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Spharv2
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Southern AAR: The Last Stand of the Jeffersonian Ideal

Fri Apr 24, 2009 6:33 pm

Decided to do an AAR against Athena (Mainly to earn myself another medal from the Queen. :cool: ). Wanted to try and do a bit more of a narrative rather than just posting what I did here and what happened there. There will be some of that, but each turn will have a couple of paragraphs or so of background of the time as seen through the eyes of the president. I have no illusions about my writing, it's not terrribly good, but it's more of an exercise for myself in doing it. Been too long since I was in school and had to do anything creative. :)

To add to that, I'm not a terribly good player either. :bonk: So feel free to jump in and tell me when I've done something particularly stupid. Just remember that by the time these are posted, I'm probably 10-12 turns ahead in the game, so it's not like I can go fix errors, just learn from them. I rarely see people use the randomized generals feature in an AAR, so I will be, since I play with it all the time. It brings me more into the game since you don't have the same people doing the same things every game, and your heroes (and villians) are usually quite different. :)

Settings:
April 1861 Full Campaign w/Kentucky Neutrality
AI: Hard
Activation Bonus: +1
FOW Bonus: +2
Aggressiveness: Low
Leader Randomization: High
Attrition: Historical
Delayed Commitment: Medium Delay
There will be pictures included later; the opening turns are a bit boring though, so not until something interesting happens. Generally, I will do shots of battle results, and the occasional snapshot of the different theaters to give everyone a bit of overall perspective.
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Spharv2
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Fri Apr 24, 2009 6:36 pm

Turn 1 -
Story:
Jefferson Davis looked down at the desk in Briarfield, his Mississippi home, and frowned. Letters of congratulation had already arrived and been placed there. Congratulations for an honor he had no desire for. All he had wanted was to serve his country in the fashion they requested of him. That was, the country that had so recently been his devotion. For now the election of Abraham Lincoln had put a flame to the tinder that had been smoldering since the country was first formed. The Southern states, never fully comfortable in their union, had voted to leave it. And now they had chosen him to lead a new nation, at least until the people would make a more long lasting decision on the holder of the office.

He did not desire any such honor, he was a military man, and had in fact been commissioned Major General of Mississippi troops in the Confederate Army. That was a position he longed for, but service to the country came first. While he hoped peace would remain, logically he knew Lincoln would not simply acquiesce to half of his country leaving. No matter that he did not represent them, or they were simply following in their forefather's footsteps and leaving an oppressive government. They had fought for their freedom, and Davis was sure that the newly minted Confederacy would have to do the same. Perhaps his military service would be of use in the presidential office.

It was certain he could do a better job than most of the jackasses in the Congress. Despite, their choice to call him into service to lead the country, he had already had run ins with a few, and viewed most as the worst example of politicians, extremists on one side, and opportunists on the other. Hopefully they could manage to stay out of the way and let him get on with things that would need to be done to make the dream of independence a reality.

Some were already calling for an embargo on the sales of cotton to Europe to try and get recognition for the Confederacy. He felt that it would come to that eventually, since foreign governments would naturally be cautious. First though, they would need to export as much as they could to provide money the fledgling country would need. Money to build the machinery to produce the weapons it would need to defend itself in the coming fight.

He thrust these thoughts aside and got back to packing things up. He already had one potential flashpoint for the coming war on his hands with Robert Anderson refusing to do as so many other base commanders had done and surrender his post to its new owners. With a hostile Fort Sumter, Charleston, the city that began this whole movement, would have difficulties using it's harbor.

He had already been informed that a relief effort was on its way to reinforce the fort, despite Stanton's assurances that the fort would be abandoned. He knew that the main objective was not so much to hold the fort; it was not particularly defensible against land artillery, but to maneuver the South into firing the first shots and putting the onus for war onto their heads. So be it, the world would understand if it came to that.

He would resist the urge to make any calls for volunteers or to even attempt to put the country on a war footing for now, though he had been speaking to some friends here in Mississippi to see about the possibility of funding some industry in the state which may come in handy if it came to war. He had hopes that Anderson would see how hopeless his position was and surrender. If not, he had ordered its reduction before the reinforcements could arrive.

"War will come, so let it come at a time of our own choosing", he thought to himself as he finished packing up another box and called his servant William to deliver it to his coach.

Actions:
Movement -
I sent the 2nd SC Brigade and 1st GA Cavalry to assault Ft Sumter. The remainder of Charleston force to move to Lancaster, SC in preparation to move to Virginia as soon as NC and Virginia secede.
Puchases -
Replacements: 2 Line Inf, 1 Light Inf, 1 Militia, 2 Cav, 2 Light Art, 2 Field Art, 1 Hvy Art.
Industrialization: Medium in Mississippi.
Nothing further to do for this turn. Not doing any calls for volunteers until I get some of the NM bonuses coming my way, same for financials. Since I'm not using any financial options, I will not be calling for an embargo yet either.
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Spharv2
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Fri Apr 24, 2009 7:55 pm

Turn 1 Resolution:
+17 General supply in Jackson, MS
Sumter, along with the Fort Batteries, captured with 45 casualties for the CSA (+30 supply carts, 1 crate of Ammunition)
Virginia Secedes
Brigadier Generals appointed
Got some nice rolls here, and some bad ones, which I love about random generals, here are the stats:
Benjamin McCulloch - 7-1-2
Bushrod Johnson - 6-3-3
Felix Zolicoffer - 6-4-0
W.H.C. Whiting - 6-4-1
D. Ruggles - 6-4-4
Gustavus W. Smith - 1-1-1
John B. Floyd - 4-0-0
Charles S. Winder - 0-2-5
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Banks6060
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Fri Apr 24, 2009 8:15 pm

Excellent start Spharv! I'm very interested to see how things go with the random generals. I've always wanted to give that a try, but haven't for the sake of the fact that sometimes those pre-programmed promotable leaders...will end up being pretty bad. And you'll have some really good ones that aren't promotable at all. (Though I suppose that's the case with the historical generals sometimes.)

I'll follow this with much interest!
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Aphrodite Mae
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Cool! What a great idea!

Fri Apr 24, 2009 10:28 pm

An alternate history, with a story! This is going to be fun, no matter how it turns out!

Just the other day, I saw a novel titled "1862" in a paperback book rack. It was an alternate history that centered on the idea of the British declaring war on the USA, and fighting for the Confederacy!

Frugalcrat was kinda interested too, but said we could buy it "later".
Maybe he was right to put it off: maybe now, we'll have an entertaining read, without shelling out eight bucks! :)

Great idea, Spharv2! :thumbsup:

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Spharv2
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Sat Apr 25, 2009 3:13 am

Turn 2 -
Story:
Davis rubbed his temples. He could feel a headache coming on. From the feel of it, starting right behind his useless left eye, this would be one of the bad ones. He looked again at the report from Charleston. At his orders; Confederate troops had opened fire and forced the surrender of the fort.

Amazingly, there were no casualties during the actual fighting, but afterward, there were nearly fifty injuries and two deaths in the boisterous celebration of the fall of Sumter. Though the men had not died in battle, it was his decision that was directly responsible for their deaths. It wasn't the first time he's ordered men to sacrifice their lies, but it was different than his time in the Mexican war. Then he had been in the fighting, sharing the risks. Now he sat hundreds of miles away, sending telegrams.

On the matter of telegrams, Secretary of War Walker had approached early this morning and handed him another telegram from Braxton Bragg in Pensacola with the words, “Re-enforcements thrown into Fort Pickens last night by small boats from the outside. The movement could not be seen from our side, but were spotted by a small boat reconnoitering”.
“The Yankees violated their agreement,” he said simply.

Davis' mind switched between relief that his decision on Fort Sumter had been correct, and worries over the new information. Despite assurances from Secretary Stanton, and the armistice with the previous administration that troops would not be moved into Pickens, the Yankees had planned to reinforce and hold both fortresses. His decision had prevented one, but the other would now be a thorn in his side. Pensacola would now be closed to shipping, and from his study of the design of the fort, an assault would be difficult now.
“The 8,000 men in Pensacola could have taken that fortress a few days ago if mere considerations of military advantage were considered. But we were scrupulous in our observation of the armistice terms there, and now we see the true duplicitous nature of the Current administration of the North. Certainly, if we could have foreseen the perfidy that was practiced, our advice would have been different” he said to a stricken looking Walker. “I must go to St. John's and relieve myself of the bitterness in my heart toward our wayward brothers, and also to give thanks for the near bloodless victory that God has given us in Charleston”

He woke the next morning to welcome news, Virginia had reversed their earlier vote and formally left the Union. William arrived bringing various papers announcing the news. Lincoln's call for 75,000 volunteers to put down the "Insurrection" had forced Virginia's hand. No longer could they straddle the fence. When war came, they would stand alongside their Southern brothers and sisters to repel the invasion.

No other state in the Confederacy could even approach Virginia's production and population, though even it's output was much smaller than most of the Northern States. Without Virginia, the Confederacy was doomed to failure. With it, there was a chance...still small, but a chance.

That Lincoln had made this move without a congress in session surprised Davis. He knew the power to call up troops was not given to the president, but to congress. That Lincoln would begin his term with such a blatantly illegal move, without even attempting to call into session the men who held that power...in fact issued a memorandum asking them to assemble only on the 4th of July...shocked him.

But he still needed to convince those damnable North Carolinians to follow the examples of the states all around them. Their refusal to cooperate meant backups on the rail lines, and every day wasted was an additional day for the Union to move south with him here, unable to respond.

Even with the physical separation, progress was being made in Virginia. Already generals had been appointed and were set to take command of the troops already being raised. He was already sending men out to the Valley and to check the defenses of Norfolk. If they could get ahold of that base before the Northern forces were able to destroy or move the stockpiles... No, he wouldn't deal in possibilities s, better to plan for the worst and hope for the best. Try and keep the surprises to a minimum. He still had a letter to write to his friends back home, who were interested in attempting to set up industry in the state. He hoped they would be able to succeed, those factories would be important. He turned back and began writing.

Actions:
Movement -
Allocate Ruggles to Winchester, I refuse to attack Harpers Ferry anymore in the early turns, because I can never seem to get it to actually fall, but Ruggles will be a useful addition to the Valley forces. Besides, leaving it in Union hands sometimes avoids the AI fixation on the site.
Zolicoffer will lead the Suffolk Militia to capture Norfolk. I will probably allocate Winder there after I capture it, as that 5 in defense is nice, but he will never be active with a 0 in the strategic column, so he will simply be tasked with leading any defense of Norfolk. I'll simply march him over there to take over once it's taken.
2nd SC will stay to hold Sumter, while the 1st GA Cav will go join up with the rest of the Charleston force waiting for NC to secede so I can move them up to VA.

Purchases -
Both Line Inf, 1 Cav, 1 Field Art, and 1 Hvy Art were used up this turn, so I will purchase 1 more Line Inf, 1 Cav, and max out my industrialization in Mississippi. I need to pump those war supplies up until I start beating up on some Yankee armies and capturing weapons from them.
Still no embargo or other actions yet, until those NM gains arrive.
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Spharv2
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Sat Apr 25, 2009 3:18 am

Aphrodite Mae wrote:An alternate history, with a story! This is going to be fun, no matter how it turns out!

