Amazing First Manassas Wargame
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- You can sign up for a FREE trial to the Great Courses Plus to take Professor Gary Gallagher's Civil War course, or any other classes you want to explore, with our link: ow.ly/kLtv30q7TWK
In this episode, Little Wars TV refights the first major battle of the American Civil War, First Manassas. Our wargame plays out on a huge tabletop, in 15mm scale, with the classic "Fire & Fury" rules. Before the battle, Greg and Tony debate the legacy of General Irvin McDowell. Was he really such a terrible choice for commander-in-chief of the main Federal army? How close was McDowell to winning the battle historically and how sound was his plan of attack? Let's find out!
Next week we'll be back with an in-depth rule review of "Fire and Fury," followed by a battlefield tour from the National Park! Visit us at www.LittleWarsT... for the latest updates and news from Little Wars TV. As always, if you enjoy what we do here and want to continue exploring the great battles of history with us, LIKE the video and SUBSCRIBE today!
Our thanks again to our sponsor for this episode, The Great Courses Plus. Sponsors like them help us to travel to battlefields and bring you footage from these incredible, historic locations.
It's funny because Chal actually looks like McDowell
I was thinking that too.
They all had the chin bears somewhat going, looked authentic.
I came hear to say just that.
To be fair, nobody looks like Beauregard.
@@bobjames3748😢😮😅😅😮ki😅😢r
Absolutely love the blind map phase of the battles you guys do. It makes me feel more invested in the table game for some reason. Great video guys.
it makes it really interesting to watch since players dont have the complete picture of how things will play out.
Fog of war and incomplete information is a really important part of upping the difficulty (and immersion) of wargames. Especially for strategic maneuvers, commanders didn't have their whole army under their own eye. Replicating that makes any game that much more tense.
"Sir! A Lemon Sucking Maniac!" I laughed way harder than I expected at that! My new favourite title for Jackson! Great job as always guys
I admit this morning a black powder video showed up on my recommended, but it wasn't the same quality. refreshed the home screen and saw a new one from you guys. breakfast is now made... :)
Maybe we need a new slogan around here: "Little Wars TV, breakfast of champions."
@@LittleWarsTV Maybe... I watch your wargames more often than makes sense. Has the club considered a more expansive Civil War campaign?
SPOILER Below:
Also... Should we talk about the side by side Chal-McDowell portraits? Are we sure the latter's ghost didnt reincarnate to win this game?
Wow, haven't seen a game of Fire & Fury in years. Loved that set of rules
Well.... American Civil War, 15mm miniatures and yet another amazing battle scape to game on!!! Love it!!! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 Great work guys. I love that you are using Fire and Fury rules for this episode and will be releasing a review. 👏🏻👏🏻
One of our very favorite rule sets!
Huzzah! Great to see a Fire and Fury game in the untamed wilds of the internet. F&F is my bread and butter of miniature wargaming. We're going to need a "how to" video on your pre-battle theater maps.
Love all fog of war mechanics! Makes everything stressful and exciting because you have no idea what the other side is doing.
Stonewall Jackson, more then earning his name again. He's a constant; no matter what historical timeline you're in, he will win.
Unless you're at Kernstown
@@producerjjones9976 lol
*cough* Kernstown *cough*
Please do some more Civil War battles! Also would you consider doing some alternate battles, like Pipe Creek (if Meade lost at Gettysburg)?
They tried to do Gettysburg to see if the rebs could have one the day they couldn't
Great stuff. Love the American civil war - even though I’m an English wargamer! I intend to write my own ACW rules in the future, based on Fire and Fury but streamlined a little for 6mm scale gaming so this is very inspiring!
I was in your position. F&F was great but too slow for large games. I wrote my own rules too. They were fine for a while but I suggest you check out 'Alter of Freedom'. (Written by one of the show hosts. Greg?) We eventually decided on 'Bloody Big Battles' (using 6mm). We use them for ACW and Franco Prussian War.
