by Paul LaFontaine, 12 April 2026
The game was the historical battle of Shiloh from the American Civil War. Two players participated in this scenario. Player Bonk commanded the Union (Blue) forces, player AaTaWe commanded the Confederate (Red) Forces.
The players and the umpire had physical sets and the umpire reports were pointers via Discord allowing players to keep the situation on their own maps.
AaTaWe as the Confederate commander achieved victory, while Bonk played well trying to keep multiple points defended. Historically this was US Grant’s first victory and this scenario’s outcome was ahistorical.
The Problem
The Union faced the challenge of defending multiple positions with forces spread across a wide area, making it difficult to respond quickly to concentrated attacks. Their success depended on bringing scattered units together and massing them at decisive points in order to overpower the smaller Confederate army. The Confederates, by contrast, had to rely on speed and initiative. They had to defeat a part of the Union force before the entire force could concentrate.
Confederate (Red) Briefing
You are in the mid-1800’s and your soldiers have rifled muskets, but have not had a chance to adequately train on shooting over long ranges. Infantry fights are 200 – 300 M in distance. Artillery is rifled and deadly, it can shoot 1KM effectively. Cavalry is less powerful, this is not a period of cavalry routing infantry or squares, etc. Cavalry are eyes, and fight other cavalry. Your force is large in number but scattered around the area, having just moved here recently.
Your OOB:
Treat each unit as a regiment of three battalions. Cavalry are squadrons, artillery are batteries. Cavalry and artillery can be assigned as you wish.
most images can click to enlarge
The enemy is in the area and in greater numbers, though spread out and unaware of the strength of your forces. You are outnumbered 3:2. There are the three formations your cavalry have spotted, and a fourth to the south. Your capital lies in the north and the enemy has designs on marching on it. The enemy has seized the river crossing near Haupthof and is using it to coordinate his forces. It can also support watercraft as a shallow harbor. The other crossings are just bridges. If you stop the enemy and defeat him sharply, you can consider this a success. If you also seize the river crossing at Haupthof you can consider this operation a resounding success. Overall, your mission is to keep the enemy from marching on your capital.
Union (Blue) Briefing
You are in the mid-1800’s and your soldiers have rifled muskets, but have not had a chance to adequately train on shooting over long ranges. Infantry fights are 200 – 300 M in distance. Artillery is rifled and deadly, it can shoot 1KM effectively. Cavalry is less powerful, this is not a period of cavalry routing infantry or squares, etc. Cavalry are eyes, and fight other cavalry. Your force is large in number but scattered around the area, having just moved here recently.
Your OOB:
Treat each unit as a regiment of three battalions. Cavalry are squadrons, artillery are batteries.
You don’t have a solid view of enemy forces. Some activity was spotted to the northeast and you have sent patrols to investigate. You recently established a river crossing near Haupthof, and this is key to your operation as your line of communication is west through Eichenrode. The 3rd Regiment is delayed, and will not be able to move until 12 noon (third orders cycle)
The enemy capital lies to the north, and the river will provide you a connection for supply. Before you can move north, you’ll have to secure your northeastern flank by finding out what is there and defeating it. The river crossing at Haupthof is critical for your ongoing mission, and must be kept in your control.
Turn 1
Both forces begin in their historical starting positions. AaTaWe has two regiments with artillery in the northwest (1), three regiments in the center (2) , and a larger formation positioned in the east (3). Kleindorf is the location of the historical Shiloh Church. Bonk’s Union forces are dispersed across the field as they were historically. Sherman’s division is encamped near Shiloh Church (4), with additional troops positioned near the river and (5) and another concentration at Pittsburg Landing (6), represented here by Haupthof. Reinforcements have not yet entered the field and remain at Lauten (7). They will not be available for the first three turns of the action.
Turn 2
AaTaWe advances with all three formations at once. In the northwest the 3rd Brigade moves toward Steinhafen (1) and makes contact with Union forces while cavalry, having crossed the river, approaches the town from the west to add pressure on the flank. In the center the 2nd Brigade continues its movement southward (2), while the 1st Brigade encounters Union troops near Kleindorf. Fighting quickly develops there and the Confederate attack succeeds in pushing back the Union cavalry. Bonk holds most of his forces in place, but had attempted to move his 1st Brigade forward and secure Kleindorf. The engagement stalls his advance.
