Great AAR. These make an awesome game even more entertaining.
Since no one answered your Q about the "losing NM despite destroying enemy" thing, I will. If you watched your NM while the battle went on, it probably went up as you destroyed the units. However, you lost the battle, so the message engine prepared a message saying you lost the NM point you gained. However, you probably kept the point in reality (it happens to me sometimes).
BTW, would anyone happen to know if Clovis's most recent SVF mod is compatible with 1.14 RC17? Or does it not matter?
Thanks for the encouragement. And thanks enf91 for the info about the morale hit.
[SIZE="4"]Late December, 1862. Turn 42:[/size]
I decided to use my levies to shore up my weaker fronts rather than continue to pour everything into the east. Measured Exceptional Taxes were sufficient for my monetary needs. I'm pretty sure I have not printed money at any point in this game. Now is the time to strike boldly and secure our freedom rather than take half measures. Hence I offered 1k bonus per company to those who would enlist and a full draft.
I used this to buy 20 rpl for inf. and the core of 3 divisions. 12 regiments each in AR/TX, AL, and LA. I hope that these can hold a line in Arkansas while I may be able to counter attack Kentucky. The LA force is meant to react to any landing along my southern coast. I also put another 6 regiments into VA.
Now that I have dealt with Butler, I would like to make another attempt on Washington. even in winter I might be able to hold an army there with enough supply wagons in rotation. To this end I am sending Lee across the Potomac once again to Montgomery, MD.
In Mississippi, the Federals at Corinth are doubtless getting hungry but they are too strong to dislodge. Armies continue to move around Fayetteville, but are not attacking. Finally I pulled my fleets back because they are getting mauled by the weather. I hope they brought in enough WS to patch that hull.
[SIZE="4"]Early January, 1863. Turn 43:[/size]
The United States issued 5% bonds and called for volunteers. Apparently they do not find my Maryland campaign sufficiently threatening to warrant a more serious reaction.
I have ordered Jackson to advance on Washington with a corps. I know it's dangerous but at times like these I ask myself: "What would Robert E. Lee do?"
ASJ drives Pope from Corinth, Pope's force is in shambles due to supply problems. Generally I just want to consolidate my position in the west and wait for the reinforcements. I buy 8 more inf repl and some cheap artillery for the LA division.
I have taken a little break from this game, but I will have my AAR caught up soon and continue before long.
[SIZE="4"]Late December, 1862. Turn 42:[/size]
I decided to use my levies to shore up my weaker fronts rather than continue to pour everything into the east. Measured Exceptional Taxes were sufficient for my monetary needs. I'm pretty sure I have not printed money at any point in this game. Now is the time to strike boldly and secure our freedom rather than take half measures. Hence I offered 1k bonus per company to those who would enlist and a full draft.
I used this to buy 20 rpl for inf. and the core of 3 divisions. 12 regiments each in AR/TX, AL, and LA. I hope that these can hold a line in Arkansas while I may be able to counter attack Kentucky. The LA force is meant to react to any landing along my southern coast. I also put another 6 regiments into VA.
Now that I have dealt with Butler, I would like to make another attempt on Washington. even in winter I might be able to hold an army there with enough supply wagons in rotation. To this end I am sending Lee across the Potomac once again to Montgomery, MD.
In Mississippi, the Federals at Corinth are doubtless getting hungry but they are too strong to dislodge. Armies continue to move around Fayetteville, but are not attacking. Finally I pulled my fleets back because they are getting mauled by the weather. I hope they brought in enough WS to patch that hull.
[SIZE="4"]Early January, 1863. Turn 43:[/size]
The United States issued 5% bonds and called for volunteers. Apparently they do not find my Maryland campaign sufficiently threatening to warrant a more serious reaction.
I have ordered Jackson to advance on Washington with a corps. I know it's dangerous but at times like these I ask myself: "What would Robert E. Lee do?"
ASJ drives Pope from Corinth, Pope's force is in shambles due to supply problems. Generally I just want to consolidate my position in the west and wait for the reinforcements. I buy 8 more inf repl and some cheap artillery for the LA division.
I have taken a little break from this game, but I will have my AAR caught up soon and continue before long.
[SIZE="4"]Late January, 1863. Turn 44:[/size]
First some money matters. The US issued Grad Tax, while I spent money on an embargo. A real embargo wouldn't make sense in this situation, so think of it as propaganda.
Jackson sets up a siege in Washington without incident. Lee will join him and JeJ will take Lee's place.
[SIZE="4"]Early February, 1863. Turn 45:[/size]
Jackson is gone. This leader option is very scary. What's a man to do when his most trusted generals can disappear without notice? Magruder will move through JeJ's position and join those at Washington
My ironclads will take another shot at controlling the Potomac. Union forces in Corinth melt away after continued harassment. I am mainly buying replacements, also some more cheap artillery to round out my new divisions.
[SIZE="4"]Late February, 1863. Turn 46[/size]
I warned you I am a novice, and now you will see the consequences. Although I had my corps in defensive posture, I had JEB Stuart in assault posture. I wanted him to take Port Tobacco, but I failed to consider that his path took him through DC where most of my army is. Stuart dragged some other generals into the fight and the result was a full scale attempt to storm the defenses of Washington.
To be honest I found this disappointing. I realized about 1 second too late that I made a mistake with Stuart, but I didn't know it would be so costly. After this battle I took a little break from this game. Now I have decided it may actually improve the game by putting me on the defensive in the East.
