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Cardinal Ape
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Wed May 20, 2015 8:00 am

Cliffhangers suck. The movie was even worse.

I'm guessing you lost in Alexandria since you said that you left McDowell in Leesburg.

Did your capture of Springfield come with an intact depot?

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FightingBuckeye
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Wed May 20, 2015 9:15 am

Cardinal Ape wrote:Cliffhangers suck. The movie was even worse.


But however else am I going to keep the audience engaged and checking for updates? Or get them to chime in. ;)

I'm guessing you lost in Alexandria since you said that you left McDowell in Leesburg.


I'll never tell . . . ok I'll tell eventually. Just not until the next report.

Did your capture of Springfield come with an intact depot?


Very good question! I was remiss in omitting this important detail. And yes, Springfield (and Rolla before it) came with an intact depot. I also have a depot in Jefferson City courtesy of some flatboats. My force should be well supplied once Springfield's depot stocks up. Although I do need to take a couple more regions to really allow the supply to flow as my stockade in Eiro, MO is the only path through which supply can currently make it to Springfield. I've got a single cavalry regiment working on opening a second region for supply to push through and I'll tag other units with that task depending on whether I decide to push on to Fayetteville right away or not. If I hold off, I can probably spare a brigade or some cavalry with that task, otherwise I'll either need everyone in the attack on Fayetteville or holding Springfield & Eire.

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BattleVonWar
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Wed May 20, 2015 10:40 pm

You have to get on the bandwagon Buckeye, we Dixie Boys with our Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley showed you Yankees how to dance :P (of course wasn't Dixie written by people from Ohio? :P )

Brother vs Brother here Buckeye... but I do say this, I believe that you have played my PBEM Union turns more than any other player in the current patch. Also I probably am very close in CSA turns, PBEM. Although we may not break down the MC% and ZOC to an equation. I do not believe either of us would have an equal under current terms given all luck was pretty much the same. (we would then be the most experienced AGEOD CW2 PBEMers on Earth? Unless someone out there is playing privately)

Newer players if play long enough will discover the same as me and you. The Highway of Virginia/D.C. once closed is not a Highway any longer(you get a few turns when the game starts to push North or a gamble to push North). The South can only do better than history but the North can if she desires risk it all. Which I believe only historical to capture the Heart of the South. Which makes your opponent a finer opponent if he can delay the inevitable, his own collapse. To compete with history, and to win totally... like at Antietam or Gettysburg in that field is unlikely ever to happen in CW2. The entrenchment and narrow fronts shouldn't allow it unless a player is not quite there yet.

I am learning... I will get better... BTW: You are the finest opponent IMHO at CW2 as a Unionist, that there is. So your opponent should feel like a Major General if he can do what I mentioned. If...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQmO-WfEkk4 (Made by people from Ohio? :P )

FightingBuckeye wrote: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.
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 ~~~

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FightingBuckeye
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Early October 1861: Turn 13

Thu May 21, 2015 2:52 am

[color="#008080"]Early October 1861: Turn 13[/color]

Two Steps from Hell, I love to put these guys on while playing any strategy game. Really sets the epic mood needed to command armies of thousands as they march to battle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs0rCxizB5A

[color="#008080"]OVERVIEW:[/color] Have you ever had a bad day? A day where nothing seems to go right. Maybe the bad day started when you slept through your alarm, you follow it up by stubbing your toe getting into the bathroom, later you find out that the milk has gone bad the hard way, maybe you also lose your keys, and that all before you even get out the door. Well, you could say the men in Wharton’s brigade just had a very bad day. The 4,200 men of said brigade were probably tasked with chasing down some of those Damn Yankee cavalry in Falmouth. They diligently performed their appointed task all the way into Falmouth, they continued chasing that cavalry on into Alexandria, and ended (literally) in battle against an entire Union army. Yes, those boys in gray had an epically bad day and for many of them it was also their last day. The expected blow from the 10 NM hit was softened when that brigade was killed/captured almost to a man; 3 NM up for USA and 3 NM down for the CSA. The people rejoiced and there was much rejoicing.

Elsewhere Santa Fe sees the backside of a retreating CSA army, Fayetteville is threatened by Lyon’s army, Grant sieges Island 10, Union cavalry siege Lewisburg, WV, and mounted volunteer brigands are chased away from the siege of Ft Kearney. Runaway slaves enlist in the USN, four elite brigades answer the call from Abe Lincoln, and additional volunteers form up at Camp Dick Robinson. The divisional formation is now available and generals across the nation start forming the seething mass of loose units into cohesive fighting units. Agitators are countered in Baltimore while demonstrations in two more regions continue apace.

[color="#008080"]WEATHER:[/color] Most of Tennessee and West Virginia is bogged down in mud. The mud affects Grant at Island 10, but doesn’t really pose any hindrance there and actually helps.

[color="#008080"]EAST:[/color] The lesson here folks is be very careful about when you target a specific unit as you never know when it’ll run home to daddy and then you’ll be sorry. I don’t know if my two cav regiments and horse battery were targeted intentionally or if Arrow accidently dragged his brigade over them or not. Regardless of the why, one of those extremely large nine element Virginian brigades is pretty much gone. The report text says all were killed or captured, but the brigade still has 2 (out of a possible 154) hits remaining. Even if they successfully withdraw without further loss, that brigade has some MAJOR work needed before it is fit to fight again. In addition to the NM change, 10 WS was captured and eventually put to good use.

[ATTACH]33609[/ATTACH]

My cavalry units weren’t able to bring Arrow’s cavalry unit to battle in Falmouth last turn, but they inadvertently acted as bait to lure in a much bigger prize. Over the past couple turns, starting with catching Jackson in Leesburg, I’ve inflicted ~6,500 casualties in Virginia for the price of ~1,175 casualties, bagged a cavalry regiment plus Wharton’s Bde, and gained 4 NM from those battles. Basically, I have gotten the effects of a large battlefield win without having risked a general engagement with one of Arrow’s two armies. And lastly, General Hunter got a point in his defensive rating. I still have too many lame duck generals, but two of them are slightly less lame duck than the others, so hooray for blind luck in bringing Wharton’s Bde to almost complete destruction.

Maybe I’m feeling overconfident from a couple good wins in the East, but McDowell is going on the offensive this turn! Yeah, I think it’s crazy too. But I have identified a weakness in Arrow’s defensive positioning that I hope to exploit and for better or for worse, McDowell’s the man in charge. I’ve been in strength at Leesburg multiple times and Arrow has never reacted by strengthening Winchester. I’ve also never directly threatened Winchester, so it just has a single militia unit twiddling its thumbs. I didn’t think I had the manpower in the past to take Winchester and hold a supply and possible retreat path open while still holding Alexandria; but between the new builds and the divisional formations that has changed. It’s possible that without the need to defend Manassas from a possible suicidal attack and with the introduction of the divisional formations, Arrow will restructure his defensive lines. But 2K strongly entrenched is major overkill for Manassas against poor Union leadership, so I don’t know if he was thinking defensively so much as keeping a strong force consolidated in order to attack. Regardless, I’m doubting Arrow will put enough in Winchester to stop me. If all goes as planned, I should have an army sitting on Arrow’s supply lines to Harper’s Ferry with a strongly entrenched force in good defensive terrain at Leesburg. Hopefully this doesn’t blow up in my face because . . . well McDowell’s leading an offense and that right there is the stuff of Union nightmares and CSA dreams.

To help hold Leesburg, I am postponing any naval operations and am bringing Hooker’s division down from Philly. Hooker’s the best general I have in the East and he’ll have the seniority to lead any possible defense of Leesburg. He also has a handpicked division with the finest soldiers the North has to offer. Joining him will be most of my blocking forces at Montgomery & Chambers as well as odds and ends from Alexandria, Fredericktown, and new builds. Meanwhile, Banks will move down from raising loyalty in Baltimore to take over the defense of Alexandria. Banks is a terrible leader, but defensively he’s not much worse than most of my generals and he’ll provide enough CP to really cut down on my over CP penalty. I won’t be giving him an army though as for some reason Gen Fremont thinks he deserves one first and I’m not willing to take a NM hit just to give Banks an army.

[ATTACH]33610[/ATTACH]

Meanwhile a division in Morgantown will move up the rail lines in order to support operations against Harper’s Ferry. And two cavalry regiments have taken Clarksburg, south of Morgantown, and are sieging Lewisburg. Oh and the now unlocked coastal battery will start making its way to support operations along the Mississippi. I’ve decided to get an armored frigate and will probably order 1-2 more in future turns as well as a monitor or two. They’re expensive, but can really be worth it. Especially if Arrow decides to bring his river fleet out of the Mississippi and tries to interdict any naval landings I might conduct later. After all, he’s already brought his ironclad & gunboats to try and kill a dinky little brig unit. Another sharpshooter, some more batteries, an infantry brigade, and some more transports complete the purchases in this theater.

[color="#008080"]WEST:[/color] I scouted both Fts Henry & Donelson this past turn and immediately regretted not having attacked Donelson this past turn. Grant would not have run into a buzzsaw at Donelson. Still, it was the right decision even if this time it would have worked out. I couldn't have known there wouldn't be any movement there and I've learned the hard way that Grant unsupported by other forces can get into entirely too much trouble. My gunboat reports that the situation at Donelson went unchanged and that there are 1-2 infantry units with another 4 batteries at Henry. I’m also seeing some cavalry, a militia unit, and a single battery at Humbolt. Arrow can’t have too much else in the area to have countered a move to Donelson. What with what I’ve seen of Arrow’s builds in Louisiana, Texas, Missouri, etc and the dearth of brigs in the blockade boxes, 8 batteries are a pretty stiff price to pay for the CSA. Still Grant landed without issue and now personally leads a strong division with a second weaker one under Milroy. I’ve sent the other two generals I had with my force back along with the transports for another load of men. I’m going to need a couple more transports in the future if I want to drop more men off at once. But for now my 1.5 divisions will assault the fort with little worry of outside interfere thanks to a blocking force of timberclads to my south and muddy weather further slowing down movement into the swampy morass that is Island 10.

