AGEOD Forums

Current status:

This game was started with the 1.03 official patch.

1861 saw mostly conservative play from both sides. The only major city/structure to change sides was Ft. Monroe which the CS captured in late 1861. There are several large US forces advancing along "ahistorical" lines in the west. US river and ocean going fleets appear VERY strong.

Armies of ~1500 strenth points are well dug in on the original front in the east.

I have spent the whole first year on the defensive, and much to my surprise I see that it pays a lot, my NM is at a healthy 112, despite not having made any advance into Virginia, and I am ahead in Victory points.
As Mike supects, I have been building up my fleets, while keeping the land forces to the minimum required for my defensive strategy, only well into the winter I have started the build up of my armies for the 1862 campaign.

The CSA has launched a full-blown invasion of Kentucky in March 1862, advancing on all major cities across the state. Reasons for the decision are still considered classified at this time.

If anyone is actually following this let me know and I'll continue to update with screenshots.

mikee64 wrote:If anyone is actually following this let me know and I'll continue to update with screenshots.

I am following this (as well as the result of your attack on KY...) ouet:

mikee64 wrote:The CSA has launched a full-blown invasion of Kentucky in March 1862, advancing on all major cities across the state. Reasons for the decision are still considered classified at this time.

And I wonder what could be those reasons, because I think CSA is making a fatal mistake by invading peaceful Kentucky (reasons for that judgement still considered classified at this time)

It depends...

I made the same mistake in 1861 campaign, but in 1862 and despite my agression, the population seems to support me (ie 60-40 compared to 30-70 some months ago...)...

The only thing is that I am out of Eastern KY (just Holding Paducah, Bowling Green and the areas near these towns...)

I'm lurking and reading.....so please keep posting screen shots and comments. This AAR is also interesting because both of the sides have been chipping in....I don't know if that was the original intent, but it does add a new twist

Reasons for the invasion of KY will have to remain classified until the campaign plays out, yes it could very well be a mistake on my part...

In the meantime, late March 1862, the Bowling Green militia falls easily to an assault by Magruder:



Paducah is besieged but breached, and CSA cavalry have secured all railroads leading up to and into USA territory. Lexington has been reinforced and CS forces have moved to areas south of Louisville.

USA naval forces continue to show dominance; in Hampton Roads 7 Monitors take on the CS Virginia, 2 Frigates and a gunboat. The result is huge losses for the CS and one frigate sunk. At Reelfoot Lake 1 CS ironclad and 6 gunboats are ambushed by 8 gunboats and 12 river ironclads; the result is the loss of one CS gunboat and lots of sailors.

I can now disclose some of the reasons why the CSA invasion of KY was a mistake, it was badly timed because at the same time a big Union offensive was on its way.
While Magruder is assaulting Paducah, Grant lands in Columbus behind him, taking the city defended by militia only. At the same time a Union force has landed in New Orleans, taking the city by assault! Now CSA invasion force of KY is very badly placed to react to these events, should CSA not invaded KY it had there a glacis to slow down Union forces while dealing with the other fronts.

oops! looks like I have some "clean-up" to do when I get home today!

In April 1862, aryaman made a couple of well executed and perfectly timed moves after almost a year of inactivity. In retrospect I should have been more agrressive early and not have allowed him to build up his forces so easily. But in this case I was truly "lulled to sleep" and a sudden shift in agressiveness posture really caught me off guard.

New Orleans was defended by a full strength European Brigade + militia but was no match for his reinforced Division amphibious assault. Apparently the forts on the approach to NO offered no obstacles.

In the east, the CSA continues to hold the Harpers Ferry-Manassas-Ft. Monroe line.

In the west, the invasion of KY by the CS was indeed extremely mistimed. The objectives of the invasion were initially no less than the capture of Louisville and all US cities along the IN and OH borders of the OH river. Numerous CS cavalry raids had proven these cities to be mostly lightly defended. It was also known that Grant was moving down the west bank of the MS with a large force; the KY move was meant to open a different area of ops and force Grant into backtracking or weakening his force. (There were also some "game play" factors factored into my decision; ie I wanted to see how a few things would work as related to this strategy.)

Unfortunately the timing of the move allowed Grant to basically counter two threats at once, and Paducah had to be abandoned shortly after capture. The CS did finally make off with a shiny new river ironclad this time, however.

The trans-miss theatre is quiet.

CS morale and VPs are currently lower than US.

More screenshots next update.

Glad they toned down the bombardment! (We are still playing under 1.03)

Here's the result of what I suspect may be an "uberfleet" aryaman sailed past Norfolk:



Despite the level 7 entrenchments, DH Hill's entire force was eliminated by the bombardment. Yep, all of them, completely gone from the map.

Early May 1862 turn:

2 US infantry raiders are sent into western VA via WVA. One of them, comprised of 2 brigades and supply, defeats a militia unit and captures Christianburg, then fights off EK Smith's brigade which is attempting a relief effort. After suffering fairly heavy casualties (~1300 men) and fighting 2 battles in 14 days, I suspect I can easily handle this unit next turn if it does not withdraw:






Grant occupies the recently evacuated Paducah.

Harpers Ferry falls to US forces; Johnston had already begun a slow withdrawal due to US pressure elsewhere:



I actually made a pretty big mistake here: just the turn before I had moved the independent artillery units from HF to Winchester so my units there could begin to build level 4+ entrenchments. Unfortunately I did not not notice there were no imbedded artillery units left with Johnston, meaning my trenches there dropped level 8 to level 4; this was a huge blunder that could have possibly allowed me to hold HF one more turn and certainly inflict more losses on Banks.

to be continued... man I love this game, even when I'm losing!