My ordeal is not over either because it seems that Mag arrived by MTG, then did some heavy fighting, then marched in under his normal orders after the battle. The result is that Mag alone (10k men) faces the Washington defenders. I have ordered him to get out of there with all haste. The ironclads cleared the Potomac at least, so most of the army retreated to Alexandria.
It's actually not so hard to imagine that Lee would overplay his hand. Now he can slink back to VA and do what he does best: Punish Northern invasions.
There is some action around Bowling Green, but most of my troops are busy mopping up in TN. I plan to go for Paducah, but I won't press too much in the center until I see how VA and MO will shape up this spring.
I had some manpower in reserve, so I ordered 16 infantry replacements. Now I just hope Magruder's regiments make it back to fill in losses which are over 90% in many cases.
Be sure to double check the path of any unit moving with assault orders.
First some money matters. The US issued Grad Tax, while I spent money on an embargo. A real embargo wouldn't make sense in this situation, so think of it as propaganda.
Jackson sets up a siege in Washington without incident. Lee will join him and JeJ will take Lee's place.
[SIZE="4"]Early February, 1863. Turn 45:[/size]
Jackson is gone. This leader option is very scary. What's a man to do when his most trusted generals can disappear without notice? Magruder will move through JeJ's position and join those at Washington
My ironclads will take another shot at controlling the Potomac. Union forces in Corinth melt away after continued harassment. I am mainly buying replacements, also some more cheap artillery to round out my new divisions.
[SIZE="4"]Late February, 1863. Turn 46[/size]
I warned you I am a novice, and now you will see the consequences. Although I had my corps in defensive posture, I had JEB Stuart in assault posture. I wanted him to take Port Tobacco, but I failed to consider that his path took him through DC where most of my army is. Stuart dragged some other generals into the fight and the result was a full scale attempt to storm the defenses of Washington.
To be honest I found this disappointing. I realized about 1 second too late that I made a mistake with Stuart, but I didn't know it would be so costly. After this battle I took a little break from this game. Now I have decided it may actually improve the game by putting me on the defensive in the East.
My ordeal is not over either because it seems that Mag arrived by MTG, then did some heavy fighting, then marched in under his normal orders after the battle. The result is that Mag alone (10k men) faces the Washington defenders. I have ordered him to get out of there with all haste. The ironclads cleared the Potomac at least, so most of the army retreated to Alexandria.
It's actually not so hard to imagine that Lee would overplay his hand. Now he can slink back to VA and do what he does best: Punish Northern invasions.
There is some action around Bowling Green, but most of my troops are busy mopping up in TN. I plan to go for Paducah, but I won't press too much in the center until I see how VA and MO will shape up this spring.
I had some manpower in reserve, so I ordered 16 infantry replacements. Now I just hope Magruder's regiments make it back to fill in losses which are over 90% in many cases.
Be sure to double check the path of any unit moving with assault orders.
[SIZE="4"]Early March, 1863. Turn 47:[/size]
Magruder escapes back to VA. I would have taken another big morale hit otherwise. I still lead 125 to 79 and I have about a 1000 point lead in VP.
The US has called for a partial draft just in time to capitalize on their victory. I am having serious problems with my European forces. The English have no where near the replacements needed to fill out their armies. I am left with a skeleton force that will start losing elements almost immediately. What is worse, the units seem to eat food as if they were at full strength. Britain can not even feed the men it doesn't have. Their forces in Canada are outnumbered. Bragg was turned back at Paducah, so I have no offensive right now. Lastly Bory has recovered and I will send him to AR where I plan to be on the defensive.
[SIZE="4"]Late March, 1863. Turn 48:[/size]
There is now actual famine in Britain. So much for "holding back" with the Europeans. They are occupying some Northern forces, but they are incapable of fighting on land. The British will be resupplied from France by ship and then sent to Canada, where they can eat that food for a while.
I sent JeJ across the Potomac again west of DC. I am trying to provoke them to attack me and I like JeJ's entrenching ability. In TN I sent Bragg to deal with a small invasion around Knoxville. I also detached Ashby's division from the AR "army" and sent it to fight along the Mississippi. I am taking a chance that the west will stay quiet for a while.
[SIZE="4"]Early April, 1863. Turn 49:[/size]
There is not much going on this turn. The Union has a lot of force in Maryland now, so I can't hope to cut off DC again. The muddy weather is also restricting action.
My buys are pretty straight forward. Infantry repl. then artillery. I usually throw in a little RR. I want my VA armies to have plenty of art. especially if they are going to be fighting large defensive battles. In the west I have bought some 6's because they look alright on defense.
[SIZE="4"]Late April, 1863. Turn 50:[/size]
I send Ewell to join JeJ together they have almost 80,000 men and a 130 field guns.
[SIZE="4"]Early May, 1863. Turn 51:[/size]
The US beat up some Canadians near Detroit, and I lost morale for it. I had better start getting more out of the foreign navies. Now they just guard the blockade boxes.
The big news is that I will try again for Cairo, IL. I think the main Union strength is in the far west and around Louisville. This time Hardee leads 40,000 men with 83 guns in tow. Bragg is still marching around in the mountains of Eastern TN, but I am calling him back since my TN defenders are a little short handed now. Tatnall will guard the river south of IL.
In Virgina I will try to open the rail into WV. If the Union will defend Maryland with all their might, I'll just have to threaten elsewhere.
