Playing a large Overland scenario. Contrary to my pre-conceptions it's been pretty good fun. The conditions of 1864 have been thoughtfully recreated but there's still plenty of opportunity to move and fight and strive to beat the frustrations of dreary position warfare (as I'm sure the historical commanders sought to).
Anyway, matching my numbers against the uniform Reb Infantry excellence I manage to force a crossing against the Reb defenders. BUT ...a melee I conducted against an enemy position (quite by chance as I didn't think it was possible) has left me wondering about the validity of such a maneuver. Half of me is glad worked and half worries that something isn't quite right:
I've obliterated the defenders in the hex with constant musketry and close range artillery fire. My opponent is determined to hold the crossing but he can only do so by sacrificing units. I've finally eliminated Infantry & Cavalry and left in the defending hex two crewless gun sections, a leader and a supply wagon.
I am able to move one regiment on to the bridge but have no MP's left to move further.
Still, in my melee phase I merely attempt to melee from the bridge diagonally to the lower left and am able to do so. Wonderful! I win the melee automatically ...but, that can't be right?
Surely a melee should only be possible from the bridge directly off it to the lower hex?
Input from interested neutrals please?
{to note: I decided the move was legitimate as otherwise, supposing there was still a combat unit in the defending hex, then the angle of the bridge crossing + ZoC would make a successful melee almost impossible: Move onto bridge(movement stopped by ZoC) ...move off of bridge (movement stopped by ZoC) ...change facing + opportunity fire etc, etc?}
[And the eagle-eyed amongst you may notice that my Sharpshooters are wearing their lovely green uniforms?! As a memder of the Banshee team I have hurriedly completed a version of the North Anna OOB for personal use. I have modified one of Rolf Hall's regiment scale ubit bitmaps so that all the "specials" are represented on-screen: the Black-hats, the Veteran reserve brigade, the Colored troops, the Regulars, all the Zouaves in their gaudy finery, the 39th New York AND the 2nd New Hampshire!
Sadly, there is less opportunity to add visual variety to the Rebel forces beyond the mixture of butternut, brown and grey. The Confederate Marines WILL be making a cameo appearance though.