This day 150 years ago in Rebel Raiders’ History

-Dedicated to Civil War episodes, battles, people and ships that also appear in GMT’s Rebel Raiders on the High Seas, my next game.

May 2, 1863

            Historical Events:  Stonewall Jackson at Chancellorsville and the capture of the blockade runner Wanderer by the screw sloop USS Sacramento.

            Game Connection:  The interception of blockade runners is vital if the Union is to strangle the Confederacy in a game of Rebel Raiders.  The Playbook is packed with examples of how this is accomplished. For a picture of the USS Sacramento, see below.

            Although Rebel Raiders focuses on the naval action in the war, it is also a broader game of strategy.  Cutting off the South’s supplies is one thing; marching down into Dixie is quite another, and many a Yankee player will find himself thrown back, as Stonewall Jackson did to “Fighting Joe” Hooker at Chancellorsville, especially when the Confederate plays the card named after the gallant Rebel general.