New player CSA AAR vs Athena

[samba_liten]

I have beaten Athena on the standard difficulty, and am now starting a campaign on the following settings;





The point of this AAR is for me to learn from the comments of my esteemed readers, and hopefully provide something of a how to play the CSA example for other new players, or failing that, at least a sort of what not to do list.

Ok, i need 5 posts to post images. I'll just leave those urls there, if you want to look at them you'll figure it out. Hopefully I'll be able to add the tags in after i hit 5 posts.

So on to turn 1, and more non-functional links.

Obviously i'm going to attack Fort Sumter. I'm sending Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard (love that name!) and one infantry brigade. The rest of the South Carolina command heads for Charleston, where 1 brigade, 1 artillery battery and 2 volunteer units are constructed. I also decide to build 1 of the gunboat units in turn 1.



In the ledger i order a cotton embargo, money printing, taxes and war bonds.





In naval affairs, the Huntress squadron sets off for the blockade box, the Lewis Cass squadron heads for the gulf blockade box, as does the Dodge squadron

That is about all i am allowed to do in turn 1, so in a blatant attempt to get 5 posts ASAP, i'll post this and go play turn 2!

To be continued...

[samba_liten]

Turn 2 was even quicker.

PGT Bearegard failed to take Fort Sumter in time, hopefully he will get around to it now. He is set to assault.

Two units unlocked. First the Winchester militia, which are sent off to conduct a valiant (hopefully not) last stand in Harpers Ferry.



The other is the Suffolk militia, which sets off to capture Norfolk.



In Naval matters, there are also two units unlocked. I'm sending some gunboats from New Orleans up to join their sisters at Vicksburg. The plan is for them to proceed together, as soon as possible, to block the river up around Island 10.



In builds i decided to build a second gunboat in Pensacola, since there is nothing else available yet.

I also started some demonstrations around Washington DC.

To be continued...

[samba_liten]

Turn 3

Beauregard failed to take Sumter again, and immediately decamped to take command in Virginia. I'm rearranging my SC forces and will resume the siege of the fort ASAP. The troops i don't need for the siege are headed for Vicksburg, either as garrison troops, or to take part in an eventual advance north up the river.



The heavy siege guns I captured at Norfolk (which fell without trouble, unlike Sumter!) are on their way south to help with the siege.



The militia, and the rest of the spoils from Norfolk head up to Manassas.



The gunboat squadrons head into position.



This turn i received my leaders for the year. You can make out my dispositions in the following images. The places i sent the leaders to will give you an idea about where i plan to build my first few divisions.







I spent my money and war supply this turn on the beginnings of a cavalry division in Virginia, and some volunteers in Missouri and New Orleans.

In other news, another blockade runner is about to set sail from the Richmond area.

To be continued...

[samba_liten]

Nothing much to report in turn 4

Another gunboat is sent to take up blocking positions.

Previous moves and builds are still in progress. More demonstrations were arranged in Yankee territory on the east coast. The first US move is underway as a small unit is spotted marching through Leesburg towards Harpers Ferry. I hope those militiamen are ready to meet their maker!



The siege of Fort Sumter is ordered resumed.



To be continued...

[samba_liten]

Turn 5, now with pictures!

The Yankees attack Harpers Ferry, and my militia head back south, hot foot.



They are starting to encroach on my position in West Virginia as well.



The SC troops have arrived in Vicksburg, and immediately set off for the area around Cairo.



The newly completed gunboats from Florida set off for the Mississippi.



Magruder has gathered his force in Virginia, and is sent to Spotsylvania.
I would have liked to send him to Falmouth, but the Yankees would likely smack him down, unless i give him some substantial reinforcements first.



The general idea for the eastern theater being to acquire a defensible line along the Potomac. Easy enough with Athena at a lower setting, we will see if i mange it in this game.

More gunboats, and a leader for the river blocking force!



In my builds i have switched to conscript infantry, to try and get some garrisons in before the Yankees start coming south. I can't seem to be as organized as some, and order complete divisions, but i use one gathering point in each theater and cobble together my divisions once the troops arrive there.

Finally, i decide to go into the red by starting my industrialization drive.



To be continued...

[samba_liten]

LATE JUNE 1861

The Yankees take Rolla under siege. My brave volunteers have decided to stay within their fortifications to avoid suffering the same fate as their compatriots in Harpers Ferry.



Winder heads out to take command of the forming cavalry division.



Floyd makes a grab for the Morganstown depot.



In the Valley, JE Johnston marches on Harpers Ferry. Shouldn't be too hard to get the place back if i act quickly!



Wise's Legion pulls back from it's exposed position in West Virginia.



Huger's newly raised force heads out to the Valley to help defend.



Semmes is robbed of his glory and sent to help in the more practical task of blockade running.



Builds this turn consist of a couple of batteries of artillery.

To be continued...

[Mickey3D]

Hi Samba,

Welcome to the forum.

Is Fort Sumter in CSA hands by now ?

[samba_liten]

Early July 1861

Two battles to report;

In spite of this defeat, Rolla still holds out.



