User avatar
FightingBuckeye
Lieutenant Colonel
Posts: 280
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 7:27 am
Location: Englewood, CO

Straight Arrow (CSA) vs FightingBuckeye (Union)

Wed Apr 29, 2015 12:50 am

Alright step right up folks and watch two relatively newbies whale on each other. This will only be my 2nd PBEM on this game engine and the 1st is still in progress. I hope that SA and myself will be able to keep at least somebody entertained, if for no other reason then you snickered at some of my moves. First, some of the settings and house rules we've decided on.

Non active generals can move and fight but suffer a penalty. Standard generals, naval boxes, force pool, and FE. Manual replacements, easy supply off, historical attrition, and finally slight delay in commitment of forces in battle.

HR
- no cav arty in infantry divisions
- no CSA transports in Union shipping boxes
- no shipping at all past Mussel Shoals, AL

Additionally we're going to give this quickfix Pocus released a go. http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?39414-Quick-fix-CW2-fixed-executable-April-24

I'm not too sure that I like the auto 5% as it could be exploited but the RGD change is definitely a good one. For myself, I'll try not to take advantage of a possible gamey play via that 5% rule. Let's see how it turns out.

The Mobilization Plan:
To start with, I will be using everything from my RGDs and options to get a large force building up with. I'm willing to take VP hits because I feel like the Rebels will have won if it comes down to VP score in the end and I haven't forced a capitulation either from SA or from the game engine. NM hits are tougher to swallow, but NM will grow back. Hopefully I'll more than make up for any hits I take to VP/NM on the field of battle. It might make SA try to match me, in which case the hits will even out. Either way, I'll either have a larger army to play with early and try to gain an advantage or SA will be forced to match me decision for decision and VP/NM hit for hit. Maybe this is a rookie mistake, but I do believe I can make this work.

EAST: Here I will look to take Harpers Ferry and eject SA from West Virginia if he tries to contest this. I probably won't get too frisky here early unless I see an opportunity. I will simply lack for good commanders and will face some stiff competetion in leadership in this front to be thinking too aggressive. I will build up my forces here so that I can take advantage if SA leaves me something tasty to go after. It also will help safeguard my capital from an early aggressive confederate push for a quick win.

WEST This is where I'll try to make some advances early. I'll be looking to marshall forces in Missouri with the intention of ejecting SA from Springfield posthaste. This will deprive him of the force pool in MO. Additionally, it'll be harder for him to conduct deep raids if I can deprive him of Springfield and the forts to the west. Getting Lyons promoted will definitely be a plus as well. I don't know how SA plans to play this area and he can definitely stall me out here if he really wants to. In addition to Missouri, I will look to take either or both of Ft Donelson and/or Island ten. A lot depends on what happens with Kentucky and also what SA does.

FAR WEST I will look to establishing my supply lines from California to my forward position facing El Paso. I'm not planning on committing too much in this area from the east. I should be able to eventually advance once all my starting units out here are concentrated. I will buy those rangers, militia, and mounted volunteer units to give me better mobility and cannon fodder. I'll either burn forts to deny their possible use as staging points for rebel raids or otherwise secure them. I definitely don't want rampaging raiders going after Colorado, Nevada, etc. We'll see if SA plans to reinforce this front with artillery and line infantry or if he'll leave this theater to it's own devices.

COAST I do plan on having a division afloat and possibly hitting easy targets by the end of the year. As I can, I will add more forces and start taking bigger targets as my reach strengthens. Early on though, I will see if I can divert moderate/serious rebel resources to building up garrison forces early. In line with this thinking, I will start operating brigs as early as I can along the coast at various important southern ports. I'm thinking 2-3 brigs along both the Gulf areas and the Atlantic seaboard for a total of 4-6 brigs. I'll start doing this early too. I want to accomplish several things with this brig operation. First, let's see if I can cause SA to start developing these garrisons earlier than he intended. The rebels only have so much and their coast means they have to defend an additional theater that the North simply doesn't have to worry about. I'll have greater chances of making headway elsewhere if I can force SA to siphon significant troops and resources to building forces in these coastal cities.

Additionally the first couple times he sees this scouting operation, he's more likely to react by sending troops. I want his attention on worrying about his coastal garrisons, but I also want him complacent about seeing all these brigs darting in and out along his coast. When I finally mount my invasion(s) I want him to not be reacting to every single scout sighting so that I can get my troops ashore before he actually starts responding my converging his forces on me. I haven't seen or heard of anyone else using these brigs as extensive scouting forces, but I plan on using them as an intregral part of my coastal operations.

So that's my plan. But rarely does a plan survive contact with the enemy. I doubt SA will meekly surrender and I expect him to throw a dozen wrenches in my plans as the war carries on. I will have to stay nimble or like we said in the Army, Semper Gumby or loosely translated always flexible.

User avatar
FightingBuckeye
Lieutenant Colonel
Posts: 280
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 7:27 am
Location: Englewood, CO

Wed Apr 29, 2015 3:59 am

[color="#0000FF"]Early April 1861 Recap[/color]

Not much to report here. I decided to develope both Nevada and Golden, CO in order to improve the civilization level and loyalty. I'm hoping this early investment will help improve gold production in the future and it should be a wise investment. Additionally, I started clearing Southeastern California as I plan on building a road here in future turns and need to up the civilization level before I can do so. I also built everything I could minus the supply wagon(s). Sumter has fallen without inflicting enemy casualties and Virginia seceded, so I'm sending the two fleet units I get in Norfolk to Sumter in the hope that I might be able to either block movement and/or kill some troops and extract some pittance of revenge. Shurz and his cavalry regiment have appeared, so I'm rushing the cav unit sans Shurz (inactive) to Harper's Ferry.

The big news can be captured in the below image
[ATTACH]33410[/ATTACH]

Yeesh on the blockade which backfired. I'll have to watch that FE closely as the rebels embargo netted them their swing for a +25 FE swing in the CSA's favor right off the bat! And Straight Arrow has matched me with his treasury decisions. He also did two requisitions and sold cotton to my four requisitions. Well folks it's going to get busy fast with all that money floating around in both our hands. I'll be keeping track of casualties, NM, VP, etc in a table format, let me know if you have issues with reading it and I can pump up the font some.

[ATTACH]33411[/ATTACH]
Attachments
EApr61Table.zip
(13.36 KiB) Downloaded 224 times
E_Apr_61_decisions.zip
(30.02 KiB) Downloaded 285 times
E_Apr_61_decisions.png

User avatar
FightingBuckeye
Lieutenant Colonel
Posts: 280
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 7:27 am
Location: Englewood, CO

Late April/Early May 1861 AKA turns 2 & 3

Wed Apr 29, 2015 6:48 am

[color="#0000CD"]Late April/Early May 1861 AKA turns 2 & 3[/color]

Nothing major worthy of any images except my little chart. And I'm combining turns 2 & 3 since there really wasn't much to report. Most units obviously remain locked and recruitment is extremely limited.

[color="#0000CD"]EAST:[/color] My fleet in Norfolk was delayed four days and probably could've just as easily been captured by the rebel militia. They did cancel their movement though, so the sumter pillagers are likely safe. Still I'll be sending the brig down to Charlestown as my first scouting expedition. A rebel militia regiment and my cavarly regiment both reached HF late in the turn and did not engage in combat. I'm sure we'll both be rushing reinforcements there, so we should be getting our second battle here shortly. I sent out various generals to both WV and also further west to give me some leaders in those theaters (albeit crappy ones). That's about it except for some telegraphs going up in NY, Boston, and Philly; again for the cash later on in the game. Those and the development cards also give me some VP, which looks like it'll be needed with SA having such a nice boost in FE to start the game. As far as my plans for this turn. I will be sending the following forces to HF; Washington Bde (1200 Elite Inf), USMC (600 Elite Inf), & one militia regiment (450 farmers). That plus my cavalry regiment should give me a decent force and should be enough to drive off the one militia regiment there. Unfortunately, no cannon to be seen anywhere. We'll see what, if any, reinforcements SA brings in. This is the first turn we can really build many units; in the east I've raised a mixture of cavalry, sharpshooters, arty, two transport units, and an odd marine or infantry regiment. Most of my few recruits went into replacements for the new army I now have.

[color="#0000CD"]WEST:[/color] I'm laying down two new timberclads with the goal of attaining river dominance. I've raised what units I could in MO & KS less a couple militia and the 6lbers. I've also raised all the cavarly regiments I could. I'll need their mobility for scouting, raiding, and raid busting. I had a militia built in Salem that is now ready and I'm forcing marching and railing him to Rolla. I'm hoping I can get there in time to disrupt any depot busting or RR destruction. I don't get how you can force march when you're moving units solely by rail. Maybe it's supposed to represent that the train has absolute priority? I dunno, but whatever the case IF the force march works I'll get there just barely at 15 days. Hopefully it's enough. Anti-spy in STL as SA played demonstrations there and in NY.

