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11 Jul 61, Rich Mountain, WV - Battleground 9: Chickamauga

11 Jul 61, Rich Mountain, WV Image
Black Powder Ladder

11 Jul 61, Rich Mountain, WV

By Curt Cabbage
Union 0 - 1 - 0 CSA
Rating: 9.1 (1)
Games Played: 1
SM: 3
Turns: 20
Type: Custom
First Side: Union
Second Side: CSA
Downloads: 16
11 July 1861, Rich Mountain, WV [Curt Cabbage]

McClellan split his army in two, leaving 4,000 men to pin Garnett in place at Laurel Mountain, and taking three brigades (8,000 men strong), to attack the Rich Mountain position. Much of the energy behind this campaign actually came from General Rosecrans. He now persuaded McClellan to adopt his plan for a flank attack. His plan showed the advantage of having local support – it involved the use of a path revealed to him by a local unionist. Rosecrans would take one brigade along this path, and attack the Confederate position from the flank, and then once the Confederates were fully engaged, McClellan would move with the remaining two brigades to complete the victory.

Rosecrans’s part of the battle went according to plan. Unfortunately, McClellan produced a characteristic performance. Hearing the sound of battle, he became convinced that Rosecrans was losing. Some commanders would have rushed his men into the attack in an attempt to restore the situation, but not McClellan. Instead he sat and did nothing, while Rosecrans went on to win the battle.

At the cost of 60 casualties, Rosecrans forced the Confederates into another retreat. The Confederates lost 170 men at Rich Mountain, and another 500 captured during the pursuit. Garnett’s 4,000 men were now trapped between two Union armies, and were forced into a desperate retreat north east across the mountains, with the Union forces in pursuit. The next day they were forced to fight at Carrick’s Ford, where Garnett became the first civil war general to be killed in battle.
Player Voting Stats
Member Balance Enjoyment
Mr. Guberman's ProfileMr. Guberman Well Balanced 7
Gaming Records
1st Side Player 2nd Side Player Result Score
Union Mr. Guberman's Profile Mr. Guberman vs. Prairie Flower Prairie Flower's Profile CSA Draw 24 24