The Glorious 7th Connecticut: The Battle of Olustee

 

Another Sunday, another meeting with the Fremont wargamers. Today we did the Battle of Olustee using Regimental Fire and Fury, rules that I've been very interested in trying because many of the SBGC guys seem to like it.

The Battle of Olustee, also known as the Battle of Ocean Pond, took place on February 20, 1864 in Baker County, Florida during the American Civil War. The battle was fought as part of the Union Army's efforts to establish control over Florida and disrupt Confederate supply lines. It was one of the largest battles fought in Florida during the war and the second bloodiest battle of the entire war by percentage of forces lost.

The Union forces, led by General Truman Seymour, aimed to seize control of the key railroad junction at Lake City and disrupt Confederate troop movements and supply routes in the region. Florida was a critical supplier of provisions for the Confederacy, especially after the fall of Vicksburg, as it severed the eastern part of the Confederacy from supplies originating west of the Mississippi.

The Confederate forces, under the command of General Joseph Finnegan, were determined to protect their hold on Florida and prevent Union forces from gaining a foothold in the state.

The Battle of Olustee resulted in a decisive victory for the Confederate forces. The Union Army, under General Truman Seymour, suffered heavy casualties, with over 1,800 soldiers killed, wounded, or captured. The Confederate forces, led by General Joseph Finnegan, also suffered significant losses but were able to successfully repel the Union assault and maintain control over Florida.

As we had a few people cancel out of the game, it was left just with Gil and I playing, while Matt GM'd for us. I took the side of the Confederates and Gil took the Union. My objective was to capture the treeline at the center of the table while Gil's objective was to defend his positions.

In the real battle, both sides committed to the battle in a piece meal fashion, and the scenario was no different. We started off with a small force but would eventually more than double our units as reinforcements arrived on the table each turn.

I wish I could give a detailed battle report but with how the game went, there wouldn't be much to write about. I knew that I was on the attack and would need to close the distance as much as possible to bring all my firepower to bear on the Union's lone leading unit. They were armed with repeaters while mine used muskets so to slowly inch my way up would mean more turns spent under their superior range, so I moved 3 infantry units within spitting distance of the 7th Connecticut and fired all of my infantry plus a howitzer.

My hope was that if I could quickly remove this screening unit, I could move my guys straight into the Union's vulnerable center, where their cannons sat undefended and the bulk of their force was still moving down the road.

Would this plan have worked? I will never know, because for the entire battle, on a D10, I only rolled a firing result higher than 4 ONCE. That's right, for the entire game, I rolled almost entirely 4's and 2's which resulted in the 7th Connecticut gumming up my center for the entire game. By the end of the game I had been firing at them with 3-4 units of infantry and 4 artillery pieces for 9 turns and they only lost 1 base. Truly a legendary feat. 

The above 2 pictures are of my desperate last attempt to break the 7th Connecticut with a charge. I would've preferred to charge when the 7th was badly wounded and disordered earlier in the game but things just never played out that way. And of course, to add insult to injury, his defensive fire spoiled my charge.

By the end of the game, every single fresh Union reinforcement had reached the battle lines and were fortifying the treeline, while my forces were in complete disarray. My left and right flanks did not fare much better and at turn 9, after all my charges failed to create any openings, I decided to surrender. If the South were ever to rise again, it wouldn't be today, and definitely not under my command.

I still had fun though and it's always great to see the guys again. Regimental Fire and Fury was also a pretty good set of rules, but as a first time player, I did find myself confused by all the chart checking, the need to calculate firepower values and the need to measure distances for each base. I do have to say I still think I prefer GDA, but I'll have to give RF&F a few more games before I make my call.

Anyways, my next blog post should be on KUBLACON! Which I'm very excited for. I'll be running 2 games of Charlie Don't Surf but aside from that I won't be playing many wargames as I've already signed up for 3 RPGs that will be taking up most of my time, I will of course be running around taking plenty of pictures though (And hitting the hotel's lovely bar). Until then, folks!