Was just thinking the other day that I could use a good minis battle from Little Wars TV! Thanks for obliging, and fantastic job as always.
Thanks, Jordan!
Well now ... that was awesome!
I have never played historical wargaming myself, usually sci-fi (Warhammer 40.000) and a little bit of fantasy. But Ken Burn's The Civil War documentary series is a favorite of mine, and I really like this battle report. Greetings from Iceland, and a happy new year!
Ken Burns must be a favorite of every ACW history fan! Thanks for the greeting from Iceland!
@@LittleWarsTV certainly is... his series was scintillating television an absolute masterpiece.... ashokan farewell rings loud
Try it! You will not regret it. If you are reluctant to spend a lot then try Baccus 6mm Division packsm They are easy to paint and you can get a good games especially if you use DBN rules. We use a variant w gall WTF " Wargames' Tremendous Feats" Not what you thought it means. lol
I think this may have been my favorite video yet. The pre-battle maps added so much to this game. Great job. Have a drink on me.
Good explanation of what was a pretty complicated battle (I've always found it so anyway!) Great looking game too.
Thanks, Martin. Yes, all the historical pre-battle skirmishing and maneuvering by both sides can get a little complicated. It doesn't help that McDowell changed his battle plan a few times!
A battle to fight and fight again...A video to look at and look at again...Informative and excellent!😍😍, ongrats to Tony and Josh, well to Gen Beauregard and Johnston, from France!
This is amazing content. I know a lot of effort went into not only the game but also editing, travel, and research. Thanks for bringing this to us!
You're very welcome! We have a lot of fun doing it, which makes all the associated work feel less like work.
Outstanding gentlemen!!! Love the Fire and Fury rules. Wished there were some players in Central Virginiaa that I knew about.
We need more videos. You guys are so awesome.
Keep those coming!
Maybe try traditional kriegspuel?
That was a great video. Love those hidden maneuvers and context before hand. Thanks!
Nice, you visited and discussed the battle here since this is my home town.
Thank you for using basic original Fire & Fury. Most of those CSA infantry figures you show are Stone Mountain Minitures which is what I use
Concerning McDowell, again not trying to praise the man, but Union commanders' often suffer from the general and somewhat flawed impression that they were mostly incompetent. Which I do not think is fair. Key officers and politicians in positions of power often placed their subordinates in tough positions.
Enjoyed the battle and the video.
It’s been over 20 years since I caught the war gaming bug. Fire & Fury taught me how to build a army and a battle field table. Still my favorite rules. One of the guys purchased the new rules and we have tested them, prefer the original rules but that’s just me. Good to see you all, hope everyone had a great Christmas and Happy New Year! Looking forward to see what you guys do this year! Yankees had the hot hand rolling the dice on this one!🎲
I live in Manassas and I love this video!
Old school Fire & Fury Rules stand the test of time for playable and enjoyable games!
I visited the battlefield for the first time today, great spot. Then tonight, i re-watched you video here. Great way to end the day.
Nice way to start the day. Thanks for the knowledge with a pint of fun!
Thank you guys for this video, really love the history and battlefield walk at the beginning to set the scene for the table top game that follows.
Gosh it’s been so long since you’ve posted a good video of gaming. Gosh this is so good timing since I needed some tabletop in my life
You guys always bring the best fight! Good game. I too buy at flea markets to break into time period. Fun that I also sold all my 15mm ACW to my buddy so we could start playing F&F 2nd edition so we can play 1st Manassas.
New Little Wars TV video 😁😁😁😁😁😁 I always smile when I see this in my feed.
Tremendous stuff, you always finish with me wanting more !
Detzer points out that McDowell likely did not have 30,000+ men actually available on the day of battle, but a number many thousands fewer.
Love the videos! You guys certainly know how to have fun.
Give 'em hell, boys! Loved the video. Thanks!
Little Wars TV, simply outstanding.
