Mon Dec 29, 2008 6:23 am
It looks like Josh won Round One. We are in the process of determining the final score - but be assured that Josh whupped my butt.
Benway has offered to host Round Two (where I will copy shamelessly from Josh, sending the Missouri Cavalry immediately to Fort Smith AR).
AAR:
Josh (USA) won at Turn 3 (Late August) when the Missouri Cavalry took Fort Smith AR. I wasn't able to recapture Fort Smith AR until Late November, at which time Josh took Little Rock AR with his Cavalry.
My Plan was to:
Hold Fort Smith AR and Little Rock AR.
Deny Supply to USA (destroy Springfield MO and Fayetteville AR Depots).
Hold Charleston MO.
Take and hold Council Bluffs IA.
Destroy USA depots and rail.
Destroy USA Indian Villages.
I did OK except for the holding Fort Smith and Little Rock parts. I burned the Springfield Depot, but the Fayetteville Depot changed hands - I ended up with it. I held Charleston MO. I was able to 'hold' Council Bluffs IA (halting unit production for a few turns), but couldn't capture the town since I had only sent Partisans (my original plan was to send Watie and his Indians). I wasn't able to keep Rolla Depot long enough to destroy it, but I did destroy some rail. I pacified the USA Indian Villages.
The jewel of my plan was to take Council Bluffs IA, since it is a major potential producer of units. I had hoped that would disrupt the USA enough to achieve a CSA victory.
Lessons Learned:
I sent an AR Brigade (2 Inf / 1 Cav) to threaten St. Louis in Early September. I thought I was being slick by ordering them to debark at Hill MO (region South of St. Louis). I thought that since the St. Louis Harbor only exited to Belleville Bend, and since my guys would be deboating from Kaskaskia Confluent, that my guys would be safe. Oops. Fort St. Louis shot 'em up real bad (from 67 Power to 9 Power) - turns out that Forts shoot at adjacent river regions.
I also had the CSA Gunboats posted at the Kaskaskia Confluent, set to assault any troops sent from St. Louis by boat. I don't know if Josh could see them or not, but in my mind they may have helped protect Charleston MO.
Observation:
Starving troops do not seem to count toward "Combat Losses", so CSA losses are greater than the reported totals.