Magruder escapes back to VA. I would have taken another big morale hit otherwise. I still lead 125 to 79 and I have about a 1000 point lead in VP.
The US has called for a partial draft just in time to capitalize on their victory. I am having serious problems with my European forces. The English have no where near the replacements needed to fill out their armies. I am left with a skeleton force that will start losing elements almost immediately. What is worse, the units seem to eat food as if they were at full strength. Britain can not even feed the men it doesn't have. Their forces in Canada are outnumbered. Bragg was turned back at Paducah, so I have no offensive right now. Lastly Bory has recovered and I will send him to AR where I plan to be on the defensive.
[SIZE="4"]Late March, 1863. Turn 48:[/size]
There is now actual famine in Britain. So much for "holding back" with the Europeans. They are occupying some Northern forces, but they are incapable of fighting on land. The British will be resupplied from France by ship and then sent to Canada, where they can eat that food for a while.
I sent JeJ across the Potomac again west of DC. I am trying to provoke them to attack me and I like JeJ's entrenching ability. In TN I sent Bragg to deal with a small invasion around Knoxville. I also detached Ashby's division from the AR "army" and sent it to fight along the Mississippi. I am taking a chance that the west will stay quiet for a while.
[SIZE="4"]Early April, 1863. Turn 49:[/size]
There is not much going on this turn. The Union has a lot of force in Maryland now, so I can't hope to cut off DC again. The muddy weather is also restricting action.
My buys are pretty straight forward. Infantry repl. then artillery. I usually throw in a little RR. I want my VA armies to have plenty of art. especially if they are going to be fighting large defensive battles. In the west I have bought some 6's because they look alright on defense.
[SIZE="4"]Late April, 1863. Turn 50:[/size]
I send Ewell to join JeJ together they have almost 80,000 men and a 130 field guns.
[SIZE="4"]Early May, 1863. Turn 51:[/size]
The US beat up some Canadians near Detroit, and I lost morale for it. I had better start getting more out of the foreign navies. Now they just guard the blockade boxes.
The big news is that I will try again for Cairo, IL. I think the main Union strength is in the far west and around Louisville. This time Hardee leads 40,000 men with 83 guns in tow. Bragg is still marching around in the mountains of Eastern TN, but I am calling him back since my TN defenders are a little short handed now. Tatnall will guard the river south of IL.
In Virgina I will try to open the rail into WV. If the Union will defend Maryland with all their might, I'll just have to threaten elsewhere.
[SIZE="4"]Late May, 1863. Turn 52:[/size]
My blockade runners are bringing back 38 resources per turn, while the blockade has fallen to 20%. Things are pretty quiet in the East, as I continue to work to open the rail line into WV.
I gave up Bowling Green, and brought ASJ back to Nashville. Hardee at Cairo managed to drive off a large Union force that I didn't expect to be there. The battle is considered a stalemate, but the Union withdrew, while Hardee did not. Then Hardee made a follow up attack, but could not quite take the city. He has been ordered to maintain the siege and await resupply.
I am also moving up to retake Fayetteville since Grant is back along the west bank of the Mississippi in the swamps of AR.
[SIZE="4"]Early June, 1863. Turn 53:[/size]
I get the "increased food production" and "stainless banner" events giving me +8 to NM. It seems Johnny Reb is eager to finish this fight.
I will advance into Grafton WV. Hardee has been resupplied by river transports and will try to take Cairo. Bragg has finally tracked down the force he was after and captured some supplies. I will continue my advance in western AR.
[SIZE="4"]Late June, 1863. Turn 54: [/size]
5% bonds were enough to finance an embargo, pay a small bonus for the new volunteers and buy all the stuff I need. It helps that inflation is quite tame at 5%. Actually I'm only buying river transports to support my drive into IL and a lot of replacements to cover those nasty losses at Washington, DC.
I secured Grafton and now will put a lot of men into WV. Ewell and part of his corps will arrive a bit later. I hope to secure some cities before the Union can react. Supply could be a problem here, so I am sending as many wagons as I can spare.
My other offensive is going well. I took Cairo and now Forrest will lead 2 divisions to take the depot at Salem IL. I am also advancing on Springfield, MO which is lightly guarded, perhaps because they reacted to my 3k man feint in Denver with 30k.
[SIZE="4"]Early July, 1863. Turn 55:[/size]
This turn has a lot going on, so I'll use it to get caught up on my screen shots. My armies will be advancing on almost every front.
The US used 6% bonds and called for Volunteers. I bought 4 river transports because the 2 from before are in a bad spot (my fault.) Again the aim is to support the IL offensive.
From WV I will advance on Wheeling and Pittsburgh. As you can see, I will also be bringing in new units, especially artillery. By next turn I hope to have the equivalent of 4 divisions in the area, 1 at Wheeling, 2 in Pit., 1 in Grafton. You can see that I am not assaulting these cities yet.
ASJ is already at Bowling Green and will assault, while Bragg with 16k will move up from Nashville and try to defeat the Union army near BG (if ASJ joins him) and then continue on to take Vicennes IN.
I had intended to send Forrest and his 2 divisions to take St. Louis, but my computer shut down twice trying to complete this turn and I forgot to reissue the orders the third time. I hate having to admit stupid mistakes like that, but that's what happened. Hardee will move up to cover Salem, while Polk will hold down Cairo. I did, however, send Bory from Springfield to try to take St. L. Since this leaves almost no defense in the far west I will try to destroy the depots at Rolla and Springfield.
