User avatar
Gray Fox
AGEod Guard of Honor
Posts: 1583
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:48 pm
Location: Englewood, OH

Sat May 31, 2014 3:46 pm

I have demonstrated that the CSA can take D.C. in '61 and crush the Union morale. I moved the capital to prevent this, even if Mickey3D wasn't going to go for it. I now can shift Divisions from D.C. to Monroe and elsewhere. The NM isn't much of a concern, since anything below 100 gets "normalized" 1 point per turn back to 100. I've managed to keep it above 80 and by the summer I should be near 100. I finished purchasing Grant's army this turn, late January '62. So far Mickey3D has made some cavalry probes, but they've been met by the half cav Divisions I have. I've pretty much accounted for all of his Divisions, so I don't forsee a western campaign from his side at the moment. I've sent one of the Generals in the '62 class to each of the garrison Divisions so that they no longer have a command point deficit, thus giving each Division 10% more combat power. The militia in each one are slowly training up too. So the center is stronger now than it was and I am preparing to put more pressure on northern VA. Mickey3D is doing a great job of defending the Potomac line. He's still holding strong at Strasburg.
I'm the 51st shade of gray. Eat, pray, Charge!

Merlin
General
Posts: 581
Joined: Sat May 17, 2008 2:41 pm
Location: St. Paul, MN

Sat May 31, 2014 7:41 pm

You've played a lot of RGDs in WV and MD, but I can't quite make them out. Could you tell us what they are?

User avatar
Gray Fox
AGEod Guard of Honor
Posts: 1583
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:48 pm
Location: Englewood, OH

Sun Jun 01, 2014 3:17 pm

They are partisans in WV and landing sailors and cannon in MD.
I'm the 51st shade of gray. Eat, pray, Charge!

User avatar
tripax
AGEod Veteran
Posts: 777
Joined: Thu Aug 29, 2013 9:58 pm

Sun Jun 01, 2014 4:10 pm

I was thinking about Micky3D's best options in the west. Gray Fox seems ok with losing small amounts of moral and is likely to retreat garrisons to a new line if Micky3D comes in force to surround say, Cairo or Cincinatti. Doing so would be ok for Mick3D in the long run, but doesn't help at all in the East. Micky3D can try to take a few state capitals and major cities (I'm thinking Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin) in a short, small, fast, summer campaign in an attempt to keep Gray Fox's moral down, but I'm not sure if that would sustain, either. The game doesn't seem very well set up for an eastern Kentucky or western/West Virginia based movement towards the Great Lakes (maybe real life geography is an equal hindrance), but that seems like the best western strategy to me (I assume gold mine raising has already been attempted or given up on, but that is sometimes an interesting strategy in the spring of 1862). I wonder what others think? Or is Festung Virginia the one and only confederate strategy here?

User avatar
pgr
General of the Army
Posts: 669
Joined: Fri Jan 24, 2014 9:33 pm
Location: Paris France (by way of Wyoming)

Mon Jun 02, 2014 7:04 pm

It will be interesting to see how things develop. I do wonder (way back to your first post), why you went to the trouble to build Mid-West cav to blow up your own level 1 depots North of the Ohio (that and the move to NYC seems a bit skittish really).

The proof will be in your ability to push south with the grand army you are mustering...lots of rivers to cross.

(Oh, and I've complained about it many a time, but I think you will be annoyed by how much of a supply monster Richmond really is. Even if you cut off Depots from other regions, the place still produces enough on its own to feed a big rebel force)

knowmad62
Conscript
Posts: 10
Joined: Tue Feb 01, 2011 4:24 pm

Tue Jun 03, 2014 12:08 am

pgr wrote:I do wonder (way back to your first post), why you went to the trouble to build Mid-West cav to blow up your own level 1 depots North of the Ohio (that and the move to NYC seems a bit skittish really).


