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Spring 1862[/CENTER]
Diary of Jefferson Davis, late March 1862
My cabinet bickers amongst themselves incessantly. At times it seems that they forget we are involved in a struggle for our very existence. On man demands this, another must have that. On a daily basis I am forced to step in and remind them of my authority. Of particular angst of late is Secretary of State Benjamin. Though he resigned his post as Secretary of War last month, he still feels the need to interject his ideas into Mr. Randolph' sphere of influence. He is however an accomplished statesman so I must bear him out. These men must rely on me to lead this nation, as I rely on God to lead me.
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Confederate Cabinet, 1861[/CENTER]
I often think of President Lincoln and wonder if he feels the weight of his burden as I feel mine. Are his fellow servants putting him to task as mine are?
Will I ever be able to speak to the man as a peer? I think not.
Letter from Sec. of State Benjamin
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Diary of Jefferson Davis, late March 1862
.....Gen. A.S. Johnston then notified us of a most interesting development. It seems that the silent, pro-independence majority of Kentucky's citizens took great offence at the movement of Gen. Buells corps through the heartland of their state and viewed it as a violation of their declared neutrality. They have risen up in great numbers to declare their allegiance to the Confederate cause! This is wonderful news to say the least, and I hope Gen.Johnston is able to take advantage of this sudden introduction of new allies.
I have listened closely to Sec. Benjamins suggestions and I cuncur wholeheartedly. This morning I signed a measure that will enact an embargo on all contraband cotton. If we are correct in our assumptions, this will push the British even more towards open support of our cause. The new law will go into effect on the 1st of next month. We shall know soon enough how successful it is.
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Before the ink was even dry, Sec. Memminger placed a bill calling for an exceptional tax below my still upraised hand. He informed in the clearest language that the majority of the moneys raised by this act would come from legitimate cotton exporters, and that any anger raised in that sector by the new tax would certainly be absolved by the new embargo I had just signed. I acquiesced. In a fit of executive authority I had just signed....
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War Journal, late March 1862
.....In the East, Gen. J. Johnston continues to strengthen his position along the Rappahannock line, while Gen. Jacksons corps still controls the entrance to the Valley. Gen. Magruder has won a small engagement against enemy forces on the James Peninsula. With luck this thorn in our side will be eleminated in a matter of days. Gen. Pemberton has closed with Gen. Burnside's command north of Savannah.....
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Rappahannock Line, March 30, 1862[/CENTER]
.....In the West, Gen.A.S. Johnston has assembled his army north of Corinth, MS. and appears to be moving north to engage Gen. Grant's seperated corps',
though communications from that theater have been spotty. I hope to hear from him on his intentions soon. He has secured his supply line to Chattanooga and may have sufficient force to.....
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Corinth-Chattanooga rail corridor and Gen. A.S. Johnstons line of advance, March 30, 1862[/CENTER]
War Department Report, late March 1862
Mr. President, we have begun raising new replacement companies and militia regiments to augment existing forces, but I must warn you that lack of new conscripts is not our primary concern. We currently have the arms and uniforms to equip barely a third of our available manpower. Something must be done to increase our base of war materials or we will be fielding empty regiments. As it is many of the men are forced to use their own inadequate private arms and ammunitions.....
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Reinforcements and replacements for April 1st, 1862[/CENTER]
Personal Notes
Great news for the late March turn right off the bat.
(1.)President Lincoln (Rafiki)Went with the full blockade political option and it backfired. This fact coupled with the "Appointment of new Secretary of State" event shot our foreign intervention level to +23 at the start of turn 2! I have responded with our full embargo option and threw in a exceptional tax. So net gains are:
+$376,000
+2 NM
+5 VP
65% chance +11-22 foreign intervention
net loses are:
+2% inflation
35% chance -15-30 Foreign intervention
If this pays off we could possibly have an intervention level of +45 at the end of turn 2!! I felt the reward was well worth the risk.
(2.) The Kentucky event fired and 90% of the state is now in our control. This was a bug and unfortunate for the Union, but it helps our cause greatly and we decided to play through it to spice up the campaign. We treated it as an "unhistoric shift in loyalty".
As I feel that there will be heavy action soon, I concentrated my spending on replacements and 20 rail points. Rail movement will be critical for our upcoming operations and I will continue to invest every turn till its no longer a concern. Even though my industrial spending paid off last turn (+23 gen. supply) I had to cancel it for lack of war supplies. As of the end of the turn, I have 1 war supply point, but plenty of cash (+250,000) and conscripts (+100) so war supplies will definatly be our problem early on.
Our strategy remains the same and the Union helped out by giving us a few turns of respite. I give you a brief rundown of the two theaters:
(East)Commander has dug in along the Rappahannock River and is in good defensive position. Jacksons(C) corps is at Harpers Ferry and will probably invest it next turn. I expect the entire AoP to be in front of our position in the next 2 turns. If not we will hit his isolated corps at Manassas if opportunity allows. Enemy force at James City should be eliminated this turn (barring reinforcement). Burnsides(U) has exposed his supply line at Beaufort, SC but the force confronting him is suffering from max. command penalties, and the outcome of a battle there concerns me.
(West)Communications with my West commander have been sporadic at best but I think we are on the same page. His movement this turn (see map above) appears to be an attempt to seperate Grant(U) from the corps at Humboldt. With the departure of Buell(U) to Kentucky, I think he has numerical superiority if he gets his forces concentrated, but I want him to avoid a general engagement with the entire Union Army there. It also seems West tried to grab Springfield with a quick calvary raid but the enemy got back in time and thumped him. It cost us an NM point but shouldn't hurt us otherwise. Cen. Tenn. appears safe for the moment, but is practically undefended (Im working on this problem).
It goes without saying that amphibious operations in either theater are my primary concern. If we can eliminate Burnsides soon enough we can respond with the forces facing him. If not, it might be a long summer.
Navy: Not much going on here. Gunboats at Memphis and New Orleans. I lost a blockade runner last turn, the rest are doing there job. Semmes is in the shipping box wreaking havoc. Dont foresee any changes here anytime soon.