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slimey.rock
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Turn 18
Very true, enf91. Although at this point in the game, it seems like a pretty substantial battle.
Anyways, I'm not going to spend much time on this turn because everything is essentially the same as it was for the past several turns.
Over in Norfolk, my forces failed to engage Banks, but he still is in the region. So I'm going to keep Jackson and Magruder's divisions to try and intercept Banks. Bee's division will be railed to Fredericksburg to begin rebuilding the entrenchments.
That's about all of my orders. The Johnston's are maintaining their lines and Beauregard is standing fast. We are approaching the new year and with any luck I'll be able to maintain my lines.
Anyways, I'm not going to spend much time on this turn because everything is essentially the same as it was for the past several turns.
Over in Norfolk, my forces failed to engage Banks, but he still is in the region. So I'm going to keep Jackson and Magruder's divisions to try and intercept Banks. Bee's division will be railed to Fredericksburg to begin rebuilding the entrenchments.
That's about all of my orders. The Johnston's are maintaining their lines and Beauregard is standing fast. We are approaching the new year and with any luck I'll be able to maintain my lines.
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slimey.rock
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Turn 19
Happy new year, friends! It is now 1862 and the Confederacy stands strong. You may remember that my goals for the year were basically not to lose any ground and I think I have accomplished that and then some. All of my lines seem strong and I have even gained some ground in Kentucky. Also, the only major Union offensive has been utterly crushed. The new year holds promise, but is likely to yield pain.
Over in N. Virginia, I have a new problem to face. Last turn I forgot to mention that I called for volunteers and also raised a one time tax and issued 5% war bonds. I have recruited a division for the East and 1 for the West. In the East, two of my brigades have spawned in Winchester, VA! this is bad news because Winchester is the only town in Virginia that I am not protecting. Furthermore, Milroy's two division look like they are marching straight for Harper's Ferry if not Winchester. To protect my brigades, I'm sending Bragg over there to help deter any offensive action. His division is incredibly incomplete so I hope it will do the trick.
Bee now sits at Fredericksburg. His one division is little more than a stone to step on if McClellan decides to attack. I'm guessing the bad weather along with my cavalry screen will prevent that from happening.
So, I have ordered Jackson and Bonham back up from Norfolk by rail. They will go to Manassas instead of Fredericksburg. Sending them to Fredericksburg would secure my front line, but I really want to keep Longhairedlout on his toes and maybe use Jackson for some offensive action come the thaw.
Back at Norfolk, I have left Magruder to manage the defense of Norfolk. I think 1 division is more than enough to keep the Union's hands off my coastal city.
The new generals have arrived with the new year and I'm sending R. Hoke and G. Doles to replace Longstreet and Theopholis(?) Holmes who have just received their second stars. Hoke and Doles have both randomed really well so I'm more than happy to give them commands. J. Walker and 5 other generals are being railed to Nashville to become the new division commanders.
Things out West are (you won't believe this
) still the same. except that now the weather isn't quite so pleasant for me. Mud has replaced the fair regions in my rear. This means that I really have to rely on RR for fast movement so I need to take special care to maintain my lines.
Some really good news is that Grant has yet to engage in a battle so he remains at 2 stars. This means that he won't be commanding an army for at least a little while. You may have noticed that he has had a 10% command penalty all fall and winter. Another piece of good news is that his strategic rating is only a 4. This should help a lot as he will be inactive fairly often.
Because it's the new year, I thought it would be nice to show the objectives tab. I've also included a snippet of my resources balance. Even after raising the execptional tax, issuing 5% war bonds, and calling for volunteers I'm virtually out of money and conscript companies. I am going to hold off on the draft because I think I'll be able to get more out of it by holding off 'till the future. I also very rarely print paper money. I know a lot of people do it religiously, arguing that the short term benefits outweigh the long term inflation, but I have always felt that the inflation simply kills you late game. I was able to survive until the end of the game and was very grateful that I never printed money. In fact, I was able to keep my inflation at 0% the entire game.
I'm not saying that printing money doesn't have its benefits, because it does. Those benefits are short term, though. If you plan on surviving for the long term or fail to win a quick victory, you will curse yourself for raising the price of everything. Think about it, if you get your inflation up to 25%, for every 4 units you raise, your opponent can raise 5. this may not seem like much at first, but they add up quick and before you know it your early gains are substituted by extra expenses.
I'm sure a lot of people disagree with me because a lot of people inflation options. All I'm saying is that they have their place, but you had better be ready to pay the consequences down the road.
Over in N. Virginia, I have a new problem to face. Last turn I forgot to mention that I called for volunteers and also raised a one time tax and issued 5% war bonds. I have recruited a division for the East and 1 for the West. In the East, two of my brigades have spawned in Winchester, VA! this is bad news because Winchester is the only town in Virginia that I am not protecting. Furthermore, Milroy's two division look like they are marching straight for Harper's Ferry if not Winchester. To protect my brigades, I'm sending Bragg over there to help deter any offensive action. His division is incredibly incomplete so I hope it will do the trick.
Bee now sits at Fredericksburg. His one division is little more than a stone to step on if McClellan decides to attack. I'm guessing the bad weather along with my cavalry screen will prevent that from happening.
So, I have ordered Jackson and Bonham back up from Norfolk by rail. They will go to Manassas instead of Fredericksburg. Sending them to Fredericksburg would secure my front line, but I really want to keep Longhairedlout on his toes and maybe use Jackson for some offensive action come the thaw.
Back at Norfolk, I have left Magruder to manage the defense of Norfolk. I think 1 division is more than enough to keep the Union's hands off my coastal city.
The new generals have arrived with the new year and I'm sending R. Hoke and G. Doles to replace Longstreet and Theopholis(?) Holmes who have just received their second stars. Hoke and Doles have both randomed really well so I'm more than happy to give them commands. J. Walker and 5 other generals are being railed to Nashville to become the new division commanders.
Things out West are (you won't believe this
) still the same. except that now the weather isn't quite so pleasant for me. Mud has replaced the fair regions in my rear. This means that I really have to rely on RR for fast movement so I need to take special care to maintain my lines.
Some really good news is that Grant has yet to engage in a battle so he remains at 2 stars. This means that he won't be commanding an army for at least a little while. You may have noticed that he has had a 10% command penalty all fall and winter. Another piece of good news is that his strategic rating is only a 4. This should help a lot as he will be inactive fairly often.
Because it's the new year, I thought it would be nice to show the objectives tab. I've also included a snippet of my resources balance. Even after raising the execptional tax, issuing 5% war bonds, and calling for volunteers I'm virtually out of money and conscript companies. I am going to hold off on the draft because I think I'll be able to get more out of it by holding off 'till the future. I also very rarely print paper money. I know a lot of people do it religiously, arguing that the short term benefits outweigh the long term inflation, but I have always felt that the inflation simply kills you late game. I was able to survive until the end of the game and was very grateful that I never printed money. In fact, I was able to keep my inflation at 0% the entire game.
I'm not saying that printing money doesn't have its benefits, because it does. Those benefits are short term, though. If you plan on surviving for the long term or fail to win a quick victory, you will curse yourself for raising the price of everything. Think about it, if you get your inflation up to 25%, for every 4 units you raise, your opponent can raise 5. this may not seem like much at first, but they add up quick and before you know it your early gains are substituted by extra expenses.
I'm sure a lot of people disagree with me because a lot of people inflation options. All I'm saying is that they have their place, but you had better be ready to pay the consequences down the road.
I don't like inflation either. That's why I tend to max out the bonds and taxes because they give more money than printing while not affecting inflation as much. If you do print, you have to depend on "economic sunrises" to lower your inflation, but you need 4 of those to eliminate 1 printing, and I think the probability of that happening equals your inflation percentage.
By the way, it's Theophilus Holmes. I know, I know, why couldn't his parents have named him Ted?
By the way, it's Theophilus Holmes. I know, I know, why couldn't his parents have named him Ted?
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It's a Trap
It all depends on your situation. If your going to win you need those VP's from the bonds. Taxes I think are the best, but meh. It all depends how you use it. If you can use those forces to make a bid for California early or push the USA hard enough to stop any attack on Richmond it could pay for itself.
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slimey.rock
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The game works with integers for unit price. So at 20% inflation, the cost of a militia is 8.4. Of course, the game will round it down to 8. At 25% inflation, the price is rounded up to 9.
With regular infantry, like you said, you will pay 12 at 20% inflation. This means that for every 5 infantry you recruit, the enemy recruits 6.
It doesn't seem significant at first, but it adds up pretty quick. My advice is that if your are going to inflate your money supply, I would recomend minimizing it to 14%. That way you only pay 11 for regular infanty. Even then, the game has built in inflation (you will notice that by 1864 you will pay 12 for regular infantry even if you have 0% inflation). So by endgame, you are paying 14 for regular infantry at 14% inflation.