Gray Fox didn't want to waste resources guarding every depot. Those depots he didn't defend were destroyed to deny supplies to Mickey3D if he
decided to invade. Also, the early move to New York made Mickey3D's job that much harder; he'd have to travel to New York to get the big
NM gain.

I'm wondering whether the size of the force in Richmond and the amount of available supplies matters very much. In my last game, Grant's 6500
power army stack besieged Richmond and a force of equal size under Johnston for one turn and breached its defenses. I used a landmine card
next turn and created another breach. I set Grant to assault next turn and the game was over; of the 63,000 men, only 4 generals survived, with 60,000 taken prisoner over 4 battles that turn, with Athena losing 92 NM. It was only against Athena and I didn't check to see how well the force was organized or whether Johnston was set to hold at all cost; therefore, one cannot say under what circumstances such an outcome is to be expected.

Although, in another game, 2 corps under Grant, over 100,000 men, were besieging Nashville. Both were full corps of highly experienced troops.
There were over 30,000 troops in Nashville and Athena sent nearly 70,000 men over a month's time to break the siege. All were routed and either
killed or captured. And, I also had a full cavalry division, including horse artillery, waiting along the path Athena was using to send troops north through Missouri. Again, highly experienced troops in offensive posture. They routed anything that came near, killing or capturing over 40,000
men over the course of 6 months. All of this is against Athena, who happens to be suicidal at times.

I'll have to test whether Grant's super army is as lethal as it's proven to be so far. So far, it hasn't faced an experienced CSA force. I'll have to play both sides in order to make that happen.

User avatar
Gray Fox
AGEod Guard of Honor
Posts: 1583
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:48 pm
Location: Englewood, OH

Tue Jun 03, 2014 1:19 pm

pgr wrote:It will be interesting to see how things develop. I do wonder (way back to your first post), why you went to the trouble to build Mid-West cav to blow up your own level 1 depots North of the Ohio (that and the move to NYC seems a bit skittish really).


The Union gets 2000 GS from merchant shipping alone. That's enough to feed 50 Divisions. Equally, the Union produces more ammo than can ever be used. So I really don't need a depot in say Iowa collecting beans and bullets for the war effort. I don't defend what I don't need. The cavalry were starting units.

In the AAR's I've read, the Union player was not "skittish" about the capital's defense but instead incredibly foolish. Divisions are rushed off to NO or KY/MO as though Lincoln can defend himself. Even though no units can March to the Guns until Corps are formed in '62, I continue to read how in '61 a stack in Alexandria is defending D.C. Only a stack in D.C. is defending the capital. The CSA has two well led army stacks available and can take D.C.

"The CSA has two well led army stacks available and can take D.C."

I even demonstrated this against a pretty strong Athena, and yet the lesson is apparently unteachable. Moving the capital was painless. The NM is on autopilot to return to 100. I have lots of cash. The union can either defend D.C. with a strong army or use the strong army to hold Harper's Ferry. I chose to hold HF. The capital is programmed to build a citadel that actually reduces the number of defenders from 60 to 25 before lethal overcrowding occurs and then floods the capital with more than enough useless brigades to ensure exactly that level of lethal overcrowding.

Was Tsar Alexander skittish when he removed his capital away from Napoleon?
;)

P.S. I've captured Hampton Roads and Strasburg according to plan, but my partisans have not blown up any depots yet. Although, I am inclined to believe that Mickey3D wisely blew up the depot at Strasburg and fell back in response to my advance up the peninsula. On to Williamsburg.
I'm the 51st shade of gray. Eat, pray, Charge!

User avatar
Gray Fox
AGEod Guard of Honor
Posts: 1583
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:48 pm
Location: Englewood, OH

Fri Jun 06, 2014 2:39 pm

A large, pleasant surprise this turn as my partisan/black ops units blew up the depots at Garysburg, Frederiscksburg and Manassas! I also held onto Strasburg on the CSA flank, so Mickey3D's defenses in northern VA are in trouble. I was not able to take Williamsburg, however Butler and two more Divisions are going to assault Mickey3D's one Divisions there. I have positioned most of the fleet to support this assault with a cannonade. In the Far West, I am moving on Tucson and building some depots that I hope will support an eventual attack on El Paso. Things are heating up nicely.
I'm the 51st shade of gray. Eat, pray, Charge!

