Tacloban’s Champion Hill Order of Battle (OOB)

NOTE: For help with this mod, refer to the proper MMG forum thread as linked to below (coming soon).

Mod Name: Champion Hill OOB

Last Updated: Updated September 25, 2008

Author: Tacloban

Files to Download:

1. OB_Champion_Hill.zip

Readme File:

Battle of Champion Hill OOB, “Open Play version”
May 16, 1863

“I never saw fighting like this.” – Brig. General Alvin Hovey

This is an OOB intended to be used with the wonderful Champion Hill map by Louis Raider. Most of the summaries of Champion Hill that I’ve read give strengths of 32,000 Union and 22,000 Confederate; however, I have not included Blair’s 2nd Division, detached from Sherman’s XV Corps, to make the sides closer to equals in terms of manpower because it was not engaged that day. In fact, a large part of Grant’s army was not engaged that day:

“Every man of Hovey’s division and of McPherson’s two divisions [Crocker and Logan] were engaged during the battle. No other part of my command was engaged at all.”  From Grant’s Memoirs (Fullenkamp,  p.241).

This zip contains two versions of the OOB. OB_Champion_Hill.csv is intended for the current style for Open Play (no cavalry and battery). OB_Champion_Hill_Full.csv, although playable in Open Play, is intended for custom scenarios. It includes the full OOB according to my best estimate, complete with all batteries and what little cavalry was present. Since the full OOB is intended as a basis for writing scenarios, Holmes’ Union brigade in Crocker’s Division only has two regiments in the full OOB, because his other regiments had been detached to guard the division trains before he went into battle.

Estabu has prepared a verion of this OOB with the JBHood’s State Flags mod, which is available at the MMG mods site.  Strengths are as follows (for OB_Champion_Hill.csv):

Grant – Army of the Tennessee: 25,605

McClernand’s XIII Corps – 14,604
9th Div (Osterhaus):   3,225
10th Div. (AJ Smith): 3,663
12th Div. (Hovey):     4,558
14th Div. (Carr):         3,503

McPherson’s XVII Corps – 11,000
3rd Div. (Logan):    5,100
7th Div. (Crocker): 5,890

Pemberton’s Army of Vicksburg – 23,493

Stevenson’s Division – 10,784
Bowen’s Division – 5,184
Loring’s Division – 7,515

Strengths for the full OOB are just 200-500 more for each division because of the added batteries and a few cavalrymen.

The rebels are organized into one corps, while the Union has six divisions in two corps; therefore, the rebels will usually have a significant numerical advantage in medium and small battles. Also, with one battery per division, the Union army will have superior numbers in artillery in the OP version.

My primary source for the OOB is: The Campaign for Vicksburg. Vol. II Grant Strikes a Fatal Blow.  Edwin Cole Bearss (Morningside House, Inc., Dayton OH, 1986). I also consulted Guide to the Vicksburg Campaign.  edited by Leonard Fullenkamp, Steven Bowman, and Jay Luvaas.  (University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, 1998)

As a general guide for regimental strengths, I used a free patch to the HPS game “Campaign Vicksburg” from the “Age of Rifle and Musket” series by John Tiller. I don’t know who wrote the OOB in the patch. For the most part, these strengths matched the brigade and division strength information in Bearss and other sources. I would like to hear from some one who knows the actual strengths of some of these regiments. Discrepancies in the different OOBs were resolved using the Official Record and Dyers Compendium as gospel.

http://www.battleofchampionhill.org/index.htm
http://www.civilwaralbum.com/vicksburg/ch.htm
http://www.nps.gov/archive/vick/vcmpgn/chmpnhl.htm
Really good maps here.

http://www.civilwarhome.com/championhill.htm
Official Record:
http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/moa/pageviewer?root=%2Fmoa%2Fwaro%2Fwaro0037%2F&tif=00008.TIF&cite=http%3A%2F%2Fcdl.library.cornell.edu%2Fcgi-bin%2Fmoa%2Fsgml%2Fmoa-idx%3Fnotisid%3DANU4519-0037&coll=moa&frames=1&view=50

In the near future, I will probably make a reorganized version with roughly balanced divisions and corps for balanced smaller battles. I can also put together some “what ifs” using Sherman’s Union corps and Johnston’s small rebel army, like a Vicksburg campaign OOB. I am not very swift and making scenarios, but I hope some one can use these OOBs to make some with the very cool Champion Hill Map. I will be glad to make some special request variations on this OOB for some one making a scenario. Have fun and let me know if you find mistakes, and give me your suggestions.

Andrew  (Tacloban)
August 6, 2007