AGEOD Forums

I was suprised that Beauregard retreated without a fight. I was counting on him, as army HQ, to draw in the supporting corps of Hardee and Bragg to fight any battle.

But at least he retreats the right way, to Memphis. With 4 divisions entrenched to level 7 around that city, I am confident I can hold off the Union troops till the Rapture, or the end of the game, whichever comes first.

TURN 16 - 1862, Early October

National Morale:
USA = 94
CSA = 92

Victory Points:
USA = 417
CSA = 562

Combat Losses:
USA = 46511 / POW 2300 yankees
CSA = 30849 / POW 1400 rebels

At Memphis there were two land battles; first attacked the main army, under Grant command, being repelled, and after attacked the Thomas Corps, with the same result. Later, a naval battle was fought by the river control surrounding Memphis, but the South defeated to the Union again:


It is the fronts situations:

TURN 17 - 1862, Late October

National Morale:
USA = 96
CSA = 92

Victory Points:
USA = 451
CSA = 599

Combat Losses:
USA = 46511 / POW 2200 yankees
CSA = 31899 / POW 1800 rebels

Some minor combats at West Front. The rebel forces evacuates the north of Arkansas river.

These are the Fronts situations:

TURN 18 - 1862, Early November

National Morale:
USA = 91
CSA = 98

Victory Points:
USA = 481
CSA = 701

Combat Losses:
USA = 55704 / POW 6300 yankees
CSA = 38169 / POW 1800 rebels

At Marshall (MS), southeast of Memphis, the federal attack fro surround Memphis was strongly repelled:


The situation at Fronts:

Damn, looks like Runyan made one hell of a rally from his first half hole. The only way to break that line would be to outflank it and winter has already set in.

TURN 19 - 1862, Late November

National Morale:
USA = 91
CSA = 98

Victory Points:
USA = 512
CSA = 740

Combat Losses:
USA = 57354 / POW 6400 yankees
CSA = 38709 / POW 1800 rebels

At Jackson (MS), there was a great cavalry combat for control the depot:


Finally, the federals attacked New Orleans, but they were repelled:


The fronts situations:

TURN 20 - 1862, Early December

National Morale:
USA = 91
CSA = 98

Victory Points:
USA = 543
CSA = 776

Combat Losses:
USA = 57354 / POW 6300 yankees
CSA = 38709 / POW 1800 rebels

All quiet at all fronts:

TURN 21 - 1862, Late December

National Morale:
USA = 91
CSA = 97

Victory Points:
USA = 573
CSA = 812

Combat Losses:
USA = 61644 / POW 6200 yankees
CSA = 41529 / POW 1800 rebels

The federal forces try again to conquer Memphis, but they are repelled:


The fronts situations:

TURN 22 - 1863, Early January

National Morale:
USA = 102
CSA = 86

Victory Points:
USA = 624
CSA = 838

Combat Losses:
USA = 62784 / POW 6200 yankees
CSA = 44049 / POW 2500 rebels

Finally, the federal forces conquered Memphis, winning a battle, but the pursuit crossing the Mississippi turned at a new battle at Edmund (AR), losing the next battle:


The fronts situations:

TURN 23 - 1863, Late January

National Morale:
USA = 102
CSA = 89

Victory Points:
USA = 661
CSA = 870

Combat Losses:
USA = 62784 / POW 6100 yankees
CSA = 44649 / POW 2700 rebels

Except a minor cavalry combat at Marshall (TN), all quiet at the fronts:

TURN 24 - 1863, Early February

National Morale:
USA = 99
CSA = 92

Victory Points:
USA = 695
CSA = 934

Combat Losses:
USA = 75666 / POW 8000 yankees
CSA = 49689 / POW 2700 rebels

The last battles were at Edmund (AR), all with federal defeats:


So, the latest fronts situations:

FINAL TURN:

The CSA victory:


And the Union defeat:

Good game guys. Yellowhammer has been involved in quite the series of swings.

I was suprised to lose Memphis, but it came too late in the game to change the score much.

My strategy for the CSA was simple. Build a VP lead one turn at a time, and then try to hang on to it for as long as possible. I was able to retain all of the major objectives, excepting Memphis. Yellowhammer played a solid game in both rounds, and never made gross errors.

Thanks to Manstein for an excellent hosting job.

Well-played runyan. Manstein - thank you very much for a great job hosting and writing the AAR. Good luck to both of you in the next game.

I may not have made "gross errors", but I made quite a few errors: I was too slow to maneuver you out of Corinth to Memphis, I didn't supply my troops well, and I didn't use my Gulf force well.

I know that a rule of amphibious warfare is to make a 'hard landing' (as you did), but I tried to finesse the Gulf game and make relatively safe soft landings - but the force wasted away over time and was ineffective.

One thing I think I did right was to ensure that each of my strategic cities was under Army or Corps command - in hopes that they would gain command bonuses.

Yellowhammer:

One thing I think I did right was to ensure that each of my strategic cities was under Army or Corps command - in hopes that they would gain command bonuses.

What do you mean by this? I've never heard of that. I usually keep my HQs near the corps for the march to the sound of guns bonus.

Daxil - maybe I phrased it wrong...

IIRC a stack gets out-of-chain-of-command penalties when it is not part of a Corps or Army (e.g., a single Division). I ensured that each of my garrisons at the four Strategic cities were under the Command of a Corps or Army Commander (i.e., Halleck Corps at Cairo IL). Maybe it doesn't work that way or maybe the Corps were too far from the Army to have an effect.

Here was my plan:

STRATEGY

Grant to fix and destroy Johnston. Buell to hold Nashville and Louisville then take Chattanooga. Pope to hold Cairo and St. Louis and take MS River Forts Island 10 and Pillow. Curtis to fix and destroy Van Dorn then take Little Rock. Butler to divert forces from Northern fronts and take Gulf Forts (Jackson, St. Phillip, Pike, Gaines, Morgan) and either New Orleans or Mobile plus Galveston.

