Battle of Blue Creek

At last! The game has been played to a conclusion. The scenario was an encounter with both armies marching to cross the Blue Creek while preventing the enemy from doing the same. There was one bridge on the main road but also two fords on side roads. Each army wanted to force a crossing while preventing the enemy from doing the same.   

Artillery Duel, from the loser's POV. 

Being a recreational game rather than a recreation of an historical event, both sides had equal forces with 'standard' units. I use a deck of cards to determine by colour, who will act first that turn. The size of the deck controls the length of the game. I usual play 15 turns but I bumped it up to 20 for this game.

About 1/2 way through the game, the bridge is still contested but the Rebs have pushed infantry over the fords and on the far side, have also had a small cavalry brigade across the road. 

Fairly early in the battle, an aggressive Rebel Brigadier pushed a regiment over the Western ford. Due in part to the excellent shooting of Yankee artillery, reinforcements didn't manage to come up in time and a full brigade pushed the Rebs back over the creek. 

On the eastern flank, the Rebs managed to push back a screen of dismounted cavalry and seize the ford with cavalry backed by a brigade of infantry. Since there was little room in the bridgehead, the Brigadier had massed his artillery on the far side of the hill with orders to harass or stop reinforcements.
(see 1st picture) 

The battle raged late into the day. Neither side would gamble sending a narrow column over the bridge.
On the Western flank a Yankee counter attack forced the Reb bridgehead to be withdrawn. Firing continued late into the afternoon but neither side had the strength to carry the ford and reinforce it. 
However, the Rebs had a solid bridgehead on their right, though there were no reserves coming, and Yankee guns had nearly silenced the rebel artillery on that flank. 

With a fresh Yankee brigade backing them up as a reserve, and the sun sinking, the order was given to the weary Blue defenders to fix bayonets, fire one good volley and then drive the Rebels back over the river.  (Well, it worked for the 20th Maine...) The Rebs must have been weary themselves and shaken by their losses, because they broke and ran. As the Federal troops advanced, they were able to cross the ford unopposed, cavalry first and secured the road on the other side. With the Yankees reserve (the only remaining fresh brigade on the field) marching to cross over the ford, there was nothing for the Rebels to  do but to retreat before they got cut off.  

Well, it was one battle, not the end of the campaign and the rules need another test. The next ACW game will probably be next week, not next year.