Inflation in game, like in real life, is a sneaky adversary. I think it can be used effectively as the South if you can use it to capture Washington early to win. Otherwise, I think it is better used late late game so you don't pay the inflation tax on recruitment until endgame. Also, you gain more money from financial options end game so you gain more money for less price paid to inflation.
That's my two cents (at 0% inflation ). Really it depends on the game like It'satrap said, but these are the standards that I try to play by.
With regular infantry, like you said, you will pay 12 at 20% inflation. This means that for every 5 infantry you recruit, the enemy recruits 6.
It doesn't seem significant at first, but it adds up pretty quick. My advice is that if your are going to inflate your money supply, I would recomend minimizing it to 14%. That way you only pay 11 for regular infanty. Even then, the game has built in inflation (you will notice that by 1864 you will pay 12 for regular infantry even if you have 0% inflation). So by endgame, you are paying 14 for regular infantry at 14% inflation.
Inflation in game, like in real life, is a sneaky adversary. I think it can be used effectively as the South if you can use it to capture Washington early to win. Otherwise, I think it is better used late late game so you don't pay the inflation tax on recruitment until endgame. Also, you gain more money from financial options end game so you gain more money for less price paid to inflation.
That's my two cents (at 0% inflation
). Really it depends on the game like It'satrap said, but these are the standards that I try to play by.I think the ''game inflation'' is related to the quantity of units of the map, its not related too your actual inflation rate. Works also with the replacements like that.
But anyway your right, it depends on your school of thought. I am normally in your school of thought but for my game against Barksdale I am trying to be a troop monster
But in your game you've reached winter in a good position with a nice defence line dug in in the VA area. I am eager to see what happens in 62. Wonder how you will deal with the coastal assaults.
But anyway your right, it depends on your school of thought. I am normally in your school of thought but for my game against Barksdale I am trying to be a troop monster
But in your game you've reached winter in a good position with a nice defence line dug in in the VA area. I am eager to see what happens in 62. Wonder how you will deal with the coastal assaults.
"Game inflation" is relative to the average value of the units in that category. The reason Line Inf gets so expensive is that your infantry units upgrade to the model with the thick line at the left, which I think are worth 15/10/1. They average out with the 8/10/1 conscripts, the 10/10/1 zouaves, and whatever the other infantry units are.
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slimey.rock
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Turn 20
It's now turn 20 and there has been little activity last turn. Bragg has marched his men into position at Winchester. Milroy, like I thought, has entered Harper's Ferry. My two brigades are 1 turn away from being completed to it is critical that I keep Milroy from taking control of the region.
Bragg has a very weak division with 6 regiments of infantry, two regiments of cavalry, and 1 sharpshooter regiment with a total power of 292. Milroy has two divisions with below average cohesion at 228 and 395. I'm guessing they are at full strength with 48 cannons each. If he is to attack, even in the hills with snow on the ground, I'm sure Bragg will be beaten. So I've decided to turn the tables. Jackson has just arrived at Manassas from Norfolk. His divisions under Bonham and Smith are very low on cohesion and a march trough the snow is beyond their capacity. So I've switched Bonham and Smith with Kirby and R. Hoke (who has just taken Longstreet's division). If Milroy attacks, Bragg will be pushed back and hopefully Jackson will storm in at the end of the turn and give Milroy a good beating. I'm assuming that Milroy will only attack and will not assault. If he does assault, then my hole plan is pointless except that I'll be able to give Milroy a piece of Jackson's mind.
This plan exposes Manassas for a while, but I have a major advantage. My opponent doesn't know that I will have shifted two divisions from Manassas until next turn. By then, my divisions under Smith and Bonham will have regained their cohesion and would be capable (hopefully) of holding against McClellan's 5 (maybe 6) divisions.
Now that Longstreet is free of his division, I've ordered him to take command of the Cavalry screen at Aquia. This will eliminate the 10% command penalty I'm facing there and provide the most important piece of ground currently on the field with the best defensive general I posses in the army. I say it is the most important piece of ground on the field because if my enemy was to gain this ground, he would discover that Fredericksburg is guarded only by a division and my entire defense of Virginia would be ruined.
I have not provided a screenie for the Western theater as it hasn't changed in the slightest. The most I can report to you is that I am about to form a new division at Nashville and Grant gained another artillery bty last turn.
I can tell that I'm under prepared in this field. Really, I should transfer a division from A. Johnston over to Ft. Henry. This way, I could hold Grant at Columbus and have a substantial defense over at the Forts. Plus with the new division at Nashville, I will be able to hold Bowling Green from McDowell.
Bragg has a very weak division with 6 regiments of infantry, two regiments of cavalry, and 1 sharpshooter regiment with a total power of 292. Milroy has two divisions with below average cohesion at 228 and 395. I'm guessing they are at full strength with 48 cannons each. If he is to attack, even in the hills with snow on the ground, I'm sure Bragg will be beaten. So I've decided to turn the tables. Jackson has just arrived at Manassas from Norfolk. His divisions under Bonham and Smith are very low on cohesion and a march trough the snow is beyond their capacity. So I've switched Bonham and Smith with Kirby and R. Hoke (who has just taken Longstreet's division). If Milroy attacks, Bragg will be pushed back and hopefully Jackson will storm in at the end of the turn and give Milroy a good beating. I'm assuming that Milroy will only attack and will not assault. If he does assault, then my hole plan is pointless except that I'll be able to give Milroy a piece of Jackson's mind.
This plan exposes Manassas for a while, but I have a major advantage. My opponent doesn't know that I will have shifted two divisions from Manassas until next turn. By then, my divisions under Smith and Bonham will have regained their cohesion and would be capable (hopefully) of holding against McClellan's 5 (maybe 6) divisions.
Now that Longstreet is free of his division, I've ordered him to take command of the Cavalry screen at Aquia. This will eliminate the 10% command penalty I'm facing there and provide the most important piece of ground currently on the field with the best defensive general I posses in the army. I say it is the most important piece of ground on the field because if my enemy was to gain this ground, he would discover that Fredericksburg is guarded only by a division and my entire defense of Virginia would be ruined.
I have not provided a screenie for the Western theater as it hasn't changed in the slightest. The most I can report to you is that I am about to form a new division at Nashville and Grant gained another artillery bty last turn.
I can tell that I'm under prepared in this field. Really, I should transfer a division from A. Johnston over to Ft. Henry. This way, I could hold Grant at Columbus and have a substantial defense over at the Forts. Plus with the new division at Nashville, I will be able to hold Bowling Green from McDowell.
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slimey.rock
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MrT wrote:I think the ''game inflation'' is related to the quantity of units of the map, its not related too your actual inflation rate. Works also with the replacements like that.
But anyway your right, it depends on your school of thought. I am normally in your school of thought but for my game against Barksdale I am trying to be a troop monster
But in your game you've reached winter in a good position with a nice defence line dug in in the VA area. I am eager to see what happens in 62. Wonder how you will deal with the coastal assaults.
Yes, I absolutely see your point. I would be very pressured to build as many troops I could against such a highly regarded opponent.
And thanks for the explanation of game inflation. That makes much more sense.
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slimey.rock
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Whew! I have finally finished downloading the rest of the turns from this game from my email. I accidently forgot to back them up when I reformated a while back. Anyways, I was reading the dialog between Longhairedlout and myself and it reminded me how crazy and exciting this game really is. I know it is pretty slow right now, but it is gonna start picking up pretty quick. I can't wait to get into 1863. It is a bloody mess 
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slimey.rock
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Turn 21
Well, I suppose no news is good news because that is basically what we have.
In Virginia, Milroy never advanced on Winchester. Both of my brigades have been fully formed and have been added into Bragg's division. He now has 3 sharpshooter elements and no artillery
. Of course, it is temporary and there's nothing I can do about it at the moment. Now that the brigades are saved I am more than happy to abandon Winchester to bolster my main lines of defense. There is one problem, though. While Jackson was able to make the march to Winchester in 15 days, the march back will take 17 through frozen ground. He is already lowish on cohesion so I have opted to let him rest and wait for the weather to clear.
I am making one movement. Bee will march North across the Rappahannock to Aquia landing and join Longstreet in the entrenchments. Why reveal my strength on the front line you ask? Simple; it is early Feb and 2 turns from now, corps formation will be activated. Once I have corps at Manassas and Aquia, the Yanks will have a cat's chance in hell of pushing me back. There will be 1 turn that I will be exposed, but I'm hoping that a combination of bad weather, McClellan's poor activation, and McClellan's command penalties will keep the Federals at bay.
Over at Paducah, Grant has received some reinforcements. Last turn he received a small division under Prentiss and this turn George Thomas and another division under Howe showed up. The two new divisions are understrength, but I'm sure they will be at full strength soon. This means A. Johnston will be facing 5 divisions to his 3. I'm guessing that my opponent will not attack until corps formation in 2 turns. There is an army under Fremont standing close by at Cairo for just the occasion, I believe.