[color="#0000CD"]FAR WEST:[/color]
Built what I could out of my limited force pool in the area this early in the game. Also bought a flatboat for a depot. Nothing much else to report.

[ATTACH]33413[/ATTACH]
Attachments
LApr61Table.png

User avatar
FightingBuckeye
Lieutenant Colonel
Posts: 280
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 7:27 am
Location: Englewood, CO

Late May 1861: Turn 4

Thu Apr 30, 2015 5:03 pm

[color="#0000CD"]Late May 1861: Turn 4[/color]

[color="#0000CD"]OVERVIEW:[/color] The StLo Massacre happens which creates longterm loyalty concerns in the state that will linger through most of the war. NC secedes, the Monitor is laid down, and Patterson's army appears. WV did get a reaction force to the CSA presence in this glorious state. CSA agitators can be found in Mora, NM; Golden, CO; & StLo, MO. Most of the builds this turn focused on artillery, hospitals, engineers, and replacements. And lastly this turn saw the second battle of the war occur. It wasn't a large battle, but it could have longterm consequences to the war effort. But first the weather!

[color="#0000CD"]WEATHER:[/color] Clear skies and sunny days can be found throuhout the land except some muddy ground in various locations. The only weather that could affect battles or movement is in West Virginia. As this includes Harpers Ferry we have some bad weather where a lot of initial CSA and Union focus will be.

[ATTACH]33431[/ATTACH]

[color="#0000CD"]EAST:[/color] As noted above, only one battle occured and this wasn't in West Virginia. The senior general arrived early in the turn and was unfortunately inactive. I should have considered this before having all my forces join the same stack. Gen Shields & company could take a lesson in aggression from farmers out west. With the muddy weather and the increasing likelyhood of additional CSA forces that could rail in, I will leave my HF stack on defensive. Hopefully if Straight Arrow sends additional forces, they will be sent in O/O posture. Most of my generals are craptastic, but Shields does have a whole whopping '2' as a defensive stat. So hopefully the weather, my small entrenchment bonus, and Gen Shields all conspire to send the rebels packing.

A little further West, my forces will retake a small town, move to cut rails, and start forming a defensive line blocking movement north towards Wheeling. On a final note, Ft Monroe looks to have wiped out either some brigs or frigates that were formerly in Richmond.

[ATTACH]33432[/ATTACH]

[color="#0000CD"]WEST:[/color] Remember that militia unit I raised in Salem, IL? The one I force marched and railed to Rolla? Well they earned their pay today! They were able to just barely arrive on day 15 and then immediately assaulted Rolla. Straight Arrow was in the process of raising a militia unit himself and these guys didn't stand a chance. I pocketed 400 prisoners, an experience point for the militia men, and I have an intact Rolla and railroad. It gives me another stepping stone in my early quest for Springfield. Tactical aggressiveness and timeliness are always needed and often found wanting. I will be watching the 1st Illinois Militia as they're sure to win many battle honors after such an auspicious start.

[color="#0000CD"]FAR WEST:[/color] Nothing much to report. I'm sending my ranger to Ft Stanton with the goal of demolishing it.

[ATTACH]33433[/ATTACH]
Attachments
LMay61Table.png
LMay61WVmoves.png
LMay61weather.png

User avatar
Cardinal Ape
General of the Army
Posts: 619
Joined: Wed Mar 07, 2012 1:59 am

Thu Apr 30, 2015 11:08 pm

Thanks for taking the time to document your game. Straight Arrow and I were classmates at AGEOD West Point where we learned PBEM together, so I will be hoping to see him win. Sorry.

In post #2 you have .zip files that were possibly intended to be pictures?

Your idea with the brigs is interesting. I have thought quite a bit about how to scout for naval invasions myself. It is tricky. The problem I run into is how to gain intel on coastal cities without giving away your intent to the opponent.

Nice move on the first turn Illinois militia to Rolla. I think it could only be countered if the CSA player ordered an under construction unit to blow the depot - assuming the weather favors the union.

User avatar
FightingBuckeye
Lieutenant Colonel
Posts: 280
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 7:27 am
Location: Englewood, CO

Fri May 01, 2015 12:44 am

Thanks for the kind words and I'll try not to hold you rooting for SA against you. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion . . . even if it's wrong :-p

The only pictures I tried putting on here were that notification about the FE/decisions & also the end of turn report I've been doing in excel. I thought zipping them would decrease the size requirements on this thread, I am not a smart man sometimes when it comes to technology. The FE stuff shows up, so I didn't think that excel thing to really matter this early in the game.

Yeah, trying to obtain good intel on your opponent's forces without giving away your intentions can be a delicate balance at times; especially with naval invasions. I'm hoping the constant movement of brigs of his shore will cause him to not respond to each brig of his shore. I also intend to vary it up some with the movement by sometimes moving on right away next turn or staying in place for a turn or two. Hopefully this will allow me to see what if any response he makes.

And I got lucky in Rolla. I had to force march just to get there on day 15, the militia regiment had to succeed in the force march, the couldn't be delayed at all, and then they had to actually attack right away. Like you said, weather could also have played an impact. So a lot had to go right, but I figured I wasn't really risking much aside from some cohesion the unit could easily recover and it all worked this time around. I failed in this exact move in my other game, so you win some and you lose some.

User avatar
FightingBuckeye
Lieutenant Colonel
Posts: 280
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 7:27 am
Location: Englewood, CO

Early June 1861: Turn 5

Sat May 02, 2015 12:25 am

[color="#0000CD"]Early June 1861: Turn 5[/color]

[color="#0000CD"]OVERVIEW:[/color] No battles occured on this turn. My main army will be unlocking next turn and Patterson's 'Army' has been unlocked. Col Ellsworth becomes the first martyr for the North which means that the South also got a martyr when the Colonel's killer was in turn killed. Demonstrations continue in Golden, CO and Mora, NM. Although the one in StLo has been ended. Additional forces have been unlocked, mainly out in the far west and naval ships. Replacements continue to pour into my armies and I decide to build two new Ironworks in NYC and Philly. I may build some arsenals when I have an option to, but I plan on growing my economy mostly through transports in the shipping box.

[color="#0000CD"]WEATHER:[/color] The weather front has moved west causing muddy terrain in SE Ohio, swaths of SE Illinois, and most importantly central parts of Missouri. The rest of the country either has good campaign weather or is far from any current fronts.

[ATTACH]33486[/ATTACH]

[color="#0000CD"]EAST:[/color] Both SA and myself elected to stay on the defensive in HF. So both our forces continue to recieve reinforcements and dig in. I have several options, especially when you throw in Patterson's scratch force. I'll continue to remain on the defensive though as my force lacks any artillery. To remedy this, I'm railing just over 1K men from Patterson's force including two understrength batteries and a supply unit. Additionally, I'm sending over roughly 3,500 infantry and volunteer calvary from Washington. Lastly, I will attempt to force march & rail a battery that unlocked in NYC. Should all movements go off without issue, I should have approximately 10k men and three batteries in Harper's Ferry by the end of this turn.

It won't hold for long if attacked in strength, but it should make the rebel forces pay in blood before I leave. I'm also sending three additional reserve brigades into the area. Two will be tasked with setting up additional depth to my defenses by setting up in Leesburg and across the river in Montgomery, MD. The last will reinforce my force in Fredrickstown which will be my fall back position if I should lose HF. The rest of Patterson's men will remain in place and continue filling out their missing men. Since we haven't battled for HF yet, I hope that remains the case for this coming turn as my men still need to replace missing forces. (especially the two batteries from Patterson's force)

[ATTACH]33487[/ATTACH]

In West Virginia, I'll cut some rail to Parkersburg and otherwise sit tight and see if Straight Arrow will withdraw from his forward position or if he'll fall back. Builds were some transports, artillery and a Marine Regt.

[color="#0000CD"]WEST:[/color] Lots of various forces unlocked, mainly reserve brigades. Still they're better than nothing! Most will move to secure Cairo and StLo which will be denuded of most defenses as Lyons will be moving all available forces in a bid for Springfield. Lyons will take 2,100 infantry and a battery directy to Jefferson City with an additional 1,300 arriving later. One brigade of volunteer cavalry will attempt to move next to Springfield in order to get some recon going. A cavalry regiment will also move to gain MC in the rail line between Jefferson City & StLo. The two cavalry regiments I have in Kansas will start moving Southeast. Builds included some more infantry brigades rounded out with a cavalry unit, artillery batteries, and a timberclad.