Just the other day, I saw a novel titled "1862" in a paperback book rack. It was an alternate history that centered on the idea of the British declaring war on the USA, and fighting for the Confederacy!

Frugalcrat was kinda interested too, but said we could buy it "later".
Maybe he was right to put it off: maybe now, we'll have an entertaining read, without shelling out eight bucks! :)

Great idea, Spharv2! :thumbsup:


I wouldn't advise getting 1862 BTW. I have it, and while it's somewhat interesting, the premise and the things that end up happening just go way out into left field. I suppose it's good for a few chuckles, but not much else. :)
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Spharv2
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Sat Apr 25, 2009 3:32 am

Resolution:
Norfolk falls (+158 supply carts, 26 crates of ammunition). This gives me the guns and leads to my ironclads being laid down.
Dodge and Huntress brigs are now active and will be set on evade and head to the blockade boxes to start bringing in goods.
The Josiah Gorgas Steel Mill event fires, increasing production in Richmond by 10.
Arkansas secedes
Eastern and Valley armies are organized.
Army of the Potomac:
P.G.T. Beauregard - 6-3-3
Theophilus H. Holmes - 0-1-1
James Longstreet - 7-4-7
M. Bonham - 5-2-1
Valley Army:
J. Johnston - 1-4-2
E.K. Smith - 4-6-2
T.J. Jackson - 7-1-2
Barnard E. Bee - 0-2-2
Free Supply units are received.
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Spharv2
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Sat Apr 25, 2009 10:09 pm

Turn 3 -
Story:
Davis looked at the report he had just been handed and tried to keep his hands from shaking. "How much did we get?' He asked Gen. Beauregard.
"Damn near all of it sir. A fellow named Mahone, heads up the Norfolk - Petersburg line you know, apparently managed to get word to the commander that he was in danger of something on the order of fifteen thousand troops marching right over him. He tried to set fire to the stores, but did a frightfully bad job of it, and departed before he could even see if it had any effect. He did however, manage to burn and sink the eleven ships that were there" replied Beauregard, the new darling of the fledgling country.

"Damn the ships, I'm not worried about those. The guns, powder, and the stores will help us more right now, that was the biggest naval base in the country; I have a general idea of what was there from reports while I was Secretary of War. My God, if this keeps up, we may just need to wait for them to evacuate Washington City. They seem determined to make as many mistakes as possible thus far. Please send my regards to Zolicoffer for his work in getting us those supplies, and request that me begin moving toward Hampton. I want those guns positioned to place Fort Monroe under siege."

Davis then excused himself saying, "Now please head back out and continue your training General, you know as well as I do that we need to have those men as well trained as practical in the short time I fear the Yankees will allow us"

Stephen Mallory, the Secretary of the Navy was next in. After exchanging pleasantries, the two men got down to business. "Sir, it has been brought to my attention that one of the ships scuttled at Gosport has settled in fairly shallow water, and could be raised for our use. The USS Merrimack was in port for repairs to her boilers, and was a fine ship, if we can raise her I think we should make the effort"

"But will the boilers not cause issues for us as well? If I recall correctly, she had been having issues with them for quite a while, and I don't need to remind you that we are far less well equipped to make major repairs on her than her former owners were Mr. Mallory"

"One of my engineers has done some studying on the new ironclad ships that are coming out in Europe Sir, he thinks that we could raise her and turn her into a quite powerful ship. She won't be seaworthy, and will be rather slow, but with the armor she will carry, no force of Yankee ships will be able to stand against her, even if she has boiler problems while in battle."

"Can Tredegar produce the necessary supplies? Or can we find them anywhere else?"

"I think Tredegar can supply what we need, but it may be slow for as you know we have many needs, shall I begin the process of gathering the necessary items?"

"Yes, do so, we will need any advantage we can get to keep our coasts and harbors free from the Yankee ships. Do you have anything else for me?"

"Nothing much sir, the letters of marque you have issued should soon bring results now that Lincoln has called for a blockade of our harbors, though he still lacks the ships to make it stick. Also, our first few supply runners have left port. At this point they should have no trouble bringing in supplies from Europe, but later they will be vital to our efforts to remain supplied. The Yankees may not have much of a navy at the moment, but in time, with their building capacity, I fully expect them to come near to cutting us off from outside supplies, barring European intervention. Given enough time, we could build a fine navy, but little money, nearly no trained sailors and captains, well sir, you know you have given me a thankless job."

"I do Mr. Mallory. All I, or the nation can ask is that you do your best. I have faith that our Heavenly Father will provide us with what we need, though only if we expend every possible effort to help ourselves first. In that effort, I should tell you that I have finally given in to those braying asses in Congress and decided to sign off on an embargo of cotton. I hope for speedy recognition, but I doubt it will be quick. Our harvests have been large the past few years, and they will have stockpiles. Hopefully in time, they will feel the pinch and realize that it is in their best interests to assist us."

After Mallory left the room, Davis looked back to the map he had the engineers draw up. The addition of Arkansas to their Confederacy would help to secure Tennessee and the lower Mississippi. He still had hope to bring Missouri and Kentucky into the Confederacy, but for the time being, it appeared his Northern border would run along the old 36°30' line excepting Virginia. He corrected himself, it would run along that line if North Carolina would see sense and join the new country. He was being assured by several politicians that the state would vote itself out, but he had been hearing that for the past month.

Speaking of politicians... He looked back to the center of the map, Kentucky Governor Magoffin had assured him he could lead his state out of the Union, but Judah Benjamin, his superb Attorney-General, felt that the legislature was too divided to allow a decision one way or another. He desperately wanted Kentucky in the Confederacy, since that would not only add another large state, but it would provide him with a natural defensive line on the Ohio River, but he would not invade a sovereign state, those were tactics the Yankees might, would use, but he would not. A large part of the reason things had come to this was that the federal government could not stop meddling in the affairs of the individual states, he would be damned if he would simply pick up where Lincoln had left off. This was not a fight they would be able to stay out of. Sooner or later, they would have to choose, and he would do all he could to make sure they chose correctly.


Actions:
Movement -
Not much movement. Zolicoffer hands over the defense to Winder and takes the guns and supply unit and heads for Hampton, VA to put those guns to work trying to take Fort Monroe, which is a huge thorn in the Confederate sides if left alone.
Ruggles will head to Stafford to join the Valley army. (Forgot they show up in Stafford, not Winchester.
The Mississippi supply will head for Humboldt, TN while the Eastern one will join the Army of the Potomac.

Purchases -
Elite Infantry are now an option, so I purchase one replacement. I received my regular and militia replacements, so those aren't a priority now. Both Field Art replacements have now been used, so I purchase two more. The Heavy Art replacements are gone too, but those are expensive, so I'll have to print money to get an extra $266,000. My morale hasn't done much yet, so I decide to print money and purchase one Heavy Art replacement.
I can buy reinforcements now, so I purchase the lone Missouri brigade and one of the large Texas Brigades to try and secure my western flanks.
Since I have the spare cash, I'm going to attempt the embargo this turn. I'll lose the extra money I have, but it will more than offset the NM loss for printing money.
Rail - 20
River - 5
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Spharv2
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Sat Apr 25, 2009 10:12 pm

Resolution:
+17 General supply in Jackson
+22 General supply in Corinth
This is a bit irritating, general supplies will help in the future, but I really need war supplies.
Big, huge backfire with the embargo. -19 entry points.
All the various gunboats and transports arrive this turn.
Lewis Cass Brig shows up
1st Reserve Brigade arrives in Richmond
Richmond becomes the Capital.
North Carolina Secedes...Finally
Magruder's force organizes:
John B. Magruder - 4-2-6
Brown's Brigade (Missouri) is received in Jefferson City. Hate that, it needs to organize quickly, that's where the Union usually heads first.
Phifer's Brigade (Texas) organized in Henderson.
Union force under S. Hurlbut moves on Winchester. He looks to only have the marines under his command.
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Sun Apr 26, 2009 4:35 pm

Turn 4 -
Story:
"...so I hope you realize Sir, that this embargo of yours will do little but irritate her Majesty's Government. We do not expect this unpleasantness to last long, and if you are successful in your bid then you will have not made many friends in Britain with this policy." The English businessman took a breath, interrupting his tirade.

Davis had long since grown tired of being lectured and talked down to by this officious little twit. The man had been given a highly unofficial status as a conduit between the English government and the as-yet unrecognized government of the Confederacy, and it seemed the power, unofficial as it was, had quite gone to his head. "I will surely take your superb recommendations under advisement sir. You know that I, and the entire government of this Confederation, have nothing but the highest respect for Her Majesty and her government. But I fear I have much pressing business that must be attended to, so if you would excuse me, I must get to it. I assure you that our able Secretary of State Mr. Robert Toombs is at your disposal for any questions you have, or any communications you need to make. I'm afraid the demands of office forbid me from being available quite often."

The man was quickly ushered out of the room. Davis considered sending a warning to Toombs about the man. He probably should, but Toombs was still bitter over not being selected as the President, and his cabinet position had done little to mollify him. He would let it go; perhaps Toombs would unleash his quite impressive fury on the man and put him in his place. As President it was beneath him, not to mention quite undiplomatic, to do so. He couldn't afford to irritate the British much more. If half of what the man had said was true, rather than bringing the Confederacy closer to recognition, the embargo of cotton had only caused irritation. So be it, he had expected that initially, unlike most of congress, who expected foreign states to roll over and supplicate themselves before "King Cotton". The embargo would eventually be effective, once their stocks got low enough and businessmen and the people began to make enough noise.

He looked around his new office in the Confederate "White House". He had opposed moving the government to Richmond, not wanting to place the capital so dangerously close to the front lines, but he had to admit, these accommodations were much nicer than those in Montgomery. It wasn't as if they would be able to really give up much Virginian territory regardless, and there were very good defensive positions in Northern Virginia behind the Rappahannock, and again before the North Anna. Fort Monroe was worrisome, as it could provide a base for an attack up the James, but he hoped to eliminate that threat soon.

The forces collecting in Richmond and in the Valley should be somewhat ready to move soon, he wanted to reclaim more of northern Virginia to try and establish the initial defensive line behind the Potomac. Beauregard was itching to launch a pre-emptive strike into Maryland to bring that occupied state into the Confederacy, but his plans required more troops than the entire confederacy had available at the moment.

Gen. Johnston was less happy in the Valley, he was already proposing the abandonment of the entire Shenandoah Valley, and was disconcerted by a force of marines under Union Gen. Hurlbut who had advanced to invest Winchester. He had already ordered Johnston to be reinforced, and was sending Bushrod Johnson with command of a reserve brigade to deal with the marines. Hopefully those moves would put some spine into Johnston.

He didn't understand his old friend's attitude, he was known as a superb officer, and should be a perfect choice to lead those forces, maybe he was still upset over the general officer rankings that congress had approved. He had to know that his acting rank in the old army could not be taken into account, only his actual rank, but he seemed to have taken it personally. To be sure, he would have to keep a closer eye on Johnston and make sure that he didn't do anything foolhardy.

