Update on Moni Kerr v Pat Cleburne as of Jan 15 1862
Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2012 6:18 pm
This is a most unusual game. There have been several moves that show the aggressiveness of each player, coupled with their understanding of the limits of the game, and how to bust through them without being "gamey."
We just finished the E Jan 62 turn. But I'm going to back you up to the August turns, which I previously reported on. As you recall, Moni Kerr invaded Kentucky during the month, and occupied the entire state by the end of September. Gen. Cleburne declined to put up too much of a fight there I believe, except for a token defense of Bowling Green, which was the last city to fall. In Virginia, the Rebs went after Alexandria and Washington BOTH in late July. On their return in late August, these were the headlines:
Jackson Shoves Winfield Scott Aside as Rebs Fall Back to Virginny!
Rebel Excursion to Washington Over as Units Fall Back into Starting Positions
Union with Manassas, Alexandria, Harper's Ferry; Rebs with Fredericksburg, Winchester
By October the Union had not only completed its occupation of the Bluegrass State, it continued its Kentucky Campaign by appending an excursion to Huntsville TN (we may consider this a Cumberland Gap effort I suppose). Gen. MoniKerr wrote to Washington (i.e., me):
"My Kentucky plan worked better this time than last. I now have a strong force across the mountains threatening Knoxville, and it is bigger than the last game. That will tie in nicely with a move on Memphis.
I think Pat has hobbled himself somewhat by waiting to draft. When I did that in my CSA game I found I was on heels throughout and I never recovered. With Manassas captured my moral is a nice 83 which means Grant should be able to march to Memphis with little cohesion lost. If the weather holds fair; this will be my third attempt at that move. I think I have a good shot at it this time; capturing Bowling Green and threatening Nashville and Knoxville ought to thin out the defense of Memphis."
Things had settled down in Virginia ... or had they? Suddenly, Beauregard launched an attack on Alexandria, starting from Culpeper, by-passing Manassas via Stafford and hitting the town across from the Union capital. Here are the headlines:
BLOODY ALEXANDRIA! Winfield Scott Defeated by His Student, Beauregard!
Over 10,000 Casualties in Two Battles as Rebs By-Pass Manassas and Take Alexandria on the Potomac!
Polk Retakes Columbus KY - but at Cost!
Here is Gen Cleburne's report to Richmond:
"If I would've waited one more turn, Winfield would have gone home (maybe, not sure if it would've happened at the beginning or end of the turn). Bory has been surprisingly inactive these last few turns though so I had to strike while the iron was hot. Now it's a question of how he reacts. I'm guessing ] McDowell [in Manassas] counterattacks Alexandria. I could rail Bory NW, run south, or stay and fight. What stance to use? Then it's a question of what to do with my 2 Rappahannock divisions. Assume he's leaving Manassas mostly undefended? I'd have to risk a defeat in detail if I attack [note: they were not in the same stack -Longshanks]. What if he attacks my line instead? It's a poker game and I've decided to hedge my bets."
Gen. MK sent this to Washington:
"That hurt. I wonder if he can exploit it? Beauregard's force looks a little weary right now, and Washington is strongly held so I don't imagine there will be an attempt to take it. This is probably the last turn of fair weather until the next year, so I will use it to send Grant on to Memphis. Hopefully he succeeds in the 70% force march and gets there this turn."
This is when many players would have panicked, and pulled out of Manassas to go retake Alexandria. Perhaps Gen. Cleburne was hoping for that, I don't know. But instead, Gen. MoniKerr pulled a stunner:
Grant forced marched in one move from Columbus KY to Memphis TN! He didn't take it, but it was razor close. At the time I thought this was a crazy move: the Union didn't own either Ft. Donelson or Island#10. Surely you need at least one of those to move that deep into Tennessee, with only a Depot in Paducah and many Confederate forces in the vicinity (including Polk). But Grant did take 2 Wagons with him, which promised several turns of food and ammo. Suddenly, the focus was not on Virginia (where movement ceased for a while, with a topsy-turvy Rebel Alexandria and Union Manassas!), but on Memphis and the Union move. Additional forces under Fremont and Halleck initially remained in Kentucky. Here was the war correspondence (via cipher) from Halleck to the President (i.e., a note from Monikerr to me!):
"Grant's timing was perfect. Pat moved his fleet and transports back to Memphis and may have been planning an amphib attack with van Dorn, probably to Cairo. That concentration is now disrupted with van Dorn on the wrong side of the Mississippi. The dilemma with Grant is this; with cohesion so low should I set him to passive and recover (but lose all MC) or should I set him to defend and take a chance that Pat moves his units into Memphis which would initiate a siege, giving Grant a chance to take the town before day one. I think that is a big gamble so maybe I should go for it? Milroy is taking one division and sailing down river for Chattanooga. In the east there is still some fair weather regions for him to exploit. He likes to make dramatic moves so I suspect Beauregard may try for Baltimore or Annapolis. " [Pat wrote me: "I played way too conservative last game, but I think I'm overcompensating this time. Whatever, It's more fun than sitting in trenches. I usually try not to play gamey, but I couldn't help myself this time. It's war dammit! Let's see what happens at Memphis." I might add Pat is not a "gamey" player and neither is MK. Their moves look legitimate to me.] This is about the time that Gen. Cleburne transported Longstreet from the East to the defense of Memphis.