[ATTACH]33484[/ATTACH]

[color="#0000CD"]FAR WEST:[/color] Unlocked forces along the West coast will start moving forward to either New Mexico or Colorado. I've built the little bit of forcepool I have out here and have started a depot in LA with a flat boat.

[ATTACH]33485[/ATTACH]
Attachments
EJun61HFmoves.jpg
EJune61weather.png
EJun61Table.png
EJun61MOmoves.jpg

User avatar
FightingBuckeye
Lieutenant Colonel
Posts: 280
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 7:27 am
Location: Englewood, CO

Preview for next turn

Sat May 02, 2015 12:42 am

I've run the turn and sent the file to my esteemed opponent. I'm not ready to start figuring out all the details of my plans or my report to you fine folk. BUT I couldn't help but leaving you guys on a cliffhanger for the next edition of this AAR.

Two strategic cities have changed hands this past turn! I'll leave you all to guess as to which two. It'll be interesting to see if anyone has any guesses as to which two.

EDIT: Oh and how best can I cut down on the image sizes as it's starting to add up to longer loading times.

User avatar
BattleVonWar
Major
Posts: 221
Joined: Thu Mar 19, 2015 3:22 am

Sat May 02, 2015 5:17 am

Buckeye is my first opponent(past '61) and my Educator for certain(School of Hard Knocks). I'm rooting for him cause he's taught me the 101 of the game.

People argue the Rolla destruction for Missouri Protection and I always burn it. The South can hold the West. For awhile I think. Brigs as spotters? You could create a reactionary force but that would just play into Northern hands.

Seems that Buckeye is building strong and early to prevent disaster and have a pretty view after the initial strong buildups.

~Good luck Arrow, : ) You will need it
For every Southern boy fourteen years old, not once but whenever he wants it, there is the instant when it's still not yet two o'clock on that July afternoon in 1863 ~~~

User avatar
FightingBuckeye
Lieutenant Colonel
Posts: 280
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 7:27 am
Location: Englewood, CO

Sat May 02, 2015 2:51 pm

BattleVonWar wrote:Buckeye is my first opponent(past '61) and my Educator for certain(School of Hard Knocks). I'm rooting for him cause he's taught me the 101 of the game.

People argue the Rolla destruction for Missouri Protection and I always burn it. The South can hold the West. For awhile I think. Brigs as spotters? You could create a reactionary force but that would just play into Northern hands.

Seems that Buckeye is building strong and early to prevent disaster and have a pretty view after the initial strong buildups.

~Good luck Arrow, : ) You will need it


Thanks, you're not doing to badly yourself and have won some pretty big battles. I've definitely learned a couple hard lessons myself and hope to apply them in this game. Also, I hope that SA doesn't get your good luck wish until after the war is over . . . otherwise I'll need all the luck with him reading my mail. He's actually a humorous guy and I really doubt he is reading this. After all, his handle is Straight Arrow.

User avatar
Cardinal Ape
General of the Army
Posts: 619
Joined: Wed Mar 07, 2012 1:59 am

Sun May 03, 2015 8:22 am

FightingBuckeye wrote:Two strategic cities have changed hands this past turn! I'll leave you all to guess as to which two. It'll be interesting to see if anyone has any guesses as to which two.


D.C. and Richmond? No? Then how about Harper's Ferry and Santa Fe.

User avatar
FightingBuckeye
Lieutenant Colonel
Posts: 280
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 7:27 am
Location: Englewood, CO

Late June 1861: Turn 6

Sun May 03, 2015 8:20 pm

[color="#0000CD"]Late June 1861: Turn 6[/color]

[color="#0000CD"]OVERVIEW:[/color] While a trade for Richmond for DC would make for a very interesting turn, the two cities in question aren't quite as big as that. Jefferson City, MO has fallen without a fight as Arrow wisely chose not to contest it. And in a surprising event, Sam Houston has delivered Dallas and two experienced cavalry regiments to the Northern cause! If only more Southern gentlemen were this enlightened the war would not have happened and this would probably make for a very boring game.

Unfortunately not all men are enlightened and demonstrations are brewing in Mora, NM; Golden City, CO; Baltimore, MD; Philly, PA; and finally Nevada. And most unfortunate the counter-intel teams could not locate any of the agitators and put a stop to the previous demonstrations. The ones in Mora and Golden will finally boil over if this last shot to stop them in their tracks fails. I'll put my teams in Golden and Philly and hope they can stem the tide. Militias are formed throughout our great Union, balloons see military use, and new ships will be entering service in the near future.

[color="#0000CD"]WEATHER:[/color] The weather is almost perfect. Mud covers all of New Mexico, the West Coast, and large portions of Virginia. Since I don't foresee any large battles in either theaters I will leave out the map this time around. Harper's Ferry is clear.

[color="#0000CD"]EAST:[/color] No battles or skirmishes to report here. Arrow has left the troops he has in HF as they are and has instead gathered a 270 power stack in Winchester. My one intact battery is one day short of HF, leaving that garrison with just north of 10K men and 16 cannon in two half batteries. I think I will forgo offensive operations in order to get those batteries up to full strength. I will rail in additional forces from Alexandria, DC, and another battery that's been completed. This will give me close to 20K men with plenty of artillery once all forces arrive and my units still forming up to full strength receive their replacements.

This will also leave just short of 30K men in Alexandria, again with plenty of cannon. I feel confident holding this position between my entrenchment levels and the numbers I have. I did create two stacks in Alexandria; one under McDowell's army command and the rest is what would've put McDowell's stack over command points and the regions garrison. One cavalry regiment is sent forth to do some rail cutting and intel gathering. I’ll forgo an image this go around as things are a hot mess with lots of units moving around.

Around Morgantown, Arrow has left his force in Clarksburg instead of withdrawing it. I'm sending one of my cavalry regiments back to join my blocking force as well as sending my still forming and understrength reserve brigades under Patterson to beef up Morgantown's defenses. If he remains next turn, I will probably rail in a brigade or two of regulars and some battery support from my Harper's Ferry force. It'll be hard to maintain a large presence there, especially in winter so I'm curious see what, if anything, Arrow does in this area. Builds were more transports, an arty battery, and an infantry regiment

[color="#0000CD"]WEST:[/color] As mentioned earlier, SA left Jefferson City empty; preferring to marshal his forces in a more defensible area. My cavalry brigade has provided valuable intel on Springfield’s current defenses. There’s at least one battery present along with a cavalry unit and either some militia or regular infantry, probably much more than the 2,700 cavalry I could send in could handle. It’s a shame, but not really unexpected. I’ll send most of the units in range to the region NE of Springfield. They’ll be only a space away from rail and will be right next to Springfield and on the right side of the little river. One regiment of cavalry will divert down to take an outpost next to Fayetteville in order to see what’s there and another will hold position at Ft Scott in reaction to Arrow’s probing cavalry unit.

[ATTACH]33526[/ATTACH]

If I see an opportunity, I’ll try for Springfield next turn. Otherwise, I’ll await the units I’ve ordered in this theater. I’d like to have Springfield before winter sets in, but a lot depends on my opponent’s moves. Builds were some regular brigades, an artillery battery, some militia, and another timberclad.

[color="#0000CD"]FAR WEST:[/color] Ah, Dallas! This is actually the first time I’ve had the Dallas event trigger in my favor. I think I’ll try hold with my two cavalry regiments for a turn or two and see what forces gather to evict me. Once it’s time to leave, I’ll move north and try to join up with the forces I have in MO and IT. While it holds, the extra conscripts and cash will be nice. In New Mexico, the mud is slowing down the push of my forces through those boxes. Meanwhile Ft Stanton will be burned by one ranger units and Ft Cummings will be captured by another.

[color="#0000CD"]COASTAL OPERATIONS:[/color] I’ll just stick this here for now. But I will have 5 brigs operating off Arrow’s coasts. This will probably be a sufficient force for now although I’ll probably add another brig or two in another couple of turns. Since I don’t have a pattern, I doubt Arrow will spot one or know where I’ll be next. I’ll try to scout the primary targets every other turn and the secondary targets will see a brig if I think I can manage one safely and have one to spare. Going up rivers could be dangerous as I won’t know he has an emplaced battery until it opens up on me. But better a brig than an invasion force.