User avatar
tripax
AGEod Veteran
Posts: 777
Joined: Thu Aug 29, 2013 9:58 pm

Sat Jun 07, 2014 1:27 pm

Tuscon and El Paso? I assume you are going for a NM victory so the VP aren't terribly valuable. Is this a surprise, or do you simply not have anything better to do with the California Column?

User avatar
Gray Fox
AGEod Guard of Honor
Posts: 1583
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:48 pm
Location: Englewood, OH

Sat Jun 07, 2014 3:20 pm

Exactly. It's a target of opportunity.
I'm the 51st shade of gray. Eat, pray, Charge!

User avatar
Gray Fox
AGEod Guard of Honor
Posts: 1583
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:48 pm
Location: Englewood, OH

Thu Jun 12, 2014 1:48 pm

It's late May '62 in our game. I figure that my partisans destroyed half the GS and ammo in VA. I have 4 Brigs in the Middle Roanoke river to close the railline from Petersburg to NC. The remaining depots in Richmond, Norfolk and Petersburg have to supply 16 plus Divisions that I believe Mickey3D has in the state. That's about the limit of his capability. I checked all the urban icons and no new depots have appeared. This means that his main force in northern VA are on their own. I calculate that they have about 4 remaining turns of supply. If I take Williamsburg and lay siege to the capital, that should create a real problem for him.

I am railing in the last of the steamroller army and I should have that assembled for the summer offensive. I still foresee a long game, so I will probably put the ocean Transports in the Atlantic sealane box and pull in some extra cash and WS. Canby has arrived in Tucson and is rebuilding cohesion for an assault. Due to the supply predicament of the CSA, I may switch out the garrison Divisions in Pittsburgh, Wheeling and Parkersburg with militia and use them as a reserve. This will give me a force of Divisions against VA as large as the entire army of the Confederacy.

[ATTACH]28604[/ATTACH]
Attachments
Objectives.jpg
I'm the 51st shade of gray. Eat, pray, Charge!

minipol
General
Posts: 560
Joined: Fri Oct 11, 2013 1:24 pm

Mon Jun 16, 2014 11:52 pm

A very interesting thread to follow, thanks !

Merlin
General
Posts: 581
Joined: Sat May 17, 2008 2:41 pm
Location: St. Paul, MN

Tue Jun 17, 2014 4:50 am

I'm really going to be keeping tabs now that you say yourself that you foresee a long campaign. I really want to see how your supply works in that situation. Keep it coming, GF. This is good stuff for proving ideas. :)

User avatar
Gray Fox
AGEod Guard of Honor
Posts: 1583
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:48 pm
Location: Englewood, OH

Tue Jun 17, 2014 12:27 pm

Thank you all so much. Mickey3D and I certainly appreciate the interest in our game. He has provided a very strong defense and I have learned a few things about the game that Athena would never have taught me.
I'm the 51st shade of gray. Eat, pray, Charge!

User avatar
Gray Fox
AGEod Guard of Honor
Posts: 1583
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:48 pm
Location: Englewood, OH

Wed Jun 18, 2014 3:03 pm

Apologies that our turn rate has slowed a bit. We're both following the World Cup. However, things are going to happen soon.

It's July now. I've taken Tucson and my NM is up to 95. Mickey3D has Lee active and his army retook Winchester. I've pulled the steamroller together and stiffened the line in WV/MD. The summer offensives are starting up!
I'm the 51st shade of gray. Eat, pray, Charge!

