AAR: Complete Union Campaign, April 1861 scenario

[Grotius]

That shot from Missouri reminds me that I haven't posted a picture of the far-western theater for a while. I haven't made much progress, but at least I haven't lost Saint Louis.

[Grotius]

By May of 1862, my blockade of Virginia has improved.

[Grotius]

But my land campaign in Virginia is considerably less successful. Well, my grand plan was a holding action here, and I've achieved that, at least.



Also, at some point in the summer of 1862 -- I forget when, because I forgot to take screenshots -- we had a series of vicious fights for control of Harpers Ferry. The CSA launched several well-coordinated, massive assaults on the little town on the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers. The result was a draw, with massive casualties on both sides totalling tens of thousands. I held on to the city by a thread, out of supply -- and then the CSA withdrew. I suspect the enemy didn't realize how desperate my situation was.

More to come, but off to bed for now.

[Grotius]

General Grant fights his way into Lexington, Kentucky. If I'm not mistaken, we're months behind the historical timetable.

One thing to note: the red "drum" icon under the CSA battle result indicates that some Confederate forces weren't led. I see this all the time against the AI; it gives me easier victories than I deserve, like this one. I know Pocus is working on it. My hope is that organizing troops is something that can be readily improved, as this doesn't require an AI to "think like a human" but instead just to allocate resources efficiently.

[Grotius]

Lexington is also occupied by Grant's colleague, Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman. At this stage in his career, as a one-star general, his stats are good though not great, but more interestingly he has not yet acquired his reputation for "scorched earth" tactics. That will change as he gains experience...

I'd also like to say a word about the portraiture of Sherman and others. In many cases, it captures the person as well as the stats and abilities do. This picture of Sherman has a certain stern look to it that I find appropriate. Grant looks appropriately presidential. Lee looks dignified. When a bunch of generals are together on the board map, you can see at a glance who is where, and again it replicates the "feel" of Civil War movement. Nice job, AGEOD.

[Grotius]

With Lexington secure, Grant and Sherman set their sites on Tennessee. The gateway to the Mississippi is the fort at Island 10, near the Kentucky-Tennessee border. I can't get my boats down the river unless I eliminate that fort. I found that out the hard way in this shot, when I tried to pass by the fort with steamships and gunboats, and came away with some pretty banged up naval vessels.

[Grotius]

Here's a wider view of the Kentucky-Tennessee theater. My overriding goal is control of the Mississippi river, with the most important immediate target being Memphis. But I also need to control the Cumberland river, especially the important city of Nashville, at the far east end of this screenshot.

Notice also my low rail and boat transport points, in the upper-left corner. I hadn't realized how important these things are to maintaining supply lines. Soon I would start investing more in them.

[Grotius]

Up til now, the East has played more like WWI, whereas the western theater has played more like WWII. But I finally poke a hole in the Confederate lines, pushing into Fredericksburg after a couple of failed assaults. Richmond is now within sight.

[Grotius]

But as of October, 1862, I still don't hold Island 10. I try going around it to isolate it, but the swamps to the west are a quagmire, so that doesn't work. Grant breezes by it to the east, but the fort still has to be taken so that I can float stuff downriver.

[Grotius]

Not to harp on this island fort, but I swear it held me up for months. Here we see Lyon, hero of Fort Henry, mired in the swamps of Island 10. In part because of these two forts, I'm now far behind the historical timetable. Historically, Island 10 (circled to the west) fell in spring 1862, and Memphis (out of the shot, down the river to the south) wasn't far behind. Nashville (circled to the east) fell in 1862 historically, too. I won't get any of those objectives until 1863.

[Grotius]

To pick up the pace've decided to let McClellan take Nashville by encircling it. He rarely "activates" because his strategic rating is low, meaning that he can't conduct offensive ops. As it happens, in this turn he actually is activated, as indicated by the bright white envelope next to his playing piece. Usually, though, relying on him to use frontal assaults is foolhardy. But maybe he can starve the enemy into submission. This will free up Grant and Sherman to push south to Memphis, while Lyon focuses on taking Island 10.