Primary Scouting Targets:
- Charleston, SC
- Savannah, GA
- Wilmington, NC
- Norfolk, VA
- Mobile, AL
- New Orleans, LA
- Matagorda, TX
- Galveston, TX
Secondary Scouting Targets
- Houston, TX
- Baton Rouge, LA
- Fts Jackson & St Philip, LA
- Pensacola, FL
- Tallahassee, FL
- Apalachicola, FL
- Jacksonville, FL
- Warrenton, NC
- Garysburg, NC

[ATTACH]33527[/ATTACH]

Dallas falling into my lap had a very fortuitous boost to my NM! +1 NM for normalization, +5NM for Dallas, and -1 for martial law. I’m not altogether sure how I gain two VP/turn without him going down any. I’m also not sure if Arrow’s building ships or it’s just part of the ironclads he gets through events. But it was nice to see his power on land go down some in relation to mine.
Attachments
LJun61Table.png
LJun61MOmoves.jpg

User avatar
FightingBuckeye
Lieutenant Colonel
Posts: 280
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 7:27 am
Location: Englewood, CO

Early July 1861: Turn 7

Mon May 04, 2015 3:59 am

[color="#0000CD"]Early July 1861: Turn 7[/color]

[color="#0000CD"]OVERVIEW:[/color] Well again no battles, I'm starting to sense a theme. But there are a couple of interesting developments. Large (for this early date) Union and CSA armies stare each other down in Harper's Ferry, each daring the other to blink first. Decent sized CSA forces could also possibly threaten Santa Fe. Meanwhile in Texas, Straight Arrow acts with speed to bring forces to bear against Dallas. A great comet appears lowering morale on both sides, Northern Papers push for an early offensive, and congress authorizes pay for volunteers. Agitators in Golden, CO and Mora, NM succeed in lowering lowalty while a brewing demonstration is put down in Philly. Demonstrations continue to build in Baltimore and Nevada. I've decided not to pay for any volunteers as long-term I seem to lack for money more than anything else. I've also ordered additional railroad & riverine to be added. Lastly after previous approval, Ironworks finally started construction in both NYC & Philly.

[color="#0000CD"]COUNTDOWN TO MANASSAS:[/color] I need Manassas by mid September 1861 or risk losing 10 NM. Due to the (lack of) caliber of my generals and Arrow's own knowledge that I must take Manassas, I doubt I'll be able to meet the deadline. If I see an opportunity, I'll go ahead and try and take it. But I won't bash my head against a brick wall in order to try and appease the public. And SA will likely take special care not to leave Manassa vulnerable.

Five turns remain till mid-September and 10 NM if Manassas isn't mine.

[color="#0000CD"]WEATHER:[/color] It's a dry summer with nary a cloud in sight across the breadth of our great nation. All previous muddy terrain has now dried up.

[color="#0000CD"]EAST:[/color] Well, I'm glad I decided not to adopt an offensive posture here. I played around with putting parts or all my force in attack mode, but decided the risk of Arrow sending addtional forces in were too great. Me going on the attack in HF probably would not have been a pretty sight with approximately half my force coming over a river. Especially not with the double J tandem of Johnston & Jackson involved. Although I have a slight advantage in strength (PWR 763 vs PWR 683) it's not enough to overcome IMO the inherit strength of playing defense, again double JJ tandem.

This does create a potential problem though. It's possible that SA could send all or part of his force across the river to take Fredricktwon, the same goes for Leesburg but I'm not really worried about the consequences of that move as much as the first option. From Fredricktown, he could threaten Baltimore, Washington, Annapolis, and finally York where I have seven units under construction (five should be completed by the end of this turn). This is especially true if that force were led by the fast moving and hard hitting Jackson. To counter this, I will be railing all of McDowell's stack to join the token guard force that's been busily entrenching. They should arrive even before the infamous Jackson could hope to arrive, although I'm not sure entirely how to figure out what a force march under Jackson would accomplish. This move leaves Alexandria a little more open than I'd wish, but he can't know I'll be taking almost half the forces in Alexandria out. And what's left is still plenty strong to at least let Arrow know he'd been kissed if he does march on me.

Patterson was a dullard and is somehow still enroute to Morgantown. The threat is dying down now as SA pulled everyone back closer to his supply line. I can see two supply wagons as well, so he was probably having problems with supply. Whether he'll load up on supplies and come at me again or will give this area up for lost remains to be seen. Barring a complete loss of Harper's Ferry, I think Morgantown should be safe. And I have enough control in several, but not all, rail lines that I should have at least a turn's warning if he were to send Johnston or Jackson after me there. Builds are a mixed bag of support, infantry, artillery, and transports.

[ATTACH]33538[/ATTACH]

[color="#0000CD"]WEST:[/color] I have gathered my forces next to Springfield and have better information on what awaits me there. I again have a small number's advantage but not quite enough. Most of my force composition is made up of volunteer and/or light infantry units. Worse, I only have a single battery to set againgst the three present in Springfield. On the plus side, I am bringing in another 3K troops this turn and will have more (including another battery) available next turn. And my scouting of Fayetteville reveals a lack of additional forces in that area outside of a supply and a single militia unit.

I'll start a stockade, clearing, and a track in Erie, MO and eventually a road. I'll also try to capture the supply unit. Rolla's a little exposed, but the only units he could send against it are located in Springfield. I'll trade Rolla if it means I'll take Springfield any day of the week and twice on Sundays! And since today is Sunday . . .

From what I can see, Straight Arrow can bring in at least five units including artillery against my two cavalry regiments sitting in Dallas. My cavalry lacks staying power in a fight and additional forces could still lurk in the fog of war. I've therefore decided that discretion is the better part of valor and will move my cavalry north and try to take two regions. They'll be in the position to start threatening Springfield's and Fayetteville's line of supply next turn.

[ATTACH]33539[/ATTACH]

Cairo's a little open with my focus on Springfield and only has about 6K troops defending there. It's possible the reason I'm not seeing additional reinforcements for Springfield is that Arrow's gathering a force to make an attempt in Cairo. Adding to this worry is the fact that I'm not exactly sure which theater(s) the starting SC force went. My first two timberclads are ready and will join a small gunboat fleet just south of Cairo in order to interdict any river movement against both Cairo and StLo. Builds were a couple more infantry brigades, a couple more support units, and several more batteries.

[color="#0000CD"]FAR WEST:[/color] I don't know if Arrow wants to take Santa Fe, but I have to respect the threat there. Unfortunately I haven't had the units in the force pool that I do now. So I only have two militia and two ranger units that aren't locked right now. What I can see is four ranger units, a cavarly regiment, and an unknown force of regulars that could reach Santa Fe in a max of two turns. Counting movement cost, it does not appear that the regulars can reach Santa Fe this turn. And I think I have enough to stand off the fast movers with what I have available. I can finally start putting some decent number of troops down, so I'm ordering 3 militia, 2 rangers, and a brigade of mounted volunteers in NM. I'm also getting another militia in Colorado and several more in California.

[ATTACH]33540[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]33541[/ATTACH]
Attachments
EJul61Table.png
EJul61NMmoves.jpg
EJul61MOmoves.jpg
EJul61VAmoves.jpg

User avatar
FightingBuckeye
Lieutenant Colonel
Posts: 280
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 7:27 am
Location: Englewood, CO

Mon May 04, 2015 4:01 am

Should I go with a ligher blue for my main points or is the current shade providing enough contrast? Same with the images, I'm trying to choose good contrasting colors. Let me know if you're having problems reading anything and I'll see what I can do.

User avatar
BattleVonWar
Major
Posts: 221
Joined: Thu Mar 19, 2015 3:22 am

Tue May 05, 2015 7:20 pm

I am not having a problem whatsoever : ) but I keep my monitor dark as night so yanno. Your Theater titles are the richest blue, very rich.

FightingBuckeye wrote:Should I go with a ligher blue for my main points or is the current shade providing enough contrast? Same with the images, I'm trying to choose good contrasting colors. Let me know if you're having problems reading anything and I'll see what I can do.
For every Southern boy fourteen years old, not once but whenever he wants it, there is the instant when it's still not yet two o'clock on that July afternoon in 1863 ~~~

User avatar
FightingBuckeye
Lieutenant Colonel
Posts: 280
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 7:27 am
Location: Englewood, CO

Late July 1861: Turn 8

Wed May 06, 2015 2:00 am

[color="#008080"]Late July 1861: Turn 8[/color]

[color="#008080"]OVERVIEW:[/color] As the weather heats up so too does the action. Lots of little skirmishes and battles have been fought over the past turn. Mainly it's the CSA pushing the pace as I face a dearth of good leaders this early in the war. Reaction forces are raised in Kansas in response to CSA presence, expiration of term sends 100 conscripts packing out of the resource pool, and elections occur in Tennessee. The Union authorizes no pay for volunteers while the CSA pays a medium bounty. A demonstration was put down in Philly but others continue to build in Nevada and New York City. A total of 27 new army and naval units were added to the rapidly expanding military and will soon be joined by 35+ additional forces over the next two weeks. Lastly, I’ve decided to print paper money again.

[color="#008080"]WEATHER:[/color] For the second turn in a row military operations will not be affected by adverse weather conditions.