User avatar
Gray Fox
AGEod Guard of Honor
Posts: 1583
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:48 pm
Location: Englewood, OH

Tue Jun 24, 2014 1:18 pm

Here's a situation report (SITREP) of our game. I have Tucson and due to the Sioux uprising my NM hit 100. I believe that Lee has a stack at Manassas ready to MTG for Mickey3D's excellent defensive positions along the Potomac.

[ATTACH]28899[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]28900[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]28901[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]28902[/ATTACH]
Attachments
Score.jpg
Depots.jpg
CSA 2.jpg
CSA.jpg
I'm the 51st shade of gray. Eat, pray, Charge!

User avatar
Gray Fox
AGEod Guard of Honor
Posts: 1583
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:48 pm
Location: Englewood, OH

Tue Jun 24, 2014 1:24 pm

In response to Mickey3D's excellent defensive positions, I have implemented Operation Overlord to destroy the depots at Petersburg and Norfolk while isolating VA for the assault on Richmond.

[ATTACH]28904[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]28908[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]28907[/ATTACH]

Hopefully, I have not walked into a trap!
Attachments
WV Army.jpg
Grant.jpg
Overlord.jpg
I'm the 51st shade of gray. Eat, pray, Charge!

User avatar
Gray Fox
AGEod Guard of Honor
Posts: 1583
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:48 pm
Location: Englewood, OH

Sun Jun 29, 2014 2:59 pm

It’s late September 1862. I have taken Norfolk and the army has scorched and plundered Warrick, VA in a display of barbarity that should force the citizens of Richmond to rise up and demand a complete surrender of their city lest such a fate befall them as well. Only the rebel capital and Petersburg have depots in all of VA. Rosecrans is to march with Kearny and Grant between the Blackwater and James and take the depot at Petersburg with utmost haste. I intend to isolate VA and starve any rebel remaining there.

[ATTACH]29078[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]29079[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]29080[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]29081[/ATTACH]
Attachments
Score.jpg
Grant.jpg
Kearny.jpg
Army.jpg
Situation.jpg
I'm the 51st shade of gray. Eat, pray, Charge!

User avatar
Gray Fox
AGEod Guard of Honor
Posts: 1583
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:48 pm
Location: Englewood, OH

Sun Jun 29, 2014 3:02 pm

KY has joined the Union in this righteous struggle. I have moved a Division to Prestonburg, KY and built a depot. Two cavalry Divisions of brigade strength based there have slipped through Tazewell, VA in a surprise move to Wythesville, VA. McArthur will twist up every inch of rebel rail he can while Palmer will continue on into NC and torch the depot at Lexington.

[ATTACH]29083[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]29084[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]29085[/ATTACH]
Attachments
42nd.jpg
39th.jpg
East KY.jpg
I'm the 51st shade of gray. Eat, pray, Charge!

User avatar
Gray Fox
AGEod Guard of Honor
Posts: 1583
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:48 pm
Location: Englewood, OH

Sun Jun 29, 2014 3:05 pm

In the West, Mickey3D is putting together an invasion force in KY. In response, I have assembled the Reserve to oppose him.

[ATTACH]29086[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]29087[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]29088[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]29089[/ATTACH]
Attachments
Score.jpg
Rebels TN.jpg
Rebels.jpg
IN.jpg
I'm the 51st shade of gray. Eat, pray, Charge!

User avatar
Gray Fox
AGEod Guard of Honor
Posts: 1583
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:48 pm
Location: Englewood, OH

Mon Jun 30, 2014 3:41 pm

Windows rattle in Richmond as Rosecrans leans on Jackson's stonewall.

[ATTACH]29116[/ATTACH]
Attachments
Victory.jpg
I'm the 51st shade of gray. Eat, pray, Charge!

charlesonmission
Posts: 781
Joined: Wed Mar 09, 2011 5:55 am
Location: USA (somewhere)

Mon Jun 30, 2014 11:25 pm

Wow... that is a really strategic victory. What was the NM gain?

Charles

Gray Fox wrote:Windows rattle in Richmond as Rosecrans leans on Jackson's stonewall.

