Developer Round - PBEM AAR

[johnnycai]

I will be reporting on my match Johnnycai vs. Sunray

Turn1/2:
US raises $218,000 and 287 CC.
The rear militia is now raised and sent to the front or to local strategic towns/depots.
[ATTACH]9241[/ATTACH]
Grant is joined by Thomas and Rousseau.
Forest is sighted entering Illinois.
The rebs hold a position blocking Corinth.
McClernand has arrived at Louisville and will lead the garrison and help the war effort by adding 6conscripts/turn using his recruiting officer ability.
The weather everywhere is mud/snow.

Orders:

Sherman is sent in a strike on Pulaski, my hope is to catch the depot and split that large rebel force in front of us, giving them numerous threats
Cav is sent probing southward.

Mindset:
The weather dictates a cautious strategy, I also need my new conscripts to arrive and give me some more troops to work with. Sunray also raised troops as expected and has generally been entrenching his positions and I dont see major movements in any area.

[Daxil]

Thanks for getting his rolling John. Looking forward to how it turns out.

[johnnycai]

Turn3

Sherman takes Pulaski depot with a forced march from Humboldt!
Interesting battle at Decaturville, Dodge calls for reinforcement and in the process, a smallish Union victory that costs Polk 1,000 due to 40hits during retreat. Polk retreats back to the main force just north of Corinth.
[ATTACH]9296[/ATTACH]

Curtis retreats before Van Dorn with a large portion of his force. A shame Siegal never MTSG.
[ATTACH]9297[/ATTACH]

Orders:

Sherman is ordered to hold firm at Pulaski, the weather is against a strike to Chattanooga (Frozen hills/mountains). The rebs will reinforce Chattanooga now. Cav sent to cutoff Corinth from West and East.
A ready sailor regiment is sent from St. Louis to Grant.
Grant sends Rousseau west to see if using the river is an option for later.
Cav juke on fishing trip. Pope remains inactive, his objective will be Island10.

Seigal marches to Fayettville

Build:
Sailor, cav and Rodman arty.

Turn 4

Sherman idle sits.
Grant and Thomas are ordered to sync move to Corinth by via Decaturville, going around Hardee and Brechinridge hopefully.
CSA cav have taken Jeff City MO. I dispatch Asboth and his Cav div northward to retake.
Move Rousseau back to Humboldt gathering reinforcements. Dodge and Crittendon, leading cav regiments will coverge on Pulaski to join Sherman's upcoming assault on Chattanooga.
My cav is ordered to cut all rail between Memphis and Chattanooga.

Turn 5
Grant and Thomas get separated and Grant alone assaults Corinth, neither support Corps MTSG but weren’t needed Grant retreats in good order but cannot force Polk and AJ at Corinth alone. The weather is good here, whereas in the rest of Tenn., it remains muddy.
[ATTACH]9298[/ATTACH]

At Pulaski, Sherman has been joined by Dodge but the weather is bad so I will continue cutting the East/West railines and take Chattanooga in May.

Beaury attacks at Springfield!
Did Sigel/Curtis conceal their numbers that well, or maybe my opp is feeling lucky?
I would like to fully take advantage, but Sigel and Curtis are both inactive.
Sigel is ordered (inactive remember) southward, I don’t expect Beaury to stay there so my hope is to move closer to Fayetteville and assault Fayetteville in May.
[ATTACH]9299[/ATTACH]
Butler has arrived,
He is inactive but his troops are ordered to assault Ft. Jackson.

Ft. Henry depot is built, this will be my fulcrum in Tennessee until I can take Corinth.
I get an inflation decrease notice (-1%).

SitRep:
[ATTACH]9300[/ATTACH]

Builds:
Rail/river transport
Mo. Militia and another WI cav. Reg.

Mindset:
I dont have any grand plan as of yet. I am only moving as weather allows but I figure having Butler and Pope (eventually, if he ever activates) attacking the perimeter will give the CSA more to defend and hopefully open up attacking opportunities.

[johnnycai]

Turn 6
Butler’s troops land at Ft. Jackson, Butler will go ashore this turn.
Grant retreats(his force is intact and with full cohesion) it appears and Thomas cant fight off Polk?? Doh! 7000 men(including retreat hits) lost vs. 5000CSA and another retreat.
[ATTACH]9377[/ATTACH]
The Strategic map shows not much is changing, as the regions wont dry and stay muddy…again.
[ATTACH]9378[/ATTACH]
Pope is finally active and will land and siege Island10.
In the West, we find Asboth active and it appears JeffCity has some new builds in progress, if I can hit them now!
[ATTACH]9379[/ATTACH]
Near Springfield, Sigel is inactive at Cass.
Since my men will need to fight for the whole year and no other appreciable avenues for advance exist, I will need to remain in place again, and wait further.

Builds:
A Marine and some more arty.

Turn7
Late May
Butler is ordered to move to Ft. Jackson and lead his troops in the assault.
Asboth will attempt to hunt down Forrest. Pope is finally active and will land at Island 10

Turn 8
Early June

Fort Jackson is taken, with minimal loss. Butler is now inactive and we will embark and land at Ft. St. Philip
Asboth was able to retake Jeff City and Forest was touched up a couple of times, once trying to take Rollo which held
[ATTACH]9380[/ATTACH]

Our forces in the area should now be able to clean his force and Indians in Mo.

Action around Rollo

[ATTACH]9381[/ATTACH]

Sigel, now active, will march 14,000 men to Fayetteville, for now his main force is inside the town and he has no troops/built entrenchments outside….just maybe.

[johnnycai]

Turn 8 (con't)

At Humboldt Tn.
Rousseau is shown fighting off Breckinbridge and retreated to the depot at Ft. Henry, but in fact Wallace and Thomas Corps took part in the battle and likely involved Hardee’s Corps as well.
[ATTACH]9382[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]9383[/ATTACH]
Orders:
Pope is inactive but Rosecrans is active and will assault Island10. The rebel force shows as combat strength 58 after suffering 10hits, so we face probably 1/2 regiments and an arty battery. We will thereby open up the Mississippi and threaten Memphis if all goes well.

Finally Dodge is active, and will lead Sherman’s and Wood’s div and 5 regiments of cav to Chattanooga, once we take that prize we can threaten back to Corinth or southward.


[ATTACH]9384[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]9385[/ATTACH]
I believe we will have the CSA in an extended position shortly. Unable to continue to mass at Corinth. I can feel like his main army may want to begin offensive, possible a drive to Ft. Henry even.

Builds:
2 infantry/1 cav replacements
20 rail, 10 riverine transport