He had received reports of forces collecting in Texas and Missouri. He would send generals out to take command of those forces. He looked over his roster of available commanders. McCulloch would be a good choice for Missouri; he was aggressive and seemed to have a good grasp of how to use troops. He wished the idiots in Missouri had chosen a better location to organize than Jefferson City, it was too vulnerable to a quick Union attack, and if they hit before the unit could finish pulling itself together, the men would most likely scatter, never to be seen again. Maybe some militia could be raised to at least delay any incursions. Not likely they'd hold out long, but it should at least give the unit time to organize.

With North Carolina having joined the Confederacy, his country now stretched unbroken from the Atlantic to Texas. North Carolina's biggest contribution aside from men was their coastline, which had many nooks and crannies available for running supplies into. Davis knew that he could not afford to sacrifice territory, most of the Confederacy's most populated and productive territory was located in the border states. Aside from the fact that with the ease of their achievements thus far, the people were only being reinforced in their belief that each southern man was worth three of the Yankees. If he allowed the Union to capture too much territory, the people would turn against him as quickly as they had come out to support him so far.

He sighed and looked out his window. Today there were still happy children playing out on the green. Some were running in between the ranks of a newly arrived North Carolina volunteer unit before officers chased them out. He wondered how much longer they would be free to play. A tidal wave was cresting over all of their heads, and when it broke, no one in his small country would be immune from the effects. How many of those children's fathers would he have to send off to die before the Yankees let them go their own way? He feared the answer would be far too many.

Actions:
Movement -
Not much this turn, now that NC has finally gotten off the fence, I can rail the SC force up to Virginia. They will head to the Valley to reinforce Johnston's Army there.
I am also going to operate Gen. McCulloch to Jefferson City.
Bushrod Johnson will assume command of the 1st Reserve Brigade which is now active in Richmond. He has a power of 83, while the USMC should be around 30-35. I'm going to rail him up to Winchester and try to break the siege there.
Everything else is either still locked or already on route, so that's it.

Purchases -
Because of the positioning of the brigade I built in MO, I will have to produce some militia this turn, hopefully they will show up in Jefferson City also, so there will at least be a rudimentary defense until that brigade is ready. I figure they'll both appear somewhere useless like Charleston, but I need to try and make the effort, can't afford to waste that brigade.
I'm also out of replacements for my Light and Field Art, so I add one unit in each of those.
Finally, I add +20 to my rail lines, since railing those units up from SC took a lot of capacity.
Mississippi remains on max industrialization need to hope for a few WS hits soon, or I'll have to give it up and build some brigs instead. I prefer industrialization because my brigs have a nasty habit of dying quickly and in droves.
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Spharv2
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Sun Apr 26, 2009 4:40 pm

Resolution:
+23 General supply in Bolivar
Blockade runners return 4 WS
US captures Rolla, MO without a fight. Luckily, they went for the depot in Rolla first rather than Jefferson city. Hate to lose the depot, but at this point, better that than a battalion.
Naturally, my two militia units were built in Charleston and Springfield. But, since the Union ignored Jefferson City, the brigade should be safe. It will be ready in about two days, and I don't see any force that can get there sooner than that.
Bushrod Johnson relieved Winchester without a fight. Hurlbut saw me coming and wisely retreated before combat could occur, falling back on Harpers Ferry.
I can see Patterson moving toward Washington in eastern Pennsylvania, so I shouldn't have to worry about that force hitting the Valley right yet.
Ships in Richmond activate.
Magruder activates.
St. Louis Massacre event fires, so now I add Sterling Price and his men.
Sterling Price - 5-0-1. I'll take it, he should at least be active, even if he can't general his way out of a wet paper bag.
Sibley arrives...and is utterly useless
Henry H. Sibley - 0-3-0. That hurts, it means I'll have to send another general out to Texas to stake my claim to the SW areas.
Benjamin Huger organizes his forces in Petersburg.
Benjamin Huger - 2-1-0. Not much use, but he can fill a slot somewhere for now.
New supply unit in Corinth, MS
New supply unit in Atlanta, GA
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Spharv2
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Mon Apr 27, 2009 6:55 pm

Turn 5 -
Story:
Davis was shocked by the turn events in Missouri had taken. If the reports he had were correct, an impetuous Gen. Lyon had publicly humiliated nearly 700 members of the Missouri militia, then had his troops open fire on an unarmed mob of people who had gathered to protest the action. Well over 100 casualties, caused by trigger happy Hessians. He mourned the loss, but the cold, practical side of him hoped that this would rouse the state against the Union. Already former governor Sterling Price had come over to a secessionist viewpoint and raised a large militia force in northwest Arkansas, poised to move and take back his state from the mercenary troops. If he could join with McCulloch who had taken command of a brigade in Jefferson City, perhaps the state could be claimed for the Confederacy. Luckily, Union troops had advanced on Rolla and its depot rather than Jefferson City. The depot had fallen, but the precious brigade was safe for now. McCulloch had sent word that he was training them up as fast as possible, and that they should be ready for battle soon.

News in Virginia was better, as Johnson and his reserve brigade had no trouble raising the Union siege of Winchester. Johnson said as soon as the Yankees saw the dust from his troops marching down the road toward the city, they had turned tail and run. His trained eye scanned the maps and knew that the Valley would be important. Not only for the food it produced, but also because of the geography of the area. The Valley was a dagger pointing straight at the heart of Maryland and Pennsylvania. Confederate forces could use it as a staging area for raids into the North, but even if it was entirely claimed by the Union, its contours led them only further away from Richmond. Still, he wanted to maintain a credible threat there so the Union could not simply mass troops around Washington with which to bludgeon their way into Virginia. Besides, a General Jackson had advocated a raid on Grafton, in the breakaway western portion of Virginia to destroy vital supplies. Confederate forces had not had much luck in the area thus far, but perhaps it could be done.

General Magruder had proclaimed his forces ready and begun to march to invest Fort Monroe. There was not sufficient manpower yet to seriously threaten the fort, but given time, and the guns from Norfolk, the fort would fall. A force under Benjamin Huger was now organizing in Petersburg. He was still undecided what to do with those men at the moment. Send them to Norfolk to defend that vital port? Or join Magruder or Beauregard to help them accomplish their tasks? He would have to consider the possibilities before coming to a decision.

Henry Sibley had declared for the Confederacy in Texas. Davis considered him an audacious planner, having already seen his requests for troops to invade the southwest territories and California, but how would he be in execution? Regardless, he would consider who to send to the area to “assist” Sibley and perhaps they could actually do what Sibley had planned. The neutrality of Kentucky was actually turning out to be a blessing in disguise, as recruitment was proceeding slowly in the Deep South. He would need to try and improve that sometime soon incase Kentucky declared for the Union or had the decision forced on them by Union movements.

He laid aside a letter from his friends in Mississippi who were writing to describe their difficulties in establishing any kind of industry in the state. They had managed some reorganization of a few businesses, which would increase supply, but as for heavy works, they said it would take more time. He sighed. He had known it would not be easy, southerners were not by nature industrialists, and were too individualistic to enjoy that kind of labor. Slave labor was a possibility, but he knew there would be resistance from owners who would want all slaves in the field bringing in cotton that would sit and rot until the European nations recognized the Confederacy and began importing cotton again. For every piece of good news that came in, it seemed there were five more problems chasing on its heels. His head was throbbing again, and it felt like there was a red hot poker trying to push its way out through his eye. He rubbed his temples and pushed the pain away, getting back to work.

Actions:
Movement -
Both of the new supply units will slowly make their way to Nashville. I need most of these out in the west, especially if I lose any depots to Union attacks, I'll need to keep my army well enough supplied to rebuild if I need to.
Stirling Price, along with his force of three militia units (Parson's Brigade and Clark's Brigade) will advance on Springfield to make sure I keep a foothold in Missouri. After this turn, I will bring McCulloch and Bowen's Brigade down to join them. I can afford to lose Jefferson City, so long as I keep Springfield. It won't be easy, but I would really like to keep a foot in the door here, falling back to Arkansas opens up a few avenues of advance I would rather keep shut.
Magruder and his force will head down to join Zolicoffer in Hampton. I need to start building this force up to take Monroe. The guns will help, now I just need the infantry strength to be able to storm the fort.
Bushrod Johnson will go back on the defensive to try and hold Winchester. I set him on Blue/Blue since if he does get hit by a large force, I want him to pull back to the main Valley force, not sacrifice himself and his brigade needlessly.

Purchases -
There is still no good news on the industrialization front. But I'll keep trying, I really don't want to have to try and go the brig route. All my artillery replacements are again used, so I purchase one more of each.
Morale is holding steady at 104. Still no money or draft calls yet. Not too important building up forces at the moment, since I'm still getting the initial stuff, but I'll need to build up soon. I'd like to try and keep my inflation down as much as possible. I'll be shooting it up the charts soon enough, no need to move it along any faster.
So my replacements are one each of the following: Skirmishers, Light Art, Field Art, Hvy Art.
One area where the CSA lacks initial force, aside from MO, is Tennessee, so I build one of the large brigades, and one of the two Inf-12lbr brigades. Together those should prove useful for when the Union decides to move into Kentucky. Hopefully, I get a bit of time to build up more, but if not, those will provide a pretty strong punch to take out Paducah and Bowling Green.
I go with 10 rail and 5 riverine this turn, just trying to slowly build those numbers up by continually investing a little, and using rail as little as possible.
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Spharv2
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Mon Apr 27, 2009 6:55 pm

Resolution:
Blockade Runners return $2 and 5 WS
The US is up to its usual tricks, capturing the Indian villages in Indian Territory. No big deal there, Waite will soon arrive and reclaim them.
2nd MO Brigade lays siege to Jefferson City. Lyon bypassed and headed toward Springfield, which is fine with me. 2nd MO has a strength of 50, while McCulloch and Bowen's Brigade is at 75. I would still rather not fight though, so I will just attempt to fall back on Springfield.
Oglsby's Brigade has besieged Charleston, MO. Not too confident about my lone militia unit holding out there, but maybe he'll get antsy and attack. His strength is 47, but is a lone unit, so he could be defeated.
Phifer's Brigade activates in TX. I'll operate a general out here and move on Laredo since Sibley is well nigh useless.
1st TN Cavalry activates in Knoxville along with the supply unit there.
Nashville boats activate
Memphis force and boats activate.
Island 10 boats activate.
Huger force activates.
Valley force and the Army of the Potomac activate.
States mobilize their militias
Raphael Semmes and the Sumter Squadron activate in the Atlantic Shipping box.
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Wed Apr 29, 2009 10:38 pm

Sorry this is late. Having issues uploading images for some reason. I'm going to give it a shot again tonight at home. For now, here's the opening part.