BTW, here is the current status. My morale is ok given the measures I have had to take to keep up with US production, but I'm bleeding VPs at an alarming rate. The FE is low because I think most if not all of the event die rolls (cotton embargo, blockade, etc.) have gone against me. No excuses though; so far aryaman has outplayed me, although I do think the 1.04 patch will benefit the CSA.



Oh and I forgot to mention above - New Orleans is still safely in US hands with no relief effort in sight yet.

don't forget that level 5-8 entrenchments can only possibly benefit artillery.

Lots of action, late May 1862 -

A force under AS Johnston counterattacks the invading force at New Orleans; a series of 5 bloody battles follows over the next 14 days. Here they are:











At the same time in the east, a US force tries to push between Winchester and Manassas:



Lots of other minor skirmishing in VA, northern KY, and east TN. CS forces are pressuring Louisville and US forces are pressing the Winchester-Fredericksburg line in VA.

updated summary. looking a little better after the fight at New Orleans:

I'll let aryaman post the next update... I made another mistake in my attack on New Orleans (see if anyone can see it above; aryaman will), and have generally been demoralized... I am in effect "locked" for a few turns.

This game is GREAT!

I made a terrible mistake in New Orleans. After the easy conquest of the city I grew overconfident, I should have send an advance force, but instead remained at New Orleans entrenching my division, I thought that with Union forces pressing in KY and TN Mike would be unable to distract enough forces for a counterattack on New Orleans, but I was wrong and my mistake has cost me an entire division wiped out.
Mike´s counterattack was overwhelming, however he forgot to assault the garrison inside the city, so that after the crushing defeat I am still in control of the city of New Orleans, still better, Mike pulled back his force probably in a hurry to support his forces in KY. That was a bad mistake
In VA I tried to push between the 2 CSA forces placed at Winchester and Mannassas, but Beauregard moved to intercept me (my movement should have been too obvious) and I was pushed back with no minor casualties. I will rethink my strategy there. In all a pretty bad turn for me, but it could have been much worse.

Next turn, Mike followed his invasion of KY by an attack on Louisville. I guessed that and sent reinforcements that arrived just in time. Jackson has been heavily defeated.

Now, that victory turns things completely. I have spotted Lee in TN, so I guess Mike has opted for a Western strategy, it is time to press harder in the East. I sent Runyon Division along the coast down to Fredericksburg, and with the support of my fleet of Monitors I have taken it, so I have opened a hole in the CSA front in VA, now things look very promising again.

The turn aryaman commented on above was brutal for the CS. Jackson was well prepared for the assault on Louisville, and scouts reported the odds were in his favor. My hope was that cavalry raids had cut off all rail routes into the city preventing reinforcement. Unfortunately this was not the case and last-minute reinforcements forced Jackson to attack a superior entrenched force.

aryaman did indeed spot my mistake when I attacked NO - I forget to set to assault posture so despite wiping out almost an entire division I failed to re-take the city! Low cohesion forced my relief effort to withdraw.

The fall of Fredericksburg temporarily opened up a clear path to Richmond, which was lightly defended. The bulk of the CS forces were north in Manassas and Winchester.

Late June: CS forces conduct an orderly withdrawal from northern KY. Grant and Lee face each other in the upcoming battle for western TN. Minor battles with mixed results all along active fronts. US probing towards Richmond, which is now reinforced and well defended.

Early July: Johnston attacks and retakes New Orleans, eliminating the remainder of the invading force there. The US continues to demonstrate overwhelming dominance in river and ocean fleets, sinking several more CS vessels whenever there are encounters. Ft. Donelson, which had been evacuated except for some locked supply wagons, is occupied by the US. An attack by AP Hill's corp into Stafford VA is repulsed as the other CS corps fail to march to the sound of the guns; Hill suffers ~4000 casualties to ~1000 inflicted.

In August operations have been generally favourable to the Union. In the West, Grant defeated at Humboldt a CSA counterattack. Several army corps were assembled for that operation, but as so many times in the war, coordination was poor, Grant defeated one of the corps isolated and the rest retreated.
In the East there have been several battles, McDowell has beaten Beauregard and has secured Mannassas and Fredericksburg, Richmond will probably fall before the end of the campaign season.

This game has been amazingly fun and believably true to history at the same time. The situations in both VA and TN for this game alone prove that this is not only fun to play but a pretty good sim as well. For anyone who has not tried PBEM: DO IT NOW!

The situation in Virginia has been fluid,; aryaman captured most of northern VA in the eastern part of the state while I continued to hold Winchester, standing off with Lil' Mac in HF. Petersburg fell briefly to the US but was isolated and the force withdraw to the the north.

The rebels had a brief moment of glory when an amphibious force was eliminated the same turn & several advances in VA were turned back; I do not have screen shots but I think I gained (much needed) 9 NM points or so in that turn.

Nashville, Memphis and Richmond were all secure (or so I thought) heading into Winter 1862.

Winter 1862/1863 - Memphis falls in late Dec. Lee is defending the Nashville/Corinth line. Disaster strikes in KQ county in the town of Tappahannock as an entire corps is wiped out. AS Johnston, who has been my hero so far (he eliminated forces in New Orleans and Wilmington) has been crushed. 5 attempts to retreat and no luck; the lesson here I think is cohesion - AS had attacked the turn before and his cohesion sucked. I lost about 20,000 troop here. Against a human, that REALLY hurt!

I've got screenshots if there is any interest.

I'm definitely interested in screenshots! I'm following your game closely. I'll be curious to see how long it takes you to complete a PBEM.

mikee64 wrote:I've got screenshots if there is any interest.

(Well, not worthless, but I just wanted to say I'd like to see screenshots )

ok, I'll post some more screenies, but only after I run out of pbem turns to return.. so it could be a while.