[color="#008080"]EAST:[/color] McDowell arrived just in time to sit back and enjoy a nice coffee as the Army of Shenandoah remains at Harper's Ferry and has seen reinforcements added to it. It now outnumbers the Union force at Harper's Ferry. McDowell meanwhile has taken up defensive position across the river. It'd be risky, but Arrow could orchestrate a two pronged assault on Alexandria, especially if he puts Jackson in charge of getting the HF to the party. So I'm going to rail the army back to Alexandria and fall into trench works there. Arrow's seen me at Fredericktown with strong entrenchments. I doubt he cares to take on the dug in McDowell army while attempting a forced crossing, even if he does outnumber me in Fredericktown. Pulling McDowell's force back will let them pull double duty this turn by defending one location in my opponent's mind and the other in reality.

A cavalry regiment has braved enemy patrols to bring back news from behind CSA lines. Meanwhile enemy cavalry units are cutting the rail link between HF & Morgantown. It's a slight inconvenience as I lack strong forces in Morgantown that I was planning on bringing into Virginia proper. It actually adds to my security in WV as Arrow had enough MC to use those two rail lines. The threat from the Shenandoah Valley has been lessened considerably.

Which is fortunate as it appears Arrow will continue operations in WV after all. My scouting cavalry regiment ran into a decent sized infantry brigade and suffered 25% casualties while inflicting a fraction of that to the enemy. A small force with supply wagon support is a region away from Clarksburg and a large cavalry force lurks further south. I'll leave a decent force in Morgantown and send the rest to help defend Clarksburg. Without a bigger troops commitment, I doubt Arrow will get very far in this area. New orders are put in for more transports, some support units, and one each of an artillery and infantry unit.

[color="#008080"]COUNTDOWN TO MANASSAS:[/color] 4 turns till mid-September deadline.

[color="#008080"]WEST:[/color] This is where things get a little interesting. The cavalry regiment I sent south of Fayetteville has reported the enemy reinforcements that will be arriving soon. I could send in my attack now before those reinforcements arrive. But they appear to be a couple of militia units backed up by some arty. Should I attack now, most of my force would be militia and Arrow would enjoy a 3-1 artillery advantage plus a supply wagon bonus which I currently lack. I will receive significantly more reinforcements in this theater and don’t want to risk bloodying up a large portion of my force. The timetable has been set, next turn Lyons will attack.

Meanwhile, Arrow has invested one of my stockades in Kansas. The initial assault cost Arrow 2-1 in losses, but the garrison unit has been pretty beat up and probably can’t withstand a second such attack. I will march to Ft Scott in an attempt to relieve it. Lastly, Dallas was attacked and barely held with 2/3rd losses to an auto garrison. Had I known Arrow would only send his cavalry in, I might’ve just left my cavalry there. Dallas was fun while it lasted, now the remnants of my militia will attempt to flee the area.

[ATTACH]33550[/ATTACH]

Completed builds will be heading out to Lyons as well as gathering in Cairo as well as across the river from Louisville, KY. New builds include a couple infantry brigades, artillery, and some support units.

[color="#008080"]FAR WEST:[/color] SA’s brigade of regulars that had me worried about Santa Fe’s safety turned around and chased my rangers out of Ft Cummings. His fast movers descended on Valencia and Albuquerque. I’d already evacuated Valencia and Albuquerque initially held against a lone ranger unit that suffered 50% losses before the rest of the force arrived and sent the militia fleeing to Santa Fe. Two new rangers have been completed and will head east on fort burning operations. I can’t defend everything, so I’ll destroy any structure I can’t hold to reduce raiding parties from operating at will. The CSA has a small force in Tucson that I’ll need to await further reinforcements from California before I could attempt dislodging. Two more militia units on order in California and NM.

[ATTACH]33551[/ATTACH]
Attachments
LJul61Table.png
LJul61MOmoves.jpg

User avatar
FightingBuckeye
Lieutenant Colonel
Posts: 280
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 7:27 am
Location: Englewood, CO

Wed May 06, 2015 2:02 am

I just noticed that casualties are exactly 2-1. Not really worrying this early and with such a small sample size. But hopefully those numbers change. Also, FE went up by 2 after holding steady for 2-3 turns.

User avatar
FightingBuckeye
Lieutenant Colonel
Posts: 280
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 7:27 am
Location: Englewood, CO

Early August 1861: Turn 9

Wed May 06, 2015 10:56 pm

[color="#008080"]Early August 1861: Turn 9[/color]

[color="#008080"]OVERVIEW:[/color] Things continue to heat up.in the late summer months. A major decision is reached in the Eastern Theater, an offensive is approved in Missouri, and a key strategic city is attacked in the far west. Additional ships are readying for service, Patterson is removed, and Camp Dick Robertson is now available to the Union. Furthermore, the income tax law and Confiscation Act bring in new revenue to the Northern War Effort; as well as greatly raising NM with the act. Demonstrations continue in build in four Northern cities while one spills over in Nevada.

[color="#008080"]WEATHER:[/color] The weather continues to remain in perfect campaign form throughout the country.

[color="#008080"]EAST:[/color] I have been contemplating abandoning my position in Harper’s Ferry for some time now. It’s rather unfortunate my forces failed to attack much earlier due to my oversight that the senior officer arriving to the HF force would be inactive and revert to a defensive stance. Since that snafu, both forces have built into respectable numbers. But that position has now become a liability for me. I have too many commitments and not enough men to fulfill all of them without uncovering something. I’ve used the railroad to slingshot McDowell’s army around, but at some point they’re going to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Longstreet led a large brigade against Leesburg and kicked my force out which withdrew as per my orders. It’d be too easy for Arrow to cross north into Maryland and simultaneously threaten DC, Baltimore, Annapolis, and the Harper’s Ferry’s force tenuous logistics line. In view of this, I’ve decided to pull the forces in Harper’s Ferry out and use them somewhere where they’d actually be defending something as they’re not doing much good where they’re at. Unfortunately the force is way over the CP limit and would take more than a single turn getting to either Leesburg or Fredericktown. So they’ll instead head Chambers, MD which is just west of Fredericktown. This will plug the force into my rail net and ensure they can quickly move to where I need them.

This will increase the threat of Arrow sending raiding forces north from HF and could lead to an attack on either Pittsburg or Morgantown if SA’s ambitious enough. I’m send some cavalry to some Podunk towns northwest of HF and evacuate the threatened populace to safety before razing the towns. Additionally, I’m sending additional forces to both Fredericktown and my blocking force in Montgomery across from Leesburg. Finally, McDowell will rail his force into Leesburg with the intention of kicking the CSA forces out of there. Builds focused on infantry brigades, marines, an HQ unit, artillery, sharpshooters, and transports.

[color="#008080"]COUNTDOWN TO MANASSAS:[/color] 3 turns till mid-September deadline.

[color="#008080"]WEST:[/color] The siege of Ft Scott was relieved as Sumner’s small force pushed out the enemy cavalry without a single casualty. Lyon’s force has all arrived as planned and Springfield was not reinforced this past turn. I almost have 3-1 advantage on the force in Springfield. However, Springfield’s garrison has a nice entrenchment bonus and additional forces are nearby and could reinforce prior to the arrival of my forces. I will send the attack in as I still think it has a good chance of victory, but it will be a hard fought battle.

Kentucky still remains neutral, but Louisville and Lexington are now open to the Union. The two cities will help in the VP department and Lexington’s industry is also welcome. The forces in Cincy and New Albany will move to Louisville with the anticipation of Kentucky’s eventual entrance into the war. Cairo’s defenses continue to grow and the river fleet covering against invasion now boasts a total of 8 timberclads in four 2-ship divisions with gunboat support. Dallas strangely was not attacked last turn. Does anyone know if besieged cities still provide things like conscripts and cash? I know it’s not generating VP and Arrow’s moved in the militia and artillery that I suspect will assault this coming turn. He could also be holding off assaulting in the hope of getting the VP/NM from my unit surrendering. Recruitment focused on infantry, marines, and some artillery.

[ATTACH]33562[/ATTACH]

FYI, I noticed Lyons was still in defensive posture and put him in offensive posture after the image capture. I just didn't feel like redoing the picture and text.