Brilliant upload! Keep up the great work!
Yankee-Doodle went to Richmond, a'ridin' Stonewalls' pony,
He won the war in ninety-days
And declared a sweet Vic-Tory!
Stonewall jackson rode to Washington,
Riding doodle's pony,
He won he war in twenty days
And declared those yankees done for!
Wow you guys to a great job of picking apart the battle and giving fair unbiased views of what happened.
Absolutely brilliant as usual. Thank you very much :) The strategic map and fog of war is stunning!
I just found this channel and I got to be honest...
The mix of game and history and this refined quality is amazing!
I am normally not really into the ACW got to be honest but how can I not watch every other ACW battle report they made after watching this one!!!
Glad you found us! If ACW isn't normally your favorite period of military history, we cover lots of other eras, too.
Perhaps not wanting to repeat their forebearers' mistakes, the "generals" adopted a strategy opposite of history. In 1861, each commander intended to advance on his right--only McDowell got his army started. In the replay, the commanders advanced on their left flanks. Very interesting. Did anyone else notice the L-shaped map omitted Henry House Hill ... where Thomas Jackson earned his sobriquet? Anyway, anyways enjoy watching. Wish the "battle" coverage was longer.
Great job, great fun to watch.
Loved the video guy and loved the game.
And to me, I’ll always love Bernard Crowell for inspiring my love in the American Civil War. His Starbuck Chronicles & Sharpe Novels really helped me get started in my Napoleonix and ACW gaming - having been a Wargamer myself since 5 years old, and my only historical wargame until I found Sharp Practice and Chain of Command was Bolt Action. But with Sharp Practice, Black Powder and Bernards books, my love for the Napoleonic wars and ACW has truly took off in the last couple years and hopefully soon I’ll be able to run some grand scale battles with a few friends and maybe tempt them into historical wargaming (or wargaming in general)
Another phenomenal video lads!
There is a great book on this topic, "Donnybrook: The Battle of Bull Run, 1861" by David Detzer. He points out that it is incredibly more difficult to be the attacker in a battle (especially when the odds are near even); and having green troops on both sides gives another advantage to the defender. The attacker has to coordinate the attack, but not so by the defender. It is a great book that explores the topic in exactly the right amount of detail, and the author explains the difficulty of getting a brand new army moving before it is really ready to go to war (but due to political pressure, Lincoln wanted some action and would not be patient (i.e. wait until the army was ready before pressing the attack).
I'm from Germany and very interested in the ACW. I thank you very much for your videos. They are better than every history documentation on the TV screen and I really would like to be a part of your playing history.
Another great one guys. Thank you.
We played Bull Run a while back and the Union forces "repaired" the damaged railroad bridge on the Union left and sent 3 brigades across there to get into the rear of Blackburn's ford and send the Union cavalry unit on to capture Manassas Junction to "delay" the Confed's new troops arriving by train there (a great plan) !! The Confed's crossed early across the Bull Run heading for Centerville with all their starting troops and had unloaded their newly arriving troops over at Gainesville and were sending them straight across the stone bridge from there to Centerville ( a BETTER PLAN) !! As the Union left flank attack fell on the Confed's rear at Blackburn's ford finding no Confeds there and captured Manassas Junction waiting for the Confed troop trains to arrive, the whole Confed army was over-whelming the Union army left defending Centerville which was out-numbered by those same 3 brigades sent south ! The battle ended with the Union retreat back to Washington and the fall of Centerville !!!
Love the battles ( especially, fog of war) Great Job Little wars!
Excellent again chaps. Visited that battlefield last summer (among others, and Frederick was a great place to stay), and it was amazing to walk the ground where the battles took place. I play F&F (Regimental version), so even more interesting watching this video. Thanks!