Forrest has spawned with his cavalry regiment. Remarkably, he is promotable this turn because of the randomized generals. I will pay a 1 NM 22 VP penalty for being promoted before Van Dorn. A small price to pay, I say.
In Nashville, the Orphan Brigade has spawned. I have more reinforcements coming in to Nashville so I will form a division with them. I want Walker to form the division, but he is inactive this turn, so I'll wait until next. With Walker's division, I hope to be able to hold BG from McDowell.
Aslo, keep your eyes on Walker's division. They end up being the best division in the entire game
In Virginia, Milroy never advanced on Winchester. Both of my brigades have been fully formed and have been added into Bragg's division. He now has 3 sharpshooter elements and no artillery
. Of course, it is temporary and there's nothing I can do about it at the moment. Now that the brigades are saved I am more than happy to abandon Winchester to bolster my main lines of defense. There is one problem, though. While Jackson was able to make the march to Winchester in 15 days, the march back will take 17 through frozen ground. He is already lowish on cohesion so I have opted to let him rest and wait for the weather to clear.
I am making one movement. Bee will march North across the Rappahannock to Aquia landing and join Longstreet in the entrenchments. Why reveal my strength on the front line you ask? Simple; it is early Feb and 2 turns from now, corps formation will be activated. Once I have corps at Manassas and Aquia, the Yanks will have a cat's chance in hell of pushing me back. There will be 1 turn that I will be exposed, but I'm hoping that a combination of bad weather, McClellan's poor activation, and McClellan's command penalties will keep the Federals at bay.
Over at Paducah, Grant has received some reinforcements. Last turn he received a small division under Prentiss and this turn George Thomas and another division under Howe showed up. The two new divisions are understrength, but I'm sure they will be at full strength soon. This means A. Johnston will be facing 5 divisions to his 3. I'm guessing that my opponent will not attack until corps formation in 2 turns. There is an army under Fremont standing close by at Cairo for just the occasion, I believe.
Forrest has spawned with his cavalry regiment. Remarkably, he is promotable this turn because of the randomized generals. I will pay a 1 NM 22 VP penalty for being promoted before Van Dorn. A small price to pay, I say.
In Nashville, the Orphan Brigade has spawned. I have more reinforcements coming in to Nashville so I will form a division with them. I want Walker to form the division, but he is inactive this turn, so I'll wait until next. With Walker's division, I hope to be able to hold BG from McDowell.
Aslo, keep your eyes on Walker's division. They end up being the best division in the entire game
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slimey.rock
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Turn 22
Our first battle in quite since fall! This time on the James River. While reviewing the last turn, I failed to notice that I sent James Buchanan against a small Union fleet blockading Norfolk and Suffolk. It seems that Buchanan's iron Virginia wasn't enough to take out the small fleet of 20 blockade ships. Although I lost the battle, I was able to inflict more hits and took no hits retreating. So I consider the battle a partial success: I inflicted more hits, but the blockade still stands. I have ordered Buchanan to take his fleet home and retire in Richmond.
Up North the standoff continues. But I'm very excited in this theater because next turn corps formation is activated and I am already preparing for it. Longstreet will take command of one corps with Van Dorn's cavalry division and Bee's veteran division. Jackson will form a corps with the divisions under his command plus Bragg. At Manassas I can either use G. Smith or Theo Holmes to form a corps with the troops currently under Beauregard (probably Holmes [4-1-1] over Smith [2-2-2]).
Like last turn, I have opted to leave Jackson in Winchester because of the weather. He could make the march in one turn, but I don't want to lose the cohesion and I would face a lot of attrition.
Charles Winder is being sent south to Fredericksburg to take command of the Texas Brigade and company to form a new division. That is why the red arrow is on the picture. Longstreet is staying at Aquia to hold the line.
Ooh, I forgot to mention that Kearny has shown up and with two starts, none the less. this means that the North will have at least 1 semi competent general under McClellan.
In Kentucky things are going to be touch and go. I'm 99% sure that Longhairedlout is waiting for corps formation to give Grant sole control of the troops at Paducah. This could prove fatal for me. Grant will be able to easily flank A. Johnston and if he does so, any of my troops he faces won't be able to contain him. My only hope is that I have shadow him and force him to fight A. Johnston's army on good ground.
I was really thrilled to be allowed to promote Forrest so early. I'm sending him to Clarksville to organize the South's first cavalry corps. I'm organizing all of the loose cavalry in the region to Clarksville where WHF Lee will organize a cavalry division under Forrest. WHF Lee isn't the greatest commander in this game (4-1-1), but he's the best I've got right now. Plus if my history doesn't deceive me, he was actually a cavalry commander and I always like to give commanders their historical role
.
I already have big plans for Forrest and WHF Lee, but I'll divulge that information next turn
I have formed Walker's division at Nashville. I'm going to keep him at Nashville for the turn in case Longhair get's sneaky.
Next turn is corps formation! Next turn is corps formation!
As long as I can hold in Virginia just this one turn I should be able to hold the line with MTSG! Right?
Up North the standoff continues. But I'm very excited in this theater because next turn corps formation is activated and I am already preparing for it. Longstreet will take command of one corps with Van Dorn's cavalry division and Bee's veteran division. Jackson will form a corps with the divisions under his command plus Bragg. At Manassas I can either use G. Smith or Theo Holmes to form a corps with the troops currently under Beauregard (probably Holmes [4-1-1] over Smith [2-2-2]).
Like last turn, I have opted to leave Jackson in Winchester because of the weather. He could make the march in one turn, but I don't want to lose the cohesion and I would face a lot of attrition.
Charles Winder is being sent south to Fredericksburg to take command of the Texas Brigade and company to form a new division. That is why the red arrow is on the picture. Longstreet is staying at Aquia to hold the line.
Ooh, I forgot to mention that Kearny has shown up and with two starts, none the less. this means that the North will have at least 1 semi competent general under McClellan.
In Kentucky things are going to be touch and go. I'm 99% sure that Longhairedlout is waiting for corps formation to give Grant sole control of the troops at Paducah. This could prove fatal for me. Grant will be able to easily flank A. Johnston and if he does so, any of my troops he faces won't be able to contain him. My only hope is that I have shadow him and force him to fight A. Johnston's army on good ground.
I was really thrilled to be allowed to promote Forrest so early. I'm sending him to Clarksville to organize the South's first cavalry corps. I'm organizing all of the loose cavalry in the region to Clarksville where WHF Lee will organize a cavalry division under Forrest. WHF Lee isn't the greatest commander in this game (4-1-1), but he's the best I've got right now. Plus if my history doesn't deceive me, he was actually a cavalry commander and I always like to give commanders their historical role
.
I already have big plans for Forrest and WHF Lee, but I'll divulge that information next turn
I have formed Walker's division at Nashville. I'm going to keep him at Nashville for the turn in case Longhair get's sneaky.
Next turn is corps formation! Next turn is corps formation!
As long as I can hold in Virginia just this one turn I should be able to hold the line with MTSG! Right?
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slimey.rock
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Turn 23
Well, I was so excited about corps formation that I've decided to go ahead and make the next turn! Everything is looking good for me now. I have managed to hold Manassas until early March 1862. Now I may be able to shift the tide in my favor.
So, in Virginia, I have formed my corps under Jackson, Longstreet, and Holmes. Also, I have formed a corps under Smith, but he doesn't have a command...yet.
Once again, the weather is preventing Jackson from returning to Manassas. This time there is a blizzard between him and the rail hub. I anticipate good weather next turn so I've decided to blow the rail at Winchester in preparation for abandoning the town. Also, the cavalry regiment that has been scouting from Loudon, WV is ordered to blow the rails there head North to Frederick, MD to prepare to blow the rail behind Milroy.
Longstreet and Holmes will hold their ground. There is no threat of attack now that my corps are supporting each other.
I mentioned that Winder was sent to Fredericksburg to form a division with the Texas Brigade. Well, my plans have changed some. I forgot that D.H. Hill and Jeb Stuart appear this turn. Is there any better turn in the game for the Confederacy? I think not. Anyways, I am sending Smith's corps and Winder's troops at Fredericksburg to Culpepper, VA to form what should end up being two divisions under Hill and Stuart. I'm also sending some other random brigades from around Virginia.
I want to take some time to talk about Culpepper Virginia. It is a very strategic location for the North and South because it has access to so many other regions, mainly Aquia, Manassas, and Fredericksburg. Now, if I want to, I can screen the total strength of my force by keeping a few divisions at Culpepper. That way, I can trick the enemy into attacking my forces at Manassas or Aquia and still gain the MTSG benefits without my opponent knowing I even had those forces. Of course, if your opponent has good reconnaissance, this trick won't work. It is something to keep in mind as the South, though. There are a few other tricks I like to use with Culpepper, but I don't think we'll get into them in this game
.
