Island 10 & Ft. Donelson

[patryn8]

O.k. you CSA warriors. What is the strategy to holding these at all cost. Should I put a strong division inside the forts or entrench them outside? Should I build a depot on these forts or does it really matter. Both instances the union would be crossing a river or fighting in a swamp, so I think a tough division, could put up a stout resistence, without me having to release a corp to directly relieve the siege.

[McNaughton]

It is always best to keep Divisional/Corps sized units outside of forts and cities, as they can be trapped and captured by a larger force (as what happened at Donelson). In order to escape, you have to attack, if you are inside a fort/city. Best to keep garrison forces inside cities/forts, and let your 'field' forces create 'field fortifications' outside of the actual city/fort.

[DirkX]

O.k. you CSA warriors. What is the strategy to holding these at all cost. Should I put a strong division inside the forts or entrench them outside? Should I build a depot on these forts or does it really matter. Both instances the union would be crossing a river or fighting in a swamp, so I think a tough division, could put up a stout resistence, without me having to release a corp to directly relieve the siege.

you cant spare division/s to defend donelson, your best strategy is to keep the Union as long as you can busy in Kentucky (By taking Bowling Green for example).
Usually when the Union player decides to take Donelson he'll take a large enough force to storm it.
(this is vs humans only, you can easily defend Donelson vs the AI)

[leanmeankillingmachine]

Right at the start of the game I normally move the starting Carolina department units straight up to that area and put them under the command of Polk, I find that you can build up a respectable sized force that can take and hold Paducah and Cairo quite early in the game and later on maybe St Louis.

[patryn8]

yeah, I wouldn't want to spare a corp to hold both forts. Anyways, everything is assuming playing against a human opponent. The AI never makes a move on these two forts in force. How do the frontage rules play into a sortie out of the forts, would that give a weaker defender an edge or no?

[tagwyn]

P8: In reality, Rebel forces forced their way out of FD but the moron Floyd wouldn't let them go!!! Forrest broke out with his troops and some others. Sadly enough, Floyd escaped leaving Buckner holding the bag. T

[caranorn]

P8: In reality, Rebel forces forced their way out of FD but the moron Floyd wouldn't let them go!!! Forrest broke out with his troops and some others. Sadly enough, Floyd escaped leaving Buckner holding the bag. T

Actually it was Pillow who moved the troops back into the "fortifications". Later that night it was decided that retreat was no longer an option. At that point the question devolved to who would surrender the fort and the forces. Floyd had agreed that no retreat was possible at this point, yet he did not wish to surrender himself. He then passed command, Pillow who thought the force could yet fight its way out passed command on. This left Buckner, who also thought that at this point retreat was no option, in command to surrender. The 4th Brigadier General of the day, Bushrod Johnson, wasn't even present at the meeting. At this meeting Forest received permission from Pillow to break out with any cavalry he could rouse (he only managed his own regiment and part of a Kentucky regiment), he met no enemy on his way out but later stated infantry could not have fled along that road due to high water. Pillow left Fort Donelson during the night on a boat. Floyd left in the morning with his four Virginia Regiments on two riverships (that arrived loaded at daybreak). At one point Buckner stated that he would open fire on the two confederate riverships if they did not leave (as this was endangering his already started surrender parley, of course Grant refused all conditions...). The last act of the siege might be when Johnson left the Fortress several days after the surrender, apparently the Union never noticed that 4th general in place.

So it's not as simple as Floyd deciding not to withdraw immediatelly after battle as his forces were already largely back into the fortifications. Pillow on the other hand made that initial move into the fortification and later wanted to force his way out once more. Buckner was the most vehement proponent of surrender, but only after the troops were withdrawn back on the fortifications. Johnson played no role during that night though he was in theory present. Forest played a minor role, asking for permission to retire from the palce and receiving it from one of his superiors (though not the one in command at that time).