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Turn 5 Early June 1861[/color]
Banks has informed me that he has fallen behind in his AAR. I understand he hopes to catch up sometime this week. You will just have to put up with my meagre offering for the time being.
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EASTERN THEATRE[/color]
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Winchester relieved. Confederate forces storm Harpers Ferry. Rejoicing in Richmond as threat to the Valley recedes. General Smith the toast of the South.[/color]
Hmmm I wish I could in truth say that this move was totally planned but if I did I would be lying. In all honesty I targeted Smith and his brigade on Winchester. I did not notice that I'd actually dropped the stack onto the Union troops. As a consequence when they fell back to Harpers, Smith and his merry band followed. Fortunately I suffered no movement delay and the result is as you see below. A very lucky outcome for me. By rights the Union troops should be in control of Harpers. Ah well some you win some you lose. Before I move on there is just one small issue that I'd like to point out regarding this engagement.
Although I'm not showing an image the Union troops arrived at Harpers on 9 day when they engaged the remnants of the Winchester Militia (all 90 men) and completely wiped them out. A not unexpected result. Smiths force reached Harpers on the 15 and immediately went into action. But just look at the battle result below and the picture beneath that. When I engaged the enemy they were entrenched?....... and are entrenched now. In effect they fought a battle on the 9th day entrenched on days 10 to 14 and fought another battle behind those entrenchments on the 15th day. Maybe its something I'd not noticed before but as far as I was aware you could not entrench on the turn you moved, unless you were linking up with already entrenched troops. Obviously I'm mistaken. Now in the scale of things as this was a skirmish action its not important but had this have been say 50,000 against say 25.000+ it might have been. As much as I love this game there are times when I'm stumped by what happens. When such events occur I rationalise them as much as I'm able .......its just that sometimes I really have to stretch my imagination.
As the enemy troops at Harpers are out of ammunition and have zero cohesion I have ordered Smith's brigade to attack again. If I can do a little more damage to those pesky intruders and hang on to Harpers for at least a little while longer I'll be well pleased. There is very little else for me to report. The Union leader with his brigade of regulars remains encamped at Salisbury. What is my opponent planning to do with them? I think Banks is trying to confuse me. If he is he is doing a damned fine job of it.
On a separate note I am slightly concerned at the lack of ammunition I seem to be generating in Virginia. That blockade of Richmond is already hurting and we are hardly into the game. I'd like to invest in Arsenals and Armouries in this region but cannot afford the expenditure. Its not the WSU that bothers me......its the cash. I must make sure I've enough to recruit the maximum amount of conscripts that I'm allowed when the option becomes available in July. This penny pinching for the South really is a drag but so realistic.
Hopefully when the main armies unlock next turn developments will begin to occur at a faster pace.
At last the draft card at Richmond raised 45 conscripts for me......a most welcome result. As the St Louis Massacre event fired I gained another 75. With my 35 from cities and the 1 I had remaining from the pervious turn I now have a pleasing 158 to commit. Which is two more than I get the figure to add up to.

Shhhh..... I shall keep quiet about it as I need them all. Perhaps they are Union deserters who have seen the light and the justness of the Southern cause.

The treasury looks healthy at 919,000. That will soon change.
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TRANS-MISSISSIPPI[/color]
Another theatre with little to report. My Militia at Rolla destroyed the depot. This turn they will cut the rail. Price and his forces have arrived at Fayetteville. I have joined the single Militia regiments of his command into brigades of two's. I have also detached the cavalry and assigned them to Shelby who has been given orders to assault Fort Baxter. The remainder of Prices command is to move to Springfield. I want to defend as far forward as I can even though my long term plan is to hold the Arkansas river line. We shall just have to see how it goes.
From the look of it my illustrious opponent has yet to start reinforcing this side of the Mississippi. I hope this state of affairs continues. I'd be quite happy for Missouri to be a backwater (at least in 61 and early 62). Things might change however when Lyons arrives.
I don't know whether you can see or notice but Banks has wisely played a Habeas Corpus card on St Louis.
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FAR WEST[/color]
The moves turned out as expected and I now have control of Forts Cobb, Supply and Arbuckle. I intend to torch all three. I know it will slow me down but I'd rather that happen than leave them available for recapture.
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GULF BLOCKADE[/color]
Although not a Theatre I thought I'd just put this in to show how I'm doing with my Brigs. The Atlantic blockade is empty of Confederate shipping.
That only leaves me my purchases etc to discuss. I'm recruiting all that I can. I've committed every conscript and 669,000 of my cash. I have raised no further troops in Virginia. Instead I am attempting to strengthen Tennessee and Louisiana. I have additionally requisitioned my first HQ support and two Field Hospitals.
I do intend to 'spread' my purchases around the Southern states and move them to where ever they are needed. I have never been too happy with this ability we have in the game to put all our eggs into one basket so to speak when it comes to raising troops. Its so 'ahistorical'. That's just me. Banks and I have no house rule for it. He recruits as he sees fit.
Well that's another turn over and closer to the real action. The only other decision that I took was to play the sell cotton bales card again. It costs me nothing to play and raises a further 15000 so why not.

If only I had the cash to do a few demonstrations even if, in the scale of things, they would be as flea bites to an elephant.