In Western Kentucky, I have formed a corps under Polk. I have placed all of the forces that were under A. Johnston with Polk. Now I have the problem of guessing where Grant is going to be sent. Ft. Henry is the obvious choice, but because of some mud he won't be able to make it in 1 turn. This should allow me to rail there in time to save the fort if he tries it.So for now I'm just going to have to react to his movements.
You may have noticed that Forrest has assault posture in the last picture. Well your observations have merit because Forrest is, in fact, railing East and riding North on a raiding mission to Lexington. The town is lightly defending with what I imagine is 1 militia regiment. Although the depot there is already destroyed, I plan on cutting the rail and I should control the town for a few turns and I'll take the free conscript companies . The mission should also provide some reconnaissance of McDowell who could have any amount of strength at this point. This maneuver will begin my offensive action of the year. Let's make it count 
I've decided to go ahead and send Walker's division up to J. Johnston to bolster the defenses there. If Nashville becomes threatened, hopefully I will be able to rail Johnston down to Nashville.
Also one thing that I need to do in the near future is combine J. Johnston's forces under A. Johnston's army so that they can benefit from MTSG. Currently I don't have the corps commanders for it so it will have to wait, but sometime in the future, hopefully.
So, in Virginia, I have formed my corps under Jackson, Longstreet, and Holmes. Also, I have formed a corps under Smith, but he doesn't have a command...yet.
Once again, the weather is preventing Jackson from returning to Manassas. This time there is a blizzard between him and the rail hub. I anticipate good weather next turn so I've decided to blow the rail at Winchester in preparation for abandoning the town. Also, the cavalry regiment that has been scouting from Loudon, WV is ordered to blow the rails there head North to Frederick, MD to prepare to blow the rail behind Milroy.
Longstreet and Holmes will hold their ground. There is no threat of attack now that my corps are supporting each other.
I mentioned that Winder was sent to Fredericksburg to form a division with the Texas Brigade. Well, my plans have changed some. I forgot that D.H. Hill and Jeb Stuart appear this turn. Is there any better turn in the game for the Confederacy? I think not. Anyways, I am sending Smith's corps and Winder's troops at Fredericksburg to Culpepper, VA to form what should end up being two divisions under Hill and Stuart. I'm also sending some other random brigades from around Virginia.
I want to take some time to talk about Culpepper Virginia. It is a very strategic location for the North and South because it has access to so many other regions, mainly Aquia, Manassas, and Fredericksburg. Now, if I want to, I can screen the total strength of my force by keeping a few divisions at Culpepper. That way, I can trick the enemy into attacking my forces at Manassas or Aquia and still gain the MTSG benefits without my opponent knowing I even had those forces. Of course, if your opponent has good reconnaissance, this trick won't work. It is something to keep in mind as the South, though. There are a few other tricks I like to use with Culpepper, but I don't think we'll get into them in this game
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In Western Kentucky, I have formed a corps under Polk. I have placed all of the forces that were under A. Johnston with Polk. Now I have the problem of guessing where Grant is going to be sent. Ft. Henry is the obvious choice, but because of some mud he won't be able to make it in 1 turn. This should allow me to rail there in time to save the fort if he tries it.So for now I'm just going to have to react to his movements.
You may have noticed that Forrest has assault posture in the last picture. Well your observations have merit because Forrest is, in fact, railing East and riding North on a raiding mission to Lexington. The town is lightly defending with what I imagine is 1 militia regiment. Although the depot there is already destroyed, I plan on cutting the rail and I should control the town for a few turns and I'll take the free conscript companies
. The mission should also provide some reconnaissance of McDowell who could have any amount of strength at this point. This maneuver will begin my offensive action of the year. Let's make it count
I've decided to go ahead and send Walker's division up to J. Johnston to bolster the defenses there. If Nashville becomes threatened, hopefully I will be able to rail Johnston down to Nashville.
Also one thing that I need to do in the near future is combine J. Johnston's forces under A. Johnston's army so that they can benefit from MTSG. Currently I don't have the corps commanders for it so it will have to wait, but sometime in the future, hopefully.
slimey.rock wrote:Plus if my history doesn't deceive me, he was actually a cavalry commander and I always like to give commanders their historical role
Right... Van Dorn and Bragg in VA, Hindman and McCulloch in KY... J. Johnston in TN in 1861... this really is a treatise on Civil War history.
P.S. I'm sorry. I haven't had an opportunity to be sarcastic in awhile.
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slimey.rock
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At the moment i think we can see why Longhairedlout made the right choice in strengthing Padouch early on, now hes got 2 possible fronts from which to launch an attack. Without having to cross a damn river lol.
Also why Slimey do you have Holmes/Jackson and not Longstreet incharge of your defensive centerpeice? Or do you figure better to have more troops there with an aggressive commander for counter attacking purposes?
Also why Slimey do you have Holmes/Jackson and not Longstreet incharge of your defensive centerpeice? Or do you figure better to have more troops there with an aggressive commander for counter attacking purposes?
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slimey.rock
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Turn 24
I've made some interesting observations in the eastern front that may have game-breaking effects. However, I will divulge more in just a moment.
General Forrest and his historically assigned subordinate have ventured deep into Kentucky and liberated the good people of Lexington. Even though the militia regiment I expected had been upgraded into full infantry, my cavalry made short work of the resistance. I was lucky, though. Forrest almost ran into two full divisions under Berry. We will talk more about this later.
Things are beginning to look up in the Virginia theater. McClellan has posted corps under Pope, Hamilton, Milroy, and Kearny. Now, I made a very important discovery this turn in the game. I realized that my total forces in the Eastern theater posses twice the strength of McClellans entrenchments at Alexandria. This is a very unique opportunity for me. If I am able to take Alexandria, it will mean I will pose a constant threat to Washington. Plus, Alexandria provides an excellent defense against the North.
This is a long shot, of course. If Longhairedlout send just two divisions to Alexandria, I think it would be enough to foil my plans. I am in the process of cutting the rails leading to Harper's Ferry so that should at least slow Milroy down if he is sent to Alexandria. Kearny is not so troubling. He has suspiciously marched to Baltimore which happens to be the staging ground for the last amphibious assault. I think there is no other reason to send two divisions to Baltimore except to send them to sea. I'm going to need EVERY available soldier for the Alexandria offensive so this means that I'm going to have to expose my coastal cities for the sake of (perhaps) the war. Therefore, Magruder's division at Norfolk is being railed to Manassas to join the main army. Also, I'm sending Smith's two new divisions up to Manassas to be integrated under a stronger commander.
I contemplated sending Jackson to Loudon this turn, but opted against it. I need the element of surprise and moving Jackson to Loudon would alert my enemy of my aggressive intentions. Plus, Loudon is muddy and hopefully by next the mud will have cleared.
Like I expected, things are starting to kick off in this theater. Longhairedlout has placed corps under Grant, Thomas, Berry, and Dix. Grant with his 3 strongest divisions has been shipped over to the Henderson harbor. Berry has marched South and almost intercepted Forrest by accident. He only had a 29% chance of engaging Forrest, but if he had, Forrest would have taken severe casualties and his raid would have been stopped in its tracks. Thomas is holding the fortifications at Paducah with 3 divisions and 1 substantial brigade.
In Lexington, I anticipate that my opponent will want to regain the Kentucky capital so I've ordered Forrest's cavalry over to Clarksburg which has remained in southern hands and has a healthy stockpile of general supply for the horses. Even if I only hold Lexington for a turn, I will have considered the raid a success. I destroyed 1 infantry regiment and gained a conscript company basically for free.
The core of my problems are from Grant. He has Lyon and Sherman with him and they both have strong divisions. Now the obvious destination for Grant is Clarksville, TN. From there he can attack the isolated forces at either Ft. Henry, Bowling Green, or Nashville. Luckily the weather is in my favor and it will take him 18 turns to make the march. I can't tell you how good the weather along this front has been for me. Even through most of the winter, my rear has been in clear weather and it is the case this turn. I plan on nipping this invasion in the bud. I have given A. Johnston two full divisions from Polk and have ordered Polk to march to Clarksville with Hardee's division and Breckenridge's newly formed half division. His march will take him a convenient 17 days I considered trying to force march Polk or sending him by rail which would allow him to enter the region by next turn, but after I considered it, I opted against. Firstly, I don't want to use rail because I can't afford it. Secondly, I could use a force march, but there is only a 60% chance of success and I don't want to lose the cohesion. Thirdly, if Longhairedlout see's that I've occupied the region, he may opt out of the attack. If I simply march Polk, it will appear that I simply occupied Ft. Henry and have no intention of blocking Grant at Clarksville. This way, I can fight a defensive fight that Longhairedlout had no intention of fighting. I'm relying on two things for this to work. I need Grant to not force march, because if he does force march he will reach Clarksville at day 15 and will have won the race. Second, I need Polk to switch from A. Johnston's army to J. Johnston's army so that I can benefit from MTSG. Otherwise Grant will simply overwhelm Polk.