[ATTACH]29116[/ATTACH]

Merlin
General
Posts: 581
Joined: Sat May 17, 2008 2:41 pm
Location: St. Paul, MN

Tue Jul 01, 2014 8:47 am

Yeah, that's a seriously solid victory. What was TJ's entrenchment level?

User avatar
Gray Fox
AGEod Guard of Honor
Posts: 1583
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:48 pm
Location: Englewood, OH

Tue Jul 01, 2014 12:33 pm

I got a whopping NM boost of one single point for that. I could hardly believe it.

Jackson was actually guarding the rail line south of City Point on the previous turn. He marched to City Point to stop Rosecrans and was thus not entrenched.

Jackson's side had 33 routing elements, which was a good part of his force. He took 43% casualties and fell back on the depot at Petersburg. All the cavalry I had only took 5 companies of prisoners, so that was disappointing. The overall losses were not too far apart. Kearny's Corps didn't keep up because it annihilated the garrison in the first region we entered (Surry VA), but it looks like he MTG for the main battle. Longstreet was also present. Jackson's Corps had exhaustion and "displayed cowardice" for all three Divisions.

I'm going to regroup. The road to Richmond is open (Manchester is undefended) and the rebel capital only shows 4 green dots for defenders.
I'm the 51st shade of gray. Eat, pray, Charge!

Merlin
General
Posts: 581
Joined: Sat May 17, 2008 2:41 pm
Location: St. Paul, MN

Tue Jul 01, 2014 12:41 pm

I find you have to have massively unbalanced wins to see significant NM gains above three; as in 5:1 or 6:1 casualties in your favor.

Actually, if TJ had been fully entrenched, you might have lost if Rosecrans was set to anything less than O/R.

User avatar
Gray Fox
AGEod Guard of Honor
Posts: 1583
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:48 pm
Location: Englewood, OH

Tue Jul 01, 2014 12:56 pm

That's why I chose the route that was undefended. I'm trying to avoid big battles and use maneuver to destroy as many depots as possible. Richmond alone can only support about 6 Divisions, half that many if under siege. With my cavalry operating from Tazewell and my brigs blocking the Middle Roanoke river to NC, by spring 1863 the force that is in VA will be starving.
I'm the 51st shade of gray. Eat, pray, Charge!

Merlin
General
Posts: 581
Joined: Sat May 17, 2008 2:41 pm
Location: St. Paul, MN

Wed Jul 02, 2014 2:22 am

I don't know that six months will be enough to starve out the NVA region. In my experience, large CSA forces in NVA tend to allow an enormous amount of supply to accumulate. I'd allow for an extension of that timetable by at least 6-9 months. I remember one game against Athena in which I pocketed all of VA east of Lynchburg in '62 and it still took until early '64 for the shortages to hit.

User avatar
Gray Fox
AGEod Guard of Honor
Posts: 1583
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:48 pm
Location: Englewood, OH

Wed Jul 02, 2014 12:45 pm

Well only Mickey3D can say for sure if he's running out of GS. I haven't read any of his AAR so as not to peek over his shoulder.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but when I destroy a depot I also destroy the supplies in the depot. Once the World Cup is over (both of our country's teams are now out), I hope to do this to Petersburg's depot. That will leave only the depot in Richmond. From games that I have played, I estimate that Richmond may have about 3k GS in stock and produces around 200 per turn, when not under siege. Alexandria, Stanton and a couple other small cities create about enough total GS for one Division and may stock up a bit of GS/ammo. Mickey3D has about 20 Divisions in VA/WV that require 600-700 GS per turn. Since I destroyed the depot at Garysburg, no supplies should be moving into VA because the nearest depots in NC are more than 5 regions away from Petersburg/Richmond. That's why I put 4 Brigs in the Middle Roanoke to block the rail line. So he has already been short several hundred GS per turn for most of the summer. He has about 11 Supply Units that give him 880 GS or perhaps 2 turns rations plus each units' two turns of rations carried. My cavalry in Tazewell, VA interdict the rail lines from NC so that his SU's can't resupply manually and return.