Turn 6 -
Story:
Jefferson Davis stood on the dock watching as sailors secured lines and prepared to begin the process of unloading the ship. One of the first few blockade runners to come in to Virginia bobbed in the slight current. He wondered how long the ships would be able to come in. Eventually, the Union would expand their navy enough to actually make the blockade that Lincoln had declared effective. Well, there were plenty of ports and thousands of miles of coastline to slip supplies in to. After meeting with the captain of the ship, and congratulating him on his voyage, he left the docks and began walking back to his coach. The reports from Missouri were mixed, McCulloch was satisfied his troops were ready for a fight, but advocated a pull back to Springfield to join forces with Price. We would be giving up Jefferson City, but concentration of force was going to be a key for his forces, so he approved McCulloch’s request. Gen. Lyon seemed to be rather confused. After sending forces to quickly secure Rolla, he had moved to the north of Jefferson City, circling around to advance on Price in Springfield. It wasn’t wise to leave a force in your back, and Davis could not understand the movement. Regardless, he had enough problems without worrying about Yankee mistakes.

Once back in the White House, he signed the order allocating John B. Floyd to Texas. Floyd showed initiative, but little military skill, so he would be sent to one of the out of the way theater. He should have no problems with his duties there. Better to hide him in a more out of the way location than to have his deficiencies put out in plain sight in a more important area. He was planning an expedition to liberate the southern portion of the state before heading toward the southwest territories. Sibley was to be ordered to New Orleans to handle its defenses. He had shown very little to recommend him for any real type of command.

His forces in Tennessee were slowly being pulled together. There was now a brigade sized force organized in Memphis, which would be heading north to defend the supply stockpiles being gathered in Humboldt. In addition, some smaller forces are converging on Nashville. He shook his head at the scarcity of forces he had to cover the immense stretch from the Appalachians to Indian Territory. He had received complaints from some of the Indian tribes there about Union incursions into their treaty lands. He had no great use for the Indians, but one of their prominent leaders, Stand Waite had been pushing for a commission in the armed forces. If he could gather the forces he was promising, he could be a useful tool to keep the western flank of the Confederacy free from Yankees. All in all, it was much better to have the Indians on their side. He would have to talk to some of his western men to get some background on Waite, all he knew was that he was rabidly opposed to abolition and had opposed John Ross by advocating for moving the Cherokee Nation to the Indian Territories. He would wait until he got further information on him before coming to a decision on whether to grant him the commission he was seeking.

The Army of the Potomac was deemed ready by Beauregard to advance to the front. Beauregard was still requesting troops to further his grand offensive plans, but instead, he was ordering him to split General Longstreet and his powerful brigade from the force to reinforce Magruder around Ft Monroe. Beauregard had been quite unhappy with this arrangement, but Davis pointed out to him that the sooner that fort fell, the sooner Beauregard would be able to draw from the forces now charged with investing it. So after a bit more grumbling, he had packed up and prepared a leisurely march toward Manassas Junction. He explained that he would rather march to get the men accustomed to it, since they would need the practice, “To chase down the damned Yankees once we show them what real Southern men are made of”. Johnston and his force would advance on Winchester to join Bushrod Johnson and begin preparations to move on Harpers Ferry. He believed he had managed to convince Johnston of the validity of his position. He hoped so; Johnston was too valuable a general to be removed this early in the going. Besides, his old friend had already gathered some congressmen into his circle, simply removing him could prove to be difficult.

The cabinet meeting was contentious, to say the least. Mr. Memminger pressed for more taxation. Davis approved a proposal to issue war bonds at an 8% return. It will hurt in the future, but the cash flow is needed to purchase the items needed for defense. Mr. Benjamin reported on the state of Kentucky and Missouri, as well as small pockets of unionists in various places through the Confederacy.

The contention came with the reports from Mr. Toombs and Secretary of War Walker. Toombs had apparently met our friend from London, and was just about willing to cut all ties to the island forever if it would get rid of the man. Walker advocated ending the embargo, saying that he would remain unable to get the weaponry needed to equip our growing military without having cotton exports to pay for it. Attorney General Benjamin felt that the balance between the damage being done to our relations with England and any future benefit we might achieve was a delicate one. So he advised continuing for now, but being very cautious. Davis let them wrangle it out with Toombs for a bit before stepping in and announcing that the embargo would continue for the present. If it continued to have deleterious effects, then policy could be reconsidered, but reminded them that recognition was vital to our cause. If it did not come in the natural process of things, we would have to either accomplish what we could through embargo, or granting trade or territorial concessions. Territorial concessions were never a serious possibility in Davis’ mind. The Monroe Doctrine would not be overturned in his presidency. If the Confederacy let the Europeans back in to this hemisphere, chances are, we would never be able to extract them again. Besides, if the nation survived this trial, further expansion would necessarily be to the south, directly into the areas concessions would be letting England and France into.

The only thing Mr. Mallory has to report is the laying down of two additional blockade runners to be launched as soon as practical. The meeting ended and everyone filed out, Walker and Toombs still arguing over the embargo policy. Davis stood up and paced back and forth near his desk. Those brigs represented supplies needed desperately elsewhere, but until more industrial capacity was available to the country, they would need all the supplies those ships could bring back.

He was already feeling the pressures of trying to pull a country of individualists into an actual nation, capable of defending its borders. Too often, troops were being raised and kept in their own states as home guard units, rather than being forwarded on to locations where they would be able to do more. He recognized the fear of seaborne invasion, but he knew the Union did not as of yet have the seaborne capacity to launch and supply such an invasion. Of course, he knew it was more of a test of his, and his government’s, power more than it was a genuine determination to defend their borders. They were going to great lengths to show that they held the power in the Confederacy. Though he understood the acts, he knew that if it continued, they would be unable to resist the Union offensives. Eventually, they would come to understand that too, he hoped.

Actions:
Movement -
McCulloch will attempt to fall back on Springfield. Lyon is closing in, and while I'm pretty sure Price could win a battle, I'd rather have a bit more backup.
I operate John B. Floyd to Texas and will have Phifer's Brigade join him to move on Laredo next turn.
Memphis force, consisting of the 1st TN Brigade, Brewer Cav Battalion, and Memphis supply unit will march to Humboldt to join the supply units already waiting there.
The 1st Tennessee Cavalry and supply unit from Knoxville will march to Nashville.
Zolicoffer arrived in Hampton, and Magruder will be joining him in the next day or two. With my main army active, I split Longstreet and his Brigade (STR: 203) off to join them there. If I can move fast enough, it may be a sufficient force to take Monroe, especially if Butler is as bad as usual.
The remainder of the Army of the Potomac and Huger's force will march to Manassas.
The Valley force will move to Winchester to join Bushrod Johnson's force. Joe Johnston will cause me no end of problems I think, at least until I can make him a corps commander, due to his low Strategic rating. It may in fact, cause me to abandon the Valley completely until I can properly organize my army. I try to play somewhat historically, so I limit the splitting off of forces simply to ensure I have active generals. Johnston is in command, and will stay that way for now.
I move the Frigate to join Semmes in the shipping box and the gunboat to join the Virginia in Norfolk, with both given evade orders. I neglected to do this last turn. Remember kiddies, always cycle through your units to make sure you've given all the orders each turn. :)
I operate Sibley to New Orleans; maybe he can enjoy himself on Bourbon Street while the rest of us fight this war.

Purchases -
Once again, down to no Light and Field Art, so I purchase one of each.
Cotton Embargo option is again open, so I choose it, and hope for a slightly better result.
To do this I need more money, so I go ahead and select the 8% War Bonds option which will bring in $463,000. Not as much as I'd like, but better than nothing.
I build one of the large Mississippi brigades. These large brigades are darn useful for the Confederates, since in the early turns when you can't form divisions, and later when you hit the division cap, they provide you with a nearly division sized force that any general can run, and they don't cost any supplies to activate. Obviously, the mixed brigades have been a bone of contention in the past, but I personally think they tend to offset the fact that we're stuck with a set number of generals with no opportunity to promote regimental leaders or anything to compensate for early deaths or anything.
Since I have spare WS and money, I also commission two brigs to backup my industrialization plans.
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Thu Apr 30, 2009 1:40 am

Resolution:
US reinforces Harpers Ferry. Lew Wallace moves in with a sizable force.
+17 General supplies in Vicksburg
Embargo success - +17 British Engagement
Raiders sink $7 and 2 WS
Blockade runners bring in 8 WS
Ft Monroe Batteries sink Plymouth Squadron. Hoped they would manage to evade, it's about 50-50 chance.
CSA wins battle in Jefferson City. Got lucky here, Lyon turned around and headed back, but I was able to fight off a bit over 2-1 odds and get away before Lyon arrived to help.

Image

VA Gunboat joins Virginia in Norfolk
US Captures Manassas. Thought about railing the Army of the Potomac up there, but decided to march instead. At least it was only a militia killed.

Image

Phifer's Brigade joins J. Floyd...whoops, more on this presently.
Gulf Squadron #1 finds Dodge Squadron and lands 4 hits, while being hit once. I told you, my runners seem to go out of their way to pick fights.
CSS Virginia and Franklin Buchanan are active
Lincoln Calls for Volunteers event fires, the additional loyalty will help a bit.
CSS Arkansas, CSS Mississippi, and CSS Tennessee are laid down.
Gen Leonidas Polk arrives.
Leonidas Polk - 3-1-2. Useful at least, he should be able to do a few things.
One Cavalry Regiment and Texas Rangers have been raised to react to a raid in Texas. This was the big whoops from earlier. Instead of going for Tucson first, I decided to get Laredo instead, and the US forces decided to get a bit frisky and invade Texas, so now I have to turn Floyd around and go deal with that issue.
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Thu Apr 30, 2009 1:46 am

Turn 7 -
Story:
Jefferson Davis sat with Secretary of War Walker and discussed the current situation. A small Yankee force had moved south and captured Manassas Junction before Beauregard could arrive. It was not a large force, and they were viewing it as more of an opportunity than a setback. The Union had pushed out a small force that might be able to be caught and destroyed while out on a limb alone. It was led by General McClellan, who had gained some small amount of fame in Western Virginia.

Well, he would soon find out how valuable those successes had been. Beauregard had boarded trains and would be arriving within three days to retake the rail junction. In coordination with Beauregard’s move, Joe Johnston had agreed to assault Harpers Ferry. The town had been reinforced, but Johnston should still be able to carry it. Davis and Walker both agreed that it could be possible to establish a forward defense line along the Potomac, giving the Yankees a large obstacle to overcome before coming into contact with our forces.

In the west, General McCulloch had performed admirably. After bypassing the Jefferson City, Lyon had turned back and attempted to hit the city from the west, but as McCulloch was already preparing to move to Springfield, instead of being hit in the flank or rear, Lyon ran head on into the brigade. Despite having the odds against him, the Federal force was poorly led. Lyon apparently enjoying a barbecue in the rear areas, and not expecting to meet a fully prepared enemy.

McCulloch was able to do some damage and slip past the force as they recoiled in confusion. He was then able to join Price in Springfield to form a substantial enough force to cause Lyon and other Union commanders significant problems. They would be further reinforced and hopefully soon would be able to go on the offensive to relieve the suffering of that state’s population.

Floyd in Texas had some issues. Gathering forces to recapture Laredo, the Union forces in the southwest territories were ignored. Unbeknownst to any of us, those forces had been on the march for Texas for some time. They swarmed into the state and captured Dallas. Floyd was already preparing to retrace his steps and move back to Henderson to disrupt any further advances the Yankees might be considering. The state had raised a few regiments of cavalry to help deal with the incursion. Davis knew Texas was important, but they would have to deal with the problem themselves, there were simply no additional forces to send to the location.