A. Johnston will be left at the Columbus fortifications and I have no doubt that he'll be able to hold Thomas. Especially since Thomas will be under Fremont and likely to have a strategic rating of 2.
General Forrest and his historically assigned subordinate
have ventured deep into Kentucky and liberated the good people of Lexington. Even though the militia regiment I expected had been upgraded into full infantry, my cavalry made short work of the resistance. I was lucky, though. Forrest almost ran into two full divisions under Berry. We will talk more about this later.
Things are beginning to look up in the Virginia theater. McClellan has posted corps under Pope, Hamilton, Milroy, and Kearny. Now, I made a very important discovery this turn in the game. I realized that my total forces in the Eastern theater posses twice the strength of McClellans entrenchments at Alexandria. This is a very unique opportunity for me. If I am able to take Alexandria, it will mean I will pose a constant threat to Washington. Plus, Alexandria provides an excellent defense against the North.
This is a long shot, of course. If Longhairedlout send just two divisions to Alexandria, I think it would be enough to foil my plans. I am in the process of cutting the rails leading to Harper's Ferry so that should at least slow Milroy down if he is sent to Alexandria. Kearny is not so troubling. He has suspiciously marched to Baltimore which happens to be the staging ground for the last amphibious assault. I think there is no other reason to send two divisions to Baltimore except to send them to sea. I'm going to need EVERY available soldier for the Alexandria offensive so this means that I'm going to have to expose my coastal cities for the sake of (perhaps) the war. Therefore, Magruder's division at Norfolk is being railed to Manassas to join the main army. Also, I'm sending Smith's two new divisions up to Manassas to be integrated under a stronger commander.
I contemplated sending Jackson to Loudon this turn, but opted against it. I need the element of surprise and moving Jackson to Loudon would alert my enemy of my aggressive intentions. Plus, Loudon is muddy and hopefully by next the mud will have cleared.
Like I expected, things are starting to kick off in this theater. Longhairedlout has placed corps under Grant, Thomas, Berry, and Dix. Grant with his 3 strongest divisions has been shipped over to the Henderson harbor. Berry has marched South and almost intercepted Forrest by accident. He only had a 29% chance of engaging Forrest, but if he had, Forrest would have taken severe casualties and his raid would have been stopped in its tracks. Thomas is holding the fortifications at Paducah with 3 divisions and 1 substantial brigade.
In Lexington, I anticipate that my opponent will want to regain the Kentucky capital so I've ordered Forrest's cavalry over to Clarksburg which has remained in southern hands and has a healthy stockpile of general supply for the horses. Even if I only hold Lexington for a turn, I will have considered the raid a success. I destroyed 1 infantry regiment and gained a conscript company basically for free.
The core of my problems are from Grant. He has Lyon and Sherman with him and they both have strong divisions. Now the obvious destination for Grant is Clarksville, TN. From there he can attack the isolated forces at either Ft. Henry, Bowling Green, or Nashville. Luckily the weather is in my favor and it will take him 18 turns to make the march. I can't tell you how good the weather along this front has been for me. Even through most of the winter, my rear has been in clear weather and it is the case this turn. I plan on nipping this invasion in the bud. I have given A. Johnston two full divisions from Polk and have ordered Polk to march to Clarksville with Hardee's division and Breckenridge's newly formed half division. His march will take him a convenient 17 days
I considered trying to force march Polk or sending him by rail which would allow him to enter the region by next turn, but after I considered it, I opted against. Firstly, I don't want to use rail because I can't afford it. Secondly, I could use a force march, but there is only a 60% chance of success and I don't want to lose the cohesion. Thirdly, if Longhairedlout see's that I've occupied the region, he may opt out of the attack. If I simply march Polk, it will appear that I simply occupied Ft. Henry and have no intention of blocking Grant at Clarksville. This way, I can fight a defensive fight that Longhairedlout had no intention of fighting. I'm relying on two things for this to work. I need Grant to not force march, because if he does force march he will reach Clarksville at day 15 and will have won the race. Second, I need Polk to switch from A. Johnston's army to J. Johnston's army so that I can benefit from MTSG. Otherwise Grant will simply overwhelm Polk.
A. Johnston will be left at the Columbus fortifications and I have no doubt that he'll be able to hold Thomas. Especially since Thomas will be under Fremont and likely to have a strategic rating of 2.
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slimey.rock
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MrT wrote:At the moment i think we can see why Longhairedlout made the right choice in strengthing Padouch early on, now hes got 2 possible fronts from which to launch an attack. Without having to cross a damn river lol.
Also why Slimey do you have Holmes/Jackson and not Longstreet incharge of your defensive centerpeice? Or do you figure better to have more troops there with an aggressive commander for counter attacking purposes?
Yeah, he has a very strong position there. It is pretty easy to sneak over and take Ft. Henry from Paducah. Plus if I try to block Ft. Henry, I expose Memphis/Corinth. Of course, now my biggest problem will be stopping Grant from getting to the Cumberland River.
Jackson and Longstreet's placement was kind of fate. I sent Longstreet to Aquia before corps formation to discourage an attack on Fredericksburg. Since then, I've not had a turn to give him a more critical command. Jackson was sent to Winchester to help save the brigades being recruited there and the weather hasn't allowed him to come back to Manassas. If I had it the way I wanted, I would have Jackson with 4 divisions at Manassas and Longstreet with another 4 at Aquia. Another problem is that because of the way my army is spread out right now, I'm going to have to rely on using 4 corps when I would much prefer to only use three.
Have you not considered building signal companies, that would give you 19 points... allowing the extra divisions per corps?
I know there expensive.. 3 cost 75,000$ but i sometimes feel its worth it, and you can always use them in the independent commands later you remove the CP in independent division so can operate at full effect.
I know there expensive.. 3 cost 75,000$ but i sometimes feel its worth it, and you can always use them in the independent commands later you remove the CP in independent division so can operate at full effect.
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slimey.rock
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slimey.rock
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Turn 25
Thanks Acme! I appreciate it. Yeah, I try to narrate what I remember was going through my head at the time I was playing. I do have an omniscient advantage because I can always look ahead, though 
No action this turn, but there have been some interesting developments. We will start in the East.
As I expected, Kearny has magically disappeared from Baltimore. You can't see it in the screenie because of the troop strenghts, but believe me he's gone and there's nary a sign of him to be found.
Now, more pressing matters. The time to strike is soon. With the disappearance of Kearny, McClellan is isolated with 42,000 men. If all goes according to plan his 42,000 will be overwhelmed by my 86,000. I can't make the attack this turn, but I should be able to next turn. I've ordered Jackson and Holmes to Loudon, VA. From there we will advance from all fronts and overwhelm McClellan.
I don't expect Milroy to move from his position and once I've claimed Loudon, he won't be able to reach McClellan in time to save him because the rails in his rear are cut.
One other possibility that I've considered is a direct assualt on Washington. By moving Jackson and Holmes, the better part of my army, to Loudon, I will be able to outflank McClellan and sack Washington all in one go. Longstreet and Magruder should have enough troops to protect Richmond should McClellan choose to get aggressive. I'll get into more detail on this next turn.
The biggest thing on my mind right now is "where is Kearny?" I know he departed by ship last turn, but I can' spot anything off my coasts. One possibility is that he's in the stack I highlighted in the screenshot. Last turn I chased off a scouting ship that was hanging around Richmond. I'm terribly afraid that Kearny is outside of Ft. Monroe on his way to capture Richmond. Currently I have NO forces that aren't on the front lines. But because of the numerical advantage I need in the next turn, I can't sacrifice even a division from the front line. I'm going to have to rely on speed to win the day. I need to capture Washington or Alexandria before Kearny can strike and then race back and save the capital. This is incredibly risky. Kearny may win the race to Richmond or my forces may be shattered against McClellan leaving me with nothing to save Richmond. I may be ahead of myself, though.
The way I see it, there are three possibilities as to Kearny's intentions: He is, like I said earlier, outside Monroe and is on his way to capture Richmond, he is outside of Monroe and is waiting to strike Norfolk, or that's not him that I see at Hampton Roads and he is somewhere in the ocean along my coast waiting to take Charleston, New Orleans, or some major coastal town. I'm begging that it is either of the latter. I am more than willing to lose any city besides Richmond for the sake of a successful operation against McClellan. Only time will tell apy:
On a less grim note, Forrest was not pursued last turn so Lexington remains in my control! Looks like another free conscript company for me .