Thus:
Intrinsic production in VA can only meet the needs of approximately 7 Divisions.
The remaining 13 Divisions draw GS from stocks and require about 400 per turn.
Stocks will soon be limited to the approximately 3K in Richmond.
3000/400=less than 8 turns.
These Divisions may get two extra turns from SU's and 2 turns from carried rations.
So in about 6 months or less, the 13 Divisions will be unsupplied.

To correct this imbalance, Mickey3D could build depots in southern VA...and protect them from Rosecrans army of 10K power.

That's how I see it.
I'm the 51st shade of gray. Eat, pray, Charge!

User avatar
Gray Fox
AGEod Guard of Honor
Posts: 1583
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:48 pm
Location: Englewood, OH

Thu Jul 10, 2014 3:05 pm

As a sort of P.S. to something I have posted, Captain Orso informed me that a hospital and an HQ do not both add to cohesion recovery. The increase I witnessed was due to an undocumented random effect. So both should not be in one stack. However, a pontoon unit and an engineer do reduce entrenching time when both are used together.
I'm the 51st shade of gray. Eat, pray, Charge!

User avatar
Gray Fox
AGEod Guard of Honor
Posts: 1583
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:48 pm
Location: Englewood, OH

Mon Jul 14, 2014 2:16 pm

It's early Decemeber '62.

McCulloch has St. Louis under siege. Sumner's defenders had suffered an epedimic last turn, but are now stronger than the rebels. I have moved the reserve Corps to relieve the siege.

[ATTACH]29453[/ATTACH]

Mickey3D had taken Lexington KY, but the reserve Corps liberated it last turn.

[ATTACH]29454[/ATTACH]

I have a Division entrenched in Wythesville VA that had slipped through Tazewell from my base in Prestonburg KY.

[ATTACH]29455[/ATTACH]

Mickey3D had sent Lee into the marshes of Warrick, VA to cut off Rosecrans army in City Point. I had foreseen this eventuallity and reinforced the defenses in Warrick that turn. Lee arrived, but chose not to attack for some reason. Last turn, Rosecrans marched back to Warrick, but Lee had escaped. This move left City Point undefended, so Jackson stormed in to reclaim the region and some of his honor for having lost it in the first place. This was just a gambit though. The apparent retreat of Rosecrans' army to Warrick was also a ruse on my part. The move to Warrick put Rosecrans in position for the next phase of operations.

This turn, Rosecrans swept round the lightly defended southern flank of Lee's forces and crushed the defenders of Garysburg. Only a militia unit and a garrison unit remain to face Grant's assault. Thomas earned a promotion and Grant got higher seniority. Hopefully, after the assault, Grant will be promotable and Thomas can take over his Corps when Grant takes command of the army. Mickey3D had graciously built a citadel in Garysburg that will be a strong bastion of Union might.

[ATTACH]29456[/ATTACH]

With Wythesville and soon Graysburg under the Union flag, two of the rail lines into VA will be closed to the CSA. Rosecrans army is in position to over-run NC and the heart of the south. Mickey3D's 20 Divisions defending VA no longer protect the rest of the nation. He must retreat to NC or face the severe consequences of this reality. As Sun Tzu instructed, I have left the rebel army an avenue of retreat down the rail line from Burkeville VA to Greensboro NC, so that I may defeat it's purpose without fighting it.

P.S. this is General Pickett of 'Pickett's Charge' from the real Battle of Gettysburg. He has not faired well in this, 'Pickett's stand'. Also:
http://worldnewsdailyreport.com/usa-confederate-war-general-revealed-to-be-a-woman/
Attachments
Garysburg.jpg
Wythesville.jpg
Lex.jpg
St Louis.jpg
I'm the 51st shade of gray. Eat, pray, Charge!

Return to “CW2 AARs”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests