Back to Wilderness

Battle of the Wilderness

Gaining the Initiative
May 5-6, 1864
Exclusive Rules

Copyright © 1975, Decision Games

Contents

• 13.0 Introduction
• 14.0 Initial Deployment Chart
  • 14.1 Confederate Army
  • 14.2 Union Army
  • 14.3 Player Sequence
• 15.0 Reinforcements
  • 15.1 Restrictions
• 16.0 Reinforcement Chart
  • 16.1 Confederate Army
  • 16.2 Union Army
• 17.0 Special Rules
  • 17.1 Confederate Movement
  • 17.2 Union Movement
  • 17.3 Union Train Defense Units
• 18.0 Victory Conditions
  • 18.1 Victory Point Schedule
• 19.0 Optional Rules
  • 19.1 Pickett'S Division
  • 19.2 General Burnside
  • 19.3 Lethargic Union Army

[13.0] Introduction

Battle of the Wilderness is a tactical level simulation of the battle between the Union Army of the Potomac and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, which took place during early May, 1864, in the area south of the Rapidan River in Virginia known as "the Wilderness."

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[14.0] Initial Deployment Chart

On the Initial Deployment and Reinforcement Charts, an "a" following the unit's Strength means the unit is artillery; all other unspecified units are infantry.

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[14.1] Confederate Army

Hex	Strength /Type	Designation
0414	5	Stafrd (Stafford)
0415	6	Stnwall (Stonewall)
0416	5	Stuart
0417	6	Stuart
0318	6	Battle
0319	5	Doles
0419	7	Doles
0217	7	Gordon
0218	6	Pegram
0118	6	Hays
0119	2a	2

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[14.2] Union Army

Hex	Strength /Type	Designation
0616	12	1/1/V
0717	6	2/I/V
0816	9	3/I/V
1016	4	1/2/V
1116	6	2/2/V
1117	4	3/2/V
1217	6a	V
0923	6	1/3/V
0922	4	3131V
0719	12	1/4/V
0819	5	Y4/V
0818	5	3/4/V
0911	9	1/1/VI
1010	7	2/1/VI
1415	8	1/2/VI
0910	8	3/1/VI
1315	8	2/Yvi
1011	8	3/2/VI
1214	7	4/2/VI
1213	6a	VI
0303	8	1/3/V1
0202	9	2/3/VI

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[14.3] Player Sequence

[14.31]

The Confederate Player is the First Player. His Player-Turn is the first Player-Turn in every Game-Turn.

[14.32]

The game consists of sixteen Game-Turns. Turn Eight is a Night Game-Turn.

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[15.0] Reinforcements

General Rule:

Players may receive Reinforcements according to the Reinforcement Chart. These reinforcement Units are placed on the edge of the map in the hex indicated on the Chart. Reinforcing units arrive during the Player's Movement Phase of the Game-Turn indicated. Reinforcing units arrive in column formation (one behind the other), during the Player's Movement Phase of the Game-Turn indicated. The Owning Player may determine the exact order of arrival at the point at which he moves the reinforcements onto the map. Note: The order in which the reinforcement units are listed is the historically correct order of arrival.

Procedure:

The Player should visualize the reinforcements as arriving from a chain of hexes which are off the map. Thus, the first unit to arrive at that hex in the Turn is considered to have expended one Movement Point to get there; the second unit is considered to have expended two Movement Points to get there, and so forth.

Cases:

[15.1] Restrictions

[15.11]

The Owning Player may enter his reinforcements on the map at any time during his Movement Phase.

[15.12]

Once a unit has entered the map, it may move and engage in combat freely, just as any other unit already present.

[15.13]

Reinforcements may enter the map directly into an Enemy Zone of Control. They may not enter an occupied hex. If the entry hex is occupied, the reinforcing unit may enter the nearest unoccupied hex.

[5.14]

Units forced off the map by combat are considered eliminated for Victory Point purposes.

[15.15]

Reinforcement units expend one Movement Point to be placed on the entry hex.

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[16.0] Reinforcement Chart

[16.1] Confederate Army

Appearing on Game-Turn One on hex 0128:

Strength /Type	Designation
7	Cooke
9	Kirklnd (Kirkland)
8	Walker
6	Davis
8	Lane
7	Thomas
8	Scales
8	McGwn (McGowan)
2a	3

Appearing on Game-Turn Five on hex 0118:

Strength /Type	Designation
5	Johnstn (Johnston)
6	Ramseur

Appearing on Game-Turn Nine on hex 0728 or hex 0627:

Strength /Type	Designation
8	Henagan
6	Hmphrys (Humphreys)
6	Bryan
7	Wofford
6	Andran (Anderson)
6	Gregg
5	Benning
6	Law
7	Jenkins
6	Harris
3	Perry
6	Perrin
7	Mahone
4	Wright
5a	1

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[16.2] Union Army

Appearing on Game-Turn Four on hex 2326:

Strength /Type	Designation
10	2/3/lI
10	1/3/lI
9	1/4/lI
9	2/4/II
10	3/2/II
6	2/2/II
10	1/2/II
6	2/1/II
7	1/1/II
7	3/1/II
7	4/1/II
6a	II

Appearing on Game-Turn Seven on hex 0102:

Strength /Type	Designation
7	4/1/VI

Appearing on Game-Turn Nine on hex 0102:

Strength /Type	Designation
4	2/1/IX
12	2/2/IX
13	1/3/IX
10	2/3/IX
4a	IX

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[17.0] Special Rules

[17.1] Confederate Movement

[17.11]

All Confederate units may move along trails at the Road Movement rate, i.e., one Movement Point per hex.