At the same time, Gen. Cleburne was telegraphing President Davis: "If he wants to get tricky/gamey, he could sail down the TN river and hit Chattanooga instead. I can't even send ships to stop it. Then it's a question of should I blow Knoxville depot? Chattanooga depot? Both? Neither? I'm gonna leave em up because I don't know what that would do to my supply network and maybe I hold them both."
Good analysis of your enemy, Generals! Not being content with the newspapers focusing on Grant, Bory left Alexandria and went straight for .... Annapolis and Baltimore, just as the Yanks had predicted. At the same time, the Rebs sent Polk into Humboldt to disrupt Yankee supply, just as Halleck moved to Memphis, bringing Grant a third wagon. Milroy, who had taken over the Cumberland Gap offensive, hopped on the river near Knoxville (still held by Sidney Johnston), and used riverine movement to Chattanooga, which he took. Another bold move! [About which, Pat wrote me: "That TN river gambit is really giving me fits. Never thought of it." Same here, Pat!] Now, it being late November 1861, Memphis being threatened and Chattanooga taken, can we not say this is "lightning warfare?"
With Grant's supply line to Paducah intermittent at best, and with Polk hovering to cut off that access permanently, I thought Moni Kerr might pull him back to re-establish the line. Here's what MK told me: "Grant is fine except for some low supply. Polk is in trouble. He gave his 6800 man command a much needed rest but when they woke up there were 17000 fresh Union troops in Humboldt under Gen Fremont and 100% Union MC. And this turn Fremont is actually active and Polk won't be able escape on the railroad. Hopefully I can engage him. That doubles Union strength in west Tennessee to 35k against only about 15k Confederates split into 2 groups, Polk and Longstreet. And Lyon is on the way with a few thousand more."
As the year began to wind down, here's what the newspapers reported:
Jackson Takes Winchester, Harper's Ferry ... Sans Depot!
Polk Slowly Retreats from Humboldt in the Face of Superior Union Strength [Fremont]!
Winter Starts to Tell on Troops in the Field and Ships at Sea
The last half of December resulted in these headlines:
Bory Gives Keyes a Severe Bloody Nose at Stafford as Rebs Withdraw to Culpeper!
Polk Reclaims Humboldt! Grant Cut Off!
As you can tell, the excursion to Maryland did not last long. "There and Back - A Rebel's Tale" might have been the title. On the return, Jackson took possession of the Shenandoah, all the way to Harper's where the Yanks had blown the depot. As winter wore on, Bory pulled out of Alexandria, abandoning it completely and falling back to Culpeper. On the way, he met Keyes in Stafford (where both had just moved) and gave him a whipping, resulting in two rebel promotions. The Yanks lost about 4,000, and the Rebs only 500. Pat wrote me: "Finally a good solid win. Seems like it's been awhile since I've had one of those, even if I didn't expect it." MK wrote me: "I forgot to turn off the hold at all costs button. Grant is going to try and push Longstreet out [of Memphis]. Intelligence shows Beauregard's force [recently arrived at Culpeper] to be surprisingly worn out, some divisions showing 30/30, or 22/22. So McDowell is going to tap on the door and see what happens in Culpepper."
And he did. Here's what the newspapers reported:
Jan 2, 1862 - MASSIVE BATTLE AT MEMPHIS! Each Army Lose over 7,000 Casualties as the Dead Pile Up in Mud-filled Trenches! Grant Falls Back to Jackson! [0 NM]
Lyon Claims Humboldt! Union Supply Line to Grant Intact!
Beauregard Yields Culpeper to McDowell's Advance from Manassas as Union Goes on a Winter Offensive in Virginia!
Union's Chattanooga Force Moves into Rome Georgia! Decatur Also Falls to Boys in Blue!
Both Sides Gear Up for a Long War with Drafts, Taxes, and Political Moves!
note from me to the Generals: big moves, big losses - fighting in winter and mud...one might conclude you two don't like each other much ... perhaps the most interesting game of the tournament so far. If you would each be so kind, please send me your plans for 1862. These will be kept in confidence of course until 1863 or the end.
