, Bruce as BG Osterhaus, CO of the 1st division (2 brigades plus artillery), Tom as BG M Smith, CO of the 2nd division (2 brigades plus artillery) and Logan as BG Sprague, CO of the 2nd brigade of the 4th division, including artillery.

Commands for the Confederates: George as LTG Polk and MG Loring ( Loring's division, 3 brigades plus artillery), Dave as BG Canty (Canty's division, 2 brigades plus artillery) and Jon as COL Murphy, one of Canty's brigades (who, as we will see did a magnificent job defending the forward Confederate line behind hasty breastworks).

The scenario is the action that occurred on May 14, 1864, between McPherson's Union Army of the Tennessee and Polk's Confederate units.  In history McPherson had attacked this area near Resaca the day before, but owing to General Sherman's conditional orders, McPherson pulled back.  If he had gone forward into Resaca he would have cut the retreat route for general Johnson's Confederate army.

Sherman then ordered McPherson to attack on the 14th.  The remainder of Sherman's army was fighting to the north and east.



I showed the terrain in a prior post but here are the pictures below.

Union position first, looking south and Confederate position next looking south. Resaca and the two bridges can be seen on the left of the confederate picture midway.







Confederate left flank at the bottom of the above picture, Confederate hasty works in the middle (to be occupied by COL Murphy – Jon) and Union works at the top. To the left is the Oostanaula River, unpassable.

Forces are 8700 troops Union with 14 gun stands and 7300 troops Confederates with 12 gun stands. Each infantry stand is 40 troops.

General McPherson gave orders to BG Logan, CO XV Corps, to attack and put the bridges at Resaca under close range fire in order to interrupt the retreat of General Johnson's army. Logan had 2 brigades posted in the light woods and ravine ahead of the main Union line.


General Polk arriving the night before had BG Canty post COL Murphy's brigade in the advanced hasty works encompassing 4 small hills.  If the Union posted artillery on these hills the bridges would be in danger.



Turn 1 begins with the Union moving first at 1800 hours.  Turns are 15 minutes which means 7 turns of daylight before 3 turns of twilight and then night falls at 2015 hours.

BG G Smith's brigade (BG M Smith's division) on the right flank and BG Wood's brigade (BG Osterhaus division) on the left advance to the breastworks, taking musketry and artillery fire from Murphy's regiments and artillery in the main Confederate line.







The Union brigades returned fire and had the support of the Union guns on the hills behind them.  Battery H/1st IL, 20 # Parrott rifles, silenced and damaged a Confederate battery, Tarrant's AL with Napoleon guns.



Casualties on turn 1 were 5 Union stands and 6 Rebel. Each stand is 40 men.

On Turn 2 both Union brigades attacked but G Smith was repulsed or stopped by musketry.
 


However, Woods brigade took the 2 hills on the left.


Rebel COL Murphy rose up in his stirrups and told the Moreland Sharpshooters and 29th AL to "Kick those Yankees out, those hills are mine!"  Also, the 37th MS and 17th AL on the left also attacked.  Murphy retook the hills, but the small sharpshooter unit was effectively destroyed (it was only 2 stands).




End of Turn 2 shows 6 more Union stands lost and 5 Rebel.

Turn 3 sees BG Sprague's Union brigade move out of the breastworks towards the action, while General G Smith, not to be outdone, orders the 57th OH and 6th MO to "Throw those bastards out of my hills!"  Rebel fire disorders those regiments but they succeed in retaking the hills plus one more on the right.




Polk, seeing the Yankees in the forward position, ordered the rest of Canty's division (BG Reynolds brigade of 2 regiments) and COL Scott's brigade (4 regiments) of MG Lorings division forward in support.  To make sure the remainder of the Yankees could not interfere with the fight over the hills, the remainder of Lorings division on the right also moved forward.




The 3/22nd MS attacked the 26th IA and defeated them, and continuing on to hit the 23rd MO. Both Union regiments fell back.





Rebel COL Murphy, not giving up, again attacked G Smith's regiments at the hills.  This time he was repulsed.



During this turn BG Reynolds had a close call from artillery fire but "cooly ignored the fire".

The end of turn 3 shows casualties mounting from all the musketry and incidental artillery.  Union losses this turn at 4 stands, but Rebels at 12 stands. In Regimental Fire and Fury, commands can take Heavy Casualties which degrades their movement abilities. I made the Heavy casualty mark for this game at 30% of the starting troops, and did so by division, as well as a separate number for Sprague's brigade.

 Canty's Confederate division started with 69 stands, including attached artillery, so Heavy Casualties equals 21 stands. All of Canty's division takes a -1 on its maneuver roll, plus another -1 for having more casualties than its Union opponent (also a rule).

Turn 4 has Union forces advancing to meet the rebels coming from the defenses.  Wagelin's brigade from Osterhaus's division on the left and Lightburn's brigade from M Smith's division to the left of Woods brigade.

Musketry flares across the front as both sides let loose on each other.  Charges are made and repulsed on each side.

Casualties on turn 4 were 5 Union and 8 Rebel. 







End of Part 1.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Incredible