[17.12]

Confederate units may enter forest hexes as though they were moving along trails, i.e., two Movement Points per hex.

[17.13]

These changes in the Terrain Effects only affect the movement of Confederate units and in no way alter the normal combat effects associated with the terrain.

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[17.2] Union Movement

[17.21]

During the first day (Game-Turns One through Seven), Union units may not move into or through forest hexes, except along roads and trails. However, they may always enter a hex in an Enemy Zone of Control, regardless of terrain.

[17.22]

During the second day (Game-Turns Eight through Fifteen), Union units may enter any hex adjacent to a clear terrain hex or road or trail hex.

[17.23]

Union units may never advance after combat into a hex they are prohibited from entering during the Movement Phase. They may retreat into such a hex as a result of combat only if it is the only path of retreat open to them.

[17.24]

Starting a Movement Phase in a prohibited hex (due to combat) does not affect the unit's ability to move in that Phase. Exit is not prohibited. It is possible that a unit will find itself in a hex completely encircled by prohibited hexes. In such a case, the unit may not move.

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[17.3] Union Train Defense Units

The Union Train Defense units, identified by the code "TD," represent the two brigades of 1/IX which were assigned to guard the huge supply tail of the Union Army. The units include the actual brigades and the various supply wagons and rear echelon paraphernalia.

[17.31]

The Train Defense units may never attack an Enemy unit. If a "TD" unit should find itself adjacent to an Enemy unit during the Union Combat Phase, it automatically suffers an Ar (Attacker retreat) result before any Union attacks are resolved. The Confederate unit(s) to which the unit was adjacent may advance after combat.

[17.32]

The Train Defense units may never enter an Enemy controlled hex.

[17.33]

A Train Defense unit may never stack with any other unit. It may not enter an occupied hex during movement nor may any other unit enter a hex containing a Train Defense unit.

[17.34]

The Train Defense units have a normal Movement Allowance of 6 Movement Points. They may only enter hexes containing roads and/or trails. If forced to retreat to a non-road, non-trail hex as a result of combat, they are eliminated.

[17.35]

The Train Defense units may displace and be displaced as long as the special stacking and terrain restrictions for them are observed.

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[18.0] Victory Conditions

General Rule:

Victory is determined by the accumulation of Victory Points. Victory Points are awarded for Enemy Strength Points destroyed and occupation of certain territorial objectives, according to the Victory Point Schedule. At the conclusion of Game-Turn Sixteen, the Players total their Victory Points and the Player with the higher total wins.

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[18.1] Victory Point Schedule

[18.11] The Confederate Player receives:

• Three Victory Points for every Union Strength Point destroyed.
• Fifteen Victory Points each for occupation of Spottswood (hex 0810), Wilderness Tavern (hex 1415), and Hickman (hex 1920) at the end of the game.
• Fifteen Victory Points for the destruction of both Union Train Defense units.

[18.12] The Union Player receives:

• Two Victory Points for every Confederate Strength Point destroyed.
• Fifteen Victory Points each for occupation of Spottswood (hex 0810), Wilderness Tavern (hex 1415), and Hickman (hex 1920) at the end of the game.

[18.13] Occupation

Occupation is defined as being the last Player to have a unit (or Zone of Control) in the hex in question. Occupation for Victory Point purposes, is calculated at the end of Game-Turn Sixteen.

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[19.0] Optional Rules

[19.1] Pickett's Division

One of the main concerns of the Union commanders on the second day was the whereabouts of Pickett's Division, and the possibility that it might appear on the battlefield and turn the Union flank. In actuality, the division did not arrive. But the following rule allows for this possibility.

Arriving on Game-Turn Nine on hex 0118 or 0128:

Strength /Type	Designation
7	Hunton
7	Corse
5	Terry

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[19.2] General Burnside

At the beginning of each Union Movement Phase, whenever any unit of the Union IX Corps is to be moved, a special die roll is required. If the result is a "6," none of the IX Corps units may move during that Movement Phase. They may attack and defend normally during that Game-Turn. This represents the effects of the corps commander, General Burnside. TD units are not affected.

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[19.3] Lethargic Union Army

After years of war, it seemed as if the Union Army had finally learned to act quickly upon its decisions. However, it was possible for them to revert to their former selves and bring to ruination a perfectly viable plan by lethargic execution. The following rules show what would have happened if such had been the case in the Wilderness. There is no Union Initial Deployment when using this rule. Rather, the Union Player substitutes the following Reinforcement Schedule for the historical one given.

Appearing on Game-Turn One in hexrow 0001:

Strength /Type	Designation
10	2/3/Il
10	1/3/II
9	1/4/II
9	2/4/Il
10	3/2/II
6	2/2/lI
10	1/1/11
6	2/1/11
7	1/1/II
7	3/1/11
6a	II

Appearing on Game-Turn Two in hexrow 0001:

Strength /Type	Designation
12	1/1/V
6	2/1/V
9	3/1/V
4	1/2/V
6	2/2/V
4	3/2/V
6a	V
6	1/3/V
4	3/3/V
12	1/4/V
5	2/4/V
5	3/4/V

Appearing on Game-Turn Three in hexrow 0001:

Strength /Type	Designation
9	1/1/VI
7	2/1/VI
8	3/1/VI
8	1/2/VI
8	2/2/VI
8	3/2/VI
7	4/2/VI
6a	VI
8	1/3/VI
9	2/3/VI

Appearing on Game-Turn Nine on hex 0102:

Strength /Type	Designation
7	4/1/Vl
6	Td
10	Td

Appearing on Game-Turn Eleven on hex 0102:

Strength /Type	Designation
4	2/1/IX
12	2/2/Xi
13	1/3/IX
10	2/3/IX
4a	IX

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