Turn 3
AaTaWe continues pressing the fight at Steinhafen (1) and Kleindorf (3), keeping the Union forces fixed in place while the situation develops. At the same time he shifts his second brigade to the southwest (2), maneuvering to split the Union line and drive toward the river. Bonk responds by maintaining a force near Haupthof (4) to secure the crossing there, ensuring that his line of retreat and communication with the river remains protected.
Turn 4
The fighting near Steinhafen continues without a clear result (1) as AaTaWe shifts his second brigade westward (2) in an attempt to force a decision there. Bonk withdraws his forces from the Kleindorf (3) area as the brigade coming from Lauten begins moving north (4). His intention is to link these formations together and establish a stronger defensive position on the eastern side of the battle area.
Turn 5
AaTaWe concludes that the position at Steinhafen is too strong to break directly, so he maintains contact with his 3rd Brigade there (1) in order to pin the enemy in place. At the same time he sends his 2nd Brigade south (2) to locate and potentially exploit a river crossing that cavalry scouts have identified as fordable. His 1st Brigade remains positioned at Kleindorf (3), holding the center of his line. Bonk concentrates strength, bringing his 1st and 3rd Brigades together southeast of Kleindorf (4) to form a defensive force, while the rest of his troops continue to guard the line along the river.
A significant departure from the historical situation in this scenario is the absence of Union gunboats on the river. During the actual Battle of Shiloh, Confederate forces could not realistically attempt to ford the Tennessee River because Union gunboats were able to bring fire onto any crossing attempt. By removing the gunboats from the scenario, the possibility of a river crossing is opened to the Confederate player. While this is not historically accurate, it was introduced intentionally to expand the range of tactical options and create a more interesting problem set for the players during the game.
Turn 6
The faceoff at Steinhafen continues (1) and AaTaWe successfully fords the river (2) and begins moving portions of his second brigade across. At the same time he shifts his first brigade to the southwest (3) in an effort to block the large concentration of enemy forces that his cavalry has discovered to the south. Bonk has now consolidated his formations and organizes them into a strong defensive position in the southeast (4). In a critical decision, he also moves troops north from their positions guarding the crossing near Haupthof (5) to investigate what he believes to be enemy movement in that direction. At the same time, British cavalry enters Haupthof (6), where they discover that the crossing town and depot is protected only by reserve troops.
Turn 7
Bonk recognizes the threat created by enemy forces that have crossed the river and responds by sending his second brigade south (1) while leaving a light holding force at Steinhafen. Confederate cavalry successfully screen the fording point, slowing the Union fourth brigade (2) that has been sent north. The Union first brigade is positioned defensively (3) while preparing to move the larger force to the northwest (4).
The overall position now begins to favor the Confederates. Although the reserve troops manage to hold the cavalry off at Haupthof (5), the Union supply route and line of communications have been disrupted, creating growing pressure on Bonk’s position.
Turn 8
The Union Second Brigade is struck from two sides and driven from the field (1), collapsing the Union position on that flank. The Fourth Brigade (2) crosses the river and begins applying pressure on the Confederate forces from the rear. Bonk commits the First and Third Brigades to drive northwest (3), moving to engage AaTaWe’s First Brigade, which has taken up a defensive position. By this stage the situation along the river has been disrupted for the Union as they are fighting back to their line of supply.
END OF SCENARIO
AaTaWe has seized Steinhafen (1), securing that position. His second brigade occupies the high ground near the river and controls the line of supply to the west (2). Bonk’s fourth brigade has been driven back across the river, weakening the Union position. The Union first and third brigades have forced the Confederate first brigade to fall back (3) and are now pushing toward the river, though the Confederates can still resist and slow their advance. With Confederate forces operating near the crossing, and the Union line of supply through Haupthof having been disrupted, it must be reestablished if the Union is to stabilize the situation.
The Union objective had been to defeat the Confederate force and continue advancing toward the state capital at Corinth, which in this scenario lay to the north. The disruption of their supply line, the heavy losses suffered by one brigade, and the poor positioning that resulted from the unfolding maneuvers forced the Union to halt their advance. They now must pull back, reorganize, and consider a different campaign approach if they are to move on Corinth. Although AaTaWe and the Confederate force successfully frustrated the Union’s operational goal, they were not able to destroy their opponent. The result was a marginal victory for the Confederates, but a victory nonetheless.