I have also made a few discoveries. The Ashville depot is completely undefended and Cincinnati is lightly defended. This was a tough choice for me because capturing Cincinnati would be a major victory for me and the destruction of it's depot would be a major pain to my opponent. The problem is that Forrest's cavalry are dog tired. I don't think they could make the ride to Cincinnati and win the town so I've chosen the easy route and Forrest will capture the Ashville depot and destroy it.
Things have gone awry in Kentucky. Grant has made the march to Clarksville in 1 turn and before Polk! He had to have force marched to make it. Oh well, so much for my ambush . This presents another bigger problem. Berry has also advanced to Barren, KY which means that J. Johnston is in danger of being overwhelmed from two fronts. Also, if you look at the screenshot, Humphreys has two cavalry regiments at Gallatin. I'm assuming to cut the rails there.
Polk now sits at Ft. Henry with his division and a half, J. Johnston is in his entrenchments at Bowling Green, and J. Cantey has a division under Cheathem with level 4 entrenchements at Nashville. Grant is now in a great position to attack 3 of my critical posts: Bowling Green, Ft. Henry, or Nashville. Nashville is the most valuable location; if he attacks Bowling Green, I'll probably lose a terrible battle; Ft. Henry is an excellent stepping stone for the eventual capture of Nashville, but it appears heavily guarded by Polk.
Because of the danger facing J. Johnston, I'm going to try to rail him to Nashville. If the rails get cut, it will be a waste of money and perhaps the destruction of Johnston's men. I'm also going to march Polk to Nashville. I really can't afford to lose Nashville and I also need to consolidate my forces in the region.
If Grant tries and makes a quick lunge at Nashville, it will result in a heavy loss for him. I expect he'll take Bowling Green with Berry. I hate to give up the city so easily, but my opponent has really outmaneuvered me here and jockeying for position is half the game. My hat's off to Longhairedlout
Oh, I made a mistake last turn. Grant has two divisions instead of three. The third division is actually a large brigade under Fitzjohn porter.
Out in Columbus, A. Johnston holds the line against Thomas. No new developments here.
No action this turn, but there have been some interesting developments. We will start in the East.
As I expected, Kearny has magically disappeared from Baltimore. You can't see it in the screenie because of the troop strenghts, but believe me he's gone and there's nary a sign of him to be found.
Now, more pressing matters. The time to strike is soon. With the disappearance of Kearny, McClellan is isolated with 42,000 men. If all goes according to plan his 42,000 will be overwhelmed by my 86,000. I can't make the attack this turn, but I should be able to next turn. I've ordered Jackson and Holmes to Loudon, VA. From there we will advance from all fronts and overwhelm McClellan.
I don't expect Milroy to move from his position and once I've claimed Loudon, he won't be able to reach McClellan in time to save him because the rails in his rear are cut.
One other possibility that I've considered is a direct assualt on Washington. By moving Jackson and Holmes, the better part of my army, to Loudon, I will be able to outflank McClellan and sack Washington all in one go. Longstreet and Magruder should have enough troops to protect Richmond should McClellan choose to get aggressive. I'll get into more detail on this next turn.
The biggest thing on my mind right now is "where is Kearny?" I know he departed by ship last turn, but I can' spot anything off my coasts. One possibility is that he's in the stack I highlighted in the screenshot. Last turn I chased off a scouting ship that was hanging around Richmond. I'm terribly afraid that Kearny is outside of Ft. Monroe on his way to capture Richmond. Currently I have NO forces that aren't on the front lines. But because of the numerical advantage I need in the next turn, I can't sacrifice even a division from the front line. I'm going to have to rely on speed to win the day. I need to capture Washington or Alexandria before Kearny can strike and then race back and save the capital. This is incredibly risky. Kearny may win the race to Richmond or my forces may be shattered against McClellan leaving me with nothing to save Richmond. I may be ahead of myself, though.
The way I see it, there are three possibilities as to Kearny's intentions: He is, like I said earlier, outside Monroe and is on his way to capture Richmond, he is outside of Monroe and is waiting to strike Norfolk, or that's not him that I see at Hampton Roads and he is somewhere in the ocean along my coast waiting to take Charleston, New Orleans, or some major coastal town. I'm begging that it is either of the latter. I am more than willing to lose any city besides Richmond for the sake of a successful operation against McClellan. Only time will tell
apy:
On a less grim note, Forrest was not pursued last turn so Lexington remains in my control! Looks like another free conscript company for me
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I have also made a few discoveries. The Ashville depot is completely undefended and Cincinnati is lightly defended. This was a tough choice for me because capturing Cincinnati would be a major victory for me and the destruction of it's depot would be a major pain to my opponent. The problem is that Forrest's cavalry are dog tired. I don't think they could make the ride to Cincinnati and win the town so I've chosen the easy route and Forrest will capture the Ashville depot and destroy it.
Things have gone awry in Kentucky. Grant has made the march to Clarksville in 1 turn and before Polk! He had to have force marched to make it. Oh well, so much for my ambush
. This presents another bigger problem. Berry has also advanced to Barren, KY which means that J. Johnston is in danger of being overwhelmed from two fronts. Also, if you look at the screenshot, Humphreys has two cavalry regiments at Gallatin. I'm assuming to cut the rails there.
Polk now sits at Ft. Henry with his division and a half, J. Johnston is in his entrenchments at Bowling Green, and J. Cantey has a division under Cheathem with level 4 entrenchements at Nashville. Grant is now in a great position to attack 3 of my critical posts: Bowling Green, Ft. Henry, or Nashville. Nashville is the most valuable location; if he attacks Bowling Green, I'll probably lose a terrible battle; Ft. Henry is an excellent stepping stone for the eventual capture of Nashville, but it appears heavily guarded by Polk.
Because of the danger facing J. Johnston, I'm going to try to rail him to Nashville. If the rails get cut, it will be a waste of money and perhaps the destruction of Johnston's men. I'm also going to march Polk to Nashville. I really can't afford to lose Nashville and I also need to consolidate my forces in the region.
If Grant tries and makes a quick lunge at Nashville, it will result in a heavy loss for him. I expect he'll take Bowling Green with Berry. I hate to give up the city so easily, but my opponent has really outmaneuvered me here and jockeying for position is half the game. My hat's off to Longhairedlout
Oh, I made a mistake last turn. Grant has two divisions instead of three. The third division is actually a large brigade under Fitzjohn porter.
Out in Columbus, A. Johnston holds the line against Thomas. No new developments here.
slimey.rock wrote:Another problem is that Beauregard only has a strategic rating of 3 in this game so my corps can only support 17 CP so I can only have 3 divisions each.
Not true. Divisions are 4 CP, so you need only 16 CP to have 4 divisions in a corps. You just can't have as much of a corps reserve.
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slimey.rock
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Good catch Enf91. I'll revise my statement -
slimey.rock
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Turn 26
Blast! My plans for the Alexandria assault have been foiled from the inside! It seems that Magruder has stayed inactive in this crucial turn. I'm relying on his divisions so the direct assault on McClellan is out. This isn't all bad news, of course. The way I see it, there are two paths ahead of me. I can assault Washington this turn because I do have the bulk of my forces in perfect position to flank McClellan and cut into the juicy pie that is Washington or I can turn my attention to Milroy who is completely isolated at Harper's Ferry.
This was a difficult decision for me and at the time I think I had Acme's thoughts in my mind. Now that I've occupied Loudon, my opponent can clearly see the weakness of Washington. I expect that he will withdraw 1, if not both of his corps back into Washington. If this is the case and I try and rush Washington with only 2/3 of my forces, it could mean a bloody repulse for me.
Remember that shifting your forces the turn your opponent makes an attack is an excellent way to force your enemy to face undesirable odds in a fight. A skilled attacker will only make an attack if he knows he will win, while a skilled defender will make the attacker believe he will win when, in fact, he will not. This is the strategy I tried to implement against Grant with Polk. I was unsuccessful, or course, but I don't want to give my opponent to succeed where I failed.
So, I will march Beauregard with Holmes and Jackson Northwest to Harper's Ferry where they will crush a force roughly 1/4 their size. I have then given them orders to march right back to Loudon so that we may fight the enemy at Alexandria next turn (this can be done with use of the L-shift key for those who didn't know :thumbsup
Ok, this time I think I know where Kearny is. The fleet that I thought was Kearny last turn has been replaced with another fleet that I'm pretty sure is Kearny. Also a cavalry scout has been sent to the Peninsula. Once they are in a region adjacent to Richmond, they will be able to clearly see I have a piddler force for a garrison. I've sent Huger with an infantry regiment to TRY and stop the cavalry. I don't have a lot of hope for the mission, though. I think if I can attack McClellan next turn, I should be able to send a few divisions back to save Richmond in time. This incredibly risky, but that's the name of the game . Plus, for all I know Kearny will take Norfolk, but probably not
Forrest has taken the Ashland(formerly) depot and it has a whopping 500 GS and 200 munitions! A healthy chunk of supply that will never see another Northern face again
I've ordered Forrest to blow the depot and head on home to the Cumberland. A job well done and a happy ending for me.
