It was June of 1863. The location was near Culpeper, Virginia. The Union was still licking its wounds from its humiliating defeat at Chancellorsville. The Army of the Potomac was command by Joseph Hooker. The Army of the Northern Virginia by Robert E. Lee. Gettysburg was not yet a part of the national vocabulary.
Lee's cavalry commander was the brash J.E.B Stuart, pictured here. Early on the morning of June 9th, Stuart got a rude and unexpected awakening.
Federal cavalry, led by US Colonel Benjamin F. "Grimes" Davis, came thundering across a quiet little ford on the Rappahannock River known as Beverly's Ford. The battle of Brandy Station had begun.
We can learn a lot from studying history. One of the best ways to learn about history is to recreate it. Right now I am playing the Battle of Brandy Station with my nine year old son. We are using GMT Games' Battles & Leaders series called 1863, pictured here.
My son is playing the Union and I am the Confederates. He launched a vicious attack early in the game, but my rebel cavalry are counterattacking. Game on!
I played these kinds of games during my teenage years. Gaming gave me a love for history and provided an enjoyable hobby. I hope to pass it on to my kids.
Friends, get your kids hooked on history!
Jeff,
I played a game on Saturday night called Fact or Crap. Let me warn you... this is a horrible game. It is kind of a trvia game but unfortunately the developer of the game never took a game theory class.
It is impossible to lose this game if you answer either fact or crap either time. The odds favor all the players in such a way that the game could last forever by the odds of the game.
Should be interesting to see if anyone else has played this game or recognizes the way to play forever.
I hope your game / history lesson is successful. If you and your son want to check out some battle fields up towards Culpeper, I would love to join you.
Enjoy,
Brian
Posted by: Brian | July 19, 2005 at 22:28