I hope that I can secure the Mississippi River as far as St. Louis and that this will make any Union operations in AR untenable. Notice Grant at the bottom of the screen. I'm really hoping he isn't headed for St. L. There are more Union forces further south, but I think my threats will trump theirs.
Either the Yankee's are badly out of position, or I am in for a nasty surprise. My one concession to prudence was to pull JeJ back onto my side of the Potomac.
My blockade runners are bringing back 38 resources per turn, while the blockade has fallen to 20%. Things are pretty quiet in the East, as I continue to work to open the rail line into WV.
I gave up Bowling Green, and brought ASJ back to Nashville. Hardee at Cairo managed to drive off a large Union force that I didn't expect to be there. The battle is considered a stalemate, but the Union withdrew, while Hardee did not. Then Hardee made a follow up attack, but could not quite take the city. He has been ordered to maintain the siege and await resupply.
I am also moving up to retake Fayetteville since Grant is back along the west bank of the Mississippi in the swamps of AR.
[SIZE="4"]Early June, 1863. Turn 53:[/size]
I get the "increased food production" and "stainless banner" events giving me +8 to NM. It seems Johnny Reb is eager to finish this fight.
I will advance into Grafton WV. Hardee has been resupplied by river transports and will try to take Cairo. Bragg has finally tracked down the force he was after and captured some supplies. I will continue my advance in western AR.
[SIZE="4"]Late June, 1863. Turn 54: [/size]
5% bonds were enough to finance an embargo, pay a small bonus for the new volunteers and buy all the stuff I need. It helps that inflation is quite tame at 5%. Actually I'm only buying river transports to support my drive into IL and a lot of replacements to cover those nasty losses at Washington, DC.
I secured Grafton and now will put a lot of men into WV. Ewell and part of his corps will arrive a bit later. I hope to secure some cities before the Union can react. Supply could be a problem here, so I am sending as many wagons as I can spare.
My other offensive is going well. I took Cairo and now Forrest will lead 2 divisions to take the depot at Salem IL. I am also advancing on Springfield, MO which is lightly guarded, perhaps because they reacted to my 3k man feint in Denver with 30k.
[SIZE="4"]Early July, 1863. Turn 55:[/size]
This turn has a lot going on, so I'll use it to get caught up on my screen shots. My armies will be advancing on almost every front.
The US used 6% bonds and called for Volunteers. I bought 4 river transports because the 2 from before are in a bad spot (my fault.) Again the aim is to support the IL offensive.
From WV I will advance on Wheeling and Pittsburgh. As you can see, I will also be bringing in new units, especially artillery. By next turn I hope to have the equivalent of 4 divisions in the area, 1 at Wheeling, 2 in Pit., 1 in Grafton. You can see that I am not assaulting these cities yet.
ASJ is already at Bowling Green and will assault, while Bragg with 16k will move up from Nashville and try to defeat the Union army near BG (if ASJ joins him) and then continue on to take Vicennes IN.
I had intended to send Forrest and his 2 divisions to take St. Louis, but my computer shut down twice trying to complete this turn and I forgot to reissue the orders the third time. I hate having to admit stupid mistakes like that, but that's what happened. Hardee will move up to cover Salem, while Polk will hold down Cairo. I did, however, send Bory from Springfield to try to take St. L. Since this leaves almost no defense in the far west I will try to destroy the depots at Rolla and Springfield.
I hope that I can secure the Mississippi River as far as St. Louis and that this will make any Union operations in AR untenable. Notice Grant at the bottom of the screen. I'm really hoping he isn't headed for St. L. There are more Union forces further south, but I think my threats will trump theirs.
Either the Yankee's are badly out of position, or I am in for a nasty surprise. My one concession to prudence was to pull JeJ back onto my side of the Potomac.
I noticed Imageshack has gone haywire on me. It has erased some of my images and replaced one of them with an obnoxious message by someone with an axe to grind. Perhaps I have been misreading the name of the site; perhaps it should be "Images hack" since someone appears to have hacked my images. (Did I steal this line? I always have the feeling I'm stealing anything remotely clever that I say.) Is imageshack usually reliable? Should I be using another site?
I will try to get this straightened out soon. Fortunately I still have everything saved.
I will try to get this straightened out soon. Fortunately I still have everything saved.
I too thought Imageshack was reliable, so I'm surprised to something like that can happen.
In any case, you can find other image hosting candidates at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_photo_sharing_websites
In any case, you can find other image hosting candidates at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_photo_sharing_websites
[SIZE="4"]Late July, 1863. Turn 56:[/size]
Howard's Corps blocked A.P. Hill and now stands astride the rail line to Grafton. I plan to bring in troops to defend Harrisonburg. Ewell's division+ will attack Pittsburgh (pwr 120.) Taylor and his two divisions will attack Wheeling and take Pittsburgh if Ewell fails. I am pulling JeJ back to Manassas in order to make up for thinning my line.
The garrison at Bowling Green surrendered. 5k prisoners, 27VP, and best of all 3NM. Also Bragg found some big guns. I am going to respect Union strength in Kentucky and focus on IL and MO.
Bory is low on cohesion and ammo, but I can't resist taken a crack at Grant while he is so weak. After that it's on to St. L. where I hope to resupply after Forrest arrives to uproot the Yankees.
This is the dubious invasion of Arkansas. Those armies are not in supply. If they aren't careful they will end up looking like Grant.
