Antietam : Sixth Corps at the Dunker Church Part 3 a lot of Photos

 This is the last of the three posts and will be the photos of the battle as it unfolded. I will describe what is happening but if you want the overview go back to Part 2. For the background and setup etc Part 1. This is really just the fluff ....  WARGAMER ALERT I TOOK TOO MANY PHOTOS you don’t need me to tell you to skip if you want to, I have only loaded so many as I know a few of you like them . I have also been experimenting with putting sky into the background which is fairly easy and is quite nice. But you will see I didn’t continue this right through to the end.

Irwin’s Brigade spread out around the Mumma Farm

7th Maine and to their right the inexperienced 20th NY

Independent Confederate artillery Ono the high ground to the south and beyond them Cobb’s Brigade

Ransom’s Brigade reforming behind the high ground in the west woods

The 33rd NY all alone on the right flank

The 20th are first to get into combat perhaps not realising they alone , inexperience perhaps ?

Confederate artillery opens up on the 7th Maine

Laws brigade and beyond them Walkers brigade

Ransoms Brigade opens up on the 33rd New York

The fight for the woods has started

Irwin’s artillery has relocated to the hill 

20th and 77th NY advance towards to Hagerstown Pike and come under heavy fire

Armistead’ Brigade holding the far left flank in the woods

Law’s Brigade opens up agains the 20th

Union artillery arrives but BG Smith takes some time to deploy them

Battery F has a good line into the woods and makes the Confederates pay

Cobb’s brigade to the south join in chasing the 7th Maine into the smaller cornfield

BG Smith observing the first phase of the attack

BG Walker spent most of the battle on the high ground in the woods

7th Maine retreating into the cornfield, they do rally and come back later

The first attack is repulsed the 77th and 20th have both been thrown back from the main road

The 20th running back to the farm

Luckily time for Torbert to arrive with 1st Brigade

The 4th New Jersey deploy to the right, artillery to the hill and the rest hurry down the Smoketown road

Walkers brigade deploys closer to the Pike

Confederate artillery doesn’t have anything to target at this stage, BG Walker wasn’t to know but redeployment might have been wise at this point for at least one of the guns ?

1st brigade advances into the meat grinder !

Fighting in the woods as the Confederates attempt to advance to chase off the artillery

Walkers brigade now at the Pike and exchanging fire with the 7th Maine in the cornfield

Cobb’s infantry has moved up to the stonewall, and Brooks 2nd Brigade arrives up the sunken road

And there are lots of them !

Another attempt to advance on the woods

Walkers brigade preparing to repulse Brooks Brigade at the Hagerstown Pike

Armistead breaks through the 33rd NY 

Only for them to be replaced by the 4th NJ

Brook’s Vermont boys spread out under fire from Walker’s Brigade and the confederate artillery

Armistead’s Brigade now supported by Hays is pushing up to the Hagerstown Pike and threatening the Union artillery

Laws brigade still holding the hill, Hoods brigade still not deployed

Just as the artillery is threatened the 4th NJ come to the rescue, they prove to be one of the star units on the Union side

The rest of the New Jersey regiments are lining up for another attack

But the assault is delayed by the retreat of the 1st New Jersey

Finally the independent artillery is ordered forward

Cobb’s infantry holding the stonewall 

and finally confederate reinforcements in the form of Anderson’s Brigade arrive from the south

The 1st New Jersey rally and turn back to the assault

Walkers brigade has pulled back from the Pike to take up a line along the cornfield

This opens up space for the artillery but they struggle to hit anything

2nd Vermont attack Cobb’s brigade and fight hand to hand

The battle at the north end of the Hagerstown Pike the Confederates are close to taking the Artillery hill

Hood’s Brigade is ordered up to the right

The union now have two artillery pieces on the high ground, but one is knock out by the Rebel artillery opposite

Brooks brigade lining up to assault to the south

Anderson’s brigade now holding the stonewall

Armisteads Brigade is forced back by the 4th NJ

Union forces are staring to push forward on both flanks

Counter battery fire knocks out the Rebel artillery

Exchange of fire across the Hagerstown Pike

Anderson’s brigade have pulled back into the field 

The confederate left flank is gradually weakening, Armistead has rallied but Hays infantry is now retreating

Possibly the final big push is forming up

Confederate right flank is holding just

Artillery pound away while they have targets

Preparing for the final assault

Brooks Brigade is beginning to falter two regiments are rendered ineffective and pull back

The 4th NJ still making progress in the woods

A gap in the Federal line where the 49th NY used to be a devastating volley from the 4th Alabama in Laws Brigade

Hand to hand fighting at the Church

Hood’s Texans are forced back but the 48th North Carolina charge in to replace them

Confederate left flank looking weaker and weaker and the main assault has going in across the Pike

The final push supported by artillery

Only the 4th Alabama are in any state to mount a defence, 5 of the 7 regiments on the hill are broken or fleeing

....and then Anderson and Cobb’s infantry finally break in the south

brooks Brigade has been pretty much destroyed with I think only the 2nd Vermont still fighting.

At this point I called the battle for the Union as the remaining Confederates would have to pull back and would need to get what artillery they have left away for another day, BG Smith on his white horse is gallantly leading the final assault.

A final shot towards the church. The 77th NY having fled two hours ago and spent much of the battle in the farm have rallied ! I quite like this last shot as it gives a sense of  what one might imagine the chaotic end point of a battle might look like.

By the end of the battle 2 of the 3 Union Brigades had been broken, and only really Walkers Brigade and the 4th Alabama from Law’s brigade had any fight left in them. The battle lasted I think 11 or 12 turns played over 5 or 6 sessions.

If you’ve made it this far I hope you enjoyed the journey thanks for taking the time and hope it helped while away a for of those lockdown hours , I might just get some painting done now 👍