Thanks to this victory Morganstown is under siege. If it can't be taken by assault this turn Floyd will have to start falling back to conserve supplies.



Winder sets off with his division to skirmish in the hills of West Virginia.



It seems Lyon has given up on Rolla, and somehow managed to beat Price to Springfield!? Never mind... All should be well once Price gets there.



The Yanks seem to be stealing marches on me all over MO! The South Carolinians were pipped at the post, but will stay, hoping that reinforcements will arrive, enabling them to throw the Yanks out of the city.

The Army of the West sets out to help the South Carolinians. I can only hope they get there in time!



The siege of Sumter continues. The siege guns are close!



Thompson has arrived to take charge of the Texas cavalry. Some Rangers have already headed north.



Good news?



The only troops i have in the area set off to defend the Kentucky industry.



I spend my builds on two KY brigades and some militia to stiffen the defenses. I also go into the red to build more industry.



Finally, rewards are offered to volunteers.

[samba_liten]

Hi Samba,

Welcome to the forum.

Is Fort Sumter in CSA hands by now ?

Thanks. Sumter still holds out. The siege guns have arrived, and another assault is about to start.



Now on to the rest of Late July 1861.

Quite a lot of battles this turn. Thankfully, the CSA won most of them.

I guess this means the Army of the West will have time to arrive!



Floyd won the battle but lost the campaign. No choice but to retreat now.



I'll send him down to join Winder and the cavalry.



Speaking of Winder, he caught some Yankees and beat them. Hopefully that'll enable Floyd to retreat safely. Just in case Winder is retreating a province or two as well.

Harpers Ferry is back in my hands, and i captured some VW (not Volkswagen! ) artillery into the bargain! Johnston is just going to hold there for now, and try to incorporate some reinforcements.



Those Rolla volunteers are made of the right stuff! Taking a beating, but still holding out!



Mr. Price on the other hand failed to engage Lyon's Yankees in the open, and will now have to face assaulting them in the city. I need him to move up to help our Rolla Heroes as soon as possible!



Those Rangers I mentioned earlier are going to try to angle the Yankees out of Fort Gibson. Hopefully without getting into combat while crossing a river...



By the by, if you are wondering why i am jumping all over the place rather than organizing myself and reporting one theater at a time, it is because i tend to make my moves as i go through the messages for the turn. That way i don't miss anything. If you find it too confusing, pipe up, and I'll consider getting myself better organized.

Wise's Legion has captured Lewisburg, and stumbled on some Yankee raiders. Think we can catch them?



Gustavus Smith is rushing over to Munfordville to take command until a proper army command can be set up in the Kentucky theater.



His command won't be the most impressive at first, but it might be enough for a quick rush on Louisville. General Smith will have to make that call once he arrives.



Meanwhile, Zollicoffer moves up a bit, to provide support if things go badly, but without moving so far as to uncover Nashville completely.



In other news, various state militia and conscript units are starting their journey towards the front lines. The rail and river pool are increased, and the government prints more money. I don't have enough resources for any recruiting this turn.

To be continued...

In the east, some proper bureaucracy for the ANV! Is there any point to building further fieldhospitals, engineers and signals unit for this army now?

[samba_liten]

Here we go with Early August 1861!

Huger lost a battle in the Valley.


In fact, the whole Army of the Potomac seems to be moving east. I'm sending Johnston south from Harpers Ferry to save Huger. Beauregard is going to try and catch Banks in Loudon before he can get into the Valley and tip the odds against me. Finally, since the big boys will be busy, Magruder is going to try and sneak up from Spotsylvania and put Alexandria under siege.



Wise did catch those raiders.



Floyd on the other hand failed to get away, and was beaten. It seems my gambit in WV has failed completely.



In the West, Price succeeded in his assault, and Springfield is now in Confederate hands. He is going to have to rest for a while after his exertions, so i am recruiting some 12 pounder batteries, volunteers and a brigade or two to beef him up. Also in MO, the Yanks have abandoned the siege of Rolla. Come to think of it, the whole reason i recruited the unit there was to destroy the depot there. This i forgot to do, but i guess that is to my advantage now!



Along the Mississippi Polk lost a battle, but he is still in the province. I am reinforcing him as quickly as i can. The army of the West has already arrived, perhaps that's what convinced Polk not to run away like a little girl... Anyhow, if the Yanks attack again McCulloch and Shelby should be able to help Polk hold his ground!



In Texas my raiding forces are advancing on another fort.



Some more forces unlocked this turn, and were send to help Polk, and to beef up the New Orleans garrison.

[samba_liten]

Some serious action in Late August 1861!

Starting in WV, Floyd was beaten yet again. I'm disbanding his supply wagons. Maybe he can manage to get away if he doesn't have to wait for them. They are empty anyways.



The very next day, Johnston ran into Runyon's Yankees, coming north up the valley, and opened a can of whop ass on them! Well, i guess just who whopped whom is open to debate... Either way, Johnston kept going south, and Runyon kept going north...