[color="#008080"]FAR WEST:[/color] Santa Fe was attacked this past turn and was successfully defended. The casualties were about even. It’s a good thing that the CSA regular infantry turned around last turn as every single defending unit but one ‘displayed cowardice’. Not that you expect much when the entirety of your force is made up almost exclusively of volunteers and militia, 5 militia regiments, 2 mounted volunteers, and 1 ranger unit. I’m going to get aggressive with those units though. Carson will personally lead a force of mounted volunteers and rangers in an attack posture and go after a numerically superior force to his own led by Shelby (6-4-4). Those enemy have now participated in two battles and they should be out of ammunition while mine have full supply. Hopefully this translates into a victory. Meanwhile a small force of volunteers will move south out of Mora towards Las Vegas, NM. The two rangers I dispatched east are burning a fort and Adobe Walls. Lastly, Arrow’s defenders in Tucson took cover in the small town itself. My cavalry regiment can just barely arrive on the 15th day while an experienced regiment of line infantry will arrive in 22 days. Hopefully I can catch his superior force in the town and start a siege where he has to attack. If the cavalry can hold on until the reinforcements arrive, I can eliminate 2 of Arrow’s units and capture Tucson. Two more militia are ordered in NM, those regular units in Forts Craig, Mora, & Yuma can’t unlock soon enough.

[ATTACH]33561[/ATTACH]

Shelby out in the Far West. I'm not sure if this indicates that Straight Arrow will be committing troops in a bid to try and conquer NM and possibly Colorado. Or if it's just that he wants to get those most mileage out of his troops in this area by committing a general who's usuaully operating in Kansas, IT, and MO. Still, he'll outgeneral any of the three I could command out in this armpit of the country.

[ATTACH]33560[/ATTACH]

That confiscation act improved both our NM. I'm not sure which event gave the CSA that +5 as I haven't played them as much.
Attachments
EAug61MOmoves.jpg
LJul61SantaFebattle.png
EAug61Table.png

User avatar
FightingBuckeye
Lieutenant Colonel
Posts: 280
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 7:27 am
Location: Englewood, CO

Wed May 06, 2015 11:05 pm

I forgot to include this bit. My coastal operations continue apace and I've gathered some intel that I need to keep an eye on. First, I've spotted a dug artillery unit in Baton Rouge, likely to interdict an invasion force using shallow water craft to mount an invasion of NO. And there's a force digging into Pensacola that includes artillery, likely to deny the use of Ft Pickens as a supply station for ships operating in the gulf. I have the two forts off the tip of Florida, so I'm not worried about this force as of yet and I'll just avoid using this fort. Lastly, there are really strong defenses in Savannah, GA for this early in the game (7 units including 2 artillery). I'm not sure if these were builds that just came online and will be moving out, forces that were transitioning somewhere else, or intended as a garrison. I'll be keeping that particular brig on station to see if those troops stay there or leave. I don't think Savannah had a large permanent garrison, so large numbers of troops could mean I'm spooking Arrow into deploying large forces to his coastal cities. Something to keep an eye on for sure. Galveston & Matagorda's defenses remain light and nonexistent respectively.

User avatar
FightingBuckeye
Lieutenant Colonel
Posts: 280
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 7:27 am
Location: Englewood, CO

Wed May 06, 2015 11:17 pm

Just to whet your appetite, all three battles I planned were fought. No delays, no misclicks, and no reverting to defensive. I'll leave this here and you'll have to await the next report for the other two. :dada:

[ATTACH]33563[/ATTACH]
Attachments
EAug61Leesburgbattle.png

User avatar
FightingBuckeye
Lieutenant Colonel
Posts: 280
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 7:27 am
Location: Englewood, CO

Late August 1861: Turn 10

Sun May 10, 2015 8:22 pm

[color="#008080"]Late August 1861: Turn 10[/color]
I figured I’d start sharing some martial music you could listen to while reading through the AAR. Today’s music is not period appropriate, but it’s one of my favorites. Also, it’s NSFW due to voice clips from the movie Patton. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPFAna-UNhU

[color="#008080"]OVERVIEW:[/color] So I messed up and saved Straight Arrow’s orders in the wrong folder. So the preview above is a lie. Sorry I know you’re disappointed in me, bad me. We still saw an uptick in combat throughout; including two bigger battles. New generals reported for duty, including Fighting Joe Hooker. Demonstrations continue to be a nuisance and not all of them can be put down in time. And both Union and CSA issue war bonds and raise taxes for that cash infusion needed to carry on with our little war. While CSA invests in industry.

[ATTACH]33573[/ATTACH]

[color="#008080"]WEATHER:[/color] More clear skies and sunny days throughout the continent.

[color="#008080"]EAST:[/color] McDowell managed to rail in and catch Jackson and his elite brigade before they could withdraw. Jackson came in expecting to pick on a weak volunteer brigade. But his quarry escaped without loss and he quickly turned from hunter to hunted when McDowell came calling. The casualty figures are more than acceptable considering the terrain and the fact I was going up against the cream of the CSA in terms of soldiers and generalship. Plus I earned 1 NM from the results of the battle! So careful guys when sending a small force near a much larger one that can hop on the railroad and catch you before getting back out.

[ATTACH]33574[/ATTACH]

My withdrawal from Harper’s Ferry went off without a hitch. As expected, SA’s cavalry started probing north. Though they are a turn earlier than looked for. I do have cavalry of my own in place to counter this move though. I’ll have to watch for any CSA moves west from HF towards Morgantown. But I expect at least 1-2 turns warning before Arrow can mount a serious threat to my position in Morgantown. I’ll divvy up Gen Hamilton’s HF force into bulking up the Union positions on my side of the river and then send the rest to Alexandria which is now my only strongpoint south of the river. McDowell will also move back to Alexandria and await any CSA response to kicking Jackson’s talented derriere and withdrawing from HF. My build was an infantry/sharpshooter brigade, 2 artillery batteries, and 5 transports.

[ATTACH]33575[/ATTACH]

[color="#008080"]COUNTDOWN TO MANASSAS:[/color] 2 turns till mid-September deadline. Arrow continues to defend Manassas strongly and I doubt I’ll even attempt an attack.

[color="#008080"]WEST:[/color] The battle for Springfield was won, but I suffered major cohesion losses and roughly equal casualty numbers in doing so. Unfortunately, Straight Arrow brought in a strong brigade to reinforce his position in Springfield. They were too late to participate in the battle, but they give Arrow a strong presence in Springfield around which he can rally his forces. For now, I will simply sit on the defensive and regain cohesion before resuming offensive operations. I do have about a 2-1 advantage in both men and cannon in this region. He does have three batteries but they’re all at about 75% in terms of cannon. Additionally, most of Arrow’s force are comprised of volunteer and militia forces. Although prevalent in my army as well, I do have a solid core of line infantry to provide strength to my otherwise brittle force. I expect to own Springfield in the near future, although Arrow may have other designs and act to counter me.

[ATTACH]33577[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]33576[/ATTACH]

Elsewhere, we saw a couple of smaller cavalry clashes. Nothing major though in terms of losses or importance. I’m going to send some timberclads to take a look at what defenses are present at both Ft Donelson and Island 10. The other big news is that the siege of Dallas has been lifted! Last seen, the artillery and militia were headed south towards Galveston/Matagorda while the cavalry moved north towards Missouri. If those units headed south in response to my scouting brigs that just happened to start scouting Texas, well that’s just a big plus in this scouting strategy. I think Arrow must also be feeling the pressure in Missouri. So now a single ranger unit is left in the Dallas region to contest my ownership of it.

General Halleck will take charge of my marshalling point in Cairo in order to train up elements into real fighting men while General Fremont has arrived in StLo and will hopefully institute Martial Law in attempt to get that unruly population more in line with Union loyalty (only 11% loyal to the North!) Meanwhile, in Cincinnati Gen McClellan continues to turn boys into men. My build was just an infantry brigade and a 20lber.

[color="#008080"]FAR WEST:[/color] Things are starting to look dicey for Santa Fe. I was only able to catch a single ranger unit and dealt it only light losses with none in return. Unfortunately, Shelby is now in Albuquerque with a modest force, including that regular unit I was wary of earlier. I will have a numbers advantage if he moves against me. But my force is almost all militia and he’ll have some line infantry/conscripts with him. I’m just hoping that brigade doesn’t have any organic artillery as even a 6lber would beat my zero artillery. Again, those locked units in the forts can’t unlock soon enough. On the plus side, I do have a regiment of cavalry in Tucson and an experienced infantry regiment is on the way. Hopefully a threat from his flank will make him rethink any move against Santa Fe. I decided to get a supply unit in S. California as supply is always an issue. It appears that Arrow is devoting at least some resources in this theater and should he take Santa Fe, supply could be my biggest worry.

[color="#008080"]Coastal Operations:[/color] As noted previously, my scouting MAY have caused Arrow to pull troops out of Dallas. It's hard to tell what's Arrow's normal strategy and what is in response to the numberous brigs (now numbering seven) along his coasts. Additionally, I wanted to post this as a picture's worth a thousand words. Err, it would be, but I have reached the limit for how many images I can attack to this post. Meet me on the next post for the last two images.
Attachments
LAug61Springfieldbattle.png
LAug61MOmoves.jpg
LAug61VAmoves.jpg
LAugLeesburg.png
LAug61events.png

User avatar
FightingBuckeye
Lieutenant Colonel
Posts: 280
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 7:27 am
Location: Englewood, CO

Sun May 10, 2015 8:27 pm

And as promised

[ATTACH]33578[/ATTACH]

Those are some serious garrisons. It'll mean tougher sledding if I do ever mount naval invasions. But for now, those units are far from the front and out of the fight.