I’m getting a single infantry brigade and two of those transports I mentioned earlier. That should allow me to move more than 2 understrength divisions plus support at a single time. And they should be ready in Cairo to start supporting Grant this coming turn.

[color="#008080"]TRANS-MISSISSIPPI:[/color] My prediction of Arrow’s course of action was pretty spot on as at least some of the former Springfield defenders are at Ft Wayne. And no one consolidated at Cass, MO. Now my force is formed into 3 divisions of varying strength and won’t be picked apart in detail. However, I forgot the basic tenet of reconnaissance, never lose sight of the enemy. I didn’t detail any of my cavalry to move to where I could get eyes on the two possible routes.

I’m seeing a stronger than expected presence in Fayetteville. But I suspect that Arrow split his forces into small groups and sent them on independently to Fayetteville. Looking at the playback it doesn’t appear that the extra defenders came in from anywhere else than the remnants of Springfield. And there was a gaggle of units instead of one coherent force moving towards Ft Wayne before I lost sight of them. I say remnants, because at least as of this past run through, many of Arrow’s units still evidenced battle losses that hadn’t been replaced yet.

I’m going to pull up here in order to await some reinforcements, regain lost cohesion, and fully stock my wagons up on ammo. The unknown strength of the force at Ft Wayne troubles me. If I’m right, there shouldn’t be too much there. In which case I should be able to safely attack next turn with the fire of a thousand suns; I don’t think that Arrow has a strong enough SPF. If I’m wrong, then it’s possible that what I’m seeing in Fayetteville are reinforcing units brought up from the Red River and I could be leading my force into a loss. Another reason for a delay here is that although the captured depot really upped marginal supply levels, it only replaced some of the ammo used in battle. So I’m still only at 63% for ammo after the last battle for Springfield. I don’t like the prospect of fighting without a full ammo loadout. Barring the presence of major CSA reinforcements, in the next turn or so I expect three tough divisions to fall upon Fayetteville.

[ATTACH]33611[/ATTACH]

A unit of CSA mounted volunteers burned Ft Riley a couple turns ago and then moved on to Ft Kearney were the fort was promptly brought under siege. Mud at the wrong time pretty much stopped any Union response in its tracks. But with clear weather and dry ground, one of my cavalry regiments was able to bring those volunteers to battle and chased them off with light casualties all around. I also have the Oregon cavalry unit operating out there and that should hopefully end any stockade burning shenanigans for now. We’re straying into the FW Theater here, but an artillery battery and three experienced infantry regiments are closing in on Denver. They should all arrive in the next couple of weeks where they’ll stay to guard against any CSA deep raid aimed at the gold field of Colorado.

[color="#008080"]FAR WEST:[/color] Well, Shelby’s fast movement sure is a sight to see. Shelby’s entire force made it all the way back to Mesilla in one turn. Mud in this region would have really helped me but alas Mother Nature is not an ally this time around. The ammo for my Tucson force is just about down to nothing and what’s present in Mora isn’t enough to give all my units enough ammo for a single battle. Meanwhile, there’s plenty of ammo in two locked supply wagons. I’m going to cross my fingers and send out my fast movers to pick up ammo from the wagon at Mora. Hopefully Shelby sits for a turn and replaces battle losses, giving me time to pick up ammo and dash back before he comes calling a 2nd time. Two more turns until all of my locked forces become available, I just need to hold out for a little bit longer. At least Carson was active as my force should fight better within a divisional formation.

[ATTACH]33612[/ATTACH]

Very costly turn for the South. The total NM change is only 4 NM instead of the full 10 NM that was expected. And it’s hard to beat that kind of a casualty ratio. CSA power dropped for the 2nd straight turn and is down a full 8 points from a month ago.
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61EOctAR.jpg
61EOctVA.jpg
61LSepLeesburg.png

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FightingBuckeye
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Thu May 21, 2015 3:33 am

BattleVonWar wrote:I am learning... I will get better... BTW: You are the finest opponent IMHO at CW2 as a Unionist, that there is. So your opponent should feel like a Major General if he can do what I mentioned. If...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQmO-WfEkk4 (Made by people from Ohio? :P )


First, fine choice in the music. I don't approve of it as a (current) Union man, but outside the confines of this game it's a good selection. I'd never actually heard the words to that tune before. And I am still learning this game, but I really do appreciate your praise. I'm hoping that by game's end Straight Arrow will have a similar view of my ability as the Union. I've come to respect your play and sportsmanship over the course of our games. He's impressed me with some of the stuff he's done in the FW. I've never actually faced a player who was so committed to taking NM. I fear I may lose Santa Fe, at least temporarily.

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Cardinal Ape
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Thu May 21, 2015 8:26 pm

You fooled me. When you said there was a 6NM swing I assumed there was some big battle... Looks like you got really lucky by getting 3NM off of Wharton's Bde.

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FightingBuckeye
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Fri May 22, 2015 4:05 am

Well, in all fairness I did say that I benefited from blind luck :-p

The thought that Arrow would target my cavalry like that hadn't even crossed my mind before hand. I was more concerned with the possibility that a whole army would fall upon my position.

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FightingBuckeye
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Sun May 24, 2015 9:19 pm

Huh, I just realized I referred to Butler as Banks in my previous report. Well, one one crappy 3* Union general is pretty much the same as another crappy 3*. Banks is safely out of the way in New York using his recruiting abilities to good affect. Butler has scarily taken over the defense of Alexandria. The next report should be out within an hour or so.

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FightingBuckeye
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Late October 1861: Turn 14

Sun May 24, 2015 10:01 pm

[color="#008080"]Late October 1861: Turn 14[/color]
Battle Hymn of the Republic: I couldn’t put off including this timeless classic from the Civil War. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5mmFPyDK_8

[color="#008080"]OVERVIEW:[/color] Straight Arrow is usually pretty quick with the turnaround and the game usually is awaiting me to find time to get to writing this AAR. Last turn though, I’d turned around my turn with pretty good speed and waited on Straight Arrow. He’s a family man with kids, so it makes sense that family comes first. However, this left me to stew in my plans for several days. I decided to make a change by sending several cavalry units to Clarke, VA with the object of cutting the rail there. Previously I’d considered and rejected it as putting cavalry that close to a major force with access to rail lines is not without its risks. But I decided to mount the operation despite its risks as I could’ve given McDowell more time to entrench and recover any lost cohesion a move and short battle might’ve cost his force. Sadly the risk caught up to my cavalry force and aside from the general and a late arriving unit, they were completely wiped out when Longstreet got there first. Karma and fate having a sense of humor and justice, those cavalry units were the same ones that acted as accidental decoys to Wharton’s lost brigade.

Grant captures Island 10 and earns promotion to 3* rank, another volunteer brigade forms in Morgantown, and McDowell successfully takes Winchester. For once, there are no building demonstrations as one was stopped and another boiled over. McClellan is appointed CINC of the Union Army and sees an exorbitant rise in his political cost. Lastly, Santa Fe is under a new threat.

[color="#008080"]WEATHER:[/color] The weather seems to have moved westward. Most of New Mexico, Kansas, the IT, and parts of Mizzou are all bogged down in mud. The mud in NM could contribute to me losing Santa Fe.

[color="#008080"]EAST:[/color] Well, despite the loss of three cavalry units, the rest of the plan to isolate General Johnston’s Army of the Shenandoah at Harper’s Ferry went off without a hitch. Longstreet led a force of two strong divisions in taking up a defensive position at Clarke, VA. Other than that, there wasn’t any major change to the CSA positions as far as my recon could see. I don’t quite have Harper’s Ferry cut off, so that Army can still receive supply or successfully withdraw. For now, I’m going to reorganize my defenses some and see if this move will draw Arrow into attacking me or if he starts to withdraw the Army of the Shenandoah. This is where I wish I had a better feel for my opponent. A cautious or conservative player might just write Harper’s Ferry off and withdraw Johnston’s army before it’s completely cutoff. A dice-roller or aggressively minded player might attack me at one of three different regions; Winchester, Leesburg, or Alexandria.

[ATTACH]33620[/ATTACH]

I currently have three divisions at Winchester, four at Leesburg, and three divisions plus some orphan units at Alexandria. During the reorganization of my moves to support the failed rail cutting operation, I somehow cancelled the movement orders for Gen Runyon’s partial division to Alexandria. That coupled with some inactivity from my other generals only let me form a 3rd division at Alexandria instead of the planned 3rd and 4th divisions. With the open and clear terrain coupled with its importance in safeguarding DC, I think Alexandria’s the weakest spot in my lines. And of all the potential moves Arrow has available, it could also have the biggest adverse effect should he successfully carry that position.

