Subject: Fw: Battle Cry Scenario: The Battle of the Crater Dennis Snow ... Here's another Battle Cry scenario based on the famous "Battle of the Crater" in the outskirts of Petersburg. The Union player gets to blow up two adjacent hexes in the Condeferate fortifications. I'll send the map to www.grognard.com. Dennis Snow --- Battle Cry Scenario: Petersburg--The Battle of the Crater ------------------------------------ July 30, 1864 By the middle of July, 1864, Grant and Meade were stalled in front of Petersburg, and Sherman was stalled in front of Atlanta. The Confederate strongholds were unconquered, and Northerners began to find the prospect discouraging. They became even more discouraged late in July, when Grant's army failed in a stroke that should have taken Petersburg. Frontal attacks on properly held entrenchments were doomed to failure, and even Grant, not easily convinced, had had to admit this. But at Petersburg a new chance offered itself. A regiment of Pennsylvania coal miners dug a five hundred-foot tunnel under the Confederate lines, several tons of powder were planted there, and at dawn on July 30 the mine was exploded. It blew an enormous gap in the defensive entrenchments, and for an hour or more the way was open for the Federal army to march almost unopposed into Petersburg. Burnside's corps made the attempt and bungled it fearfully; the assault failed, and Grant's one great chance to end the war in one day vanished. Grant pronounced the epitaph in a message to Halleck: "It was the saddest affair I have witnessed in the war. Such opportunity for carrying fortifications I have never seen and do not expect again to have." [During the assault Federal Generals Ledlie and Ferrero stayed in a bombproof shelter 400 yards behind the lines drinking rum.] Source: Bruce Catton, "The Civil War" Setup ----- The top row is numbered 101, 102, ..., 113, the second row 201, 202, ..., 212, etc., continuing to the bottom row, 901, 902, ..., 913. 103: Confederate Artillery 107: Confederate Artillery 109: Confederate General (Mahone) 111: Confederate Artillery 201: Hill; Confederate Infantry 203: Hill 204: Confederate General (Elliott) 210: Hill 303: Field Works; Confederate Infantry 310: Field Works; Confederate Infantry 312: Field Works; Confederate Infantry 404: Field Works; Confederate Infantry 406: Field Works; Confederate Infantry 408: Field Works; Confederate Infantry 706: Union Infantry 707: Union Infantry 708: Union Infantry 801: Union Infantry 802: Union Infantry 803: Union Infantry 804: Union Artillery 807: Union Infantry 809: Union Artillery 810: Union Infantry 811: Union Infantry 812: Union Infantry 911: Union General (Ord) Staffing Notes -------------- Union Player Ambrose E. Burnside Take 5 command cards You move first Confederate Player Bushrod Johnson Take 5 command cards Special Rules ------------- The Crater: During one of his turns the Union Player may set off a mine in any two adjacent hexes of his choosing. The explosion destroys any units present in those hexes and creates a crater--replace existing terrain with rough terrain hexes. Units may enter the crater but they must stop and may move no further on that turn. Infantry units firing into the crater must be adjacent to the crater and gain a +1 die bonus. Units firing from the crater may only fire at units adjacent to the crater and suffer a -1 die penalty. The crater does not otherwise block line of sight. Remove the "Construct Field-Works" command card before play. Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy.