Down the Mississippi !

This game was put on by Rafael on 9th September at his Far Pavilion. 

Federal gun boats and troop carriers are fighting their way past Confederate forts on the Mississippi.

I had the Union boats and Rafael the Confederate defenders.

The winding river with nasty gun forts at every turn

Union gun boats advance cautiously knowing what lies in store for them !

The Rebel guns spot the approaching armada and open fire

The lead boat engages in counter battery fire

After a couple of rounds, a critical hit sees black smoke mushrooming from the top of the fort - one down 

The rest of the boats move up, ready to make the first turn

As they do so, a second fort commences firing

The lead boat has some engine problems so floats to one side, shooting up the Confederate paddle steamer as she sits at anchor

A Confederate supply base hoves into view - this also has gun batteries defending it

The combined fire power of several unit boats sees the second fort go up in flames

The signal goes up for the transports to move up

They turn with Grant's command ship at the rear

One fast gun boat has gone ahead and has the shock of seeing two Confederate boats heading his way !

The rest of the fleet try to catch up and give support

One of the Confederates rams the side of the first Union boat but it stays afloat

A duel between the respective gunners takes place as the other Confederate boat swings into action

However, these Confederate raiders are not made for confrontation with armoured gun boats and they quickly lose heart. Seeing their departure, the Confederate supply base puts up the white flag.

The forts were unable to stem the Union advance after all.

Rules and boats from Peter Pig.

An enjoyable change from our usual wargaming activities !