Should Alexandria fall, the majority of my forces would be out of position to defend Washington with McDowell at Winchester and Hooker at Leesburg. I could probably successfully defend Washington even if Alexandria falls, maybe. I don’t like “probably” or “maybe” when it comes to my nation’s capital. So I’m going to split the third division off of Butler’s stack in Alexandria. Next I’m going to rail Hamilton’s strong division from Fredericktown in as well as Shurtz’s division from Leesburg. I should stay within my CP limit with the splitting of my stack, the CP provided by 2* Hamilton & 3* Butler, as well as balloon and HQ support. It risks one of those stacks not engaging, so it’s not without its downside. But that’ll give me five full divisions in a strong defensive position and plenty of artillery. I’ll likely need all the numbers I can muster if Alexandria comes under attack.

The partial division at Montgomery and some orphan units in Alexandria will move to take up Hamilton’s vacated position at Fredericktown. New builds will stop at DC in order to not put either stack in Alexandria over CP. Since I’m half expecting an attack at Alexandria, I also don’t want singleton units targeted without a division to spread the hits around and prevent outright destruction of any orphan brigades, regiments, or batteries caught in the crossfire.

[ATTACH]33621[/ATTACH]

The second likeliest spot for an attack to land is on McDowell at Winchester. I’ll reach the first level of entrenchment by day 3, but McDowell’s still open to attack should Arrow get aggressive. Leesburg and Winchester are both constricted areas which will limit the total number of troops involved and give me defensive bonuses. One star Gen Hooker, despite commanding three divisions, is only taking a 5% CP penalty and is pretty well entrenched. His force is also strong enough and close enough to immediately counterattack any movement towards Alexandria.

Gen Mansfield will continue to advance towards Harper’s Ferry and will limit any CSA movement in or out of Harper’s Ferry to a single region corridor. Although there’s a depot at Harper’s Ferry and the Army of the Shenandoah has supply wagons and could probably live off all those supplies for a while, Arrow’s window for extracting that force is closing rapidly. He doesn’t have the enough troops to defend all three regions I could attack in order to complete the encirclement. Short of threatening Washington or my own supply route, Arrow must pull out of Harper’s Ferry.

[color="#008080"]WEST:[/color] General Grant successfully assaulted Island 10. Unfortunately the actual fort was destroyed during the assault. However, I can now promote Grant and give him his 3rd star and I will do so immediately. I’m sending a third division to Grant’s position with enough orphan units to flesh out Milroy’s understrength one. Arrow reacted to Grant’s arrival by moving all of his force out of Humbolt except the militia garrison. The units outside Ft Donelson are now gone. I don’t know if it’s WAD or not, but my gunboat didn’t show any units (stationary or moving) during the replay. Still, I think it’s reasonable to guess that the units outside Donelson moved inside the fort. There were four units inside and four outside last turn and there are now 8 units inside and none outside. If Arrow doesn’t change his disposition at Ft Donelson, I will use my new expanded river transport capacity to move Grant to Ft Donelson. With plenty of artillery and a supply unit, sieging Donelson would take a long time. But I’d be inclined to assault the position in order to capture those 4 artillery and 1 supply units. I probably won’t assault right away though. Even if I just lay siege, I doubt Arrow has enough forces to evict me and that garrison would fall eventually.

General McClellan will be given command of an ‘army’ in order to sooth his feathers should I decide to give Grant an army in the next couple of turns. Depending on any NM/VP cost, I will be looking to give Grant his army as soon as the price is reasonable. In the meantime I’ll try to carry out successful attacks in order to boost his seniority as best as possible.

[color="#008080"]TRANS-MISSISSIPPI:[/color] It does appear that the new forces that showed up in Fayetteville last turn were the defenders from Springfield as I mostly believed. I will set Gen Lyon in motion once again, this time to Fayetteville itself. Unfortunately a couple thousand expected reinforcing soldiers aren’t present due to delays in movement. So I will be moving in with a lighter than expected force. I’ve already delayed a turn and don’t want to give Arrow even more time to set his defenses in order and potentially bring up new forces. I still have an advantage in numbers and I believe I have better quality to go along with numbers. Set against that will be a defender’s inherent advantages and the hilly nature of this battlefield. It’ll be interesting to see which prevails. In Nebraska a couple of my cavalry units are acting in concert to hopefully destroy those mounted volunteers who attempted to burn my line of forts. Arrow’s unit is out of supply and at half strength, hopefully I can complete it’s destruction.

[color="#008080"]FAR WEST:[/color] Be careful what you wish for. I hoped I would get mud in this theater and that’s exactly what happened. But Shelby’s force moved up and is closer than expected to Santa Fe. And that mud is delaying my units returning to Santa Fe by a fair amount. Looking at the terrain and mud I don’t think Shelby’s force can reach Santa Fe this turn. But he got his force all the way from Santa Fe to Messila in one turn, so who knows what he could do. I’m not seeing any batteries this time, but I do see a couple brigades whose composition is unknown to me, which further complicates trying to figure out if he could reach me this turn or not. On the plus side Shelby’s force is still a loose one. So either he hits me this turn in a loose formation, in a divisional one while taking hits to his command ratings for a turn, or he doesn’t attack this turn. Ammo continues to be a concern at only 27% capacity and the mud certainly won’t help in getting that number higher. My locked units will be unlocked next turn and I’ll finally have some better quality troops and artillery.

[ATTACH]33622[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]33619[/ATTACH]
Although Wharton’s Bde is avenged with the deaths of those three cavalry units, no NM resulted from the battle. The garrison losses of Winchester and Island 10 keeps the loss ratio pretty even for the turn.
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BattleVonWar
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Mon May 25, 2015 11:28 am

An imminent route seems at hand. I can see an entire CSA Army soon to be swallowed unless a great miracle can be pulled off. Unfortunately the Generals do not change as much as the terrain and entrenchment.
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 ~~~

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FightingBuckeye
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Mon May 25, 2015 6:38 pm

I will be looking to leverage the momentum and gaps in the CSA lines. But I don't think I have the leaders or the numbers to really route anyone quite yet in Virginia. Still, any regions I grab now will help me out in the next year or so. I'll be able to have more operational flexibility if I can reduce or eliminate the threat to Washington. Manassas is a dagger pointed directly at the Union heart and defending against that thrust is a deadweight that ties up a good portion of my army and reduces my options.

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FightingBuckeye
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Early November 1861: Turn 15

Tue May 26, 2015 3:39 am

[color="#008080"]Early November 1861: Turn 15[/color]

In honor of Memorial Day, Band of Brothers theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKg1vMeaY5M
As I order these digital Soldiers around, it's easy to lose track or forget that they're supposed to represent actual humans who suffered through this deadly war. Wherever your sympathies in this war lie, all who lost their lives fighting deserve our respect and honor. Never forget those who've paid the ultimate sacrifice stretching from the Revolutionary War to the present day. As Robert E. Lee said, "It is well that war is so terrible, otherwise we should grow too fond of it."

[color="#008080"]OVERVIEW:[/color] Winter weather strikes across the nation. This was an up and down (mainly down) turn for the Union. The attack in Springfield sees losses on both sides with an edge to the defenders. General Beauregard starts to move into Winchester before ultimately sitting tight. Ft Craig sees no such reprieve and faces the iron might that is General Shelby. The Great Scott (sorry couldn’t resist that word play) resigns while the flotilla brigade lends its service to this great country. Only one demonstration to report this turn in the gold field of Colorado. General Grant is now a 3* while Gen Lyon can now be promoted to 2* despite the failed attack on Fayetteville.

[color="#008080"]WEATHER:[/color] The winter weather struck hard and fast in Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, and the Great Lakes states. Very harsh weather pushed Mansfield’s division north and off the temporarily closed rail line. It will also slow down the movement of units and/or supplies into or out of Harper’s Ferry. Winchester and the actual Shenandoah Valley region are just about the only regions not affected by either mud, harsh, or very harsh weather in this front.

[color="#008080"]EAST:[/color] My last cavalry regiment in Clarke was destroyed before it could make good its escape. I hadn’t even attempted to assign it a rail cutting mission. Ah well, I’ll make sure I raise a monument to my troopers’ steely resolve and determination in the face of overwhelming odds. Johnston stayed in Harper’s Ferry but did send a large brigade to Strasburg. Meanwhile it looked like Old B was going to attack Winchester but stopped advancing on day 5 or so. I’m not sure if it was just a display bug or if something caused Arrow’s orders to attack me to go awry. Personally, I’m betting that army had intercept orders with the large brigade coming from HF and it stopped moving north once the brigade go to Strasburg.

Regardless of what may or may not have been intended, we not have both of the CSA armies operating within the Shenandoah valley while a large force remains at Manassas. One of Arrow’s armies still have access to a railroad and he could quickly turn around and hit Alexandria if I get too aggressive. The Shenandoah Valley region is currently undefended and has clear weather. Despite what I just said about not being too aggressive, I’m going to move McDowell’s entire army into that region while Hooker will move up to take up defensive positions in Winchester. It’ll take McDowell 11 days to reach his target, so quite a few forces could easily be waiting for him. But if it works, I’ll have isolated BOTH CSA armies from N. Virginia. I did consider moving McDowell to take the last open region where his CSA army could slip out of, but it would take McDowell 20 days to reach.

I do have more units coming online every turn, so the threat to DC is diminishing rapidly. It might be touch and go with 43K out of position to help hold my line, especially without my old warhorse in Gen Scott playing goalie back in DC. But I suspect Arrow will be more worried about the possibility of one of his two armies being surrounded and decimated than any move against DC. General Hamilton’s division will move to take up Hooker’s old position at Leesburg while Butler will sit tight in Alexandria and await news on whether General Beauregard stays in the valley and if McDowell is succesfull. If all goes well, I’ll start flanking Manassas and see how much ground I can cover before Arrow can redeploy.