[ATTACH]33579[/ATTACH]
Attachments
LAug61Table.png
LAugNOgarrison.png

User avatar
BattleVonWar
Major
Posts: 221
Joined: Thu Mar 19, 2015 3:22 am

Wed May 13, 2015 2:50 am

Yeah, Lyon with that kind of manpower makes Missouri Union within a few turns! Also lovely fight between CSA Elites and the brunt of the Union Army. Even the best of the best cannot beat that kind of Monster Stomp. Arrow is doing quite well mind you with his forward position, but can he retake Leesburg? A total requirement if you ask me. Alexandria is not as doable now, but Leesburg is a vital rail line...


There goes about 50,000 Missourians not able to join the fight. Never Kentucky and Coastal Defense. You cannot defend everywhere so it's best to choose your fights where you can win ... hard to decide, I love so too much Real Estate as the CSA but the Union has her pick where she wants to fight.
For every Southern boy fourteen years old, not once but whenever he wants it, there is the instant when it's still not yet two o'clock on that July afternoon in 1863 ~~~

User avatar
FightingBuckeye
Lieutenant Colonel
Posts: 280
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 7:27 am
Location: Englewood, CO

Mon May 18, 2015 5:18 am

BattleVonWar wrote:Yeah, Lyon with that kind of manpower makes Missouri Union within a few turns! Also lovely fight between CSA Elites and the brunt of the Union Army. Even the best of the best cannot beat that kind of Monster Stomp. Arrow is doing quite well mind you with his forward position, but can he retake Leesburg? A total requirement if you ask me. Alexandria is not as doable now, but Leesburg is a vital rail line...


There goes about 50,000 Missourians not able to join the fight. Never Kentucky and Coastal Defense. You cannot defend everywhere so it's best to choose your fights where you can win ... hard to decide, I love so too much Real Estate as the CSA but the Union has her pick where she wants to fight.


Other than Mizzou and not losing the war quickly in the East, I don't have any major campaign plans. I have a couple of ideas and I'll ultimately pick whichever path gives me that win. Semper Gumby, always flexible. Like you said, the CSA can't defend everything and I'll take advantage of whatever weaknesses I can find.

User avatar
FightingBuckeye
Lieutenant Colonel
Posts: 280
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 7:27 am
Location: Englewood, CO

Mon May 18, 2015 7:07 am

[color="#008080"]Early September 1861: Turn 11[/color]
A classic, “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRJB036ev2Q

[color="#008080"]OVERVIEW:[/color] I’ve recently completed my 2nd full PBEM game against an opponent other than Athena. Assuming my knowledge of the game engine is sound, I believe that those two wins gives me an increase in my defensive skill. I may need that soon in the Far West. Ironclads can now be laid down. Demonstrations in four regions continue to strain loyalty and counterintelligence operations. Four regions in the North are stripped of habitation and their population sent north to safety in Ohio and Pennsylvania in order to deprive future enemy raiders of sustenance. Dallas is retaken by CSA forces and Tucson defenses prove too strong.

[color="#008080"]WEATHER:[/color] The streak of good weather ends with mud affecting Kansas, the Indian Territory, and most of Missouri.

[color="#008080"]EAST:[/color] Things are pretty quiet in the East. I’ll continue to strengthen my defenses by bringing in new builds and shifting some forces around. Manassas remains strongly defended. McDowell will rail his army to Leesburg and a small cavalry force will try to push out a single enemy cavalry regiment in Falmouth and get some insight into what Arrow’s defenses further South are looking like.

[color="#008080"] COUNTDOWN TO MANASSAS:[/color] One turn remains till the NM hit.

[color="#008080"]WEST:[/color] Lyons and Price continue to face each other in Springfield. I’ll be bringing some reinforcements in and will mount another attack this turn as my medical support team seems to be helping me match the rate of CSA’s cohesion recovery. Price still boasts a single strong brigade that accounts for most of his force’s power. If they break, then Springfield should be mine. Dallas as mentioned earlier is no longer in Union hands.

[color="#008080"]FAR WEST:[/color] I fear Santa Fe will soon be in Southern hands. Straight Arrow has a superior force sitting in Albuquerque with both regulars and the services of a strong general. On the plus side, I do have a plethora of militia, volunteer, and ranger units. Quantity does have a quality of its own after all. My force also boasts some strong man-made defenses and he must cross a river in order to get to me this turn. Hopefully that’ll be enough, it’ll have to be.

[ATTACH]33586[/ATTACH]

Over in Tucson my cavalry and line infantry gambit failed. The cavalry regiment was mauled against superior numbers before the infantry regiment could arrive in support. I’ll have to await a much stronger force before making another attempt at Tucson.

[color="#008080"]Coastal Operations:[/color] I was going to leave this out, until a couple things came up I thought worth mentioning. First, to the best of my knowledge there is only a single brig operating in any of the blockade boxes. I spotted two singletons or squadrons in port and I have no idea about the rest. I know I sunk something courtesy of Ft Monroe's guns. And I've gotten some hits on his runners, including this past turn. But I didn't realize I'd gotten so many. The only other idea I had was he'd sent them up the Mississippi to join the river fleet except.

[ATTACH]33585[/ATTACH]

I've got what appears to be most of the CSA gunboats and what's probably the only operational river ironclad chasing my little brigs. I don't think Straight Arrow likes what I'm doing. I'm chalking this up as another win for my brig strategy. I suppose those brigs could be in FoW somewhere. But he's probably not getting too much WS at the moment. He does have some ironworks in NO going up in another 11-12 weeks or so, so he'll collect some in time. Lastly, I'm starting to gather forces for my first naval division as divisions should be coming online sometime soon. I always tell myself to mark the date and always forget when divisions and corps come online.

[ATTACH]33587[/ATTACH]
The loss of Dallas and the failure to take Manassas will really hurt my NM. And that FE is starting to creep up higher than I'd like.
Attachments
ESep61Table.png
ESept61SantaFe.png
Riverfleet.png

User avatar
FightingBuckeye
Lieutenant Colonel
Posts: 280
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 7:27 am
Location: Englewood, CO

Mon May 18, 2015 7:19 am

And because I love little cliffhangers, battles did occur in Springfield and in Santa Fe. One held (for now) and one was lost. Stay tuned for more exciting adventures in the next report!

User avatar
FightingBuckeye
Lieutenant Colonel
Posts: 280
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 7:27 am
Location: Englewood, CO

Late September 1861: Turn 12

Wed May 20, 2015 4:45 am

[color="#008080"]Late September 1861: Turn 12[/color]

US National March, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urPMO-hXp2c

[color="#008080"]OVERVIEW:[/color] Union volunteers stand tall under Carson’s leadership in Santa Fe and Lyons defeats McCullough in battle and captures Springfield, MO! Sadly the populace doesn’t appreciate these victories as much as they should and NM remains unaffected by these battles. Still it appears that this is a turn for risky ventures throughout the Union. But war is itself a risky business and I think these risks are worth running. General Grant arrives just in time to lead an amphibious assault. A demonstration boils over in Golden, CO while others continue in three other regions out west and in the far west. Rangers burn down a stockade in eastern NM while enemy mounted troops destroy Ft Riley and besiege Ft Kearney. And finally, only a single brig unit remains in operation in the blockade boxes.

[color="#008080"]WEATHER:[/color] The muddy weather has moved south towards Arkansas and Louisiana. Rain reduces visibility along coastal regions.

[color="#008080"]EAST:[/color] McDowell railed to Leesburg as planned and was able to bring a single cavalry regiment to battle and proceeded to kill/capture the entire regiment. That’s 600 fewer cavalry troopers I’ll have to worry about. The cavalry units I sent to Falmouth pushed out the enemy cavalry regiment there without battle. Half my objective wasn’t accomplished as no casualties were inflicted, but I only see 1 militia unit in Culpepper with a battery en route to Manassas. In Fredericksburg the defenses are a little stronger with 2 volunteer brigades and the locked militia unit holding that crossing. It’s early and I’m assuming Arrow is doubling down on his defenses in Manassas in order to ensure my NM takes a hit. But Manassas is a little exposed, it could be easy to surround that position if Arrow’s deployment doesn’t change. I lack the strength and leaders to exploit it now, but I’ll be keeping my eye on his position.

