I have now booked the dates for next years Opendays, check them out in Dates for your diary. Meanwhile read below to find out what sort of thing we get up to on opendays.
Easter Sunday 15th April 2001 saw one of our opendays at the New Mill Centre in Tring. John Cummings and his son played a short game of General Quarters. In the back room Squiggs had organised a game of Frogs of War, while Graham and Richard had large numbers of 28mm figures on the table trying to decide who was going to be the next Roman Emperor. Click here for Graham's report on the battle.
The rest of us were fighting the first day of the Battle of Shiloh using Fire & Fury rules Fighting for the Union were myself, Henry and Martin Game, while the Confederates where lead by Albert Sidney (Ian) Ransome, Russall and Ian Willer. Click here for a map of the battlefield. The Battle started with all the Union Army of Tennessee in their camps, except for four brigades, not expecting the Confederate Army of the Mississippi to attack. Two of the brigades were deployed in woods, one was deployed alongside the Eastern Corinth Road defending Shiloh Creek, and one brigade was deployed in an open field called Spain field alongside the Western Corinth Road. Guess which brigade held its position the longest? You guessed it the brigade which was the furthest forward of the Union army, deployed in the open in Spain Field, Miller's brigade. While the rest of the Union line gradually retreated Miller's brigade, despite having been hit on various occasion by about six Confederate brigades, held firm for about three hours. This allowed the rest of the Union army time to get up into defensive positions.
This forced the Rebel army to try a flanking maneuver with Cheatam's Division who marched along Bark Road to the River Road and over the Locust Grove Creek. The lead brigade of Cheatam's Division marched up the River Road into Cantrells field where they were met by a withering volley followed by a charge from Stuart's brigade which sent them fleeing in confusion.
The Confederates had the upper hand on their left flank where the brigades of Buckland and Hilderbrand had been pushed back past Shiloh Church into McClernand's Division by Hinderman's Division, felling Sherman in the process.
Miller's brigade eventually got pushed back towards the sunken road where they were torn to pieces by flanking artillery fire. The Confederate infantry who had finally over come Miller's brigade were unable to pursue as they all stop to loot the Union camp.
Peabody's brigade had been pushed backward for most of the day took refuse in the sunken road but they were easily ejected from this position by the first Rebel charge. Miller's decimated brigade, which had been about 2000 strong and was now a mere 300 strong, miraculously managed to rally and charge toward an oncoming Confederate brigade, however they were cut down by the canister fire from two Rebel batteries.
Things looked bleak for the Union cause, the sunken road in Confederate hand, Sherman gone and the right flank was looking very weak. However heartened by Miller's heroic charge Men from Hurlbut's division charge the Rebs in the sunken road and retook the position, while troops from William Wallace's Division arrived to sure up the front line.
Unfortunately time caught up with us at this point and we had to start packing up. In our version of the Battle of Shiloh names like the Hornet's Nest, the Peach Orchard and the Bloody Pond were replaced by Cantrell's field, Water Oaks Pond and Spain field. Perhaps the last one would have been renamed Miller's Field.