Do not take CSA towns unless plan to Garrison.

PRIMARY

Garrison (with Division-sized Army or Corps) and Defend: Nashville 20, Saint Louis 20, Cairo 20, Louisville 20.

Take: Memphis 10, New Orleans 10, Mobile 10, Vicksburg 10, Chattanooga 10, Little Rock 10.

Destroy Johnston Army.

SECONDARY

Destroy Van Dorn Army.

Destroy Montgomery AL Army HQ.

Take and destroy Forts (move guns to Cairo or Pickens or NOLA / Mobile): Island 10, Pillow, Jackson, St. Phillip, Pike, Gaines, Morgan.

Defend USA Depots (San Francisco CA, Council Bluffs IA, Des Moines IA, Dubuque IA, Lexington MO, Springfield MO, Rolla MO, St. Louis MO, Milwaukee WI, Rock Island IL, Chicago IL, Springfield IL, Toledo IL, Salem IL, Cairo IL, Nashville TN, Clarksville TN, Bowling Green KY, Louisville KY, Indianapolis IN, Vincennes IN).

Take or destroy CSA Depots (Houston TX, New Orleans LA, Fayetteville AR, Fort Smith AR, Little Rock AR, Madison AR, Memphis TN, Pulaski TN, Knoxville TN, Corinth MS, Vicksburg MS, Jackson MS, Meridian MS, Mobile AL).

Pacify Cherokees and Creeks IT.

COLOSSAL FAIL!

I garrisoned my strategic cities. PASS.

I took Memphis - too late. PASS. I lost almost every battle (tactical defense is very strong - just like the 'Professor' noted): the other cities in the line (Little Rock - Memphis - Corinth - Chattanooga) weren't really even threatened. FAIL.

Destroy Johnston Army. Technically PASS. I wanted to destroy the CSA primary army but only destroyed the HQ unit. Maybe Runyan can let us know if his main CSA Army was hurting... Mostly FAIL.

Take and destroy Forts (move guns to Cairo or Pickens or NOLA / Mobile): Island 10, Pillow, Jackson, St. Phillip, Pike, Gaines, Morgan. Tok Island 10, Pillow, Jackson, and St. Phillip. Captured several Coastal Arty and Fort Batteries. Mostly PASS.

The rest - Mostly PASS.

However - I got beat badly. Runyan placed his forces well - I wasn't able to move them until too late. I didn't focus correctly on the Gulf Front - wasted time by raiding Texas and Florida - I didn't realize that the force wouldn't be supplied. I also didn't build forward Depots to Supply my main USA Army - I expected to capture Corinth and make it a base - I should have built a Depot system at Paducah KY / Columbus KY / Humboldt TN. My forces didn't get replacements as they should have (had I been a better player).

Then there is the fact that Runyan is a great player - that didn't help my situation. At least I'll always have the satisfaction of knowing I had him worried in the first game...

Thanks again to Manstein for hosting and posting the AAR.

For the last 8-10 turns or so I was pretty much out of replacements for the main CSA army, but I always expected that you were in similar or worse shape.

I have followed you two down to the bitter end of this contest knowing that you both, from the past posts you have both made, are extremely knowledgable, excellent players whom I would learn from. This contest lived up to my expectations. I was not disappointed. It is simply a shame you both can't advance. I'd like to share some observations if I may. I have learned a bunch and am quite appreciative to you all.

I view Yellowhammer's forte' as planning, execution and review. I enjoy how his historical perspective is woven into his game strategy. As such it fits a patient, historical, methodical Union offensive. This scenario, in its shortness, seems to favor decisive lightning stirkes and efforts to successfully feint, which for the Union in Dixie, is tough. Still YH chose some deep cavalry raids combined with invasions that were just countered well by Runyon. The Texas invasion counterblow was both chancy and masterful and must have been USA-demoralizing at best. Psychological warfare early can work wonders. And switching gears in midstream from setting up aggressive expectations to becoming more passively defensive, too, seemed to be a theme for Runyon. "Fly like a butterfly and dance like a bee" Wow!

Runyon relied heavily on defensive fortifications and corps reserves that promised and delivered MTSG often. Perhaps not as often as he would have liked (as at Chattanooga) but certainly often enough, to reinforce this final outcome. A review of the battle reports shows him often considerably outnumbered and yet winning consistently defensively, even on defensively neutral terrain, building up a VP lead early. I was amazed at the number of times clear terrain/woods was successfully defended and with a minimum of artillery. I'll bet YH is, also. Heavy duty entrenchments seem to be at the heart of this.

The interesting strategy choices on Runyon's part were noticeable too. If I counted correctly, nine of the first ten turns he used money printing which does not cost VP and allows that category to grow at the expense of inflation and national morale. This can be parleyed into buying increased conscipts, albeit expensively. But in a short scenario, neither inflation nor morale points are as critical as they can be in the campaign game. And even so, by his admission, CSA replacements still ran out. Whew! After falling behind in NM I still watched as Runyon's VP lead continued to increase, turn by turn. This strategy paid off handsomely.

Thanks to you both for sharing and to Manstein for an excellent hosting as well. Your AAR contributed heavily to my contemplation of and experimenting with new ideas.

Good Match!
I've followed all the matchs with a bit of interest.

The next version of the West scenario is done with new VP locations and I'm wondering if I should add supplies for the Union to Ft Pickens? I'd rather not but it seems to me you lack supplies if you choose a different objective other than New Orlean's.

Yes, since there is only one small source, Union supply in the Gulf is tight to insufficient.