[color="#008080"]WEST:[/color] General Grant has his third star and his third division. I’m still short a couple elements, but am otherwise ready to resume offensive operations. The situation at Donelson remains largely unchanged, so that is my target. Some very harsh weather is present, but I’m not assaulting the fort I just want to drop my guys off. General Polk moved what appears to be 1 division back to Humbolt while Ft Henry has 4 batteries and a supply wagon behind some strong defenses. Yes, that’s right, there’s no infantry in that stack at Henry. I’m tempted go after those artillery units, but the possibility of say Polk’s division moving back into those defenses isn’t appealing. Landing at Ft Donelson isn’t without risk, but even if a force does arrive, it won’t have the advantage of strong defenses to hide behind.

I do judge the chance of a large force contesting my landing at Donelson to be pretty low. All signs are pointing towards Arrow choosing forces that could hold out in a siege for some time before getting relieved. I don’t think he would’ve so readily abandoned his entrenchment so readily two turns ago if he were planning on moving a large(r) force to Donelson. And he hasn’t moved anyone to this region outside of a single leader that just arrive this past turn. He may not be aware that I’ve built up my transports enough to be able to drop 3 divisions and their support units at one time. Or he could have a large force lurking at Nashville. I’ll take my chances with Grant and 3 divisions against any possible force Arrow can mount . . . just so long as I get off the ‘beach’ first.

[color="#008080"]TRANS-MISSISSIPPI:[/color] I did lose in Fayetteville as mentioned earlier, but the losses weren’t too far off from each other. I killed off one of the CSA’s volunteer brigades but really didn’t do much to the two CSA divisions. Round 2 was brutal for me, I inflicted 44 hits against the volunteer brigade I’d shot up on round one. All but one of those hits were wasted as the ‘brigade’ only had a single hit left. Apply those wasted hits towards one of the two divisions instead and the battle’s a draw or Union victory. Not having those missing elements that I moved in without because they missed the bus also probably came up big. I might’ve wiped that brigade out in one round had they been present. As it is, it’s a CSA win and 1 NM up for Arrow and 1 NM down for me.

[ATTACH]33631[/ATTACH]

Keyes’ weaker cavalry division will try to slink off and recuperate as they got roughed up while Gen Lyon will stay with the other two divisions. Lyon did earn a promotion for having killed that CSA brigade and he’ll be sporting two stars come next turn. Up in Nebraska, I continue to play tag with the remnants of the volunteer brigade. There’s some mud out there, but no real winter weather yet. Still, his unit is down to ¼ strength and they shouldn’t be with us for too much longer.

[color="#008080"]FAR WEST:[/color] Santa Fe was safe because it wasn't the target this turn. But Ft Craig got walloped hard by Shelby. It's not safe anywhere in NM unless I can combine my disparate forces.

[ATTACH]33634[/ATTACH]

I’m seeing at least 3 regular brigades and what appears to be 3 batteries in Shelby’s division. I hope to make him pay elsewhere for that commitment in force strength. But for now, the best I can hope for out here is to survive long enough to combine with my forces coming down from California. Holding Santa Fe just became moot with that display of strength. I’m taking Carson’s division to meet with the survivors of the battle at S. Cibola to the west of Valencia. Meanwhile the rest of my force will fall back onto Mora. I really don’t want to have those batteries or supply wagons fall into Arrow’s possession. I can more readily afford to lose Santa Fe and the rest of NM then I can for those units to be used against me. This will be touch and go though as Shelby enjoys a movement bonus against me and I have 3 separated forces that alone can’t face Shelby’s hard cracking division.

[ATTACH]33632[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]33633[/ATTACH]

Arrow reverses recent casualty ratios to inflict roughly 2-1 casualties on me this turn.
Attachments
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FightingBuckeye
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Tue May 26, 2015 3:53 am

My bad, CSA morale is at 110. One up for Fayetteville and I'd assume he gained a NM for some event or other. I gained one due to normalization and lost one in battle to come out even.

Also, Arrow has started up an AAR of his own. It started as a dry joke I made about how he should just tell me all his plans and moves so I could include them in this AAR. Please remember this is an ongoing game and I think both myself and Straight Arrow would like to keep our knowledge of each others' intentions and moves limited to what we can observe and infer. Thanks!

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FightingBuckeye
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Tue May 26, 2015 4:02 am

I'll keep mum about what happened at Ft Donelson and Fayetteville for now, one went well and one went poorly. But this is a pretty sight.

[ATTACH]33635[/ATTACH]
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Late November 1861: Turn 16

Tue Jun 02, 2015 6:24 am

[color="#008080"]Late November 1861: Turn 16[/color]

The Fighting 69th; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWvdf_51Iq0

[color="#008080"]OVERVIEW:[/color] Apologies for the delay. I’ve been a little busy with work and family as well as fighting a mild cold/flu. This was a busy and exciting turn for battles and was also the costliest single turn for both sides with a combined 17K+ battlefield casualties. This was also a very mixed turn with several positive and negative things occurring. First, I lied about the preview I’d sent earlier as I once again didn’t have Straight Arrow’s orders in right. I reran it once Arrow pointed out the issue and a series of three battles were fought in Winchester. Ultimately the Union would prevail, but it was Hooker’s timely arrival that ultimately saved the day and the region. Grant successfully landed in Donelson without meeting any opposition which is a relief. Gen Lyon was defeated at Fayetteville and withdrew back towards Springfield. Lastly, disaster struck at Ft Craig with the survivors of last turn hounded and brought to complete anhilation before they could withdraw to join with Carson’s force.

National Morale rose 9 points due to a battle in Winchester, the YMCA support to the war effort, Capital defenses beef up, and the Trent Affair all occurring. One NM and $100K were lost due to the Van Wyck report coming out. Still an uptick of 8 NM in one turn is great news! General Lyon was promoted to 2* rank and will look to push back into Fayetteville over the coming turns. Finally, the agitators in the gold fields of Colorado were countered; leaving the Union free of any brewing demonstrations.

[color="#008080"]WEATHER:[/color] As if embarrassed by it’s earlier severity, the weather has vastly improved in Virginia. Winchester, Harper’s Ferry, and a couple other regions remain muddy. But most of the prospective battlefields in the Eastern Theater are clear with some lingering snow in the mountains of WV. The harsh weather has also departed Tennessee and has left mud behind in its wake. Mizzou remains a mixed bag of clear, muddy, and snowy regions. Colorado remains embraced by the harsh weather.

[color="#008080"]EAST:[/color] Old Beauregard moved into Winchester with his army. Despite enjoying the position of a defender, McDowell was unable to parlay that into a battlefield victory. After two battles, McDowell’s army was in full retreat and Arrow was in possession of Winchester. That possession was quickly contested with a 3rd battle upon Hooker’s arrival. He was able to decisively defeat the enemy and regained possession of Winchester as well as earning our fine nation 2 NM. Unfortunately, the cavalry unit I’d detached to hold the ground was destroyed along with a supply wagon that Arrow’s force captured and took with them as they departed the region.

[ATTACH]33665[/ATTACH]

McDowell’s army is in need of recovering its cohesion while Arrow’s army remains in pretty good shape. As such, I can’t risk advancing either Hooker or McDowell in an attempt to take the Shenandoah region. I’m bringing up a decent division up from Alexandria and that will fill out McDowell’s army. I’m also bringing the division from Frederickstown to Leesburg. This leaves Johnston with the opportunity to advance from Harper’s Ferry. But with Arrow’s failed attempt to reestablish a secure logistics path and the fragile position that army is already in, I doubt Arrow will advance and further lengthen his already tenuous logistics problem. My railroad network should also let me quickly react if Arrow tries to threaten with Johnston’s army. I’m short additional quality divisions and can’t realistically pull any more of the divisions from Alexandria until I can bring more troops forward. The steady destruction of cavalry regiments over the past couple turns has left me with a growing recon problem.

[ATTACH]33671[/ATTACH]

[color="#008080"]WEST:[/color] Once again I lament at what could have been. Four artillery batteries and a supply unit are all what’s at Ft Henry. They’re well entrenched and on a rail network, so I couldn’t risk Arrow bringing a division of ground troops or something equally decisive. It would’ve been nice to capture all those units and the opportunity has come and gone. Still, Grant landed on top of Ft Donelson without meeting any enemy troops. And by my estimation there are 4 infantry/militia regiments, 4 artillery batteries, and a supply wagon inside the fort. With Grant present with 3 divisions, I don’t know if Arrow can save those units. For now, Grant will recover some cohesion and await Arrow’s response. Hopefully I can cause at least one break in the fort’s structure in order to aid in an assault there in the coming turns. One division is at Island 10 and I have another one at Cairo that I may bring over to Donelson depending on Arrow’s response.

[color="#008080"]TRANS-MISSISSIPPI:[/color] Once again Lyon suffered a close defeat at Fayetteville and was kicked out to Cass, MO. I can’t help but wonder what would’ve happened had I not delayed that one turn or had the reinforcing units been able to arrive in time to participate in the battle. For now, I will lick my wounds and see what develops. I’m strongly considering attacking once more after Lyon’s force has recovered. If Arrow reinforces or the weather remains bad, I may withdraw back to Springfield were I would send one division to partake in the offensive operations in Tennessee. Springfield was my main goal for this campaign and I’ve pocketed it quite nicely. Fayetteville would be nice, but isn’t as important. Arrow’s marauding cavalry could’ve easier used Springfield as a base and I’ve deprived Arrow of the Mizzou force pool.