In Tennessee, Davis assigned Gen. Polk to command the forces gathering in northeast Tennessee. Davis was confident in Polk, as an Episcopal Bishop, he would not only provide the men with solid leadership in war, but should also keep them right with God. He had already communicated with Walker regarding some plans to move through Missouri to threaten southern Illinois if Kentucky maintained its neutrality.

The decision to continue the embargo appeared to have been the correct one. The English merchant had quickly been replaced; rumor had him running for the docks ready to swim back to England with Robert Toombs on his heels. The new unofficial minister was a much more diplomatic man, and had quietly let it be known that Her Majesty’s government was becoming more sympathetic to our cause, and if we could prove that we could stand up to the invaders, recognition may not be too far behind. There were no concrete promises of course, but much more encouraging than our previous contacts.


Actions:
Movement -
McCulloch made it back to Springfield and was able to take command there. Not going to make any offensive moves with him yet, since I'm outnumbered by a good bit here, so I'll sit tight and build up my forces.
In Texas, Floyd and the additional units raised for defense will head for Henderson to be positioned to reclaim Dallas next turn.
I go ahead and switch the Army of the Potomac to rail up to Manassas. Eventually, I might fall back behind the Rappahannock, but for now I'd like to keep my defense line further forward.
Joe Johnston is actually active this turn, and with his total power of around 675, I will go ahead and assault Harper's Ferry. I would normally only go in with attack orders since Wallace has around 250 power, but with a strategic rating of 1, I can't assume he'll remain active, so I need to claim the city this turn. Hopefully Wallace doesn't get reinforced before I can get there. I want to be able to grab Harpers Ferry so I can more easily send some units after Grafton. Taking and burning that depot will reduce the pressure on Covington and Christianburg, which are pretty vital for me to hold to keep rail lines open.
I begin consolidating my river fleet at Island no. 10 so when Kentucky flips I'll be ready to move them in.

Purchases -
Once again, artillery replacements are used, so I'll again purchase one of each.
I purchase one MO sharpshooter brigade and another of the Tennessee 12 lbr brigades.
+20 rail and 5 riverine
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Thu Apr 30, 2009 1:50 am

Resolution:
+16 General supply in Jackson
+17 General supply and +8 ammo in Meridian
+23 General supply in Corinth
Merchant raiders sink $7 and 3 WS
Blockade runners return 12 WS
Dallas is captured by the Union
Manassas is recaptured (+35 supply carts, 10 crates of ammo) More importantly, the depot remains in place.

Image

Jefferson City is captured by the Union
Harpers Ferry falls (+71 supply carts, 28 crates of ammo). Wallace retreated before battle.

Image

Brown's Brigade is finished in Nashville
Archer's Brigade is finished in Memphis, also in Memphis 2nd Brigade unlocks.
Longstreet's Brigade joins Magruder in Hampton
J. Floyd arrives in Henderson in time to fight off a probe by union cavalry.

Image

Charleston, MO is captured by the Union.

Image

A draw between McCulloch and Lyon in Springfield.

Image

Knoxville Brigade and supply activates.
1st Texas Cavalry and McClung's Arty Battalion arrive in Madison
3rd Reserve Brigade activates in Raleigh, NC
Richmond Reserve Brigades activate.
3rd Reserve Brigade activates in Roanoke
Stirling Price is congratulated for his victory. Seniority: 17
E.K. Smith is congratulated for his victory. Seniority: 7
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Thu Apr 30, 2009 1:47 pm

Turn 8 -
Story:
Davis sat back in his chair and relaxed a bit once everyone had left. Another rough cabinet meeting was finished. He had been dealing with politicians for a good number of years now, but still preferred the military life. It was so much simpler, not nearly the fighting and bitterness he had to deal with here. He had been forced to approve a tax levy if the congress would approve it, along with the printing of additional money, and decided to call for some of the 100,000 volunteers that Congress had authorized earlier. He had approved a $2,000 bounty for those volunteers, despite his misgivings. The people of this country should rise up, together and volunteer out of justifiable outrage and punish the Yankees for invading their home and hearth. The idea of actually paying bonuses for men to do what they should have been willing to do freely stuck in his craw, but there was little to be done. Recruits had to be raised, or this would be a very short war.

He had even heard rumors of some in the congress pushing in the back rooms to institute a draft. He hated the idea of it, but if the states would refuse to willingly release their troops, they would have to be gotten another way. Having already experienced the difficulties of getting the individual states to work together, he knew how that idea would sound to them. He wondered if they would approve it even if a Federal army was marching straight toward them. He believed in the rights of states to determine their own course, it was firmly ingrained in his head, but if any country was going to die from it’s own overabundance state’s rights, this would be it.

Still, for a change, things seemed to be going well; it seemed a shame to have to ruin his good mood with meetings. He had heard from Mississippi, and a small arms shop had finally been set up. The ammunition produced would be a help. Still no heavier material, but at least progress was being made toward that goal. The forces in Tennessee were coming together and should be ready to march soon. Joe Johnston had easily pushed the Yankees out of Harpers Ferry, and Beauregard had likewise pushed McClellan out of Manassas Junction, as well as recapturing the supply depot there. In Missouri, a largely inconclusive battle had been fought between Lyon and McCulloch, but Springfield was still held, and signs pointed to Lyon falling back toward the East. Even John Floyd in Texas had arrived in Henderson just in time to punish a federal cavalry raid. He didn’t have a whole lot to be unhappy about at the moment. A few peripheral areas had been lost, but nothing that would be damaging.

Already his mind was working trying to see what the next moves should be. He did not sufficiently trust any of the generals available to have a coherent plan for the entire country. In their own areas, he trusted Beauregard, though he had to keep him on a short leash, and trusted Polk implicitly; McCulloch was proving his choice to lead the Missouri Department was a good one. But none of them could see the whole field the way he could, and this field was immense, stretching from the Atlantic Ocean nearly to the Pacific Ocean. He knew one goal that must be achieved was the investment of Fortress Monroe. Now that Gen Longstreet had joined Magruder, that goal would be achieved. He had learned that the newly christened CSS Virginia was nearly ready to go. He thought that might be a good choice to keep the Union fleet away from Magruder as he made his move on Monroe.

He would definitely give Gen. Jackson his head and let him run. The man was definitely odd, but he was a devout man, and Davis liked the fire he saw in him, especially when he was discussing his ideas to tweak the tails of Union forces. He had visited with Johnston and his commanders last week, and Johnston too approved his plan for a quick march on Grafton. They could not hope to hold the western part of the state with feelings running so high against them in that benighted area, but a quick raid to destroy rail and supplies would do the public morale a lot of good, and prove to the Union that they would not come out of this conflict unscathed.

Beauregard, flushed with success was ready to march on Washington, reinforcements or no. Davis would let him attempt to take Alexandria to threaten the city, but no matter what Beauregard said, the army was not ready, or numerous enough to invest the Union capital. He had some worries about what McClellan would do, since rather than retreating toward his base after being pushed out of Manassas, he had instead moved northwest. He now stood poised between the two wings of the Confederate forces. He could try to move back to Manassas to cut Beauregard off from his supplies, or combine with the other Yankee forces to try and recapture Harpers Ferry, or he could retreat. Davis didn’t know which McClellan would choose, but if his actions in western Virginia were any indication, he would attempt to consolidate his forces. Regardless, Benjamin Huger was moving with a force to defend Manassas, so the worst of the eventualities would be covered.

Davis wished again that the cocky little Pennsylvanian had joined the Confederacy, though there had been no chance of that happening. He had liked the man whom he had befriended years before. He had a definite likeability to him and was a true gentleman. Davis had been quite impressed by his reports on the Crimean War. He would have undoubtedly been a welcome addition to their leadership. He was definitely able to capture and hold the affection of his men, an ability some of the more aloof southern generals lacked. There were some exceptions though; Beauregard in particular had a certain flair that seemed to impress his troops. He pushed the thoughts away, there were so many more practical matters to attend to, there was no time for daydreaming. He needed to get busy and continue working with the rail lines to keep pushing supplies forward to the forward areas.

Actions:
Movement -
Floyd in Texas manages to go inactive, but I will go ahead and march him toward Dallas since it will take 16 days to arrive. The Union moved out of Dallas, but only with cavalry, so with the new rules in effect; I don't have to worry about them. Dallas is only being held by the 7th US, so I should have no problem retaking it when I get there.
Lyon and McCulloch are still both in Springfield. I considered taking the offensive, but the strengths are about equal, and going on the offensive would sacrifice my level 2 entrenchments, so I will stay in place.
I continue to gather forces in Western Tennessee, and in Nashville to exploit the opening of Kentucky when that occurs. If the Union does not invade by the time my river fleet has arrived, I will use Polk and his force to retake Charleston and threaten Cairo.
My reserve NC Brigade moves to join Magruder, who is moving to invest Ft. Monroe this turn now that Longstreet has arrived. The CSS Virginia and gunboat escort will move out to try and keep Union fleets away. Hopefully they can manage that.
Beauregard's victory in Manassas kind of put me in a bad spot since McClellan retreated NW. Joe Johnston is now surrounded on three sides by Union forces. He outnumbers any one of the forces by itself, but if they combined, they could probably hurt him.
I will stick to my plan though, since a setback this early shouldn't hurt too much. So Beauregard will move on to Alexandria, while Huger rails up to defend Manassas. Johnston will detach a force under Jackson to try and capture Grafton.

Purchases -
Since I'm beginning some larger offensives, I go all out for money and manpower this turn, except for the draft. I generally hold off on doing that until I have to, since it probably shouldn’t even be an active option yet, the states would not have gone for it this early.
So I'm printing $366,000 and Calling for Exceptional Taxes to get another $585,000. Then spend most of that on volunteers, calling up 342 conscript points at $2,000 a head.
I will also fill out my replacement roster a bit more with the following:
1 Elite Inf, 1 Light Inf, 1 Skirmisher, 1 Light Art, 2 Field Art
For reinforcements, I am calling up the following:
1 MO Cav brigade
1 Large mixed Mississippi brigade
1 Mixed Alabama brigade
1 Large mixed Virginia brigade
2 Sharpshooter Virginia brigades
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Thu Apr 30, 2009 1:50 pm

Whoops, double post
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Thu Apr 30, 2009 2:31 pm

Resolution:
Raiders sink $8 and 4 WS
Blockade runners return 12 WS
Baldwin's MS Brigade is finished in Bolivar.
Huntress Squadron is found and suffers 10 hits and lands 1 in return
Scouting Squadron #1 is finished in Mobile.
CSA captures Alexandria (+0 supply carts, 3 crates of ammo), along with 1,000 rifles and the fort batteries.

