Capture the Train Station: Part 2
It is 4:15 PM, just over an hour after the previously-reported events. We must hold out until nearly 7, presumably due to darkness coming at that time.
Seems that slowing them down to buy time for our reinforcements to get here will be important. Bristow's cavalry wasn't heavily involved earlier in the day and is at nearly full strength; Schaefer's men are at over 80% so they aren't doing too bad either. Those two will head out to the northeast roads and try to scout out what's coming along with harrassing them to whatever degree is reasonably possible.
In the town itself, I'm going to rearrange some things. Zook and Stockton having been decimated, especially the former, they won't be able to do much and will pull back just into Phillipi. Walton will move up to that position on the north flank, while Loomis, the only infantry brigade to not suffer 50% casualties already, will move into the primary defensive position by the train station itself. I'm also going to pull the artillery back a bit as I think they are too exposed being as far forward as our infantry.
No plan survives contact with the enemy and all that, but that's the goal here. As beat-up as we are, I hope our new men get here before it's too late ...
4:25 PM -- Schaefer spots infantry coming down the southern of the two roads. He moves into the woods to try and cause them a few headaches. Soon we spot some further along on the north road. Then cavalry and artillery start showing up. Definitely time to fall back to the town.
4:33 PM -- To the north, Walton is the first to make contact. He's outnumbered but has a good position and the artillery starts opening up in support. I think he's ok for now.
4:40 PM -- Reinforcements are here!! Well, not quite. They've still got a long ways to travel, but they've entered the map.
4:45 PM -- The armored train begins it's approach. Oh super. All in all we have 3 infantry, 2 artillery, and another supply wagon inbound on our side, but it's going to be some time before they can join the fray.
4:52 PM -- There's just too many of them, especially on the south end. This could get ugly very soon. Milroy and Colquitt, the two lead infantry brigades coming up, are double-quicking it to the bridges. I don't know how much of us will be left by the time they get here though.
5:02 PM -- Grant tries to charge us on the north, and only a counter-charge by Bristow's cavalry saves the position. He's got the 'skirmisher' rather than the 'melee' version of the horsemen, but they are still capable of throwing their weight around. There's little doubt that Walton will break before long though. Meanwhile, the train has arrived, and the artillery will have to focus it's fire on that.
5:05 PM -- Milroy's brigade has reached the southern bridge, and none too soon.
5:10 PM -- Loomis breaks in the face of close-range fire by the train, and Milroy tries to take up a defensive position in the town to hold the line. We've done some damage to the train(150 men there initially), but not enough.
5:21 PM --
Major Bobby Woods, one of the artillery commanders, is wounded as he pulls back through Phillipi, and Milroy has been driven from his position by overwhelming force. The two support batteries are in place, but the south flank is caving nonetheless.
5:26 PM -- Down to less than half strength, the train is retreating! Perhaps we can still hold without the barrage from that monstrosity.
5:36 PM -- We appear to have reached the critical point, as a melee ensues in the south. The fresh brigade of Colquitt is right in the middle of it, while the others are just barely holding.
6:07 PM -- They soon pull back a bit, and a brutal firefight ensues for the next half-hour. By then though, it appears that we are set to narrowly hold on both flanks. Unable to press into Phillipi and recover more supplies from there, the rebels soon start running out of ammunition. All they can do is charge into a superior position or retreat. They try some of each, without success.
6:55 PM -- Finally the Confederates give up. We have won the day ... but just barely. Phillipi is strewn with dead soldiers of both-color uniforms, and craters from countless cannon impacts dot the surrounding countryside. It'll be a long time before this can ever be a peaceful, sleepy town again.