[ATTACH]33667[/ATTACH]

[color="#008080"]FAR WEST:[/color] Disaster, absolute disaster. I was not paying as much attention to scouting El Paso and Messila as I should have over the previous turns. I knew Arrow had 1 regular brigade and an artillery unit operating out in this theater. But I had no clue he’d invested so much out here. This unanticipated and unlooked for force buildup allowed Ft Craig to come under attack from an overwhelming force last turn and the destruction was completed this turn. Now 2 additional batteries and a supply unit are all in Arrow’s hands. Carson will start making his way back to Mora where I’m attempting to hold the line at for now. I will most likely have to pull back up into Colorado once I consolidate my force. I don’t know what I would’ve done had I known the strength of the storm that Arrow had brewing out here, but it’s far too late to have saved the Ft Craig force.

[ATTACH]33668[/ATTACH]

The Colorado gold field is suddenly a lot more vulnerable with the complete loss of one of my stacks in NM. That stack had exactly what Carson’s force really needed, cannon and line units to give my militia some backbone. I do have some militia in Colorado in addition to the force from Washington & Oregon. I’m also dispatching four cavalry regiments and a horse artillery under the dubious leadership of General Humphreys (3-1-1) to back up the 3 cavalry regiments that I’ve been using to combat CSA rangers and mounted units operating along the southern fort line to Colorado. I’m going to start hedging most of these fast movers towards Colorado in case Shelby strikes north. With the winter weather of Colorado and an infantry/artillery division under Shelby’s command vice a cavalry one, for now the danger of a quick hard strike to Colorado is low. But who knows what else Arrow has up his sleeve and he’s already given me one rather rude surprise. The plus side of all this is that the CSA only has so many resources and with so much devoted out here, Arrow’s going to be hurting elsewhere. For example say Virginia and Tennessee.

[ATTACH]33669[/ATTACH]
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FightingBuckeye
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Tue Jun 02, 2015 6:26 am

I uploaded the wrong image for Virginia, here's one with what I've done.

[ATTACH]33670[/ATTACH]
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Cardinal Ape
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Tue Jun 02, 2015 7:13 am

Looks like things are starting to heat up just in time for winter. Good stuff.

That is a lot of infantry in New Mexico, not much you can do about that with the available force pools in the area. Shelby may not have earned any NM off that battle, but maybe Straight Arrow did. Its not fun to get a turn of all defeats.

You can edit out that false pic if you want.

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FightingBuckeye
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Tue Jun 02, 2015 7:55 am

Cardinal Ape wrote:Looks like things are starting to heat up just in time for winter. Good stuff.

That is a lot of infantry in New Mexico, not much you can do about that with the available force pools in the area. Shelby may not have earned any NM off that battle, but maybe Straight Arrow did. Its not fun to get a turn of all defeats.

You can edit out that false pic if you want.


I got complacent out in the FW and thought I 'knew' what Arrow had out there. I knew he'd built that one brigade and battery and then didn't see anything else building, so I stopped scouting and focused on holding Santa Fe because of the threat and attacks it went through. You're right, ultimately I'd have lost whenever I went up against that division even if I'd known what was coming. But I probably would've started prepping to soften the hammer blow. Or maybe moved more cavalry to the plains while the weather was good. Had I put Carson at Fort Craig earlier I might've been able to at least prevent the capture of those batteries and supply units. Ah well, NM isn't a huge theater and as long as I can hold Denver and the gold field it's not a huge blow. Not compared to what he's invested out there. I'm a little worried though about what he might do come spring and summer though.

Thanks for the tip about the image. I knew I could pull it out of the post, but it was still showing up as an attachment and there's a limit of 5 attachments per post. I didn't realize there was a way to completely delete an image out once it'd been attached. And I did win that one battle in Winchester to give me the 2 NM, so it wasn't all defeats. I'm just happy Grant landed without running into a division or two that Arrow decided to move in. With the weather and all, that riverine landing could've been really painful.

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Early December 1861: Turn 17

Thu Jun 04, 2015 4:08 am

[color="#008080"]Early December 1861: Turn 17[/color]

Hell March: Yes, it’s not Civil War timeframe and it’s certainly not American. But I’ve fallen into choosing an era appropriate song and then something more recent. I didn’t really consider that there could be 100+ total turns, so I may have to discontinue this or just add something in every once in awhile, I’m taking requests as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsIcGL-qQ3c

[color="#008080"]OVERVIEW:[/color] This turn was pretty quiet all around. The only fighting that occurred were a couple cavalry skirmishes in the far west. Demonstrations start brewing in Nevada. New army HQs are available to build, the Western Brigade has formed, and a new volunteer brigade is available at Camp Dick Robinson. Carson escaped north to Santa Fe while Shelby withdrew to Messila. Mansfield finds himself in a sticky situation after his division was moved due to bad weather.

[color="#008080"]WEATHER:[/color] The brief respite of good weather is gone in the WV mountains. Harsh weather spreads across the entire plains and can now be found from Memphis and all regions northwards. A pocket of clear weather can be found in southern Missouri and around Fayetteville. Virginia remains mostly clear.
[color="#008080"]EAST:[/color] Arrow has detached Longstreet’s division from Old B’s army and sent him to take over the defense of Manassas. Other than that, most of Arrow’s dispositions remains the same as last turn. Arrow has stubbornly refused to leave Harpers Ferry. I understand why he did so as he did make two attempts to attack Winchester, the first derailed when some units appeared to join his stack and set his arrival date back. The second came distressingly close to succeeding despite the good defensive terrain and such McDowell enjoyed. Had he been able to kick me out, his lines would’ve been restored. But now, that he’s down to only 2 divisions and many orphan units in that army, I doubt he’s still planning to kick me out of Winchester. And yet Johnston’s small army still remains in place.

I had planned on Mansfield’s division on arriving in Morgan, WV to complete the encirclement of Johnston. He would’ve arrived in 16 days which means he was 1 day short of his arrival date when bad weather forced him out of the mountains. It’s not too unexpected given the time of the year, but I was hoping the bad weather would’ve held off for another week. Or failing that, that Mansfield would be moved somewhere else. Instead, Mansfield’s division, mostly comprised of volunteer brigades, finds itself in the same region as Beauregard’s army. I’m going to try and withdraw that beleaguered division on G/G and evade. I have 8 days before they reach safety, which is 8 days too long IMO. Crossing my fingers though.

McDowell’s been reinforced with a 4th division and will now attempt to complete the encirclement that Mansfield was supposed to. I would’ve had to move either McDowell or Hooker to reinforce anyway. Hooker will hold the line while McDowell moves to slam the door shut on Harper’s Ferry. The other major movement in this theater is moving my weakest division at Leesburg to Alexandria. With the arrival of Longstreet’s large division, Arrow has amassed quite a force at Manassas. I doubt he’ll attack, but Alexandria is a region I really can’t afford to lose.

[color="#008080"]WEST:[/color] Grant faces a division under Polk at Ft Henry and nothing else has shown itself in the nearby area. I did managed to completely breach Fort Donelson and now Grant’s three divisions will be assaulting the fort with the goal of capturing everything I can inside before those units surrender. A CSA half division has appeared at New Madrid and I have no clue as to its intentions. I have a division at Island 10 and another at Cairo that will stay put for now and see what Arrow does and how Grant fares at Donelson.

[color="#008080"]TRANS-MISSISSIPPI:[/color] There is clear weather at Fayetteville and I have a 400+ edge in power between our two stacks. But I will hold for now and finish replacing battlefield losses and cohesion. If the weather remains clear next turn and no significant change occurs between our respective stacks, I will try to take Fayetteville once more.

[color="#008080"]FAR WEST:[/color] The harsh weather makes travel too difficult for my cavalry half stack that was moving towards Colorado, especially with Ft Riley already burned down. That stack will hold where Riley used to stand and I’ll play my last stockade RGD to build a new one in its place. In New Mexico, Carson’s division has arrived in Santa Fe. But there’s no time to waste and the force will continue moving North. I’ve given up New Mexico as a lost cause for now. There’s not much stopping Arrow from doing what he wants between the complete capture or destruction of my Ft Craig force and a decent CSA presence at Tucson with bad weather and poor movement time hampering General Carleton from moving south quite yet. Not to mention all the builds he’s placed out here.

The force I had consolidated at Ft Mora will disperse into various tasks. My rangers are the only units that can reach Ft Garland in Colorado this turn. Reaching that fort soon is imperative since a CSA ranger has occupied the fort and I fear will be burning it down soon. I had dispatched a regular cavalry unit to secure the fort last turn, but it met the ranger unit in Taos, was defeated, and withdrew back to Mora. There’s a CSA regular cavalry unit nearby, so I expect the fight to be 4 rangers vs 1 each of ranger & cavalry. Hopefully I win as I’ll have a long slog to get up to Colorado if he does burn it down. In this weather especially, structures along my route will greatly ease supply issues. I’m leaving some militia at Mora and they’re tasked with burning everything down that they can. I will also be sending units to the other two level 1 towns were they’ll also torch everything. The rest of my force at Mora will meet Carson’s force north of Santa Fe.