Ok, here's the scoop on Tennessee. Grant and Berry went for the assault on Bowling Green. Luckily J. Johnston was able to rail his men to safety even though the rails were cut
. I was always under the impression that the rails were cut before movement, but I have the evidence as right as rain. Oh well, I can't complain. My troops now live to fight another, more favorable, day.
Now all of Polk and J. Johnston's men sit in comfortable level 4 entrenchments at Nashville. I have 5 divisions there and have organized all of them under Polk. Polk can only support 19 CP so he has a penalty of 5%. There's nothing I can do about it for now. I don't have the commanders available. I've decided to send J. Johnston to Columbus where A. Johnston resides. I'm not sure yet, but I'm either going to switch their command and send A. Johnston to Nashville or send J. Johnston to Arkansas. I'll figure it out next turn.
Grant's plan has failed, but he did just gain Bowling Green without a shot. All because of his maneuvering. A powerful lesson to all readers: position your army to win and you'll never lose a fight . Easier said than done, of course, but my opponent has pulled it off beautifully.
Ft. Henry is very exposed right now. I would send a division or two from Polk, but I don't have another corps commander to lead them. If I'm able to get A. Johnston to Nashville, that will solve the problem, but I fear Ft. Henry will not last that long
Also, you can't see it in the screenie, but I'm sending my fleet to block Thomas from Ft. Henry as he is also within striking distance of the Fort. Doing this would also combine my enemies forces and allow him to very seriously threaten Nashville.
This was a difficult decision for me and at the time I think I had Acme's thoughts in my mind. Now that I've occupied Loudon, my opponent can clearly see the weakness of Washington. I expect that he will withdraw 1, if not both of his corps back into Washington. If this is the case and I try and rush Washington with only 2/3 of my forces, it could mean a bloody repulse for me.
Remember that shifting your forces the turn your opponent makes an attack is an excellent way to force your enemy to face undesirable odds in a fight. A skilled attacker will only make an attack if he knows he will win, while a skilled defender will make the attacker believe he will win when, in fact, he will not. This is the strategy I tried to implement against Grant with Polk. I was unsuccessful, or course, but I don't want to give my opponent to succeed where I failed.
So, I will march Beauregard with Holmes and Jackson Northwest to Harper's Ferry where they will crush a force roughly 1/4 their size. I have then given them orders to march right back to Loudon so that we may fight the enemy at Alexandria next turn
(this can be done with use of the L-shift key for those who didn't know :thumbsup
Ok, this time I think I know where Kearny is. The fleet that I thought was Kearny last turn has been replaced with another fleet that I'm pretty sure is Kearny. Also a cavalry scout has been sent to the Peninsula. Once they are in a region adjacent to Richmond, they will be able to clearly see I have a piddler force for a garrison. I've sent Huger with an infantry regiment to TRY and stop the cavalry. I don't have a lot of hope for the mission, though. I think if I can attack McClellan next turn, I should be able to send a few divisions back to save Richmond in time. This incredibly risky, but that's the name of the game
. Plus, for all I know Kearny will take Norfolk, but probably not
Forrest has taken the Ashland(formerly) depot and it has a whopping 500 GS and 200 munitions! A healthy chunk of supply that will never see another Northern face again
I've ordered Forrest to blow the depot and head on home to the Cumberland. A job well done and a happy ending for me.
Ok, here's the scoop on Tennessee. Grant and Berry went for the assault on Bowling Green. Luckily J. Johnston was able to rail his men to safety even though the rails were cut
. I was always under the impression that the rails were cut before movement, but I have the evidence as right as rain. Oh well, I can't complain. My troops now live to fight another, more favorable, day.
Now all of Polk and J. Johnston's men sit in comfortable level 4 entrenchments at Nashville. I have 5 divisions there and have organized all of them under Polk. Polk can only support 19 CP so he has a penalty of 5%. There's nothing I can do about it for now. I don't have the commanders available. I've decided to send J. Johnston to Columbus where A. Johnston resides. I'm not sure yet, but I'm either going to switch their command and send A. Johnston to Nashville or send J. Johnston to Arkansas. I'll figure it out next turn.
Grant's plan has failed, but he did just gain Bowling Green without a shot. All because of his maneuvering. A powerful lesson to all readers: position your army to win and you'll never lose a fight
. Easier said than done, of course, but my opponent has pulled it off beautifully.
Ft. Henry is very exposed right now. I would send a division or two from Polk, but I don't have another corps commander to lead them. If I'm able to get A. Johnston to Nashville, that will solve the problem, but I fear Ft. Henry will not last that long
Also, you can't see it in the screenie, but I'm sending my fleet to block Thomas from Ft. Henry as he is also within striking distance of the Fort. Doing this would also combine my enemies forces and allow him to very seriously threaten Nashville.
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slimey.rock
- Major
- Posts: 211
- Joined: Thu Dec 11, 2008 9:11 pm
- Location: Arkansas
Turn 27
Once again, I have been unable to bring the enemy to fight at Harper's Ferry. I think the place must be cursed. Milroy wisely retreated somewhere into the mountains. His force is completely hidden, but I know he had to retreat North of Harper's Ferry. My troops were able to march back safely to Loudon and only lost minimal cohesion. The good news is that Magruder is active so now the trumpets are blaring.
I have ordered all 4 of my corps commanders forward and all of them should arrive at Alexandria at day 4. Hopefully, my forces will be able to win a nice victory and gain some nice ground for the confederacy.
I noticed that last turn, my opponent created a new corps under Franklin. I'm not sure the exact strength, but I'm guessing at least a division. If I had gone for the attack directly for Washington, I'm not sure if I would have taken the victory or not. I may have been able to force Franklin to retreat before the battle which would ensure that I would take the enemy capital. But if he did stand and fight, McClellans troops would have MTSG and probably defeated my army. Either way, I chose not to attack Washington so it doesn't really matter.
Now, I'm in a position to defeat the Northern army on their own ground. If successful, I'll have a powerful position in Virginia and may even be able to carry the success all the way to Washington.
A small cavalry force under shields has infiltrated Manassas, somehow without engaging battle. They may be able to cut the rails next turn, but there are bigger fish to fry at the moment.
Some more good news is that Kearny hasn't shown up on land yet. This means that I have at least two turns until he can reach Richmond which is just enough time for me to fight at Alexandria and run home to Richmond.
The cavalry regiment he sent up the peninsula is now next to Richmond so I know that he knows that there is no real defense there. This means it's all the more important that I'm able to bolster the garrison as soon as possible.
Things have taken a turn for the worse in Tennessee. Grant has quickly crossed the river and taken Forts Henry and Donelson. I didn't really expect him, but Thomas to do it. This means that my direct connection between Nashville and Columbus is severed and my forces have been split. Because of this, I'm leaving A. Johnston in charge of his forces and sending J. Johnston to the relative backwater of Little Rock Arkansas.
Nashville has enough troops to handle itself for now, but A. Johnston is in pretty real danger. I don't expect the enemy to move this turn, but soon, I'm probably going to have to abandon Columbus.
One thing I noticed is that Erasmus Keyes has taken his automatic second star so now he's taken command over Thomas' corps. I expect that Longhairedlout will send Keyes' division somewhere else so that Thomas can retain the command.
My fleet is in a bad position at the moment. As you can see from the picture, the Union brownwater fleet is in the same region as me at the moment. I'm going to try and sail my fleet past them and head for Nashville. I have orders to evade combat, but if they are engaged, they are in for a beating.
I'm not sure yet, but I'm guessing that Grant probably will be promotable now. This looks like I'm one step closer to destruction in the West.
I have ordered all 4 of my corps commanders forward and all of them should arrive at Alexandria at day 4. Hopefully, my forces will be able to win a nice victory and gain some nice ground for the confederacy.
I noticed that last turn, my opponent created a new corps under Franklin. I'm not sure the exact strength, but I'm guessing at least a division. If I had gone for the attack directly for Washington, I'm not sure if I would have taken the victory or not. I may have been able to force Franklin to retreat before the battle which would ensure that I would take the enemy capital. But if he did stand and fight, McClellans troops would have MTSG and probably defeated my army. Either way, I chose not to attack Washington so it doesn't really matter.
Now, I'm in a position to defeat the Northern army on their own ground. If successful, I'll have a powerful position in Virginia and may even be able to carry the success all the way to Washington.
A small cavalry force under shields has infiltrated Manassas, somehow without engaging battle. They may be able to cut the rails next turn, but there are bigger fish to fry at the moment.
