Military Modelling – June 1979

Re-fight of the “Railway Incident” - Teaser #7 (March 1979)

C. S. Grant describes the

fighting of the wargame
proposed in the March issue.

Students of the American Civil War will

not find the action at Cornpore Junction
in the annals of the Valley Campaign or
in accounts of Bull Run. Nevertheless,
it was at Cornpore Junction that Dover
wargamers clashed in the enactment of
Teaser Seven —"Railway Incident".
Andrew Green contributed a
magnificent '0' gauge railway track and
carriages to make the terrain shown in
diagram 1. The '0' gauge layout was, in
fact, much more suitable than ‘00’ and
the sturdy carriages provided ample
accommodation for the concealed
forces. Peter Sheppard was given the
following briefing:
"You command a supply depot at
Cornpore Junction. A supply train
arrives at 1000 hrs. daily, passing
through Chickahominy, the last town
before Cornpore Junction.

the train has stopped just

short of the junction box '
and the battle rages for 1. 6th Alabama Infantry (5 officers Alabama regiment will attack and
possession of the points. and 40 men). capture the depot on the northern
Earthworks and barricades 2. 7th Louisiana Infantry (5 officers side of the town. They will be covered
have been built across the and 40 men). by the fire of the troops in the junction
town and the defenders box and train. The train will then, if
stand by. This force has successfully possible, return past the points which
ambushed the train after it left will be changed so that it can move
Chickahominy has just telegraphed that Chickahominy, and is now on its way on the left fork into Cornpore
the train left on time and you can towards the supply depot with the Junction. The half regiment on the
expect it at 1000 hrs. as usual. At 0945 two Confederate units safely on train will link up with the main assault,
you signal the Junction Box to switch board. Before entering the table, the finish off the enemy, load up the
the points Rebel commander made his plan as supplies from the depot and then
to allow the train to enter the town. This follows: withdraw."
is done." "The train will advance to the points We will see how this plan unfolds and
southeast of the town. Half of the 7th make some comments on it later.
The Federal forces are: Louisiana unit will dismount and With the preliminaries completed, the
A. 5th Vermont Infantry (5 officers and capture the junction box and points. game could now begin. You will
40 men). This half unit will check the points are remember from the March 1979
B. 12th Illinois Cavalry (3 officers and set to take the right fork and not into instalment of this series that the force
20 men). the town. The train will then move in the train, in this case the
C. 1 gun and crew. over the points and north until it is Confederates, must throw one die to
north-east of the Depot. The 6th see in which period they arrive on the
We can now turn our attention to the Alabama will detrain on the sheltered table. This throw would indicate the
Confederate forces led by Andrew side of the train leaving the half delay in fifteen minute intervals
Green and assisted by lan Osborn and regiment of the 7th Louisiana to caused by taking the train. Following
Chris Spickett. These consisted of: defend the train and to move it. The the chart in Teaser Seven one would

