The Fight for Forney Farm : a Sharp Practice game

1st July 1863 - a small part of the battle at Gettysburg

The 55th North Carolina are coming through the woods top right, heading for Forney Farm on the left.  The 9th New York Cavalry have to stop them ! Ian has the Confederates, me the Union.

Captain Forrester's Rebels make their way through the trees

and Sergeant Mordecai's skirmishers leap ahead of them

Captain Timothy Hanley's 9th New York cavalry arrive at Forney's Farm

The Rebels 2-i-C, Captain Walter Whitted, takes some troops towards the Hoffman House in case Union troops are there on the flank.

Forrester's men reach the edge of the woods and the fence line

Mordecai's skirmishers are first to open fire

Hanley orders his men to take up positions in and around Forney's farm and the orchards

This is the open ground the Confederates have to cross

Whitted is confident there are no Union troops at Hoffman's

Sergeant Alvin Lattin has dismounted his men and they line the white fences in front of the farm

and immediately gets hit - he's out cold and two men are dead !

Whitted marches his men alongside the woods to catch up with Forrester 

Stevens skirmushers draw ahead of them 

Sergeant Lattin's men have pulled back and remounted, leaving the sergeant !

Whitted's troops now fan out into line in the open

Forrester orders his men to cross the snake fencing and head towards the enemy as the Federal fire has slackened (Hanley has found his ammo is duff and their fire is halved).

Hanley's men are getting some shots home but the Rebels can handle the shock well enough

The Rebels press home the advance as the Union command structure seems to be breaking down (not only is Sergeant Lattin unconscious, so too now is Lieutenant Robertson, the second in command).

The cabin behind Forney's has caught fire causing concern

and now matters get even worse for the Union, their commander, Captain Hanley, has been shot dead by Rebel skirmishers !

Sergeant Lattin has recovered and joins his mounted troop behind the trees

the Confederate skirmishers enter the farmyard

Lattin's cavalrymen remain mounted hoping to catch them unawares

Forrester's men see the enemy retreat following the death of their leader, so run to the Union tree line

The stuffing has been knocked out of the Union cavalrymen

Lattin has missed his chance as the Rebel skirmishers have dashed into Forney's farmhouse and captured the Union deployment point which is their victory requirement. 

 Game over.

It all fell apart for the 9th New York Cavalry. All three Big Men were hit. Their British born commander had lived through fighting in Afghanistan and the Crimea but now falls on the field at Gettysburg.

Forrester can be well pleased with his day's work.

You never know what's going to happen in Sharp Practice !!!