Early March 1862
Economy: Things are still going well - all quiet on the economic front and all that. My manpower has accumulated to some degree as I neglected to recruit last turn.
Some more industrialization this turn as well. A small armoury in Newart, and increased cartridge and supply production in Port Huron and Lansing in Michigan.
Draft: None
Financial: None
Reinforcements: None
Replacements: None
Virginia Theater
Things are now thawing off all along the front, but least so in northern Virginia where winter conditions still gnaw at my troops.
In a great piece of news however we've finally adopted the corps structure, and I've assigned Halleck and Sumner to be corps commanders underneath McDowell. (You can tell that they are Corps of the Army of the Potomac by noting the diamonds)
As of right now the Army of the Potomac consists of the following....
Army of the Potomac (Irvin McDowell, 22,100 men)
- 1st Division (William F. Smith, 8,000 men)
- 5th Division (William M. French, 7,400 men)
- 9th Division (Samuel P. Heintzelman, 6,700 men)
Sumner's Corps (Edwin Sumner, 18,200 men)
- 2nd Division (Daniel Hunter, 7,800 men)
- 6th Division (James B. Ricketts, 6,800 men)
- 26th Division (Daniel Butterfield, 3,600 men)
Shenandoah Corps (Henry Halleck, 18,700 men)
- 12th Division (Erasmus D. Keyes, 7,800 men)
- 25th Division (Isaac Stevens, 2,500 men)
- Mansfield's Division (Joseph K. Mansfield, 8,400 men)
Total Combat Strength of AoP: 59,000 men
These totals are increasing ever turn, but I'm aiming for a total of 70,000 men by mid-year.
I'll be looking to move forward towards Manassas sometime soon, but for now we'll continue our current trend of recruiting and moving men forward.
Kentucky & Tennessee
Don Carlos Buell has taken control of what was the Army of Kentucky and is now just Buell's Corps - once I can he'll be made a Corps under McClellan and the Army of the Tennessee. I've detached most of his troops though for the moment. Thomas and Crittenden are moving south to join with McClellan - he'll be my effective head of the Army of the Tennessee and conduct most of the operations.
Behind my lines I need to open the raillines from Louisville to Bowling Green. The regions in between are largely supporters of the Confederacy. Cavalry is being sent to secure the region around Glasgow, Brownsville, Munfordville, and Elizabethtown. Humphrey's with a small division will look to secure the region around the region of Meade. Once I get control of these territories I can eliminate the longer path through the Ohio and Green rivers - which is how Thomas is coming to McClellan.
McClellan will remain where he is for now.
Transmississippi & Far West
I've ordered Grant to get the move on. David D. Porter, with the entirety of my Mississippi river flotilla - 22 gunboats and 5 ironclads - to move off Columbus, Kentucky. Another fleet of ironclads coming from Louisville will blockade Paducah and keep any naval forces from interefering with my operations.
At the same time Grant, with three divisions under Sherman, Prentiss, and Kearny - three of my best men - will land at Columbus, taking the city and largely cutting Polk off from supplies coming up from Memphis. After that I can look to force him into a battle.
I've left recently arrived John Pope and the very small division under Wood to garrison Cairo and act as a force that can come up behind Grant if need be.
Elsewhere Fremont has been given an Army headquarters - despite my dislike of him. Once I can he'll be given a two-star general of competance to do the actual work. When things get more pleasant I can advance on Fort Smith regardless.
In an odd bit of news the Confederates attempted to attack me in Tucson - just a single militia unit and that failed miserably as I've been bringing in line regiments from the west coast to that city under W.H.L. Wallace - my idea is to form a division and march on Dallas.
Louisiana Campaign
Roberts has brought what I assume is almost all of his Mississippi fleet off New Orleans - including three ironclads, hastily put into service and only half strength. I'm going to give battle to them on the river - I shouldn't have much problem doing so - and Burnside's division will be put into New Orleans giving us a firm grasp on the area.
I'm also going to look at throwing an Army HQ into the region, perhaps under Benjamin Butler if my sense of humour allows me too.