Image

CSA Captures Grafton (+55 supply carts, 22 crates of ammunition)

Image

Fort Monroe sinks CSS Virginia and gunboats. Argh...did not expect a single bombardment to take out my ironclad.
Scouting Squadron #2 is finished in New Orleans.
Little's MO Brigade is finished in Springfield.
Georgia Coastal Defense force activates. While I don't need them to cover my coasts, because of the lack of amphibious movements by the AI, I will leave them in the Deep South, since moving all forces to the front lines is a bit gamey. I will in fact, begin to build up a larger coastal defense force in time.
P.G.T. Beauregard has been congratulated. Seniority: 5
W.H.C. Whiting has been congratulated. Seniority: 100
M. Bonham has been congratulated. Seniority: 112
Thomas Jackson has been congratulated. Seniority: 6
The Confiscation Act fires. +10 NM.
New Army HQs available in force pool.
A railway accident has occurred
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Thu Apr 30, 2009 9:39 pm

Trying to get a good bit out here since the end of month rush is approaching at work, so I might have to go on a brief hiatus.

Turn 9 -
Story:
Varina Davis watched her husband ignoring his food as he read more papers. She felt lucky to have even gotten a chance to get him seated at the table for a change. The man refused to take a break, and had already had one illness that she knew was due to overwork, she did not want to see that happen again.

“Please eat more dear, you're emaciated enough as it is. I don't want to have to sew weights into your pockets to keep the wind from blowing you away” she said with a small smile.

“I'm sorry Winnie” Davis replied, “There is so much work to be done. I have news to go over, both good and bad, orders to issue. There is simply too much work, and I cannot delegate most of this without feeling as if I'm shirking my duties. I will give in to your demands though, as I could not bear to float away and be separated from you for long.” There was no smile on his face, but she could see the mischievous glint in his good eye.

“Would it help to talk with someone who doesn't want something out of you for a change” she asked, “I know I probably can't help you with much, but it might help to just get it out of your own head”

“Well, my dear, most of the news is good, which is almost more worrisome to me than if things were spiraling out of control. Oh, we've had a few tragedies, but all in all things are going much better than I could have expected. You have heard by now of course, about what happened to our brand new ironclad, the Virginia?”

“Aside from hearing that it was sunk along with it's escorts, nothing more really”

“Yes, well, it was something I was worried about when we began construction on it. That ship has had suspect boilers since it was built, and we unfortunately lack the capacity to truly repair them. We patched them up as well as we could, and sent it out to support General Longstreet in his attack on Fort Monroe. Unfortunately, one of the boilers burst while it was drawing near to Fort Monroe, and the current began pulling it in toward the guns of the fortress. The escorts attempted to tow it back away, but the sheer weight and momentum pulled them in too. A few lucky shots managed to disable the escorts. The shots from the fort could not penetrate the armor, but the ship was unable to overcome the current, so the captain was forced to scuttle her rather than risk her falling into Yankee hands. It is a huge loss for us. Without that ship, we have nothing to prevent the blockade of the James.”

“The next bit of news comes from our former countrymen up north. Apparently today, their congress passed what they call the Confiscation Act. To put it bluntly, it is a law giving their armies free reign to plunder our lands and homes. It authorizes their forces to confiscate any property, including slaves, that they say are being used to support our efforts.”

“That is simply horrible” she said, looking shocked, “How could they allow something like that to pass? They must know how high feelings run against them already, authorizing their mercenary armies to do as they please with our homes and families will not improve our temper. It seems as if they are trying to goad us”

“If so wife, they have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. I have never received so many furious telegrams, or listened to so many impassioned speeches. The people are furious, with good reason. Aside from that, most of the news is good, Beauregard Jackson and Johnston have pushed the Yankees almost completely out of northern Virginia. I applaud their efforts, we must make them pay for every step they take onto our soil. Jackson especially has been a wonder. Strange man, but he is right with God, and he moves his men like the hounds of hell are nipping at their heels. He has raided into western Virginia, and is giving the Yankees fits. We have new ships being commissioned to bring in supplies. To ask more would be to seem ungrateful before God, who has blessed our efforts thus far.”

“Well, if things are going well, and since you refuse to eat more, go outside and enjoy the companionship of your children. They miss their father who is quickly becoming that strange man who visits on occasion, and you know how much the children help you relax”

“I shall do as you command my dear wife. You know I would be lost without you. You ease my mind and spirit”

Actions:
Movement -
I split Ruggles, Johnson, and the 1st SC Brigade from Johnston's Valley force and move them to attack McClellan in Loudon. Strength numbers are about equal, but McClellan is pretty beat up from his fight with Beauregard, so I should be able to push him back and unify my line.
Jackson is given orders to destroy the Grafton Depot and tear up the rail line. This should keep the Federals out of southwestern Virginia for a while.
Beauregard detaches Jones' Brigade (2xInf, 1xLight Art) to join the captured fort batteries for a defense inside Alexandria. I generally like to leave a decent sized force actually inside the city as a backup for my defenses outside. If the outside force is defeated, the inside force can usually hold out long enough for me to reorganize my army or rail forces in to relieve them. It doesn't always work, and rarely in PBEM, but usually against the AI.
Magruder will continue investing Ft Monroe until I see a breach, then I will assault.
The new Mississippi Brigade will float up the Mississippi and attempt to retake Charleston, MO.
Lyon pulled back from Springfield. That, along with the new Brigade finished there, means I will go on the offensive and try to take out the small forces he left to cover me. One more turn and maybe I'll be able to move on Rolla.
Texas Rangers and Cav in Henderson are set to assault to try and take out that pesky cav unit there, which is down to a strength of 10.
Floyd is still not active, but is only two days from Dallas. Apparently the Union forces want no part of his force, as they've beaten a hasty retreat.
My two new brigs are moving to the Gulf Blockade Box.

Purchases -
More artillery will be purchased, 1 Light and 2 Field artillery units.
+10 rail, +5 riverine
I need to reinforce Virginia now that I have gotten my lines established, so I purchase one of each type of Virginia brigade.
I would like to beef up Tennessee more, but I only have enough WS for one more unit, so I purchase one of the smaller Tennessee brigades.
Though I haven't gotten any WS hits yet, my industrialization in Mississippi is helping out, since it now produces as much supply as any other state in the Confederacy. That will help if I need to fall back later, I will be falling back on a solid supply base. And if I advance, it will be more supply closer to the armies in that theater.
Hopefully though, I start getting some WS soon, since it is the main limiting factor in my army expansion
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Thu Apr 30, 2009 9:40 pm

Resolution:
Raiders sink $7 and 4 WS
Blockade runners return $1 and 11 WS
Floyd recaptures Dallas (+2 supply carts, 6 crates of ammo)
Units in Springfield manage to elude McCulloch.
Jackson's force destroys depot and rail in Grafton.
Heiman's TN Brigade is ready in Chattanooga
McClellan retreats from Loudon, VA
Farragut bombards Ft. Clinch, FL, but lands no hits while being hit 16 times.
Rains' MO Brigade is ready in Springfield.
3rd Reserve Brigade joins Magruder's force. I will assault this turn I think, give it a shot anyway, if I'm repulsed, I'll go lick my wounds and try later, but I don't want reinforcements getting here.
CSA wins a small cavalry battle in Henderson, TX.

Image

Baldwin's MS Brigade recaptures Charleston, MO with no opposition. (+4 supply carts)
News from Liverpool event fires (CSS Alabama and Florida begin construction)
Be Driven Away From the South Forever event fires (+1 NM)
USA Announces Preemptive Kentucky Invasion (US invades Kentucky, CSA unable to move in for a turn)
More cavalry and militia raised in TX to cope with another incursion.
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Thu Apr 30, 2009 9:54 pm

Turn 10 -
Story:
Davis looked down at the cheering crowds on the lawn of the Confederate White House. He raised his hands, trying to get them to quiet and let him speak. Slowly the tumult began to die down. After a few moments, most of the crowd was hushed waiting for him, except for the occasional, “Hurrah for Jackson!” Davis needed to calm the general excitement. In the grand scheme of things, the victory was a small one, though it was the largest they had achieved thus far.

“We have achieved a signal victory here in Virginia, yes. We have showed the Yankees that they are not safe, even in an area they thought was out of our reach.” He was interrupted again, by a renewed wave of cheers. When they finished he continued, “But do not think for a minute that they will give up the fight, or that we will not suffer further setbacks. It seems we have them on the run at the moment. We have pushed them back beyond our borders in Virginia. But they are a resolute people. They will be back in force to try to usurp the liberties that their government threatened to take away from us before we struck out on our own. That government will not quit until we show them that we cannot be subdued. They cannot defeat a people who fight for their freedoms, a people who refuse to bow to those who would trample the rights our fathers and grandfathers fought to establish. To end this war we will need to sacrifice both blood and treasure. Do not imagine that a few victories will drive them away forever. The British defeated us at nearly every turn in the 1812 war, but we did not give in, and turned the tables on them in New Orleans. Our northern cousins will not give in easily either. We come from the same stock, so do not think they do not have the will for a fight. We all know that commerce and profits are the heart of the northern businessmen who control that government. We will fight, and we will bring them to the understanding that to continue this war will cost them more than they could have possibly imagined. This is just the beginning in what I fear may be a long and costly war. I know that the newspapers would have you believe that a single glorious battle can bring our enemies to their knees. Do not put any stock into that idea. We will not always have our way; today’s successes can turn into tomorrow’s setbacks. But we will struggle on though we are outnumbered. We will fight though we cannot equip our armies as lavishly as they can. We will fight, and win, because we are fighting for an ideal that the Yankees can never match. We fight for our freedom, and our independence.”

He felt the cheers wash over him as he stepped back. He hoped that he had gotten his idea across. He knew this would be a long war, hopefully not as long as his friend Lee feared, but long enough. The people would have to understand that these early victories could not last forever. Eventually, sheer weight would begin to tell. He hoped to establish positions to put his forces in good spots to defend against future incursions. He knew that they would have to sacrifice territory to the invading armies, but he had to hold out as long as possible, as far forward as possible. The people would accept nothing less.

“Fine speech your Excellency”, he heard a voice behind him.

“Thank you Judah. Do you think they understood the point?” He turned to face the large man standing in his office.

“It would be hard not to sir, you were quite insistent on the subject of future difficulties” he replied with a slight smile. “Let me amend. I am quite sure they heard it, but as for how many truly understood what you were saying…well, people tend to sift out the parts of any speech they do not wish to hear.”

“Quite true my friend. I see you have a telegram. Is it good or bad news?”

“A bit of both I’m afraid. It seems the Yankees are tired of Kentucky’s prevarication and marched into the state. It’s unknown what forces are moving at this time. They appear to have stolen a jump on us. Though, I will say that their invasion has resulted in the swing of public opinion in Kentucky firmly to our cause. The governor and most of the legislators have moved to Bowling Green, which some militia was able to hold in the name of the Confederacy and have established a government in exile until such time as we liberate their state capital.”

While Davis deplored the action, it did help to have Kentucky even partially in the fold. The biggest problem at the moment was that the forces necessary to move in and secure the state for the Confederacy were simply not ready yet. Neither he nor his generals on the spot had received any indication of what was coming, though both sides had been recruiting in the state since the beginning. Hopefully the Union would not advance too quickly and would give them time to bring up additional forces. “Can you give me an idea of what parts of the state we control at the moment? Well, make that what parts assuming no federal attacks anyway” he amended.

