CSA strategy in Gettysburg scenario

[Michael Hopcroft]

In addition to the tutorial, I attempted to play the Gettysburg scenario last night as the CIA and got hammered. I was tempted when I saw Baltimore looking undefended and ready to be plucked to meet the NM condition for a CSA victory. But my mistake was sending Ewell to grab it and not joining the ANV together to do it. (Well, succumbing to the temptation was my mistake, but you get the idea.) Lee was sitting in Gettysburg in a defensive posture and got clobbered by Meade repeatedly. I would have used Ewell there.

This is a very simple scenario, so it is better to consilidate in Gettysburg and wait for Meade to attack you while you're concentrated? What if you do that and Meade never moves?

[Michael Hopcroft]

Tried again just now. This time I did concentrate in Gettysburg to force the Union to attack. Again Lee got clobbered. At that point I knew I had lost the scanrio, but I decided to play on and get the ANV and Ewell's corps back into Virginia anyway. But unlike his historical self, Meade pursued aggressively. As a result Lee found his retreat cut off and, by the end of the scenario, his army surrounded. Ewell was even worse off, with his path back to Virginia completely cut off. The end panel only described it as a "minor defeat", but another few turns would have surely resulted in the demise of the ANV (from starvation if nothing else) and an open path to Richmond for the Union army.

Which gives me a good idea of how Meade, combined with Grant's victory at Vicksburg, could possibly have essentially ended the war right there were it not for his overly-cautious personality.

[Durk]

You know, I have not played this against AI but have played it pbem, so my comment may not be relevant. The 'trick' is to be found in how you handled corps and armies and 'march to the sound of guns.' Choose an objective in reach of all your corps and your army, which means and adjacent region, move one corps and see what happens.