[ATTACH]33681[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]33682[/ATTACH]
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Late December 1861: Turn 18

Fri Jun 05, 2015 10:27 pm

[color="#008080"]Late December 1861: Turn 18[/color]

Hell on the Wabash; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POeAQWt1b4w&list=RDQGHahWdg-Po&index=23

[color="#008080"]OVERVIEW:[/color] Merry Christmas! This turn was a pretty active turn considering we’re nominally in Winter Quarters. We saw a resurgence in battles with 3 skirmishes in the Far West, Grant securing Ft Donelson after two victories, and Gen Mansfield was brought to battle before his division could make good its escape to Winchester. The CSA position at Harper’s Ferry has now been cut off and Arrow must fight his way through my position to extract the two division army or must strike at one of three regions to re-establish his lines. Maximum entrenchment is now level four, the Trent affair with Union apologies occurs, demonstrations are countered in Nevada, and a new demonstration starts brewing at the Colorado gold fields. Grant has been lauded for his victories to the point that he can now form an army without upsetting any other general.

[color="#008080"]WEATHER:[/color] Storms continue to rage within the great plains, Missouri, Tennessee, West Virginia and the northeastern portions of Virginia. Clear and sometimes muddy weather prevails in NM & most of Virginia.

[color="#008080"]EAST:[/color] Well, McDowell has arrived in Morgan to completely cut off Johnston’s small army at Harper’s Ferry from all points south. Now it remains to be seen whether I caught a tiger by its tail or not. Arrow could pull a Bastogne if he wanted to, the weather and time of the year are all right to do so. Harper’s Ferry can produce enough supply to supplement the one supply wagon and however much supply the HF’s depot has accrued. That should give him several turns before he has to act. But after seeing him immediately try to relieve Ft Donelson (more on that later) as well as his attempts to attack Winchester, I’m predicting he will attempt to attack me and relieve Johnston within the next two turns.

By order of what I feel is likeliest; I think Leesburg, Winchester, and then Alexandria are locations for a blow to land. Leesburg would simultaneously relieve HF, cut off my eight divisions, and threaten a push into Maryland. Plus it’s currently the weakest position of the three he would need to take before he can relieve HF. Taking Winchester would both relieve HF and cut off McDowell’s four divisions. McDowell’s on a rail network I could use to get McDowell back home. But that’s predicated on the mountains being open for travel. It would also take McDowell out of play for at least two turns if he has to travel west to get back into the fight. Alexandria wouldn’t directly relieve HF, but it’s a possible region to take that could indirectly help relieve Johnston’s army. It would threaten DC and would also threaten a force moving into Montgomery, MD and cutting off a larger percentage of my fighting force.


I could really have a bloody mess on my hands if Johnston acts in concert with a move against Leesburg or Alexandria by pushing NE to Frederickstown. Hooker was inactive last turn. That and the 5% CP penalty he has made the move to Morgan a two turn affair. Which left that move to McDowell. But looking at the dispositions, I’m now wishing I’d marched that 4th division I attached to McDowell back to Leesburg. Arrow now has four divisions at Strasburg; including Jackson’s division. I was starting to think Jackson had been sent to Tennessee as I lost track of him for several turns.

[ATTACH]33697[/ATTACH]

To help secure Leesburg, I’m going to march Mansfield’s division there. Mansfield met with Jackson on the battlefield and actually did all right all things considered. A division from Alexandria will rail over to Leesburg where it’ll fall into a detached supply wagon holding the defensive works. I’m also going to revamp McDowell’s army into 3 infantry and 1 artillery division and send the leftovers to Winchester. Eventually I’d like to incorporate those loose infantry regiments and brigades into a new division. Again, I wish I’d done this last turn were they could’ve now been in Alexandria or just kept McDowell’s army at 3 divisions. Ah well, too late now.

[ATTACH]33698[/ATTACH]

[color="#008080"]WEST:[/color] Grant gained national acclaim with two successive victories at Donelson and now the glorious American flag proudly waves atop Ft Donelson. Grant first assaulted and carried the fort; capturing two batteries and a supply wagon in the process. Two additional batteries and five total infantry/cavalry regiments in three elements were destroyed. Grant’s division did the most work in the battle and were subsequently hit the hardest. Next the Army of Tennessee belatedly came in looking to relieve the siege and suffered almost 2-1 losses in the battle before withdrawing from the field of battle. The losses themselves were light considering what they could have been had Grant’s force been at full strength and cohesion.

[ATTACH]33699[/ATTACH]

I now have a better idea of what Grant faces in Tennessee. There’s still the half division at New Madrid, Polk has a division at Ft Henry, and the Army of Tennessee is more of a paper tiger at this point with 1.5 divisions. There may be additional garrisons in places like Memphis or Nashville and who knows what is building or railing in. But I don’t think there are any other large formations I need to worry about for now. Had he had more available, Arrow would’ve had them all meet with the Army of Tennessee before sending that army against Grant. Grant now has the army of the Cumberland under his command with enough elements to form 3 divisions. Unfortunately, I’m running out of generals in this theater and I can only muster 2 divisions in the army as Grant had to give up his division in order to command the army. I have 2 divisions’ worth of units in Cairo and another at Island 10 to give me an estimated advantage of 6-3 divisions in this theater.

[ATTACH]33700[/ATTACH]

I’d like to be able to boat in additional forces to Grant’s army, but the river is frozen and so will be using riverine tranports to bring another 2 divisions and additional support units in. Bad weather and low cohesion is preventing me from pressing my advantage immediately and marching to Nashville. For now, I’ll just recover cohesion and await the additional forces.

[color="#008080"]TRANS-MISSISSIPPI:[/color] The weather has taken a turn for the worse at Fayetteville. I could be waiting for some time for the weather to clear and even then I don’t have a big enough force advantage to guarantee a win. Knowing I do have what appears to be a clear advantage in Tennessee, I’m going to withdraw a division from this theater and transfer it to the Tennessee front. I’ve reconstituted my divisions to give Gen Lyon the weakest division and will be sending him and another general towards Cairo where they should arrive in 2 turns despite the bad weather. Two decent divisions under Gen Summer will hold at Cass and continue to threaten Fayetteville should too many CSA forces be stripped to send eastward. I’ll also have a half division of cavalry to help secure Kansas and respond to any CSA cavalry operations once the weather clears.

[color="#008080"]FAR WEST:[/color] There has been an unfortunate setback in this theater. A small CSA cavalry force defeated Gen Carson north of Santa Fe and Carson withdrew back to said town. To make matters worse, General Shelby moved up to Albuquerque. So I’m two turns behind schedule and I also have a faster and stronger Shelby breathing down my neck. I was able to secure Ft Garland and Taos which came under attack from the same cavalry force that defeated Carson. My route north is secure for now. But Shelby could maneuver to get ahead of me. I can’t combine my disparate forces this turn without giving Shelby a chance to steal a march on me. Instead, I’m going to burn down both Las Vegas and what’s left of Mora while Carson will head into the wilds on a force march. The march has 65% of success and it could move me from two turns behind scheduled to just a single turn.

[ATTACH]33701[/ATTACH]

At Tucson, I finally have both the strength and the weather to march on said city. It will still take me two turns to reach the town, but it’s better than the 3-4+ turns it would’ve taken me earlier. Hopefully my marching on Tucson can divert pressure from Carson. Bad weather continues to hinder travel in the Great Plains and Hurlbut’s small cavalry division continues to wait on better weather at Ft Riley.
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61LDecNM.png
61LNovTN.png
61LDecDonelson2.png
61LStrasburg.png
61LDecVA.png

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FightingBuckeye
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Fri Jun 05, 2015 10:32 pm

I gave Arrow my table as a sort of Christmas gift and let him know I'd be willing to provide it from here on out if he provided the Union prisoner count. I couldn't give him the CSA prisoner count without getting something in return after all!

[ATTACH]33702[/ATTACH]

Not as bloody of a turn as two months ago, but still pretty bloody. 2 NM down for the Union for the Trent apology and +1 for taking out Ft Donelson's garrison. And first turn I can remember that the Union earned more VP than the CSA, likely thanks to Grant's victories.
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BattleVonWar
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Sun Jun 07, 2015 7:09 pm

Well, Grant on the move in Tennessee and Army of the Potomac(at some risk)cutting off half the Army of Virginia by '61s end. Not bad, not bad at all Buckeye.

Without some sort of brilliant or lucky success I think the best that the CSA can hope for is survival and a retreat to friendly territory in the East. The Center is always a fun piece of real estate as there is so much territory to maneuver in.(Tennessee, Kentucky The West is the only place where a war of maneuver happens in CW2 usually given Virginia is bolted down) If he stays in HF, I have no clue how long before he starves there... I have two ongoing games (1 where I have pinned a newish Union player south of HF and Alexandria destroyed their armies for invading and another where I am fighting to repeat the success but against a player like you, an unlikely outcome)

Though the West? You would really let him send Shelby on your home state and take over? Tsk tsk tsk :bonk: I cannot see why you would do that? That's so against the grain!

It's really tough to switch forces between Shenandoah and Virginia for the CSA. It makes for a nightmare...

P.S. You have really become one of the best Unionist I think in existence :P
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 ~~~

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FightingBuckeye
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Sun Jun 07, 2015 9:54 pm

Thanks, I was going to do an end of year review and compare some of my early goals with what actually happened. I agree with you in saying that the Union had a pretty solid start to the war. I do think you might be overselling my abilities just a tad. I've only played maybe a dozen games total between AACW & CW2 and the majority of those were against Athena. I feel like some of the more experienced players have a better claim to that title, but it is nice to know I have a fanbase. Not that I'm bad a the Union IMO, just not the best :-p

And Ohio was my original home state, and that's nice and safe and likely to remain so. Colorado is my current home and yes that will possibly under a large threat once spring and summer roll around. But my NM force is steadily withdrawing north and I have some cavalry to help hold. We'll see what Arrow has planned for the campaign season, but for now he seems content to push me out of New Mexico.