“It would appear that most of the state has sided with us. Louisville and Paducah are held in the Union by small units, which is not a surprise considering their trade links with the North. The rest of the state is very favorably disposed to us. We should have little trouble moving forward once the forces are ready. There was one incident where some loyalists leaving Bowling Green tore up the rail lines heading north. Aside from that, I would expect the Yankees to have a much more difficult time with the populace than we will. Much of their population is feeling betrayed by the federal government right now.”

Another day, and more issues to face. He had already seen the urgent requests from Gen Floyd in Texas for more men. He had stated that he was currently moving on Dallas, but had received word that the Union was now moving another force into the southern part of the state. The Texans would not appreciate being left out to dry, but they would also have to deal with it themselves for just a bit longer. Texas was an important state, but that theater would never be decisive in this war. He had to mobilize more men in the center now that the invasion of Kentucky had laid open multiple paths into the Confederate heartland. He had no desire to stand on the defensive though. Polk was nearly ready. Once his force was prepared, they would march on Paducah. To give him time to finish readying his troops, perhaps the naval forces on the Mississippi could block the northern approaches to the city to keep any reinforcements from arriving. Once the western part of the state was secure, then he could turn and make his move into the eastern portion. If all of Kentucky could be secured, then perhaps the western part of Virginia could be brought back into the fold.

He had received word from Johnston that, his raid completed, Jackson would be heading back to the Valley. Those forces would be needed if the Federals decided to cross the Potomac. He also approved a plan of advance from James Longstreet and John Magruder to attempt to carry Fort Monroe. Word had come in of naval activity near Baltimore, and Jefferson did not want that fort reinforced. If the Yankees were able to put more troops in there, he would have to allocate far more force than he could spare to take it. Instead he would just have to post a force there to keep an eye on them, which would be a large drain on resources. So he would let Magruder take his shot at the fort and pray that the attack was successful. Looking out his window, he could see the James River in the distance, and in his mind, he saw hordes of blue-coated soldiers disembarking south of the city. Until they controlled Monroe, it was a possibility, and with the loss of the Virginia, one they had no real defense against. The fort must be taken, and soon.

Actions:
Movement -
Jackson, his mission accomplished, will march to rejoin Johnston at Harper's Ferry.
Magruder will assault Ft Monroe.
Forces will move up and prepare to enter Kentucky next turn.
McCulloch will attempt to move and assault forces to the NW of Springfield.
New units raised in TX will attempt to assault forces in Matagorda, TX

Purchases -
Lack of cash means I have to print more money, which will raise my inflation to 16%.
No urgent needs for replacements.
+20 rail, +10 riverine
I build the following:
1 Inf/Sharpshooter brigade in MO
1 Lg Mixed AR Bridade
1 Inf/Sharpshooter Brigade in AL
1 Inf/Cav TN Brigade
1 Inf/Art TN Brigade
1 Inf/Cav KY Brigade
1 Inf/Cav VA Brigade
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Thu Apr 30, 2009 9:56 pm

Resolution:
+23 General supply in Bolivar
Raiders sink $7 and 4 WS
Blockade runners return $1 and 16 WS
Armistead's VA Brigade finished in Burkeville
CSA wins a battle against US at Ft. Monroe, capturing Supply Unit and 12 lb Artillery, but failing to carry the fort.

Image

Mahone's VA Brigade finished in Richmond
Wilcox's AL Brigade finished in Mobile
CSA Wins a bloodless battle in Lexington, KY
CSA wins a battle against encroaching cavalry in Matagorda, TX

Image

CSA wins a battle in Hermitage, MO, capturing 1,000 rifles and 1,000 prisoners.

Image

Fulkerson's VA Brigade finished in Richmond
Featherston's MS Brigade finished in Jackson
Wise's VA Brigade finished in Petersburg
Union flanks entire Eastern defense line by capturing Fredricksburg!

Image

CSA wins battle against cavalry in Temple, TX

Image

Benjamin McCulloch has been congratulated and is now promotable.
Sterling Price has been congratulated. Seniority: 15
James Longstreet has been congratulated and is now promotable
Commissioners Have Been Sent to Europe event fires (+2 foreign entry)
Five New Full Generals event fires (Add Cooper and Lee)
Samuel Cooper – 3-2-1
Robert E. Lee – 7-7-6 This is always a kind of scary one for the South with random generals, since having a bad Lee is kind of hard to take. :)
Supply Steamer Captured event fires (+5 WS)
CSA Forces Move to Oppose USA Invasion of Kentucky event fires (CSA can now move into Kentucky without penalty)
European Brigade forms up in New Orleans
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Thu Apr 30, 2009 9:58 pm

Turn 11 -
Story:
The cheers from a mere fortnight ago had turned into blind panic. He saw families loading up wagons and carriages with everything they could not bear to part with. Soldiers were on the outskirts of the city, hurriedly digging trenches and gun emplacements for an army that may never be able to use them. Half of the congressmen and civilian clerks had already left the city, headed for towns and cities further south. “Well,” thought Davis, “at least the supply situation should improve”. The city, which was normally home to roughly 36,000 people, had been bursting at the seams since the government moved into town. The infrastructure wasn’t there to support the influx, along with the armies in the field. The armies might not be an issue much longer though, nor the remainder of the country, unless a miracle occurred.

He silently cursed himself. Of all people in the Confederacy, he should have seen this coming. The push to the north in Virginia had been too easy, the forces opposing them too small. But he had blindly thrust his armies ahead, ignoring their rear areas, and now General McClellan had made them pay. Making a show of moving troops into their defenses behind the Potomac, the Union forces had instead been gathering a large part of their troops in Baltimore and Annapolis. The night before, the Union had landed an amphibious force in the rear behind the Confederacy’s forward armies, capturing the vital town of Fredericksburg. Now that army sat astride the line of retreat for nearly the entire Confederate force in Virginia. Additional forces had been spotted in the Chesapeake Bay heading south, with an unknown destination.

He was unable to even get a telegram to his generals Beauregard and Johnston. Riders had been sent to ensure they knew what had occurred, though if they didn’t know; it was probably already too late. He put his trust in Beauregard to find a way to get that army back, and interpose it between the enemy and Richmond. But the man did have an aggressive bent. Would he take the chance to strike at the Union capital, hoping that its defenses would be reduced? He surely had to know the forces in Richmond would not be able to hold against a force the size of the one in Fredericksburg, even discounting the two others moving down the coast. Johnston had proven more correct in his initial caution than anyone had assumed.

He glanced over to General Robert E. Lee sitting at another desk rapidly issuing orders and moving what forces were available. General Lee had been a godsend. He had returned from his survey of coastal defenses in the Carolinas this week, and had immediately moved in to assist Davis. Walker was a good man, and loyal, but he did not have the ability to do what needed to be done. Unable to bring himself to fire the man, Davis had simply taken on more of the work himself and now he had a competent military man to share the burden. He had not wanted to send him South to begin with, but after the debacle in western Virginia, public opinion forced him to get Lee out of the spotlight for a while. Now he was back, and in the absence of other leadership, had assumed the defense of the city.

He looked at some of the orders Lee had already completed, “General, are you certain in sending Wise’s Brigade to Norfolk? Do we not require them more urgently here? We cannot afford to lose this city so early in the war, or our chances will be reduced to nothing.”

Lee looked up, “Yes sir. I realize that those people have stolen a march on our armies, and General McClellan is a superb commander, but reports indicate that he is not with the force in Fredericksburg. I believe that the purpose of that force is to hold our armies in northern Virginia, or possibly to advance north to try and crush our army between the two groups. Due to the reports of further groups being transported down the Chesapeake, I think they will be launching further attacks along our coastal regions. They may attempt to steam up the James, but I doubt they will do so as long as we possess Norfolk, as our gun emplacements can hurt them badly. I believe that their secondary forces are either going to Norfolk to try and secure both sides of the river, or possibly to reinforce Ft. Monroe. Taking Norfolk puts them in an excellent position, so I would guess that’s their objective. Wise’s brigade is one of the largest in the army. If they execute a full strength landing, I doubt we can hold them off, but if the force is divided, or they have issues, it could be the difference.”

Davis considered that. While he instinctively wanted to concentrate everything here until he was sure what else would happen, he trusted General Lee implicitly. “Very well General, I defer to your judgment. You know the details of the situation better than I do. I just wish that we had not lost the Virginia. If she was available, those transports would not stand a chance”

“Quite possibly sir. If she was still there though, the Yankees would either have a huge escort for this landing, or they would have sent even more of the army into Fredericksburg. As it is, it’s quite possible that the division of their forces could provide us an opportunity to defeat them in detail. I will set the men in motion, and entrust them to our generals and God. If He is with us, none can stand against us.”

Actions:
Movement -
Wow, talk about getting caught off guard. Athena pulled one over on me here. She did exactly what McClellan initially planned to do and dropped an army off by sea directly behind my armies by capturing Fredericksburg. And not a small force either, this is a large force, which means my entire forward line in now untenable. I can't really fall back on my second line now either since part of that line is Fredericksburg, so I have to pull everyone back to Albemarle to try and hopefully retake Fredericksburg next turn. To get enough force, I have to pull both Johnston and Beauregard back, and to get them there in time, I have to rail them, which uses up nearly every bit of rail I possess. Well played by the AI...in addition, there are two more forces I can see being transported down Chesapeake Bay, lord only knows where they plan on landing. Here’s a shot of the basic outline in the east:

Image

I won the battle at Ft. Monroe last turn, but failed to actually take the fort. Longstreet, who is being promoted, took a heck of a beating, but I did capture the supply and artillery. I'm going to give it one more go to try and assault, since I really need to get this fort especially if those transports are heading this way.
One of the newly built units in Virginia is heading to Richmond to sit under Lee and hope the Union attacks...so long as they lose and unlock Lee. :) The other larger brigade will go to Norfolk to join Winder in case the transports are heading there.
McCulloch also will get his well deserved promotion. I consider heading for Rolla, but there are now six units there. They're most likely understrength, but I'm not going to take any chances since I can't afford to reinforce this theater much, so he will go back to Springfield and have a few well earned drinks after smashing the union force last turn.
Fremont has shown up in the SW territories at the head of one brigade and a couple of the regular army regiments that begin out west. He could be a problem. Floyd is active this turn, so he will assault the lone infantry unit hanging out NW of Dallas, then return and defend until I can get some more strength out this way to go after Tucson. The cav unit and rangers will move to Dallas.
The force I've been gathering in Nashville, which is now 4 brigades and a cav unit, plus supplies, will move to Bowling Green. My newly built Mississippi Brigade will move to Clarksville, while Polk will move to assault Paducah. I will have to force march to try and get there this turn. 60% chance of success, so better than even. I am sending another Brigade to Charleston, MO. My biggest lack here at the moment is leaders. The Bowling Green force is completely leaderless, Polk is alone with his group, and Charleston has no leader. I really need the next batch to arrive, even if their stats aren't great, at least my forces will have someone.
I split my gunboats and transports up into three fleets, two head to try and block Paducah from being reinforced from Illinois, while the third will remain downstream from Bowling Green to try to head off any riverine moves down that way.


