My first game

[gbob]

Being immodest, I chose the full KY campaign as my first game (Union, normal difficulty).
Having watched several "Let's Play" YouTubes and browsing the forum daily, I have some confidence in my ability to deal with the basics.
BUT - on the third turn, I was informed that Texas is fighting secession and I'm now the proud owner of Dallas, with 2 Cav rgmts.
This is great, but I'm looking at how isolated it is, how far away the nearest supply depo is, and all the rebel-controlled regions around me, including several between me and the next Union-supplied region.

I need help figuring out how to hook Dallas up to the supply chain, and especially how to avoid running out of supplies while I do that, since (according to the map) I don't even control the Dallas region yet. I just got the ability to build supply wagons, but they'll have to travel from MO at least, and I'll need to build some depots on the way I assume (BTW-can you build depots in empty land or towns?).

I did check the 'redeployment' option, so that may help.

I'd appreciate any and all advice ... thanks!

[Captain_Orso]

Hi gbob and welcome to the forums

If you still have Tucson -- the Off-Map-Box second from the bottom on the far left edge -- Dallas will draw supplies through that as long as your need are rather modest and deep winter hasn't set in. With the cavalry regiments you get, at first that should be no problem.

Your problems will begin with trying to hold on to Dallas with just those cav. regiments; I thought it was 3 actually. IIRC the event also gives the CS a small force down in Houston with some infantry and a battery of artillery. Without reinforcements your cavalry will not prevail against this force. And here is where your problems start. Missouri will already be at least a minor -- at least -- conflict and it is very difficult to spare any troops to reinforce Dallas, plus the distance is very extreme even if you can spare any.

You have an artillery battery on the West Coast, plus some cavalry and infantry, which are of little use out there; plus they are first rate regular army troops. As soon as they are free to move I always send them to Denver and then depending on the situation portion them out to Tucson, Kansas, Missouri and the Indian Territory. It's a long march getting to Denver and I always set all the moving troops to Passive Posture to retain as much cohesion as possible; there is no chance of them being attacked on their way to Denver at this stage of the war.

You should also consider sending a leader to Dallas to bolster your defenses. Even a poor 3-1-1 leader will improve your defenses even when he is deactivated, which he will be half of the time. Just don't count on him too much on the offensive.

The only other way to bolster Dallas' defenses is by creating a diversion by invading Texas along the Gulf Coast. It doesn't take that long to send troops from the East Coast down to Texas by transports, but from where to take them while you are trying to build up your armies east and west already. The invasion strategy also had the disadvantage of leaving you with 2 separate forces which cannot support each other directly and the South could hit one force and push it out and then take on the other with only one battle group as they have the inside track and the ability to decide where to fight first.

All in all it's a very difficult conundrum and in the hand-full of times I've run into it I only once came close to holding Dallas by reinforcing through Tuscon. I ran into bad luck with weather which blocked supplies and with weakened troops I got pushed out of Dallas and barely got their remnants away without being destroyed.

Before you let what ever forces you have in Dallas be destroyed, I'd abandon it and hold onto Tucson and Laredo. Better to take what you can get than lose it all.

Good luck.

[gbob]

Thanks for the quick reply, Captain! I'll let you know how it turns out.

[gbob]

I really appreciate you for sharing your experience and analysis, Captain. Although I had a much better idea of what problems I was actually facing, thanks to you, it didn't turn out well at all. But I learned a lot about how very far it is from Dallas to everywhere Union except Tucson, how long it takes the West Coast units to arrive anywhere useful, supply, entrenchment, the futility of defensive cavalry vs. infantry, and how NOT to retreat !!
So, all-in-all, a good learning experience, but a bloody one ....

[Gen. Monkey-Bear]

The far west can definitely be a big challenge for both the Union and the Confederacy. Whoever solves the supply and reinforcement question is usually the winner on this front.

[Captain_Orso]

I really appreciate you for sharing your experience and analysis, Captain. Although I had a much better idea of what problems I was actually facing, thanks to you, it didn't turn out well at all. But I learned a lot about how very far it is from Dallas to everywhere Union except Tucson,

Check[INDENT][Tip: When you have a cav with 100% cohesion and supply in Laredo, Tucson, Denver and The Plains (not necessarily at the same time) drag and drop them onto every neighboring region, one after the other, each time canceling with <Del> to see how long it takes to go from one region to another. You may be surprised about what you find.][/INDENT]

how long it takes the West Coast units to arrive anywhere useful,

Check[INDENT][Tip: Do the same as the above tip with the West-Coast locations {Hint: Denver}][/INDENT]

supply,

Check

entrenchment,

Check[INDENT][Tip: Goes faster with at least one artillery piece.][/INDENT]

the futility of defensive cavalry vs. infantry,

Mega-Check, but a mix of both goes a long way.[INDENT][Tip: The tests you did with the cavalry checking the march-times, do them with infantry too.][/INDENT]

and how NOT to retreat !!

Yup, it's nasty when your cavalry gets kicked out of Tucson and wind up between there and nowhere far-west in the dead of winter when their supply is low to begin with, and then they can't make headway through 4 foot deep snow in a blizzard and their projected march-time keeps growing instead of shrinking and they start eating their horses and then each oth....

So, all-in-all, a good learning experience, but a bloody one ....

The more it hurts the better you learn.

[gbob]

The more it hurts the better you learn.

That sounds like my old drill sergeant

[Captain_Orso]

The thing I remember most from boot camp was our DS rushing though the bay at 0500 howling, "GEET yure goat smellen bodies out'a ma BEDS!"