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BattleVonWar
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Sun Jun 07, 2015 10:23 pm

Ohio hmmm(now I know why your a Grant Man, should have noted this earlier in your aggressive style)

I am proud to see your opponent fight so hard. Regardless of what you say! Just not sure about this West First Strategy. Will have to see it play out. I did remark I think that Manifest Destiny being cut short should cost the Union but those gold mines I don't think matter so much(unless they can be held???) Who knows...anything is possible..

Perhaps overselling your abilities honestly in comparison with a player of some time ago with settings to their preference(change the settings change the game) and the patch that was current at the time. Though I think between me and Arrow you have the most games under your belt as things are at this moment(not to say I can see what the other guys are doing, they certainly are not advertising their exploits.)
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 ~~~

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FightingBuckeye
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Mon Jun 08, 2015 1:50 am

Why did you think I decided to choose the moniker 'FightingBuckeye' for? Also, I'm pretty sure I mentioned Ohio in one of our emails goof.

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FightingBuckeye
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Mon Jun 08, 2015 5:56 am

[color="#008080"]Early January 1862: Turn 19[/color]

Gladiator’s “Battle” by the man Hans Zimmer; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kln605W1r3E

[color="#008080"]OVERVIEW:[/color] It’s a new year and total casualties again eclipsed 10K with two major battles being fought. You probably already have an inkling of what transpired in Virginia this past turn if you’ve read the forum in the past couple of days. Arrow tried attacking Leesburg with the army of both Johnston and Beauregard and was repulsed with bloody results. After many turns, the siege of Lewisburg is lifted as my cavalry force is defeated by a larger enemy force.

The Arizona territory is formed, Gatling guns are added to the force pool, Union counterfeiting creates more inflation in the South, and both sides agree on humane treatment for prisoners. Union NM climbs five points and reaches 100 for the first time. Demonstrations are now brewing in Nevada, Golden City, & Denver. The USS Cairo, Admiral Porter, and most importantly the venerable Gen Thomas all appear in the Western Theater. A new year brings plenty of new RGDs, generals, financial options, and the like to play with.

[color="#008080"]WEATHER:[/color] Snow is prevalent in most of Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri, and then Kansas south into Texas. New Mexico is clear but the rest of the US not covered in snow is facing harsh weather.

[color="#008080"]EAST:[/color] It is always nice to be right when predicting your opponent reactions. I’ve been wrong in predicting all what Arrow’s done in the past and I’ll be wrong in trying to guess his intentions in the future. But this turn at least saw me back the right horse. I was able to gain 3 NM in two battles as a total of 5 divisions fell upon my position at Leesburg. Unfortunately, the enemy attacked before Mansfield’s division could arrive. Luckily though, I faced those enemy divisions in successive waves and Leesburg is favorable terrain to mount a defense from. Also Shurlz’s division fell into the defensive position my wagon held for him before the hammer blow fell, so I faced each attack with at least comparable numbers.

[ATTACH]33705[/ATTACH]

It’d have been nice to have made Arrow pay a higher price for getting his two divisions out of Harper’s Ferry. But let’s face it, without either better leaders or a greater numerical advantage, that’s about the best I could hope for. Shurlz’s division took the brunt of Beauregard’s attack for the first round of battle and was targeted from then on. I’m railing his division back to Alexandria and will swap it for another division that will take his place. I’m also sending another division from Leesburg over to Winchester.

Meanwhile, both McDowell and Hooker will switch over to attack mode. Hooker will take his force to the Shenandoah region with the goal of putting Longstreet’s division at Strasburg at risk of another encirclement. McDowell will fall upon Harper’s Ferry and the one brigade that was left to hold that position. I’m assuming Arrow was hoping for better success at Leesburg and planned on railing a force from Leesburg back to HF before it could be attacked. Hopefully I can catch that brigade and annihilate it before it can reach safety.

[ATTACH]33704[/ATTACH]

[color="#008080"]WEST:[/color] Nothing much happened in this theater over the past turn. The river remains frozen but Grant has received his force additions and has recovered most of the lost hits and cohesion. I’m going to bring in additional forces via the same method as before. Unfortunately, bad weather prevents Grant from marching his army to Humpreys in one turn. I could go after Gen Polk's division at Ft Henry, but I'd rather secure Nashville and don't want the distraction of heading in another direction. I’ll wait for better weather with the majority of my force. However, I will detach one division that can make it in one turn to move down to Humphreys. Moving a force there should give me a better idea of what Arrow has lurking in Nashville. I’ll also be able to start working on getting the MC high enough to allow rail transport. I’m also sending a couple regiments across the river in order to take Clarksville and eventually Gallatin. It’d be a pretty feather in my cap if I can secure the route in Kentucky before Kentucky even joins the war.

[color="#008080"]TRANS-MISSISSIPPI:[/color] Gen Lyon’s division should reach Cairo this turn. And this will be the first time Arrow’s had a chance to react to my withdrawal of said division. With the reduction of threat, it’ll be interesting to see if Arrow pulls any units out of Fayetteville or not. I might fold this theater back into the Western one until activity picks up in the spring and summer.

[color="#008080"]FAR WEST:[/color] Carson was able to successfully force march out of Santa Fe and I’m afraid I’ll have to ask him to force march once more. It’s another 65%, so crossing my fingers that he manages to pull it off again. The withdrawal from New Mexico continues without any major hindrance. Shelby only advanced in Santa Fe and hopefully Arrow is content with me withdrawing. He might take hits due to our attrition settings and the weather, but he could inflict quite a few more on me or potentially cut me off if he presses his advantage. I expect to start taking some supply hits soon.

Tucson should come under attack this turn and hopefully I can take it away from the motley mix of mounted volunteers, rangers, and regular volunteer units. And in a possible sign of things to come, two demonstrations are brewing in Colorado. For now I have a positive loyalty in both and keeping it that way is paramount. Without that loyalty, Arrow will find it harder to mount a successful campaign in this area. I haven’t used the martial law RGD yet, but I would be willing to use them out here if no other option was available. My force at Ft Riley continues to hold while awaiting a break in the weather. I could use the southern string of forts, but enemy presence and loyalty would be a big tipoff that I have major reinforcements headed that way. I’d rather he not know that I managed to put a decent cavalry force out there until they can greet him personally should he ever come calling.

[ATTACH]33703[/ATTACH]
Wow, seeing the effects of all those drafts, requisitions, etc all at once is not a pretty sight. I did reach 100 NM this turn; 3 due to battle, 1 due to normalization, and 1 from the agreement on prisoner treatment. But I've declared both partial mobilization and national taxes to go along with issuing bonds. So I end up with 1 fewer NM point then I had last turn. Still I was within 5 points of the CSA by January 1862 and that's always promising. I'm not sure whether to expect a similar move by Arrow as at the start of the game when he used a lot of various decisions in order to better mobilize. Total casualties should eclipse 100K by late February at this rate and Arrow has a sizable lead for being the first to break the 50K mark.
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FightingBuckeye
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Regression

Mon Jun 15, 2015 2:18 am

If you're one to keep score at home, I have now messed up 3 times with my game hosting responsibilities. I ran the turn without DLing Arrow's orders once, ran a turn whilst DLing Arrow's orders to the wrong file another time, and ran several turns with the wrong game settings. Steam auto updated my game when 1.06 came out and I ran several turns without realizing that that update had reset the game settings. Once I finally pinned down some questions I'd had with a couple discrepancies, I realized my error and gave Arrow and several options in how we'd address things. I messed up another game, but luckily it was in the winter and our turns were pretty quiet and we continued without repeating turns. Arrow chose to go back to the turn where the settings were first unknowingly changed. I had to redo my orders since I'd previously gone back to a previous turn to see why my CS was a lot lower then expected. I didn't realize it at the time, but auto replacements were in full effect. Anyway, I lost my original orders. Arrow was understanding had no issues with my promise to redo my orders as close to the original as humanly possible. I'm not going to redo any AAR posts until we get back to what would've been the current turn. But I will highlight any major differences that occur. We did agree that after this turn, we wouldn't be held to repeating the same orders as last go around due to possible changes in results. I guess this is what Arrow gets for being my first guinea pig (first time host here). Lots of hard lessons learned, but I feel I've been pretty open to taking any steps needed to correct my mistakes and Arrow's been a very forgiving person in this area.

[ATTACH]33767[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]33768[/ATTACH]

The overall results of the redone battle for Leesburg is still a Union win, but the casualty results are much closer together. Still a series of decisive wins for the Union that produced 2 NM, but it was a much costlier affair for the boys in blue.
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B0rn_C0nfused
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Mon Jun 15, 2015 3:07 am

Been waiting six days for a turn. I can finally sleep now :bonk:

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FightingBuckeye
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Mon Jun 15, 2015 12:12 pm

[color="#008080"]Late January 1862: Turn 20[/color]

I’m not sure whether it is my Celtic roots coming to the fore or whether many of the best Union Civil War songs truly are Irish ones. Regardless, presenting The Boys That Wore the Green; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kln605W1r3E

[color="#008080"]OVERVIEW:[/color] Simon Cameron is replaced leading to a growth in WS production. ‘Honest’ Sam Upton is at work counterfeiting CSA notes and causes inflation growth in the South. The North is tightfisted and doesn’t pay for volunteers, signs a contract for additional merchant shipping, issue war bonds, and calls for partial mobilization. The South prints paper money and issues its own war bonds. Demonstrations continue to seethe in Nevada and Denver while another was put down in the Colorado gold fields. Sailors and cannon are dismounted to Nevada in time to help hold against Copperheads looking for trouble. Unionists form in three locations in Colorado while Northern partisans pop up in Colorado, Tennessee, and the Indian Territory. Enemy partisans pop up in Missouri. Carson’s force continues running north while CSA forces withdraw from Leesburg.