Purchases -
Killing my rail lines means I'm going to be spending most of my WS on rail repair, I invest 40 in that.
No Field Art replacements left, so I purchase two of those.
The only reinforcement I can afford is one of the large NC brigades.
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Tue May 05, 2009 11:09 pm

Pardons to anyone who is reading along. I threw my back out trying to pack up some things for our impending move, so I've been laid up for a while. Finally starting to see a bit of improvement, so hopefully I can get back to it in a day or two.
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Wed May 06, 2009 7:14 am

Well I for one am looking forward to the next report Sparv, when your back finally eases up. Its making good reading. :thumbsup:

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Mon May 11, 2009 4:42 pm

Sorry to those reading, I had planned to get this started back up this weekend, but left my AAR document at work and really didn't want to come back up here to get it. :) Apologies done, here we go...

Resolution:
Most everything worked out as I'd hoped this turn, as well as can be expected considering the disaster of last turn, even my big retreat turned into a positive.
Polk failed in his force march, so could not reach Paducah this turn.
Raiders sink $7 and 4 WS
Blockade runners return $1 and 16 WS
US Captures harbor in Mercer, Ky (Just west of Louisville)
Longstreet is defeated outside Ft Monroe, but does succeed in destroying all of the defending infantry. He then retreats to Hampton.

Image

Wise's Brigade arrives in Norfolk and joins Winder (This would be key)
CSA wins a battle in West, TX

Image

USA recaptured Grafton
On day 8, McClellan lands in Norfolk with a force of just over 7,100 men. If I hadn't reinforced Winder he would have been outnumbered by about 5,000. With the addition of Wise's Brigade, it becomes less than a 500 man advantage for McClellan.
Winder defeats McClellan in Norfolk in a five day battle, Winder attempted to retreat six times on day 11, but failed, which worked out very well for the end results. Winder was able to completely decimate McClellan's force, while suffering massive casualties himself. He captures 5,000 rifles, a supply wagon, and a 10 lb battery and gains 2 NM.

Image
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Union Cavalry invests Clarksburg, KY after an initial attempt to storm the town fails.
Elzey's VA Brigade is finished in Richmond
Stewart's TN Brigade finished in Huntsville
Campbell's VA Brigade is finished in Covington
Fremont moves to Temple, TX and defeats my small unit there.

Image

And in the finale, Longstreet, who retreated from Ft. Monroe, catches a small Union force attempting to move up the James and destroys it, capturing another 1,000 rifles and a siege cannon in the process and gaining 1 NM.

Image

Rode's AL Brigade finished in Mobile
Longstreet has been congratulated once more and is now promotable to three stars...by late September 1861. Nice. :)
John Magruder has been congratulated. Seniority: 4
Felix Zolicoffer has been congratulated. Seniority: 99
Charles Winder has been congratulated. Seniority: 102
Thomas C. Hindman, William J. Hardee, Earl Van Dorn, Braxton Bragg, and A.S. Johnston arrive thank goodness.
Thomas C. Hindman – 7-3-1
William J. Hardee - 2-4-1
Earl Van Dorn - 6-1-1
Braxton Bragg - 6-0-2
A.S. Johnston – 7-2-1
None have great stats, though Hindman will b a great addition. A.S. Johnston will be great as a three star, if I team him up with J.E. Johnston, which should make a good team. Hardee has the training ability, so he will likely go to Missouri since I have a good number of militia there.
Another Texas Ranger Brigade is formed in Galveston
A Blockade runner arrives (+$5 and 1 WS)
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Spharv2
Posts: 1540
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2006 5:39 am
Location: Tallahassee, FL

Mon May 11, 2009 5:07 pm

Turn 12 -
Story:
The mood in the office was still tense, though considerably easier than was the case two weeks ago. Communications had been restored with Generals Beauregard and Johnston, who had managed to extract themselves from the predicament they had found themselves in. Part was pure luck. Once the Federal troops had come back to land, they had taken Fredericksburg and simply stopped. Davis didn’t know if there had been issues with the landing that prevented the exploitation, or if they had simply assumed that the Confederates would blunder straight back into them. He didn’t care either way; their inaction had given Beauregard time to extricate himself from the trap by marching west, then south. The army was tired, but whole.

In the coastal regions, General Lee’s dispositions had proven to be perfect. Wise’s Brigade had joined Winder’s defenses in Norfolk just in time to engage in one of the most savage battles of the war thus far. The Federals, led by General McClellan, had come ashore near the base, and immediately formed up to attack, unlike their forces in Fredericksburg. Winder had moved the new brigade into their lines and prepared to receive the attack. McClellan had led his men in nearly a full week of attacks, trying to penetrate the Confederate lines. At the end, he was forced to lead his men personally, and while they had penetrated the southern lines at times, concentrated fire and furious counterattacks had driven them back every time. Now, his power shattered, McClellan and a small escort had disappeared. Winder was unable to spare any forces to pursue; his forces were nearly as ravaged as the northern landing force. It would be at least a month until Wise’s Brigade was in any condition to fight again.

At Fort Monroe, Longstreet had attacked and trapped part of its defenders outside the fort, destroying them. He was unfortunately then driven off by artillery fire from the fort, just hours before reinforcements landed to assist the defenders. He had been forced to pull back to Hampton, VA. The reinforcements, led by Union General Nelson had given chase. Unfortunately for them, Longstreet’s force was still eager for a fight away from the defensive guns. Longstreet turned and occupied prepared defensive positions and trapped Nelson and his command. Without those forces, Fort Monroe’s reduced defenses were currently open to an attack. Lee had sent orders to Longstreet to advance as quickly as possible to attempt to gain the fort, but Longstreet had requested a short period to reorganize his forces despite the urgency. Since neither Lee nor Davis were in a position to determine the condition of his forces, two weeks had been granted.

While the panic in the city had subsided, there was still a good bit of fear. Fredericksburg was still occupied, and still had a nearly open line of march to Richmond. There was still one more naval force that looked to be heading toward North Carolina, though if it turned around and attempted to reinforce the Norfolk landings, they would probably prove too much for Winder. Still, Davis though, the past week had nearly completely changed the outlook in the east. There would be a pause to the north of Richmond, as forces were detached from Beauregard’s force to deal with the incursions below the capital. Those forces would have to be eliminated before the army could concentrate to attempt to recapture Fredericksburg.

Davis considered things in the west, knowing he could not get so fixated on one theater. The war could be lost more quickly here, but if things in the other theaters went wrong, it could be lost just as surely there. More generals had been appointed, including his friend Braxton Bragg, who would be moving to join Polk in western Tennessee. He had high hopes for that team. Bragg might not be the most pleasant man to deal with, but he was loyal and had a fine military mind. Together they should be able to do good things there. Though Polk had been slowed in his march toward Paducah, the river fleet was patrolling to keep the city from being reinforced, so it should fall to their forces in the next few days.

Eastern Tennessee was now in the capable hands of Albert Sydney Johnston. Davis was very familiar with Johnston, as were most other people associated with the old US Army. He thanked providence that he was on the Confederate side. A man would be hard pressed to find a more capable army officer. Johnston had requested that General Hindman be appointed to his force, so Davis had also sent him on his way to Bowling Green. Troops had already been sent out to repair the rail lines north of the city in order to facilitate the movement of his forces toward Lexington and Louisville. Considering the shock produced by the Union invasion of Kentucky, things were moving ahead well.

He knew Texas was still a mess. The Federals operating out of the southwest territories seemed to be everywhere. Hitting, then falling back and reappearing somewhere else. He had ordered a solid cavalry officer in Earl Van Dorn to the state to assist Floyd. Floyd was obviously not able to handle things on his own, and Davis knew that soon, reinforcements would have to be sent in order to placate the population. Further north, negotiations with the Indian leaders were moving ahead quickly. They did not approve of the Union forces sent into their territory, and had already raised forces. The question of whether those forces would be commanded by the Confederates remained up in the air, but Davis felt that they would soon acquiesce to the arrangement. There were so many things that had to be done, and all at once he couldn’t look after all of them himself. He had put the negotiations in the hands of others; hopefully they would prove to be up to the task.

The main stumbling block at the moment to further expansion of the army was manpower. The initial patriotic fervor had passed, and the reverses his armies had suffered in Virginia certainly did not help. He hoped that the recent victories would prove that this was not going to be as easy as the Yankees hoped, and also show his people that their leadership would not let them down. Defeating the remaining Union forces near the Virginia - North Carolina border would help. Then, the forces would be available to concentrate and shove the Yankees back out of the state. Regardless, Davis knew he would never be able to leave the rear areas of the state so undefended again, not unless he wanted an uprising amongst the population there. It didn’t matter that the invaders had been defeated and driven out, the people were frightened, and with good reason. Federal naval power made the entire country vulnerable to a quick invasion.

He glanced at a memo from the presidents of some of the rail lines in Virginia, who were complaining that their lines had been severely overused in the past few months. He was amazed at the sheer number of supplies needed just for basic repairs on the lines. 3,205 lengths of track (Various types of course, it seemed no two lines in the state were the same gauge or type), 70,300 spikes, 47,423 sills, and 87,816 stringers, and that was not even a 150 mile stretch of the line. He knew he had no choice but to sign the order to purchase the items, without the rail lines, the Federal armies would be able to run circles around his forces, and mass troops at any point long before the army could move to oppose it. Not to mention the massive supply problems that would result in all armies. There had already been issues finding sufficient fodder for the horses in the northern part of the state, and additional wagons to bring supplies up would make the problems much worse. “Though that is the Yankee’s problem at the moment” he said to himself, searching for the bright lining to the massive dark cloud which seemed to be hovering above.

Actions:
Movement -
I'm not going to try and recapture Fredericksburg yet. I’ve got too many other things to do at the moment. I swap some brigades around to get the activated Beauregard about 530 power and prepare him to move in after I’ve dealt with southern Virginia.
I split Bonham and his 200 power brigade to rail down to Norfolk to try and finish off that force since Winder's command is down to a power of 3.
I'm still not sure where the other amphibious force is headed, looks like either Garysburg or Suffolk, so I rail J.E. Johnston and his force to Suffolk since holding that line open is more important at the moment.
Bushrod Johnson, Ruggles and one additional brigade will rail to Garysburg to try and defend that if they invade that location.
Huger and his two small brigades will move back to Manassas to hopefully hold that with the addition of the lone brigade I left in Alexandria. I forgot to pull them back last turn, and got lucky that the Union did not move in.
The Union reinforced Monroe some, so I will let Longstreet recuperate for a turn or so to regain his strength.
I strip two brigades from under Lee in Richmond and march one each to Christianburg and Marion, VA. Despite destroying the Grafton depot, I need to beef up the defenses here since I can't really defend eastern Kentucky, so that could provide a route into this area.
Polk will assault Paducah this turn.
A.S. Johnston will move to Bowling Green to take command of that force.
Hardee will be operated to Springfield
Hindman operates to Bowling Green
Bragg operates to join Polk
Van Dorn will march to Texas. I will need to build more force there soon since the Union is taking such an active role there.
I pull the cavalry force in Temple back to Hampstead, TX to get some rest.

Purchases -
I could use more Heavy Art replacements, but need to beef up my forces more, so I build one AL mixed brigade.
Have no conscripts left, so the remainder will go toward 30 rail and 10 riverine.
That leaves me with 17 tons of WS, but I'll try and save some for later when I have the men available.
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