Regimental Fire and Fury ACW (7): Gettysburg - Confederate pressure and Union Reinforcements

The Rebels poured forth across the river from Devil's Den (see below), taking casualties from Union defensive fire but in turn inflicting cruel casualties on the defenders of Little Round Top. Of the three Union regiments defending one was forced back to the heights of Little Round Top now a "spent" force. The remaining Union line was looking very thin indeed:

This Rebel attack also enfiladed the last remaining Union regiment in the lower part of the battlefield (see below) as it too faced a renewed Confederate surge. Its feet were still wet from retreating through the river from the previous turn. The Confederates were now baying for blood and sensing a disintegrating Union line:

After trading fire and movement the situation is shown below. The Union troops are nothing more than a few bare stands to the Rebel's "many". There was definitely an "open gate" to Little Round Top:

But hark, I hear "The Fife and Drum," the marching songs of the Union Army are clearly heard. Union reinforcements appear when most needed in the bottom of the battlefield, but is it a question of too little too late? They deploy and fire but have little effect. It does however cause consternation amongst the Rebel commanders as to what follows next.

Also atop of Little Round Top, three Union artillery pieces are finally deployed having spent the last four turns to date being painfully manhandled to "the only position they were allowed to fire from" on Little Round Top. It seemed to be a rather "unfriendly" artillery hill.  At least they would get a defensive shot at the Rebels yonder side of the river before they moved into dead ground below Little Round Top. Chamberlain's 20th Maine are torn as what to do. They need to cover a great deal of ground with a few men. Lacking a movement roll good enough to take on the Rebels making their way round the Union flank they decide to attack what Confederates they can see and reach:

Even with more "cold steel", the 20th Maine are bounced back into their defences. The rolls seem to be going the Confederate way (see below):

The Union flank is now definitely hanging "naked". The Union guns spoken of earlier can be seen atop of Little Round Top but sadly cannot depress to contribute to the immediate (soon to be desperate) local defence (top right see above)! On reflection the Union player (me!) missed a trick here as there is an option in Regimental Fire and Fry that allows a regiment to extend its line and double the space covered.

This is what I should have done. The down side of course being the Confederates would have been able to mass many more troops into the attack on one regiment, but the frontage would have been covered. As a final note ending Turn 4, the umpire announced that the Union had suffered "so many" causalities as to qualify for a minus one on future morale rolls. It just gets better ;)