Some more good news is that Kearny hasn't shown up on land yet. This means that I have at least two turns until he can reach Richmond which is just enough time for me to fight at Alexandria and run home to Richmond.
The cavalry regiment he sent up the peninsula is now next to Richmond so I know that he knows that there is no real defense there. This means it's all the more important that I'm able to bolster the garrison as soon as possible.
Things have taken a turn for the worse in Tennessee. Grant has quickly crossed the river and taken Forts Henry and Donelson. I didn't really expect him, but Thomas to do it. This means that my direct connection between Nashville and Columbus is severed and my forces have been split. Because of this, I'm leaving A. Johnston in charge of his forces and sending J. Johnston to the relative backwater of Little Rock Arkansas.
Nashville has enough troops to handle itself for now, but A. Johnston is in pretty real danger. I don't expect the enemy to move this turn, but soon, I'm probably going to have to abandon Columbus.
One thing I noticed is that Erasmus Keyes has taken his automatic second star so now he's taken command over Thomas' corps. I expect that Longhairedlout will send Keyes' division somewhere else so that Thomas can retain the command.
My fleet is in a bad position at the moment. As you can see from the picture, the Union brownwater fleet is in the same region as me at the moment. I'm going to try and sail my fleet past them and head for Nashville. I have orders to evade combat, but if they are engaged, they are in for a beating.
I'm not sure yet, but I'm guessing that Grant probably will be promotable now. This looks like I'm one step closer to destruction in the West.
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slimey.rock
- Major
- Posts: 211
- Joined: Thu Dec 11, 2008 9:11 pm
- Location: Arkansas
Turn 28
Well, I think I'm long overdue for an update! So without further interruption, Turn 28!
I will start things off in the brown water. You may remember that my meager brown water fleet managed to be positioned in the same region as the Goliath Union fleet. The results were not surprising. I lost 1 gunship, but did inflict considerable damage to the enemy. Overall, it could have been worse, but it was unfortunate that my navy was put into this position.
Now on to much more exciting news! Victory for the South! At first glance it appears that Longstreet and Magruder's 30,000 gave the whooping on the Yankees. This is only partially true because really it was the entire Confederate army of 86,000 in Virginia that gave the whooping to the Yanks . All in all, I destroyed 34 enemy elements. A total of 17,250 enemy slain at a cost of 9,500 of my own troops. Also, I gained 9 NM from the fight and my NM now stands at a whopping 122. It appears that Hamilton's entire corps was isolated and wiped clean. Pope's corps stands in good order at Washington.
Currently, my armies cohesion is in shambles. I don't have a single division with over half cohesion. I wish I could play up my success and assault Washington, but like I mentioned, Pope's corps is in good order. Additionally, Milroy has returned from the mountains and his two divisions now stand at Washington. William B. Franklin also has his small corps of 263 pwr along with numerous other independent commands. I also have a much more dire problem than contemplating Washington.
It seems that our good friend Kearny has made a hasty approach towards Richmond. He now stands 1 region away! This is dire news and I have decided to send any unit not locked to the region to Buckingham, VA just West of the city. There is no way that any of my corps can make it to Richmond before Kearny, but I still have some hope. I've gathered my strongest divisions behind Jackson: Johnston, Ewell, Hoke, and Bonham. All together 30,000 men, 104 guns, and a pwr of 1099. This will be up against Kearny's 16,785(est.) men, 144 guns(est.), and pwr of 1119. My game plan is for Kearny to take the city around day 4-6, Jackson will arive at day 9, Kearny will be stuck in offensive posture, and Jackson will win the day and force Kearny to withdraw and save the city before the turn is up. I know, it's a lot to ask, but it's all I can muster.
One thing to note is that Longhairedlout destroyed the rails at Manassas last turn. This forces Jackson to march to Aquia before he can get on the rails. Because of this, I lose 4 days. 4 days that could make the difference between victory and defeat. Just goes to show the difference timing can make when you coordinate flanking and rail cutting.
I won't be idle with my other troops. The garrison at Alexandria is still untouched, so Longstreet's corps will have the honor of it's destruction.
Magruder now has only 1 division under his command and he will be regaining cohesion.
Smith and Bragg have both been given promotions. Smith still has command of his division, while Bragg's division has been given to Charles Winder. Bragg will enter a train bound for Nashville this turn to take command of a badly needed new Corps for the Army of Tennessee.
Van Dorn has been ordered to reclaim Harper's Ferry from Yank controll. Currently, it is only occupied by C. Hamilton, who is licking his wounds from Alexandria.
Over in Tennessee, things are the same. Grant occupies Fort Henry, Thomas sits in his trenches, and Berry is at Bowling Green. I have ordered a little action this turn, though. Forrest has returned from his great raid and has taken a division into his corps. He will march across the river and scare the Federal cavalry back to Bowling Green to help mask my forces at Nashville.
I have decided to leave Johnston in his trenches for this turn. He is susceptible to a flank from Grant, but I'm not worried about it this turn.
So far I would say that my plan to take Alexandria was a complete success. My capital is in extreme danger right now, but if anyone can save the South, it is Thomas Jackson. I thought I would upload the objectives screen after such a major turn. You can see I've gained a significant lead in NM and VP. Also, the North has lost almost 10,000 more men than I have. If I can keep up that ratio, I may be in good shape for the rest of the war.
I will start things off in the brown water. You may remember that my meager brown water fleet managed to be positioned in the same region as the Goliath Union fleet. The results were not surprising. I lost 1 gunship, but did inflict considerable damage to the enemy. Overall, it could have been worse, but it was unfortunate that my navy was put into this position.
Now on to much more exciting news! Victory for the South! At first glance it appears that Longstreet and Magruder's 30,000 gave the whooping on the Yankees. This is only partially true because really it was the entire Confederate army of 86,000 in Virginia that gave the whooping to the Yanks
. All in all, I destroyed 34 enemy elements. A total of 17,250 enemy slain at a cost of 9,500 of my own troops. Also, I gained 9 NM from the fight and my NM now stands at a whopping 122. It appears that Hamilton's entire corps was isolated and wiped clean. Pope's corps stands in good order at Washington.
Currently, my armies cohesion is in shambles. I don't have a single division with over half cohesion. I wish I could play up my success and assault Washington, but like I mentioned, Pope's corps is in good order. Additionally, Milroy has returned from the mountains and his two divisions now stand at Washington. William B. Franklin also has his small corps of 263 pwr along with numerous other independent commands. I also have a much more dire problem than contemplating Washington.
It seems that our good friend Kearny has made a hasty approach towards Richmond. He now stands 1 region away! This is dire news and I have decided to send any unit not locked to the region to Buckingham, VA just West of the city. There is no way that any of my corps can make it to Richmond before Kearny, but I still have some hope. I've gathered my strongest divisions behind Jackson: Johnston, Ewell, Hoke, and Bonham. All together 30,000 men, 104 guns, and a pwr of 1099. This will be up against Kearny's 16,785(est.) men, 144 guns(est.), and pwr of 1119. My game plan is for Kearny to take the city around day 4-6, Jackson will arive at day 9, Kearny will be stuck in offensive posture, and Jackson will win the day and force Kearny to withdraw and save the city before the turn is up. I know, it's a lot to ask, but it's all I can muster.
One thing to note is that Longhairedlout destroyed the rails at Manassas last turn. This forces Jackson to march to Aquia before he can get on the rails. Because of this, I lose 4 days. 4 days that could make the difference between victory and defeat. Just goes to show the difference timing can make when you coordinate flanking and rail cutting.
I won't be idle with my other troops. The garrison at Alexandria is still untouched, so Longstreet's corps will have the honor of it's destruction.
Magruder now has only 1 division under his command and he will be regaining cohesion.
Smith and Bragg have both been given promotions. Smith still has command of his division, while Bragg's division has been given to Charles Winder. Bragg will enter a train bound for Nashville this turn to take command of a badly needed new Corps for the Army of Tennessee.
Van Dorn has been ordered to reclaim Harper's Ferry from Yank controll. Currently, it is only occupied by C. Hamilton, who is licking his wounds from Alexandria.
Over in Tennessee, things are the same. Grant occupies Fort Henry, Thomas sits in his trenches, and Berry is at Bowling Green. I have ordered a little action this turn, though. Forrest has returned from his great raid and has taken a division into his corps. He will march across the river and scare the Federal cavalry back to Bowling Green to help mask my forces at Nashville.
I have decided to leave Johnston in his trenches for this turn. He is susceptible to a flank from Grant, but I'm not worried about it this turn.
So far I would say that my plan to take Alexandria was a complete success. My capital is in extreme danger right now, but if anyone can save the South, it is Thomas Jackson. I thought I would upload the objectives screen after such a major turn. You can see I've gained a significant lead in NM and VP. Also, the North has lost almost 10,000 more men than I have. If I can keep up that ratio, I may be in good shape for the rest of the war.
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