[color="#008080"]WEATHER:[/color] Clear skies in Kansas juxtaposes harshly with harsh weather (I’m a punny guy) to the east, north, and west of the state. Winter storms rage along the East coast as far south as S. Carolina and continue west to Missouri.

[color="#008080"]EAST:[/color] There wasn’t too much difference in the past two turns and my previously outlined plans were pretty much good to go this time around. The one major difference is I decided that McDowell’s army to an isolated Harper’s Ferry was a major case of overkill. McDowell instead fell into defensive works held by a small brigade at Winchester. A division from Alexandria was ordered to Harper’s Ferry and took it but was unsuccessful in bringing the CSA reserve brigade that’s still there. Hooker now holds the Shenandoah region and a CSA force is once again threatened with being cutoff. Gen Hooker is unfortunately inactive and unable to continue pushing into New Market. I considered splitting my force, but a CSA army for some reason is in the midst of railing just west of said town.

I’m really at a loss as to what Arrow was doing with that army. Johnston’s army is missing from Manassas and that’s probably the army, from what I can tell the number of divisions (2) matches perfectly. I can’t figure out what Arrow intended to do with that army and how Hooker’s arrival changes anything. It’s the wrong rail spur to be moving towards Tennessee and moving two divisions out of Virginia while the Union is making moves in the East is a little suicidal. There’s a rail line that seems like it could have moved the army much more quickly if they were intended to either support Longstreet at Strasburg or any of the regions nearby. It’s also the wrong time of year to threaten Morgantown and that hardly seems to be a job for two CSA divisions at a time when I’m making moves in the east.

Shurlz’s division is a couple elements short of being at full strength and the ones it has are pretty beat up from Leesburg. I’m taking the opportunity to reorganize Butler’s command to be two infantry divisions and an artillery one with the worst of Shurlz’s former division on G/G inside Alexandria. I’m also railing over a division from Leesburg. After what happened to the CSA armies there last time, I doubt Arrow will willingly attack there again unless it is needed. Assuming no further trapped CSA armies, Alexandria is once again a priority defensive point for my eastern forces. Of great concern to me is how much my divisions rely on those weaker volunteer brigades to flesh them out. The only two active HQ units are operating in this theater and the other two available in my force pool will be ready in another two turns. Those will help, but it will still take time for those volunteers to upgrade. I've mostly avoided using those volunteer brigades with Hooker's and McDowell's forces, which I'm using to spearhead any major advances. But that just means the other divisions have a greater number of those brigades then if I'd spread them all out evenly. Most of my builds this year will be focused in this theater.

[ATTACH]33777[/ATTACH]

[color="#008080"]WEST:[/color] I’ve also reorganized Grant’s army into infantry and artillery divisions. Grant has two infantry divisions and an artillery one that will march to join Nelson’s infantry division I previously moved to Humphreys. Next turn should see Grant moving against Nashville which is currently defended by the other Johnston’s Army of Tennessee and 2.5 divisions. Meanwhile, one division will hold Donelson to keep Polk honest and keep my supply open.

[ATTACH]33776[/ATTACH]
Above is what the Army of the Cumberland will look like once Grant joins with Nelson’s division. I’ve been busy cycling any volunteer or militia units I could get my hands on through McClellan and Halleck. After eight months of cycling, this is just part of what I’ve been able to turn out. The other two full divisions and orphan units I have on frontline service in Tennessee are similar to this build, but with 3-4 artillery batteries and 3-4 fewer infantry units. I have one more volunteer brigade for Gen McClellan at Cincinnati before I move him to Pennsylvania in order to starting cycling through those volunteers. When he appears, Gen Sigel will also head east. General Halleck will remain at Cairo and continue to cycle units for Missouri and Tennessee.

The weak CSA division at New Madrid has departed and I’m no longer as concerned about Cairo’s defense. Gen Lyon has arrived from Missouri and has constituted a half division using mostly new builds at Cairo and will move to Island 10. He has just enough to make up the rest of the missing elements from Buford’s division at Island 10. Next turn I’ll consolidate those two half divisions into one and plan on marching on Humbolt. General Halleck will be cycling through the five volunteer units that came with Lyon before they’re released for frontline service under Grant’s leadership. General Sherman will be moving to Donelson with the rest of my available frontline units from Cairo.

[color="#008080"]TRANS-MISSISSIPPI:[/color] I thought this topic would see a hiatus for at least another month or so. But Arrow has been active in this theater, so let’s get to the action. Fayetteville went from having a force of about 1100-1200 power to a current 499. It appears that supply MAY have played a part in that drop in strength as CSA supply is roughly at half capacity. At least one division under Watie moved to Carthage, MO just west of Springfield. I'm not sure if any units moved towards Tennessee or not. Previously I’d only had a volunteer brigade and 6lber battery holding Springfield. However I moved Keyes’ half cavalry division in at the same time that Watie was pushing north around Summer’s position. I’m halfway tempted to push into Fayetteville with my two divisions as I'd enjoy a 2-1 advantage. But there’s a threat to my supply lines and I can’t afford to lose my logistics. What’s the saying? Amateurs talk tactics, professionals study logistics. Infantry based divisions cut off from supply in bad weather and traveling on a poor road network is a recipe for disaster that I’d like to avoid (see Carson further west). So one division will move back to Springfield while Keyes’ cavalry will push further north and secure that vital stockade. This is all at least partly to blame on me moving out 3/4 strength division under Lyon to Illinois.

Adding to my worries, a well-positioned single partisan placement by Arrow is threatening my depots at Jefferson City and Rolla. I have a bunch of supply accrued at Springfield and my stockades that will augment the two 4 element supply wagons I have out here. So I should be fine in the short term even if both of those depots go up in smoke. And theoretically my depot in Springfield should pull supply from St Lo. But with the current prevalence of bad weather in Missouri, I think in practice that won’t out so well for me. I usually have a couple flatboats staged in strategic locations for just this eventuality, but I used the ones I had already in Island 10 and Jefferson City and overlooked replacing them. So I’m ordering some new ones, including one at Jefferson City. Meanwhile some cavalry will try to run down those partisans and an infantry/cavalry brigade will reinforce Jefferson City. The bright side of moving that division out of Missouri is my supply lines won't be as burdened, which is good with the looming loss of my depots.

[ATTACH]33775[/ATTACH]

[color="#008080"]FAR WEST:[/color] All of my forces have finally combined at Taos, NM. Well, the ones still alive anyway as Shelby caught and destroyed two militia regiments before they could make good their escape. Unfortunately, Carson was inactive last turn and I disbanded his division in order to get everyone to Taos without the inactive movement penalty. And Carson is once again inactive, talk about bad luck with a general who boasts a ‘5’ in his strategic rating. So everyone will have to travel separately to Ft Garland where they'll hopefully find both supply and safety. Supply or rather a lack of it is becoming as big of a threat if not greater than Shelby’s 600+ power division that’s chasing me. I took 31 hits due to being out of supply and this coming turn will likely cause me to wish I’d only suffered 30 some hits. Luckily it does appear Shelby’s division is running lower on supply as well. So either he breaks off pursuit or he risks taking supply hits of his own. Good thing too, because low cohesion is causing some of my units to take 32 days to move one region to Ft Garland. Thankfully my sole battery and supply wagon are amongst those that will only take a turn to reach the fort. Operation burn everything is nearing completion as Taos is the last level 1 town north of Santa Fe and that’s slated to burn this turn.

[ATTACH]33774[/ATTACH]

Tucson was captured by General Canby at a cost of 92 losses vs 722 CSA losses. I think I’ll be content with just trying to hold here instead of pressing into New Mexico and the possible none too gentle arms of Shelby. I don’t have much room to think offensively with Carson in full flight to Colorado, those captured batteries, and Shelby’s strength. I’ll consider myself lucky if I can hold Tucson. I do find some solace in knowing I surprised Arrow with my take of Tucson as he had just ordered a depot for the town. So he’s out $35K the South can little afford to waste on a depot that will do him no good. In Kansas, the break in weather gives my small cavalry division a chance to move towards Denver along the northern chain of stockades.

[ATTACH]33773[/ATTACH]
Don’t pay too much attention to the ‘difference’ column. This report is more about re-establishing a baseline as I didn’t track any changes to this after redoing two turns. And Arrow’s only given me the one count of Union prisoners. I’m going to nudge him on this and see if it was just a quid pro quo one-time thing or if he was interested in giving me his prisoner count in exchange for the above report on a regular basis.
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FightingBuckeye
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Mon Jun 15, 2015 12:22 pm

B0rn_C0nfused wrote:Been waiting six days for a turn. I can finally sleep now :bonk:


Glad to have another avid reader. And yea, I waited for a couple days before starting my next turn and that's when I finally pinned down the change in settings. It took a couple of rounds of email before I could sort out how Straight Arrow wanted to handle things. And then I needed to find some time to go through piecing together my lost orders. I think we (mostly me) had some quicker turn around on those two turns due to not having to write an AAR to accompany those turns and because the turns mostly followed the same script as the earlier run through and so we both had a better idea of what we wanted to do and how to respond to our opponent's moves. Trust me, this unlooked for hiatus weighed on me as well. But that was mostly because I didn't look forward to redoing things and because it was my fault things got off track.

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