Battle of Memphis
Situation in Virginia
Situation in East Tennessee
Situation in West Tennessee
We just finished the E Jan 62 turn. But I'm going to back you up to the August turns, which I previously reported on. As you recall, Moni Kerr invaded Kentucky during the month, and occupied the entire state by the end of September. Gen. Cleburne declined to put up too much of a fight there I believe, except for a token defense of Bowling Green, which was the last city to fall. In Virginia, the Rebs went after Alexandria and Washington BOTH in late July. On their return in late August, these were the headlines:
Jackson Shoves Winfield Scott Aside as Rebs Fall Back to Virginny!
Rebel Excursion to Washington Over as Units Fall Back into Starting Positions
Union with Manassas, Alexandria, Harper's Ferry; Rebs with Fredericksburg, Winchester
By October the Union had not only completed its occupation of the Bluegrass State, it continued its Kentucky Campaign by appending an excursion to Huntsville TN (we may consider this a Cumberland Gap effort I suppose). Gen. MoniKerr wrote to Washington (i.e., me):
"My Kentucky plan worked better this time than last. I now have a strong force across the mountains threatening Knoxville, and it is bigger than the last game. That will tie in nicely with a move on Memphis.
I think Pat has hobbled himself somewhat by waiting to draft. When I did that in my CSA game I found I was on heels throughout and I never recovered. With Manassas captured my moral is a nice 83 which means Grant should be able to march to Memphis with little cohesion lost. If the weather holds fair; this will be my third attempt at that move. I think I have a good shot at it this time; capturing Bowling Green and threatening Nashville and Knoxville ought to thin out the defense of Memphis."
Things had settled down in Virginia ... or had they? Suddenly, Beauregard launched an attack on Alexandria, starting from Culpeper, by-passing Manassas via Stafford and hitting the town across from the Union capital. Here are the headlines:
BLOODY ALEXANDRIA! Winfield Scott Defeated by His Student, Beauregard!
Over 10,000 Casualties in Two Battles as Rebs By-Pass Manassas and Take Alexandria on the Potomac!
Polk Retakes Columbus KY - but at Cost!
Here is Gen Cleburne's report to Richmond:
"If I would've waited one more turn, Winfield would have gone home (maybe, not sure if it would've happened at the beginning or end of the turn). Bory has been surprisingly inactive these last few turns though so I had to strike while the iron was hot. Now it's a question of how he reacts. I'm guessing ] McDowell [in Manassas] counterattacks Alexandria. I could rail Bory NW, run south, or stay and fight. What stance to use? Then it's a question of what to do with my 2 Rappahannock divisions. Assume he's leaving Manassas mostly undefended? I'd have to risk a defeat in detail if I attack [note: they were not in the same stack -Longshanks]. What if he attacks my line instead? It's a poker game and I've decided to hedge my bets."
Gen. MK sent this to Washington:
"That hurt. I wonder if he can exploit it? Beauregard's force looks a little weary right now, and Washington is strongly held so I don't imagine there will be an attempt to take it. This is probably the last turn of fair weather until the next year, so I will use it to send Grant on to Memphis. Hopefully he succeeds in the 70% force march and gets there this turn."
This is when many players would have panicked, and pulled out of Manassas to go retake Alexandria. Perhaps Gen. Cleburne was hoping for that, I don't know. But instead, Gen. MoniKerr pulled a stunner:
Grant forced marched in one move from Columbus KY to Memphis TN! He didn't take it, but it was razor close. At the time I thought this was a crazy move: the Union didn't own either Ft. Donelson or Island#10. Surely you need at least one of those to move that deep into Tennessee, with only a Depot in Paducah and many Confederate forces in the vicinity (including Polk). But Grant did take 2 Wagons with him, which promised several turns of food and ammo. Suddenly, the focus was not on Virginia (where movement ceased for a while, with a topsy-turvy Rebel Alexandria and Union Manassas!), but on Memphis and the Union move. Additional forces under Fremont and Halleck initially remained in Kentucky. Here was the war correspondence (via cipher) from Halleck to the President (i.e., a note from Monikerr to me!):
"Grant's timing was perfect. Pat moved his fleet and transports back to Memphis and may have been planning an amphib attack with van Dorn, probably to Cairo. That concentration is now disrupted with van Dorn on the wrong side of the Mississippi. The dilemma with Grant is this; with cohesion so low should I set him to passive and recover (but lose all MC) or should I set him to defend and take a chance that Pat moves his units into Memphis which would initiate a siege, giving Grant a chance to take the town before day one. I think that is a big gamble so maybe I should go for it? Milroy is taking one division and sailing down river for Chattanooga. In the east there is still some fair weather regions for him to exploit. He likes to make dramatic moves so I suspect Beauregard may try for Baltimore or Annapolis. " [Pat wrote me: "I played way too conservative last game, but I think I'm overcompensating this time. Whatever, It's more fun than sitting in trenches. I usually try not to play gamey, but I couldn't help myself this time. It's war dammit! Let's see what happens at Memphis." I might add Pat is not a "gamey" player and neither is MK. Their moves look legitimate to me.] This is about the time that Gen. Cleburne transported Longstreet from the East to the defense of Memphis.