Historical Outcome
On the morning of April 6, 1862, Grant’s army at Shiloh was caught badly unprepared. The Union camps were spread out between Shiloh Church and the Tennessee River, with no true defensive line or entrenchments because senior leaders did not expect a major attack. The battle opened when Colonel Everett Peabody, worried by reports of Confederate activity, sent a patrol forward before dawn. That patrol collided with Confederate skirmishers around 5:00 a.m., triggering the battle and partially spoiling the Confederate surprise. Even so, the first Union divisions struck, especially those of Sherman and Prentiss, were inexperienced and were driven back under heavy pressure. Sherman gradually stabilized his men near Shiloh Church, while Prentiss’s front was shattered and his division began falling back in disorder.
As the morning and early afternoon developed, the Confederate assault pushed the Union right and left backward, but the Union center held stubbornly along the Sunken Road and the area later called the Hornet’s Nest. Grant arrived from Savannah around 9:00 a.m., confirmed that this was a full-scale attack, and began assembling reinforcements while ordering Lew Wallace forward. The fighting became fragmented and savage. Sherman and McClernand gave ground but kept fighting, Hurlbut and McArthur tried to seal gaps on the left, and Stuart’s brigade was eventually forced back toward Pittsburg Landing. In the center, Prentiss and W.H.L. Wallace, reinforced by artillery and sheltered by terrain and timber, repelled repeated Confederate assaults. This stand bought Grant the time he needed to form a final defensive line near the landing, even though it ended with the collapse of the Hornet’s Nest, the mortal wounding of W.H.L. Wallace, and the capture of Prentiss and thousands of Union soldiers.
This is another of a series of Kriegsspiel AARs very similar to the events in our Wargame HQ at the Origins Game Fair. You can find the original article here.
By late afternoon on April 6, the Confederates had won much of the field but failed to destroy Grant’s army. General Albert Sidney Johnston was killed in the afternoon, leaving Beauregard in command, and the Confederate attack gradually lost coherence from exhaustion, casualties, looting, and disorganization. Meanwhile, Union gunboats on the Tennessee River added fire support, Colonel Joseph Webster massed roughly fifty guns near Pittsburg Landing, and fresh troops from Buell and Lew Wallace began arriving. Grant’s final line held through the evening, and Beauregard called off further attacks, believing he could finish the army the next day. During the night, however, Union reinforcements transformed the situation.
On April 7, Buell’s and Grant’s combined forces counterattacked across the line, regained the Hornet’s Nest area, and steadily drove the Confederates south. By midafternoon Beauregard recognized the battle was lost and withdrew toward Corinth, ending one of the war’s bloodiest early battles.
The game being used is Battle Decisions: Kriegsspiel from Catastrophe Games.
Conclusion
Another chance to fight a famous Civil War battle, and the players again did not disappoint. AaTaWe and Bonk maneuvered well and approached the problem thoughtfully in a scenario filled with confusion and a great deal of fog of war. My decision to withhold the gunboats may have made the scenario somewhat too permissive in terms of river movement, and in future runs I will likely provide the Union commander with artillery that can move along the river to represent the presence of those gunboats. This would effectively seal the river and force the Confederates into a more land-based approach on the eastern side. It is another idea worth testing in future sessions.
The opening positions worked well and the map held up reasonably well in relation to the historical situation at Shiloh, particularly if the river were adjusted to impact the battle more as it did historically. The central challenge for the Confederates, to bring their forces together quickly and strike before the Union could concentrate,felt appropriate, while the Union’s problem of managing widely spread formations also matched the historical dynamic. These tensions created meaningful decisions for both sides and provided a good test of how the system handles maneuver, coordination, and time pressure in the opening phase of a battle.
We completed 9 turns in 82 minutes, around 9 minutes per turn. The first three turns ran between ten and thirteen minutes as the players adjusted their forces and the initial flow of information about positions and contacts began to take shape. As the game gathered momentum and both sides settled into the rhythm of decision and movement, turn times shortened to roughly six to seven minutes. That progression is generally normal for the system. Although the average turn length of around nine minutes was somewhat longer than usual, the system held up well given the complexity of the battlefield and the dispersed forces involved in the Shiloh scenario. The session was two hours, always a good period of time.
Thanks to AaTaWe and Bonk for coming out and playing. Both are skilled players, and it is always an enjoyable experience to umpire as they maneuver across the board and work through the decisions presented by the scenario. We have built a solid cohort of players who enjoy these Battle Decisions Kriegsspiel physical games, and the sessions continue to produce thoughtful play and good fellowship. We hope to add you to this growing group, so come out and give it a try.
We’ll see you out there.
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