The US calls for Graduated Taxes. I buy a couple ironclads to support my offensives along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. I know they won't be done for a while, so maybe I can use them on the Ohio. By contrast I can't really hold onto anything north of WV due to supply issues and the risk of being cut off.
Howard's Corps blocked A.P. Hill and now stands astride the rail line to Grafton. I plan to bring in troops to defend Harrisonburg. Ewell's division+ will attack Pittsburgh (pwr 120.) Taylor and his two divisions will attack Wheeling and take Pittsburgh if Ewell fails. I am pulling JeJ back to Manassas in order to make up for thinning my line.
The garrison at Bowling Green surrendered. 5k prisoners, 27VP, and best of all 3NM. Also Bragg found some big guns. I am going to respect Union strength in Kentucky and focus on IL and MO.
Bory is low on cohesion and ammo, but I can't resist taken a crack at Grant while he is so weak. After that it's on to St. L. where I hope to resupply after Forrest arrives to uproot the Yankees.
This is the dubious invasion of Arkansas. Those armies are not in supply. If they aren't careful they will end up looking like Grant.
The US calls for Graduated Taxes. I buy a couple ironclads to support my offensives along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. I know they won't be done for a while, so maybe I can use them on the Ohio. By contrast I can't really hold onto anything north of WV due to supply issues and the risk of being cut off.
MrT wrote:hey Meagher nice job so far grinding up the yankee fool, looking foward to seeing you finish it, possibly with a political victory in 64? Or do you think the union with take it through to the very end?
I am hoping to end this game sooner rather than later. My opponent is indeed a fool. With all do respect to Athena and Clovis, AACW is simply too deep and rich for an AI to play well. Designing an AI that could handle all the important aspects of this game would be a daunting task I'm sure.
I start a graduate program in the fall, so my gaming time will be much reduced. I have been thinking I would like to shift focus and play a short pbem game before classes start. I will start a new thread to discus that.
As for this game, I will finish it out sooner or later at least to 64. I don't know what events Clovis has scripted, so I can't say when Lincoln will relent. I think that taking cities, even temporarily, in IL, PA, and OH should unnerve congress.
If I really wanted to win quickly, I would have focused on eliminating as many elements as possible from the isolated armies in AR. Instead I decided to threaten the North, as you shall see.
[SIZE="4"]Early August, 1863. Turn 57:[/size]
Forrest takes St. L., I get 3 NM. I can now secure MO and continue to threaten IL. If the Union lasts into 64, Lincoln may lose his former state of Illinois even before the election. Forrest can promote. Normally I wish Forrest were more limited to his cavalry role, but with Jackson gone and Longstreet still at 1 star, I'll take what I can get.
I also took Wheeling, but but the Union reinforced Pittsburgh and threw me back. I plan to regroup in Wheeling and continue my attack.
Who would have thought Howard would go for Culpepper? I am pulling back to deal with him.
Grant managed to take on 5k replacements because he is not subject to historical attrition. He will escape.
The British have basically retaken Canada's great lakes region. Perhaps I have underestimated the British contribution. Who knows what the US could have done with those forces instead? In any case the US has withdrawn and is no longer threatening Canada.
I buy transportation.
[SIZE="4"]Late August, 1863. Turn 58:[/size]
JeJ engages Howard and disrupts his movement. Lee does not attack because he has the HQ and there was no corps in attack posture to support him. Howard is still in Culpepper and next turn I will hit him hard. DH Hill will promote.
AS Johnston is gone now. He had been commanding my only western army. I don't want to give up JeJ in the east, so I will take a NM hit to form a new army under Bory at St. L. I will need some time to regroup. Meanwhile the Union has moved into western KY.
I buy rpl, more RR, and an ironclad for the rivers.
Forrest takes St. L., I get 3 NM. I can now secure MO and continue to threaten IL. If the Union lasts into 64, Lincoln may lose his former state of Illinois even before the election. Forrest can promote. Normally I wish Forrest were more limited to his cavalry role, but with Jackson gone and Longstreet still at 1 star, I'll take what I can get.
I also took Wheeling, but but the Union reinforced Pittsburgh and threw me back. I plan to regroup in Wheeling and continue my attack.
Who would have thought Howard would go for Culpepper? I am pulling back to deal with him.
Grant managed to take on 5k replacements because he is not subject to historical attrition. He will escape.
The British have basically retaken Canada's great lakes region. Perhaps I have underestimated the British contribution. Who knows what the US could have done with those forces instead? In any case the US has withdrawn and is no longer threatening Canada.
I buy transportation.
[SIZE="4"]Late August, 1863. Turn 58:[/size]
JeJ engages Howard and disrupts his movement. Lee does not attack because he has the HQ and there was no corps in attack posture to support him. Howard is still in Culpepper and next turn I will hit him hard. DH Hill will promote.
AS Johnston is gone now. He had been commanding my only western army. I don't want to give up JeJ in the east, so I will take a NM hit to form a new army under Bory at St. L. I will need some time to regroup. Meanwhile the Union has moved into western KY.
I buy rpl, more RR, and an ironclad for the rivers.
[SIZE="4"]Early September, 1863. Turn 59:[/size]
NM swings another 8 points. If I had the time, I could have let those troops get weaker, but this is good too. I lost 6 NM for appointing Bory, overall I have 142 vs 73. VP is now 2771/1679.
I form another army under Bragg with no penalty, but my western command is still in rough shape.