Which was fortunate for Johnston, as Beauregard didn't manage to catch up with Banks, who arrived in Harpers Ferry while Johnston and Runyon were scrapping a bit further south. He seems to have pondered marching on the sound of the guns, because he sat on his hands for a day or two. In the end he decided to stay and assault Harpers Ferry, which he did without meeting much in the way of resistance.



Further east, in Alexandria, things went better for the old CSA!



Here is an overview of the situation in the east. I'm bringing Huger and Winder's cavalry further north up the valley to help defend. Beauregard will stay where he is for now. If the Yanks try to come back east, his job is to delay them, to give Magruder time to work in Alexandria. If they go south he will skip across the river and try to cut their supply off. If things stay the same, i hope to use Winder's cavalry to cut the rail up in Maryland. Hopefully that will get Banks going again.



Nothing much happening in Kentucky.



Polk held his own, as predicted, and the Yanks have pulled back across the river to Cairo.



Here is an overview of the situation in that area. I'm splitting my gun boats into two shifts, one will rest while the other watches the river. An ironclad is on it's way up north to help out.



Over in Mo Rolla is back under siege. Most of the volunteers i tried to recruit were killed, so i have decided to destroy the depot after all. Meanwhile, Price is crawling over to help. Likely Rolla will have fallen by the time he gets there, but perhaps he can keep the Yanks out of Jefferson City.

[samba_liten]

It is Early September 1861, and i have nothing much to report.

There was a battle at Fort Sumter though. Expensive affair, but the siege seems to be progressing nicely.

[samba_liten]

Late September 1861

Stand Watie was defeated, as were my Texas Rangers. I am continuing my fort captures in the area though. The Yankees haven't got a lot of troops out here, and i can play whack-a-mole with them for a long time yet.





In the east Magruder beat back a breakout/reinforcement attempt at Alexandria.



My cavalry have gone out, east and west of Harpers Ferry, and are blowing rails as i type this. Banks decided to pull back, so Johnston is advancing back up to Harpers Ferry. Jacksons brigade is left behind to recover it's strength. My open flank from Falmouth all the way down to the Peninsula worries me a bit, but as long as i can see the main Yankee forces i am not going to spread my self any thinner in this theater. The siege of Sumter goes on. If i ever take it, i think i'llsend the siege force on to tackle Pickens, and build another similar force to take on Monroe.



In Kentucky AS Johnston finally showed up. I am recruiting troops in TN, and sending several new leaders out to minimize command penalties. As you can see below, lil' Mac is off on an excursion to God knows where, and in his absence, i am making a run straight for the major towns in Ky. I have enough forces riding the rails to hold Mac off no matter where he decides to go. Worst case is he breaks the rails for a turn or two. Best case, i bag him and his three units of regulars!



To be continued...

[samba_liten]

Early October 1861

I am now allowed to organize divisions, so i did. 18 elements per. Mostly infantry, preferably with 1 or 2 cavalry elements, and 1-4 artillery batteries. Plus one cavalry division each in Va and Mo (soon to move over into Ky though).

In the east some of my cavalry managed neither to blow the rails nor get out of the way of the Army of the Potomac.



Magruder won another victory.



Johnston won a battle, but failed to take the town.



Here is the overview. If Banks keeps heading east, Beauregard will shadow him, hopefully stopping him interrupting the siege of Alexandria. Well, that's the idea. I'm going to send old Toutant over to Alexandria regardless. I figure if Banks comes across the river he will be stopped before the troops leave for Alexandria. If he goes back to the valley, i'll assault Alexandria and then go back west.



In Ky Zollicoffer is making quite a name for himself.
He took Harodsburg.



Then he crossed the river and took Lexington.



Then he defended it against lil'Mac.



GW Smith on the other hand won the battle but didn't make it into Louisville. His troops are exhausted and settling down to a siege. Hopefully i'll find some reinforcements for them before the snow hits.



In western Ky the Yanks seem to have started a bit of an offensive. Keyes is across the river and heading for fort Henry, beating my militia on his way.



I'm sending the Army of the Tennessee over to hold the place. It's not much of an army yet, but i've got reinforcements making their way separately, including Shelby and his brand new cavalry division.



I spent this turns war supplies on auxiliary units for the two armies in the eastern theater. Engineers, pontoons, etc.

[samba_liten]

Late October 1861

A lot of fighting this turn. Most significantly in the east, around Alexandria.
First the Yanks try to break out again, and as usual, Magruder stops them cold.



Then Toutant arrives and ups the stakes a bit.



The Yanks keep fighting against, what is now, overwhelming odds.



After all these battles, and the dubious deployment of the Army of the Potomac, Washington is open, so Toutant is going for it.

I also won a battle in Harpers Ferry, but as the Army of the Potomac, crazily, decided to return to the valley, Johnston made a run for it. Harpers Ferry is thus back in Federal hands, after about a day in Confederate hands.

More worryingly, the Union has landed troops at Matagorda, Texas. I am sending the New Orleans division to deal with them for now.

To be continued...

[samba_liten]

The End...

I have discovered that i have neglected to build any replacements throughout the campaign, and as my brave assault on Washington failed i'm going to throw in the towel here.

If any other beginners feel up to it, i think i'm about ready for a training campaign against a human. Any takers?