| Pickett’s Full Division:
A Gettysburg Variant
By Chris Smith
April 2008
Gettysburg must rank high amongst the most often war gamed battles in history. Virtually every war game designer has come up with at least one version of the most famous battle in American history; the writer currently owns four. Avalanche Press’ War of the States series is an excellent addition to the stable. The irregular map spaces, long infantry counters, and the variable impulse system (reminiscent of Avalon Hill’s Across Five Aprils) all make for a playable and realistic simulation. Nevertheless, with an engagement that is as familiar as Gettysburg; veteran war gamers are apt to become a bit jaded with the somewhat predictable outcomes. This article offers a variant that gives the Army of Northern Virginia just enough of a shot in the arm to defy those predictions.
The story is as familiar a tale as there is in American military history. Robert E. Lee tries first to turn the Army of the Potomac’s right, and then its left, on consecutive days. With only one shot left in his quiver, and desperate to win the war in an afternoon, Lee resolves to break the Federal center. It is to be a direct frontal assault against an enemy entrenched on dominating terrain. The only fresh formation left in the Confederate army is George Pickett’s 3rd Infantry Division of Longstreet’s 1st Corps. Thus is born Pickett’s charge. Which every American schoolboy used to know as a glorious failure.
Along with elements of two divisions from A.P. Hill’s 3rd Corps, Pickett’s three brigades formed up in parade ground order. After what has been called the heaviest preparatory artillery barrage ever fired in North America, an apathetic Longstreet ordered the attack forward. The attackers, with only a single pause to dress their lines, doggedly marched on Cemetery Ridge only to be cut down in great swaths by Federal cannon and musket fire. A few hundred souls, led by Brigadier Lewis Armistead, managed to penetrate the lines of the W.S. Hancock’s Federal 2nd Corps; but these few are quickly killed or captured. This moment is generally known as “The High Watermark of the Confederacy.” At this instant the South permanently yielded the initiative to the North. Except for brief forays, Confederate forces were henceforth reduced to merely parrying Federal thrusts.
Might it have been different? This question is surely one of the most hotly debated issues of the Civil War from the late 19th through the early 21st centuries. What if instead of two or three hundred soldiers breaking through, there had been two or three thousand? Would this have been enough to fracture the Federal lines and, as in many earlier battles, rout its divisions? Could this have led to a negotiated peace and a greatly altered American history?
Interestingly, forces were available to increase the weight of Pickett’s charge. Two additional infantry brigades were organically part of the 3rd Division. These two units, commanded by Brig. Generals Micah Jenkins and Montgomery Corse, were detached to other duties prior to Lee’s invasion of the North. Had they not been, they would have added considerably to the weight of Pickett’s punch. This alteration can be easily simulated within the “Gettysburg” game.
Before turning to the mechanics of this variant, it is worthwhile to take a look at both the organization of the Army of Northern Virginia, and the histories of these two brigades. Subsequent to the tragic loss to friendly fire of Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson at Chancellorsville, Lee reorganized his army. The result was an elegant configuration that was mobile and flexible, yet retained a considerable punch in each corps organization. While Longstreet remained in command of the 1st Corps, Jackson’s 2nd, which was twice as large as the 1st, was broken in two. Richard Ewell took command of the 2nd Corps, and A.P. Hill, Jackson’s most trusted division commander, took charge of the new 3rd Corps. It is reputed that Stonewall’s dying utterance was, “Tell A.P. Hill to bring up the infantry.”
As regrouped, the Army of Northern Virginia comprised 39 infantry brigades and 15 artillery battalions plus a division of cavalry. The reader may note that both the numbers of infantry and artillery formations are divisible by three. Thus Lee divided these units equally among his three corps. This triangular formation, that was serendipitously found, actually presages the manner in which virtually all modern armies are organized. At the time of the battle, Federal divisions were based on a square model; with two brigades per division and usually two regiments per brigade. The U.S. Army maintained this model until the 1930s. In fact, some National Guard divisions kept the square formation until America’s entry into World War Two.
Each of the new Confederate corps contained three divisions of four infantry brigades supported by two artillery battalions. The remaining six battalions were divided two each as corps artillery. The exception was that one division in each corps had a fifth infantry brigade. The advantage of this was that each corps had a "Sunday punch," so to speak: one division that could add more heft to an assault, more firepower to a defense, or more thrust to a pursuit. In the 1st Corps this extra-large division was Pickett’s.