Great video! I'm a native Virginian and grew up in both places, Centreville and Manassas. I'm further very aware of both battles and passed the battlefield regularly during my commutes to Washington, DC. Your board is very accurate with the exception of picnicking civilians who travelled to watch the engagement that was to end the war altogether. 🙄
remembered I'd already watched this one - Watched it again anyway. Excellent content.
great figures and even better terrain. wonderful show!
so love you guys it makes me want to play >> I converted the Fire and Fury rules to the napoleon peninsular war, with greater fire power for the Brits and portuguese and faster charge rate and a plus factor for french columns
This was massively informative and entertaining, thank you!
That was awesome. Love the 'ol school of gaming with Fire and Fury rules. Looking forward to the review coming up. I bought the rules and supplements many years ago when they first came out....along with tons of ACW 15s. Haven't touch them in several years...I think this has rekindle the the love of 15mm game play. The overall video was very entertaining as always. Take care.
Thanks, redmist! You should definitely dust off the old 15s!
@@LittleWarsTV May have to surprise the group here. Thanks again!
Imop he was a scapegoat. He had an army full of raw recruits, fighting on ground that was unknown against an enemy that was reinforced by and additional 20,000 troops under Johnson.
great battle Report as always!
Excellent, guys, absolutely excellent. Both presentation and the game.
Such a good format! You guys are doing exceptional work for the wargaming community, thank you.
Glad you enjoy it!
Great game and video! As always.
McDowell - "snatching defeat for the jaws of victory".
As a Tennessean, very good accents from the both of you.
Great game guys! Keep them coming! I miss playing Fire and Fury. My brother and I did a campaign of the Valley with some friends but, sadly, we never finished
This was a good battle with a few twists and turns.
honestly I can get enough of these war games I could watch this for hours.
Fantastic battle report loved it!
Never played F&F, but I use the OOBs from their books constantly. Their Cold War stuff has been fantastic for building realistic forces for some WWIII 1980's wargaming.
Keep up the good work you guys are doing for the hobby, I enjoy each video
I enjoyed this episode and the content, the table was awesome and inspiring. Keep your efforts going. The tip for the course was equally inspiring I will look into this.
Great battle. It’s been awhile but your videos are making me want to attend Historicon this year.
Interesting premise, even though I'm no huge fan of miniatures. I like the idea of simulating the battle at two levels, operationally and tactically, though!! And it looked like great fun in any event!
That was Fantastic! Thank you Guys! (I Brandiedwith you while watching 😊)
Nothing like a little 9a brandy!
Your best battle report yet!
A lot of comments already here for this video. Wow, guess I'm not the only fan of Little Wars TV. :) The Union troops did act a little bit more aggressively than they probably would have done historically, but that is the benefit of hindsight (and wisdom honestly). McDowell clearly should have committed more of his troops early on, but I do think he did the best he could with what he had and I personally feel you all (y'all) redeemed his reputation a bit with this video. Thank you.
Really enjoyed the video! My first ACW miniatures game was with Brigade Fire & Fury around '94 while stationed at Hood. Love the system. Have since moved to Regimental Fire & Fury, with our small gaming group.
Has anyone from your group played the RF&F rules? How about the second edition of the brigade rules? What is your take on it?
Keep posting those great vids!
Absolutely, we do play the regimental version and it's popular in the club. We have not played the second edition of F&F, in part, I think, because we remain so happy with the original. And because we play so many different eras in the club, we're only doing F&F a few times a year. One day I'm sure we will try the second edition, though!
Battle of Chancellorsville!
or
The Overland Campaign!
Just a suggestion I think would be interested to watch and play out.
thanks little wars tv havve been watching alll your videos
Was at this battlefield for the 150th manassas! Hard to belive that was already 12 yrs ago
I was so distracted by the great drums and fifes tune, that I had to rewind the first 10 seconds of the battle plan explanation. 😅😂 Yea, I just have a fresh interest for war songs and I`m not to familiar with american songs yet, for I am an german spectator. Greetings from germany, for that matter. :D I am really enjoying the content. 👍✌
Greetings, Leon! Thanks for tuning in (and tuning out the fifes)!