Over 2K power is currently residing in Manassas. So taking that is definitely off the table and this was my last turn to take it, that NM should hit when I process the turn. The CSA forces there also pose a risk to both Leesburg and Alexandria. I’m going to take a risk and keep McDowell present in Leesburg. Additionally, I’m going to rail additional forces there where they’ll meet up with a single regiment I detached from McDowell’s army. A single regiment of marines will also rail to McDowell’s army bringing it up to the maximum CP without accruing any penalty. That’ll give me McDowell’s army and an independent force in Leesburg, both of which will enjoy good defensive ground and level 2 entrenchment.

My pattern with McDowell has been rail somewhere and then rail back out the next turn. If Arrow’s been paying attention to my movement with McDowell, he may choose to send a strong force to Leesburg in the anticipation that at most I might leave a token speed bump in his path. If he does send anything to Leesburg, even his entire army, I should be able to inflict a good number of casualties on him and maybe earn some experience for my units and sub-par leaders.

This decision is not without downside though, and it could potentially be a really bad one. Alexandria will be vulnerable if he has plans to move in that direction this turn. I could be wrong, but if he assumes I’ll rail out, the logical destination is back to Alexandria. I’m hoping he’ll assume that’s where McDowell will end up and will choose not to attack a strong defensive position. After all, who would choose to leave such an important position open when it’s right next to 2K power worth of CSA troops led brilliantly by the likes of Jackson, Longstreet, etc. I could be over thinking this though, so we’ll see what Straight Arrow does. To help lessen the risk, I’m bringing Hooker’s as of yet incomplete division as close as I can without any disloyal regions ferreting them out. Additionally, I’m pulling a couple units from Montgomery as it’s covered by McDowell’s presence at Leesburg; a couple more from my two positions opposite Harper’s Ferry; and most of the cavalry units I had covering the area north of the B&O railroad as that threat has lessened. Not including the locked garrison, that should give me around 17-18K soldiers and 90+ cannon there by the end of the turn. Those numbers along with the level 4 entrenchments should make any attack pay a heavy price for any real estate. Build in this theater are the usual transports, infantry regiments, support units, and an artillery battery.

[color="#008080"]WEST:[/color] With the expected attack into Tennessee, I will be creating a new theater. This theater will include operations along the Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky when that state joins the war. Lyons will be highlighted in the next theater. I’ve been gathering a force in Cairo and the arrival of General Grant comes at a fortuitous time. Earlier I’d sent some ships down to scout out Donelson and Island 10 and there is some very intriguing intelligence on those positions.

[ATTACH]33595[/ATTACH]

As you can see, there are 4 batteries with just a single brigade to provide close-in defense of those batteries. I have no idea of where Arrow’s forces in Tennessee are hiding or what their strength is. But I hear the siren call of those batteries just begging to be captured. I could be assaulting into a slaughterhouse, and as much as I’d like to go to Donelson I just can’t risk it without having better intel. Also playing a part in my decision is that I had a timberclad there two turns ago and it spotted the 1st Alabama and the Donelson garrison inside the fort with no forces outside. So these units just showed up this past turn and I can’t risk Arrow railing additional forces in before Grant & Co land. So I’ll instead attack Island 10. It’s not as big of a payoff as taking Donelson would really slow split Arrow’s forces between eastern and central Tennessee. But this way I don’t risk losing 10K+ with little to show for it. Builds were an ironclad, infantry, and a couple of batteries.

[color="#008080"]TRANS-MISSISSIPPI:[/color] General Lyon and his overwhelming forces were able to capture Springfield after a short stiff fight. This removes all the Missouri forces from Arrow’s force pool, hopefully for the rest of the game. I don’t think he was able to recruit too many of those forces either before he was pushed out. Additionally, with Springfield in my hands, it’ll be harder for CSA raiders to go after northern Missouri targets. After the battle with McCullough, Lyon's stack easily overwhelmed the militia garrison to add to Arrow's losses this turn.

[ATTACH]33596[/ATTACH]

I’ve decided to push on immediately towards Fayetteville. And this is where the risky business for this theater comes into play. Without the divisional formation available yet, Gen Lyon & company are greatly over CP, which is slowing him down to the point I can’t move the whole stack to Cass, MO (the region between Springfield & Fayetteville) in one turn. I will be breaking the force apart in order to reduce the over CP penalty enough to get them all there in one turn. However, two CSA brigades are present in that region and Arrow could decide to consolidate his forces into a blocking position there. McCullough’s stack was pushed west of Springfield and I think they’ll march directly south or southwest to get to Fayetteville. The two brigades already in Cass, MO were actually already moving towards Fayetteville when Springfield fell, so I’m going to hope they continue moving southwest to consolidate in Fayetteville. Otherwise Arrow could meet and defeat portions of my forces in detail.

Still, it’s not a huge risk as his greatest concentration of forces has already been mauled and won’t have much cohesion or as much strength as it otherwise might’ve had. By pressing on immediately, I hope to get Arrow focused on thinking about what I might do to him and not worry about what he can do to me. I know from reading the forums that Arrow likes to do some raiding and I want to cut that $#!+ out before it really gets going. If I can get Fayetteville, he’ll start running out of bases for his raiders to resupply and refit.

[color="#008080"]FAR WEST:[/color] Arrow somewhat surprised me as he was able to get his force to Santa Fe by moving through the region south of Santa Fe first. I’d forgotten that Shelby has the fast mover trait and so I didn’t enjoy the advantage of defending against a river crossing. Still, my militia gave a good account for themselves even without enjoying the river malus Arrow avoided. The casualties were slightly in his favor, 584 Union dead to 522 CSA dead. But comparatively, I only lost a little over 10% of my force while Arrow’s losses account for close to 20% of his force. The battle was a stalemate however and I expect it’ll pick up again next turn.

[ATTACH]33597[/ATTACH]

I’ll finally have marched an experienced infantry regiment all the way from Denver, CO and that’ll be reinforcing next turn. I’ve also decided to detach the worst hit ranger unit and sweep in behind Shelby’s force and retake Valencia and Albuquerque. Weakening my defensive force when it relies so much on brute strength could be a mistake, but our power is about equal after his losses and I should hopefully hold behind my defensive works. No builds in the Far West.

[ATTACH]33598[/ATTACH]
Losses mount on each side with a combined total topping the 10K mark for the first time.
Attachments
LSept61Table.png
61SantaFe.png
61Springfield.png
61Island10.jpg

User avatar
FightingBuckeye
Lieutenant Colonel
Posts: 280
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 7:27 am
Location: Englewood, CO

Wed May 20, 2015 5:12 am

You know I love little teasers so without further ado. An important lesson was reinforced when Alexandria was attacked leading to massive casualties and a 6 NM swing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1Y73sPHKxw

User avatar
BattleVonWar
Major
Posts: 221
Joined: Thu Mar 19, 2015 3:22 am

Wed May 20, 2015 5:41 am

The heart always sinks for the great Generals of the South and her boys. When expectation does not meet bayonet. The little failures against the Superior Yankee Invaders is all but small potatoes in the long run. When against insurmountable odds we shall climb the mountain of victory. Give not one inch not one desperate tear to the tattered soul upon broken assault. There will be another day, and onto the day victory. Be assured in your orders, be assured your constitution. To Colonel Arrow and his fine opponent Brigadier General Buckeye, may you fight on eternally in the Annals of History. To Victory! Or to merciless Death! ~BVW


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMqcF_mCW0Q (A tune for the opposition)



FightingBuckeye wrote:You know I love little teasers so without further ado. An important lesson was reinforced when Alexandria was attacked leading to massive casualties and a 6 NM swing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1Y73sPHKxw
For every Southern boy fourteen years old, not once but whenever he wants it, there is the instant when it's still not yet two o'clock on that July afternoon in 1863 ~~~

User avatar
FightingBuckeye
Lieutenant Colonel
Posts: 280
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 7:27 am
Location: Englewood, CO

Wed May 20, 2015 6:08 am

BattleVonWar wrote:The heart always sinks for the great Generals of the South and her boys. When expectation does not meet bayonet. The little failures against the Superior Yankee Invaders is all but small potatoes in the long run. When against insurmountable odds we shall climb the mountain of victory. Give not one inch not one desperate tear to the tattered soul upon broken assault. There will be another day, and onto the day victory. Be assured in your orders, be assured your constitution. To Colonel Arrow and his fine opponent Brigadier General Buckeye, may you fight on eternally in the Annals of History. To Victory! Or to merciless Death! ~BVN


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMqcF_mCW0Q (A tune for the opposition)


You write all that stuff about having your heart with the southern cause and then go and make me a general to Arrow's mere 'colonelcy' :winner:

There may be a couple musical selections I don't feel free to play due to which side of the war they came from. That link may or may not have been one of them.

Return to “CW2 AARs”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 7 guests