By the end of 1862, Pickett’s division had all five of its component brigades attached. These were Richard Garnett’s, Lewis Armistead’s, James Kemper’s, Montgomery Corse’s, and Micah Jenkins’. Of these, only the first three would fight at Gettysburg. Controversy has attended Lee’s decision to detach, and subsequently not reattach, these forces almost since the last shots were fired on July 3rd, 1863. It has been argued that pressure from the Davis administration may have influenced Lee. The net result was that Pickett marched into the North with only about 60 percent of his division. Not a promising situation for any major general to be in. Further was the affect upon Longstreet’s corps. Instead of having the Sunday punch of an oversized division, Longstreet was left with weak jab of an undersized one.
Along with the rest of Pickett’s division, Corse and Jenkins’ brigades spent the first few months of 1863 operating in the Virginia Tidewater area. Contact and skirmishing with the enemy occurred around Franklin; where both brigades remained into June of that year. When the Army of Northern Virginia moved northward neither brigade was recalled. Corse’s brigade continued on garrison duty in the Blackwater River area. Jenkins’ brigade was used for “policing” duties in Petersburg and Richmond.
A reasonable argument can be made that in using these first rate troops on tasks that rear area forces or local militia could have handled, the Confederates violated the military maxim of concentration of effort. This principle states that largest possible percentage of one’s forces should be placed where it will do the most good. Any and all peripheral operations that drain away forces from the concentration must be avoided. When and where Lee needed the concentration most, at least part of it was 200 miles away “policing.”
Like three of the other four brigades in Pickett’s division, Montgomery Corse’s brigade was composed of Virginia regiments. These were the 15th, 17th, 30th, and 32nd Virginia Infantry. Montgomery Dent Corse (1816-1895) was not a soldier by profession. However, he served in the Mexican War; and, as a new war loomed, he helped to organize the Old Dominion rifles. Later he was promoted to command of the 17th Infantry. He took command of the brigade on 1 November 1862 and remained in command until war’s end.
Micah Jenkins’ brigade was made up of some of the more notable South Carolina infantry regiments: the 1st and 2nd S. Carolina Infantry, Hampton’s Legion, and the Palmetto Rifles. The 5th and 6th S. Carolina Infantry rounded out this powerful unit. Micah Jenkins (1835-1864) military career began at age 15 when he entered The Citadel. Upon graduation, he and a classmate formed a private military school. In the prelude to war he formed a company known as The Jasper Guards. On 22 July 1862 Jenkins took command of his brigade; which he led through 2nd Manassas and Fredericksburg. He was killed at the battle of the Wilderness, like Jackson, a victim of friendly fire.
A variant to simulate the addition of Corse and Jenkins’ brigades to a Gettysburg scenario first appeared in Avalon Hill’s Gettysburg '77. In the writer’s experience, the addition of this force was often just enough to tip the balance in a close game. The same can be done for the War of the States version. In order to do this, two things must be considered, the strength (including morale) of the unit and its arrival time and placement.
In the game a reduced Pickett arrives as a respectable 10-6 long infantry counter. The addition of two extra brigades, comprising about 40 percent of his numbers, would increase his effective strength by as much as 70 percent. The component regiments of both brigades were seasoned, motivated outfits; necessitating no reduction in morale value. So Pickett part two begins as a 7-6 long counter.
Since the purpose of this variant is to concentrate Pickett’s division, part two follows closely on the heels of part one. During the Full Battle and Second Day scenarios the part two counter enters at reinforcement area B on the 1600 turn. For the Third Day scenario the counter is set up in area 203.
If this variant is played the Confederate player forfeits the arrival of the Imboden cavalry and artillery units. It is assumed that these forces are diverted to cover other forces that are likewise diverted to reinforce eastern Virginia.
In conclusion, war game variants such as this are almost as much fun to play as they are to design. Play impact is relatively minor. In game terms, the Northern player still has the advantage in numbers, but the Southern has a bit more teeth for his last bite. He trades off the late arrival of a 5-3 cavalry brigade and a 1-4 artillery battalion for the early arrival of a 7-6 infantry division. Avalanche Press’ War of the States series is an enjoyable one with many great games. It is hoped that development of additional battles will not be neglected in favor of offshoots such as Battles of 1866. The writer would be thrilled to see a treatment of Sharpsburg/Antietam. A fascinating battle somewhat overlooked by war game designers. I can already envision the “No Cigars” variant!
You can download the new Pickett counters here. |