Cool that all you miniatures look slightly different. The real troops, especially Confederate had a mishmash of different Uniforms, which greatly added to the confusion on the Battlefield.
Yes! I was thinking of that aspect as well. I was wondering about the confusion in the uniforms adding to the fog of war aspect, resulting in effecting maneuvers and friendly fire incidents.
Absolutely! And there was some historical friendly fire in the 1861 battle. Famously, some Confederate troops were dressed in blue uniforms because that's all they had available at the time!
Thanks!
Wow- first time learning of Little Wars TV. Subscribing now. Nicely done. Since I live in Manassas, this was watched with high interest.
Curious where you do your production and gaming if you are local.
Welcome, Eric! We are based in PA and drove down to Manassas for a day to film on the battlefield.
I'd love to see this done by the players using there own battle plans
There is another possibility about the meaning of the nickname "Stonewall Jackson." Per the interweb, precisely what Bee meant by the remark has never been clear. Many believe it was meant as a tribute to Jackson’s stubborn defense as Bee attempted to inspire his own brigade: “There stands Jackson like a stone wall!” At least one observer, however, interpreted it as a frustrated response to Jackson’s refusal to move forward and aid Bee’s own attack: “There is Jackson standing like a damned stone wall.” A bullet struck and killed Bee shortly after his remark; and thus he was never able to clarify its meaning.
Another awesome video!
Good video and good battle. Thanks.
Great video. Enjoyed it a lot.
Can Tony let me know where he got that blue button down shirt?
Also, my favorite McDowell anecdote is that upon the success of the morning's fighting, he sat down to lunch and ate an entire watermelon as his main meal. But all the sugar plus the summer heat impaired his command ability and gave him the runs which contributed to his failures at the Henry Hill phase of the battle
Finally, the Bull Run battlefield is especially fascinating for you all because large parts of it could be reused for 2nd Manassas
Look! There stands Jackson standing like a stonewall! Rally around the Virginians boys!
I love the accents and humor!!!!
If McClellan has a statue, McDowell should probably have one too! McDowell sorta falls into my “at least he was trying his best” category of Union Generals along with Burnside. McClellan was a lying coward who purposefully let troops die at Second Bull Run. McDowell lost, but I don’t think the blame can squarely fall on him. McClellan on the other hand definitely deserves the lion share of the blame. BTW if you’re ever in Washington DC there’s a bar called McClellan’s retreat right near his statue!
McClellan was not in command at Second Bull Run, I wouldn't exactly say he was a coward either, just Incompetent and full of himself.
@@masone4501 I think he was referring to the fact that McClellan did not bring much of the Army of the Potomac back in time to reinforce Pope for the campaign for pretty petty reasons.
Mason E Jack Zheng has the right of it. I also call him a coward because at Malvern Hill, he left his army behind and was not present at the battlefield. If you get chance read some of the letters he sent to his wife. You’ll get a really good distaste for the guy. He told her that he was like the only one who showed up to Winfield Scott’s departure from DC, but I think several thousand showed up.
@@jackzheng9685 I see, I looked into it, I was under the impression he was removed from command of the Army of the Potomac at the time, looks like I was wrong.
@@GenTj9 oh I have a great disliking of McClellan, I just said I wouldn't call him a coward, I was also under the impression that he wasn't in command of the Army of the Potomac at the time, so I thought there was no way he could be involved at Second Bull Run. I have found out I was mistaken.
No coincidence Chal playing as McDowell, they look very similar?
He's a spitting image!
McChal
Do it with Altar of Freedom.
You guys should do the Battle of Shiloh war game!
McDowell really had it rough, not only was he forgotten, but also despised! History judged him roughly
Huzza for the Union! Huzza Huzza Huzza! And a Tiger grrrrrr. Good video Little Wars.
Lol you guys are so awesome i need to get a group like this