At the same time, Gen. Cleburne was telegraphing President Davis: "If he wants to get tricky/gamey, he could sail down the TN river and hit Chattanooga instead. I can't even send ships to stop it. Then it's a question of should I blow Knoxville depot? Chattanooga depot? Both? Neither? I'm gonna leave em up because I don't know what that would do to my supply network and maybe I hold them both."
Good analysis of your enemy, Generals! Not being content with the newspapers focusing on Grant, Bory left Alexandria and went straight for .... Annapolis and Baltimore, just as the Yanks had predicted. At the same time, the Rebs sent Polk into Humboldt to disrupt Yankee supply, just as Halleck moved to Memphis, bringing Grant a third wagon. Milroy, who had taken over the Cumberland Gap offensive, hopped on the river near Knoxville (still held by Sidney Johnston), and used riverine movement to Chattanooga, which he took. Another bold move! [About which, Pat wrote me: "That TN river gambit is really giving me fits. Never thought of it." Same here, Pat!] Now, it being late November 1861, Memphis being threatened and Chattanooga taken, can we not say this is "lightning warfare?"
With Grant's supply line to Paducah intermittent at best, and with Polk hovering to cut off that access permanently, I thought Moni Kerr might pull him back to re-establish the line. Here's what MK told me: "Grant is fine except for some low supply. Polk is in trouble. He gave his 6800 man command a much needed rest but when they woke up there were 17000 fresh Union troops in Humboldt under Gen Fremont and 100% Union MC. And this turn Fremont is actually active and Polk won't be able escape on the railroad. Hopefully I can engage him. That doubles Union strength in west Tennessee to 35k against only about 15k Confederates split into 2 groups, Polk and Longstreet. And Lyon is on the way with a few thousand more."
As the year began to wind down, here's what the newspapers reported:
Jackson Takes Winchester, Harper's Ferry ... Sans Depot!
Polk Slowly Retreats from Humboldt in the Face of Superior Union Strength [Fremont]!
Winter Starts to Tell on Troops in the Field and Ships at Sea
The last half of December resulted in these headlines:
Bory Gives Keyes a Severe Bloody Nose at Stafford as Rebs Withdraw to Culpeper!
Polk Reclaims Humboldt! Grant Cut Off!
As you can tell, the excursion to Maryland did not last long. "There and Back - A Rebel's Tale" might have been the title. On the return, Jackson took possession of the Shenandoah, all the way to Harper's where the Yanks had blown the depot. As winter wore on, Bory pulled out of Alexandria, abandoning it completely and falling back to Culpeper. On the way, he met Keyes in Stafford (where both had just moved) and gave him a whipping, resulting in two rebel promotions. The Yanks lost about 4,000, and the Rebs only 500. Pat wrote me: "Finally a good solid win. Seems like it's been awhile since I've had one of those, even if I didn't expect it." MK wrote me: "I forgot to turn off the hold at all costs button. Grant is going to try and push Longstreet out [of Memphis]. Intelligence shows Beauregard's force [recently arrived at Culpeper] to be surprisingly worn out, some divisions showing 30/30, or 22/22. So McDowell is going to tap on the door and see what happens in Culpepper."
And he did. Here's what the newspapers reported:
Jan 2, 1862 - MASSIVE BATTLE AT MEMPHIS! Each Army Lose over 7,000 Casualties as the Dead Pile Up in Mud-filled Trenches! Grant Falls Back to Jackson! [0 NM]
Lyon Claims Humboldt! Union Supply Line to Grant Intact!
Beauregard Yields Culpeper to McDowell's Advance from Manassas as Union Goes on a Winter Offensive in Virginia!
Union's Chattanooga Force Moves into Rome Georgia! Decatur Also Falls to Boys in Blue!
Both Sides Gear Up for a Long War with Drafts, Taxes, and Political Moves!
note from me to the Generals: big moves, big losses - fighting in winter and mud...one might conclude you two don't like each other much ... perhaps the most interesting game of the tournament so far. If you would each be so kind, please send me your plans for 1862. These will be kept in confidence of course until 1863 or the end.
Battle of Memphis
Situation in Virginia
Situation in East Tennessee
Situation in West Tennessee