Re-fight of the “Railway Incident” - Teaser #7 (March
then see the degree of alarm caused in
the town by the train's delay. At this
point I feel bound to make a personal
comment. I have wargamed against
Confederates for more years than I
care to remember. I have only deduced
from this that if they had been as
incredibly lucky in real life as their lead
or plastic counterparts seem to be on
the wargame table, the shape of North
America would be quite different today.
I digress but this occasion was no
exception. The die throw was a 'one'
indicating the train's arrival on the table
only a few minutes late, thus causing
no alarm in the town (for details see
Teaser Seven in the March issue). A
bad throw for the defenders if they did
but know it.
Recalling my experience once again—
we ... I mean, the union commanders
are as devilish cunning and wary as the
blasted Rebs are lucky. Without having
any advanced warning of the nature of
the game and working only from the
instructions given above, the Federals
had smelt a rat. They had therefore told
the umpire prior to the start of the
game that they had a previously
arranged signal which was given by the
train as it approached the junction box
each day. This signal, two long whistle
blasts, meant that all was well. The
failure to produce this signal would
alarm the town. Of course, the
Confederates, being unaware of this,
approached in silence'. This indeed
was something that I had not expected
when I wrote the Teaser and it shows
how the wargamers own common
sense and imagination can add colour,
substance and the unexpected to the
game.
The town's garrison, hearing the train
approaching slightly late and with no
signal, at once mounted the 12th
Illinois. The cavalry moved out of the
town to the south, dispatching four
troopers to make for the junction box.
As alarm bells were sounded
throughout the town, the soldiers
tumbled from their billets and fell in by
companies at their appropriate muster
points. As the train loomed closer,
quick orders were given to the infantry
who deployed to the south east side of
the town and set to preparing
barricades and earth works to cover
any hostile approach up the railway
track. Wagons, carts, barrels and
boxes were all utilised to form a
defence.
To the garrison's surprise, the train
This1979)
shows a
close-up of the
town and junction
in period 12. The
train has halted
north east of the
depot and the 6th
Alabama Infantry
are1 in the act of
breaking in. The
12th Illinois
Cavalry are about
to charge the 7th
Louisiana while
the 4 mounted
Confederate
infantry wait on
the flank.
slowed as it approached the junction
box. Meanwhile, the 4 troopers had
reached the box and these joined the
detachment of 4 infantry already
there in deploying round the points
and in the box. They left their horses
unattended, of which more anon. The
purpose of the train's slowing was
soon revealed as it ground to a halt
before the-points and half the 7th
Louisiana Infantry poured. from the
wagons while others scrambled to
the , roof to fire on the enemy. By
now it was the 6th period (map 1)
and a bloody battle raged around the
points for possession of the junction
box. The garrison of troopers and
infantry put up a gallant defence but
were slowly overcome by the
superior numbers. By period 8 the
Confederates were able to change
the points, but one solitary Federal
cavalry trooper held out staunchly.
This hero dispatched the rebel dogs
in magnificent style giving them other
reasons to yelp. Holding the small
entrance to the top of the steps, he
could only be attacked by one
assailant at a time. During this
episode, the Federal forces in the
town, seeing the battle for the points,
were digging like moles, throwing up
a formidable obstacle on the south
side of the town. I mentioned the
unattended horses earlier and it was
during this time that four bold
Louisiana men grabbed the four
Union horses and mounted them.
Although we will return to our
surviving lone hero in the junction
box, the Rebels had now been able
to change the points outside and,
leaving half the 7th Louisiana to
spread out and advance towards the
Union defences, the train moved off
across the points heading north. The
Louisiana suffered considerably from
the fire of the Vermont infantry
Military Modelling – June 1979
behind the barricade but they pressed
forward. Fire from the town had little
effect on the train which slowed and
halted north east of the depot
(diagram 2). In this period 9 the 6th
Alabama detrained from the side out
of view of the town and the train
began to reverse back to the points.
The Alabama and half of the
Louisiana deployed and linked up
covering the whole east side of the
town. A heavy fire fight ensued with
the garrison. The attackers at first
came off the worse, the Alabama
regiment losing 6 men and an officer
in one volley. Morale seemed shaky
but the Rebels took fresh heart and
pressed on. The Federal defences
were weaker on the north side of the
town and the commanders were slow
to reinforce this hard pressed and
vital area with men from the
barricade. Elsewhere in the
battlefield, the federal gun came into
action by the barricades but failed to
hit the reversing train. Our gallant
trooper continued his solitary defence
of the junction box and had now
dispatched half a dozen enemy.
In the twelfth period a strong assault
by the 6th Alabama succeeded in
getting into the depot though they left
a few defenders in the main building.
The Federal Cavalry moved round to
threaten the 7th Louisiana while the
;four bold mounted Rebels on their
Federal horses with some audacity
placed themselves in turn to threaten
the Federal cavalry. In the next period
the Illinois Cavalry came to grips with
the 7th Louisiana as the train now
moved forward across the points
towards the town. Regrettably, at this
time, our hero in the junction box
(yes, he had survived for 8 periods
slaying all attackers) succumbed to
the cruel thrust of a Rebel bayonet
and breathed his last. -
 Military Modelling – June 1979
Re-fight of the “Railway Incident” - Teaser #7 (March 1979)

The melee was now in full swing by the barricade—they learn quickly these
barricades and the Rebel troopers Dover lads. However, the use of the
joined the fray and the flank of the cavalry in the conventional role
Illinois Cavalry. While this progressed, deprived the defenders of a
in the depot the Federals had suffered considerable number of infantry who
heavy casualties and had pulled back could have, perhaps, been used to
leaving only a couple of ^soldiers alive defend the weakly held depot. In this
in the house. The cavalry, having been respect it is difficult to change years
badly mauled, withdrew west along the of treasuring one's cavalry and start
south side of the town, a spent force. considering them only as infantry
The train, having reached the centre of with horses.
the town, disembarked the fresh half Finally, the lone hero in the junction
regiment of the 7th Louisiana. The box and some of the action jn the
Federal gun had lost its gunners in the town will indicate a change from
fire fight and the remains of the more normal rules. While the 50 per
Vermont infantry fell back abandoning cent rule is normally used in Dover, it
this line of defence. The whole of the was decided on this occasion that
east side of the town was now in fighting in built-up areas could go
Confederate hands (see map 3). down to two-fifths of its strength
By period 18 the town and depot was in before becoming inoperative. In
the Rebels' possession and the few houses, individuals could fight to the
remaining Federal soldiers were end if escape was not possible. This,
limping off to the west practically I feel, is a realistic reflection of the In period 18, the train has
decimated. The train and depot was confusion and shorter visibility which reversed back over the crossing,
undamaged and the successful prevails in such fighting and also the points have been changed
Confederate soldiers were soon busy shows the morale advantages and it has entered the town
loading stores, rations and ammunition accrued from fighting from inside a breaking through the barricades
on to the wagons—a decisive victory house. It certainly added to the and bringing half the 7th
for the Rebels. excitement of the game! Louisiana to link up with the
Alabama now in the Depot. The
MM 12th Illnois make good their
Conclusion escape with what few Union
The action at Cornpore Junction
could not in any way be described as
the Way I had envisaged the Teaser
unfolding, It really proves that any
Teaser or situation has dozens of
facets. I would have expected the
Confederates to go for the bold
approach, driving straight into the
town. How wrong I was is shown by
the deliberate and careful plan which,
far from wanting to drive into the
town, went to the trouble of changing
the points to ensure they did not. One
would have thought that with that
lucky die throw of 'one', they would
have succeeded if then they had
driven straight in. But no one would
have thought that there would be a
secret signal arranged from the train
for "all's well". It was fortunate,
therefore, that the Confederates chose
the plan they did. A very enjoyable
game with unexpected developments
for players, umpire, and writer alike.
I have commented before on the
reluctance of some of the Dover
wargamers to adapt to the methods of
less familiar periods. In this game, no
sooner had the alarm been sounded
than the Federals were digging like
moles and piling up a formidable