I brought the UK expeditionary force to Charleston. Part of that is now helping hood to deal with a threat to Eastern TN. (It is still not near full strength.)
[SIZE="4"]Late September, 1863. Turn 60:[/size]
Longstreet is gone now too, oh well.
I will defend and regroup. Magruder will get some rest and 15,000 troops from Ft. Monroe and Norfolk. Another 10,000 will leave New Orleans. I feel the threat of seaborn invasion is low with European help.
I have taken Alleg. PA and will rest and resupply with these forces.
Hood has these unfortunate invaders trapped.
I hope to coordinate these attacks and eliminate as many units as possible. I can probably chase them into KY or northern states if needed.
NM swings another 8 points. If I had the time, I could have let those troops get weaker, but this is good too. I lost 6 NM for appointing Bory, overall I have 142 vs 73. VP is now 2771/1679.
I form another army under Bragg with no penalty, but my western command is still in rough shape.
I brought the UK expeditionary force to Charleston. Part of that is now helping hood to deal with a threat to Eastern TN. (It is still not near full strength.)
[SIZE="4"]Late September, 1863. Turn 60:[/size]
Longstreet is gone now too, oh well.
I will defend and regroup. Magruder will get some rest and 15,000 troops from Ft. Monroe and Norfolk. Another 10,000 will leave New Orleans. I feel the threat of seaborn invasion is low with European help.
I have taken Alleg. PA and will rest and resupply with these forces.
Hood has these unfortunate invaders trapped.
I hope to coordinate these attacks and eliminate as many units as possible. I can probably chase them into KY or northern states if needed.
[SIZE="4"]Early October, 1863. Turn 61:[/size]
Crit. has reemerged at Petersburg. I will deal with him before he gets any more help from Sherman and the army camped well west of Richmond.
My forces invading OH and PA were put to rout without even a fight. They lost their supplies and must now make it back to safety. Overall I would say this invasion accomplished little.
That was a disapointing battle. I'm counting on Forrest for this next turn. I feel like I would inflict heavy casualties if I could pin them down and make them fight.
Crit. has reemerged at Petersburg. I will deal with him before he gets any more help from Sherman and the army camped well west of Richmond.
My forces invading OH and PA were put to rout without even a fight. They lost their supplies and must now make it back to safety. Overall I would say this invasion accomplished little.
That was a disapointing battle. I'm counting on Forrest for this next turn. I feel like I would inflict heavy casualties if I could pin them down and make them fight.
[SIZE="4"]Late October, 1863. Turn 62:[/size]
My Virginia forces drove Crit. out of Petersburg. Both Ewell and Magruder are inactive, so I will not be doing much. There are a lot of enemy soldiers in the area despite their earlier losses. In West Virginia, I seem doomed to take losses of my own as winter approaches and I have no easy line of retreat.
I could not engage the Union force in a substantial battle in Kentucky. They escaped to IL, but I have several corps that can participate in an attack.
[SIZE="4"]Early November, 1863. Turn 63:[/size]
It was good that I chose to concentrate at Richmond. JeJ has joined the ranks of the disapeared, but Prince John repulsed an attempt by the Federals to take the city by rapid march.
Maybe Athena gets more aggressive as 64 approaches. I was not expecting such a direct move after so much inactivity. I plan to further concentrate my forces to defend Richmond. It won't be long before winter arrives. Ewell's men are suffering an epidemic and Magruder is inactive, so I won't even consider offensive operations.
My attempt to chase down Fremont did not go well. Polk's weak corps arrived first and got chewed up badly. I guess it would have been pretty hard to coordinate the attack I expected. Most of my forces were south of the Ohio when the battle started.
Undaunted I send Bragg's army to engage Fremont or cut off his retreat. Polk will not be in fighting shape for some time, and Hardee is inactive, but I have plenty of force if I can just engage. I really want to eliminate some units here and put the coup de grace on Union morale.
My Virginia forces drove Crit. out of Petersburg. Both Ewell and Magruder are inactive, so I will not be doing much. There are a lot of enemy soldiers in the area despite their earlier losses. In West Virginia, I seem doomed to take losses of my own as winter approaches and I have no easy line of retreat.
I could not engage the Union force in a substantial battle in Kentucky. They escaped to IL, but I have several corps that can participate in an attack.
[SIZE="4"]Early November, 1863. Turn 63:[/size]
It was good that I chose to concentrate at Richmond. JeJ has joined the ranks of the disapeared, but Prince John repulsed an attempt by the Federals to take the city by rapid march.
Maybe Athena gets more aggressive as 64 approaches. I was not expecting such a direct move after so much inactivity. I plan to further concentrate my forces to defend Richmond. It won't be long before winter arrives. Ewell's men are suffering an epidemic and Magruder is inactive, so I won't even consider offensive operations.
My attempt to chase down Fremont did not go well. Polk's weak corps arrived first and got chewed up badly. I guess it would have been pretty hard to coordinate the attack I expected. Most of my forces were south of the Ohio when the battle started.
Undaunted I send Bragg's army to engage Fremont or cut off his retreat. Polk will not be in fighting shape for some time, and Hardee is inactive, but I have plenty of force if I can just engage. I really want to eliminate some units here and put the coup de grace on Union morale.
[SIZE="4"]Late November 1863. Turn 64:[/size]
I must commend the fighting capacity of the Federal army. Less than a year ago I had Washington under siege. Now they stand withing ten miles of Richmond. The North has absorbed large losses and continued to field enough men to force me back. It didn't help that I sent so many soldiers to invade through West Virginia, and I don't like that they made it to my capital before encountering major resistance. Even so, Lee is on hand to defend the nation.
From the Union point of view, the situation must be desperate. The war has been costly, but inconclusive. War weariness is chronic in many Northern states. Even the Republicans in congress are starting to challenge Lincoln. European involvement threatens Union dominance of the sea and assures that the Confederacy will not be isolated. Within the South, the will and capacity to fight remains strong. Only a decisive victory could reverse Northern fortunes, hence the desperate stab at Richmond. With no line of supply and winter almost upon them, the Federals made another bold attempt to break the defense of Richmond.
Although I had been surprised by the initial Union assault on Richmond, I was prepared. You may remember that my last orders were to continue concentrating in Richmond, but I don't know if it mattered since the battle was on day 3. The big advantage is that now I have the strength to go after Franklin's Corps.
My plan calls for 75,000 men to drive Franklin back the way he came. There is a weak Union corps supporting Franklin to the west. I will attack them as well and drive them further west. Ewell with a solid corps will hold at Louisa and prevent the Union army to his north from marching on Richmond or interfering in the initial attack against Franklin. Magruder will hold Richmond.
Winter has already come to IL. I plan to camp out at Salem and Vincenes. If I can control the rail line, I could get one more shot at Fremont whom I have been chasing for several weeks now.
My WV expedition is in serious supply trouble. It was foolish to detach so many men and sending them as far north as Cleveland so late in the year was madness.
I must commend the fighting capacity of the Federal army. Less than a year ago I had Washington under siege. Now they stand withing ten miles of Richmond. The North has absorbed large losses and continued to field enough men to force me back. It didn't help that I sent so many soldiers to invade through West Virginia, and I don't like that they made it to my capital before encountering major resistance. Even so, Lee is on hand to defend the nation.
From the Union point of view, the situation must be desperate. The war has been costly, but inconclusive. War weariness is chronic in many Northern states. Even the Republicans in congress are starting to challenge Lincoln. European involvement threatens Union dominance of the sea and assures that the Confederacy will not be isolated. Within the South, the will and capacity to fight remains strong. Only a decisive victory could reverse Northern fortunes, hence the desperate stab at Richmond. With no line of supply and winter almost upon them, the Federals made another bold attempt to break the defense of Richmond.
Although I had been surprised by the initial Union assault on Richmond, I was prepared. You may remember that my last orders were to continue concentrating in Richmond, but I don't know if it mattered since the battle was on day 3. The big advantage is that now I have the strength to go after Franklin's Corps.
My plan calls for 75,000 men to drive Franklin back the way he came. There is a weak Union corps supporting Franklin to the west. I will attack them as well and drive them further west. Ewell with a solid corps will hold at Louisa and prevent the Union army to his north from marching on Richmond or interfering in the initial attack against Franklin. Magruder will hold Richmond.
Winter has already come to IL. I plan to camp out at Salem and Vincenes. If I can control the rail line, I could get one more shot at Fremont whom I have been chasing for several weeks now.
My WV expedition is in serious supply trouble. It was foolish to detach so many men and sending them as far north as Cleveland so late in the year was madness.
[SIZE="4"]Early December, 1863. Turn 65:[/size]
The Confederates are also eager to end this war. After shattering the Union offensive with 12 lbs cannon, I hoped to destroy the other half of the corps. It looks to me like they must have taken on replacements. (15,000?) The resulting battle was hard fought, but Lee inflicted heavy losses on the Union and drove them back.
I'm hoping that the Union is running low on manpower. They must have formed a lot of new units, and they have been dieing in droves. Needless to say, I'm in need of replacements myself.
Ewell may not be the best choice to hold Louisa, but he did a fine job.
I don't know why he was able to inflict so many casualties in pursuit. He certainly does not have a cav. advantage. At this point it almost makes sense for Banks (AI changes commanders a lot.) to make a desperate attack to link up with the forces at Richmond.
Somehow Lee and Hill became separated. Lee remained in Richmond, while Hill continued on. Lee and Magruder will again hit the Union force outside Richmond (now under Meade.) Hood will arrive later to continue the attack if necessary. Ewell will hold off Banks until Hill arrives to drive him out.
The Confederates are also eager to end this war. After shattering the Union offensive with 12 lbs cannon, I hoped to destroy the other half of the corps. It looks to me like they must have taken on replacements. (15,000?) The resulting battle was hard fought, but Lee inflicted heavy losses on the Union and drove them back.
I'm hoping that the Union is running low on manpower. They must have formed a lot of new units, and they have been dieing in droves. Needless to say, I'm in need of replacements myself.
Ewell may not be the best choice to hold Louisa, but he did a fine job.
I don't know why he was able to inflict so many casualties in pursuit. He certainly does not have a cav. advantage. At this point it almost makes sense for Banks (AI changes commanders a lot.) to make a desperate attack to link up with the forces at Richmond.
Somehow Lee and Hill became separated. Lee remained in Richmond, while Hill continued on. Lee and Magruder will again hit the Union force outside Richmond (now under Meade.) Hood will arrive later to continue the attack if necessary. Ewell will hold off Banks until Hill arrives to drive him out.
Late December 1863. Turn 66:
First I must apologize. I lost the images I had for this game.
The Yankee's have finally been bleed white. Far fewer replacements showed up this time. Meade may be a worthy commander, but it was too late. His force was hopelessly outnumbered and low on ammunition. Banks clearly had not broken through to open the road to Culpepper. Sherman remained far to the west and would have to get by Hood before offering any assistance. Banks had been driven from his trenches repeatedly, and renewed attack this time with Magruder's fresh corps quickly overwhelmed Meade and forced his unconditional surrender by early afternoon despite fierce resistance.
The remaining Union forces in Virginia were left far too weakened to hold any of the ground they gained. In West Virginia my men starve by the thousands. I remember I had a picture of them trapped in snow, their pitiful red elements a turn away from extinction. In IL Fremont completed his masterful retreat. That's a few thousand farm boys who will be glad to see another spring.
Epilogue:
The fighting for Richmond had a profound effect on Union moral. Resistance to the war had reached a boiling point. The governors of several states declared they would no longer enforce a draft. Furthermore, congress was considering legislation to severely limit the President's powers as Commander in Chief. Yet Lincoln would not give up gracefully. He called for more volunteers, but in late January congress balked at his demand for yet another War Tax. Without the funds to continue the war, Lincoln accepted defeat.
Dixie had won it's independence, but remained in a dangerous environment. Regardless of the final borders the North would remain a larger power and keep most of the land in West. Europe now had renewed leverage in the Western Hemisphere, and it remained to be seen whether good relations would survive the loss of a common enemy. Many worry that the way of life the nation fought to preserve cannot survive the new order. Yet it was not so long ago that the United States itself was a fledgling nation facing daunting challenges. Surely the greater wisdom of Southern way of life, free from it's Yankee shackles, will set the Confederacy on the path of greatness. Or not.
The game ended on turn 68. Union moral had been at 60 on the very brink of defeat. Taxes reduced this by another point and broke Union morale.
First I must apologize. I lost the images I had for this game.
The Yankee's have finally been bleed white. Far fewer replacements showed up this time. Meade may be a worthy commander, but it was too late. His force was hopelessly outnumbered and low on ammunition. Banks clearly had not broken through to open the road to Culpepper. Sherman remained far to the west and would have to get by Hood before offering any assistance. Banks had been driven from his trenches repeatedly, and renewed attack this time with Magruder's fresh corps quickly overwhelmed Meade and forced his unconditional surrender by early afternoon despite fierce resistance.
The remaining Union forces in Virginia were left far too weakened to hold any of the ground they gained. In West Virginia my men starve by the thousands. I remember I had a picture of them trapped in snow, their pitiful red elements a turn away from extinction. In IL Fremont completed his masterful retreat. That's a few thousand farm boys who will be glad to see another spring.
Epilogue:
The fighting for Richmond had a profound effect on Union moral. Resistance to the war had reached a boiling point. The governors of several states declared they would no longer enforce a draft. Furthermore, congress was considering legislation to severely limit the President's powers as Commander in Chief. Yet Lincoln would not give up gracefully. He called for more volunteers, but in late January congress balked at his demand for yet another War Tax. Without the funds to continue the war, Lincoln accepted defeat.
Dixie had won it's independence, but remained in a dangerous environment. Regardless of the final borders the North would remain a larger power and keep most of the land in West. Europe now had renewed leverage in the Western Hemisphere, and it remained to be seen whether good relations would survive the loss of a common enemy. Many worry that the way of life the nation fought to preserve cannot survive the new order. Yet it was not so long ago that the United States itself was a fledgling nation facing daunting challenges. Surely the greater wisdom of Southern way of life, free from it's Yankee shackles, will set the Confederacy on the path of greatness. Or not.
The game ended on turn 68. Union moral had been at 60 on the very brink of defeat. Taxes reduced this by another point and broke Union morale.
very interesting AAr and insightful for me.
Some comments:
US Ai has done a good job considering the foreign intervention, an event I never saw in my tests and for which no AI events were created. So the Union Ai durability is highly encouraging.
I've built my Ai events with unpredictibility in mind. A predictable AI is a doomed one, as player will quicly learns what the AI will do and adapt his strategy. My AI events are based on some variations. The pro is AI behaviour variability, the cons is an AI sometimes acting very poorly. Another game could have shown a more aggressive Union AI.
There's a lot of room for improvments. Confederate Ai has been more refined until now and The Federal Ai is really a recent one and needs much more work as its goal is more difficult than waging a defensive war.
But the 1.015 AI is in itself much much better than the AI used a few months ago. With the same events, the 1.15 AI is doing much better choices. My first attempts in the new 1.15 SVF with CSA AI are very satisfactiry, on land and at sea.
Thanks again to have created this AAR.
Some comments:
US Ai has done a good job considering the foreign intervention, an event I never saw in my tests and for which no AI events were created. So the Union Ai durability is highly encouraging.
I've built my Ai events with unpredictibility in mind. A predictable AI is a doomed one, as player will quicly learns what the AI will do and adapt his strategy. My AI events are based on some variations. The pro is AI behaviour variability, the cons is an AI sometimes acting very poorly. Another game could have shown a more aggressive Union AI.
There's a lot of room for improvments. Confederate Ai has been more refined until now and The Federal Ai is really a recent one and needs much more work as its goal is more difficult than waging a defensive war.
But the 1.015 AI is in itself much much better than the AI used a few months ago. With the same events, the 1.15 AI is doing much better choices. My first attempts in the new 1.15 SVF with CSA AI are very satisfactiry, on land and at sea.
Thanks again to have created this AAR.
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