Also, note that I decided to install Little Mac as Commander of the Army of the Ohio rather than to pay the hefty VP and Morale cost of bypassing him in favor of Grant. My thinking was that I'd let Grant get some more seniority and then make him commander of a new Army of the Southwest. It's a decision I'll question many times over the next two years. Lincoln, historically, was braver than me. In fact, this game repeatedly reminds one of the political genius and courage of Abraham Lincoln.

[Grotius]

Here's a summary map of 1862. My map-making skills are improving! Two big CSA counterattacks to note: Beauregard slamming into Harpers Ferry in the east, and someone (I can't remember who) scaring the daylights out of me with an assault on Saint Louis mid-year. I forgot to take screenshots of both events because I was so engrossed! And without screenshots, my history is suspect.

In addition, we see MacDowell's slow progress in the East, Grant and Sherman on the march in western Kentucky and Tennessee, and McClellan preparing to encircle Nashville.

[Grotius]

As 1863 opens, I again take a look at the bigger picture. I have a narrow lead over the CSA in Victory Points, but they gain more points per turn than I do because I still haven't captured a *single* objective city!

My lead reflects my greater success on the battlefield; they've taken twice as many casualties as I have. (Already this is a war to end all wars, incredibly bloody by any 19th century standard.) This in turn reflects the AI's weakness in organizing its troops -- a defect that I'm optimistic can be remedied, since I would think a computer would be good at playing the rubic's-cube command game of AACW. Until there's an AI fix, I'll just play my next game on Hard, giving the AI a bit of an advantage in combat and supply.

Anyway, having more points doesn't guarantee a win; you need a pretty big point spread to get past a Draw. The better way to win is to achieve the requisite high National Morale, or to drive the enemy's down very low. This reflects the CSA's goal -- not to crush the North, but to do well enough to gain recognition from European states. War weariness was a real factor on both sides, and Lincoln's re-election in 1864 was by no means assured, especially given his losses in both Houses in 1862.

[Grotius]

Forts? I don't care about no Forts. Grant just decides to bypass Island 10 for now and hope Lyon sooner or later figures out a way to take it. As long as I can maintain a supply line (indicated in green), he'll be OK, at least until he encounters marshland and needs a boat ride. Next game, I build more arty for besieging forts.

[Grotius]

Sherman leapfrogs past Grant into the strategic town of Corinth, which sits on an important rail junction and is a significant source of supply. But Grant's path into Memphis is blocked by the enemy.

[Grotius]

A small battle ensues, with this result. Note Gen. Cleburne's impressive defense stat.

[Grotius]

Losses can cost you seniority, which is the last thing Grant needs! Fortunately, he takes no seniority hit for this relatively small-scale battle. (2500 men die, and I call it small-scale. Such is the magnitude of the horrors of the Civil War.) But he still lags behind Fremont and Butler.

Remember, my fiendish plan is still to give Grant my third Army command, and right now it'll cost me VPs and Morale to do so. Also, I realize belatedly that it takes a LONG time to build a new Army HQ; I've got one still forming up in Washington, DC. And then it's still gotta travel out west to meet up with Grant.

I'm not bypassing Grant this time, even if it costs me points. Fremont is still on garrison duty in Missouri; Butler is literally holding down the fort in besieged Fort Monroe, on the Virginia coast. Neither one has great stats or useful abilities.

[Grotius]

Even at lower ranks, a promotion can cost you.

[Grotius]

Back East, the CSA has become more aggressive about interdicting my blockade of Virginia. I lose more naval battles than I win. I built the Monitor and maybe one or two other ocean-going ironclads, but the CSA actually does a better job than me of assigning admirals to naval task forces.

[Grotius]

At the same time, the war heats up big time in the East. The CSA launches a massive assault on Manassas and Fredericksburg, and is pushed back. Instead of counterattacking these weakened forces, I order a quick drive on Richmond in the hopes that the CSA has drawn down its defenses their to support its attack. I'm right. It's my biggest victory of the war so far. (Actually, I'm not sure if the CSA drew down its defenses or just failed to defend Richmond adequately in the first place.)

[Grotius]

I'm not sure whether these battles occurred before or after I took Richmond. What I do remember is that I came awful close to losing Alexandria. And these three days of fighting outside Washington, DC roll up as many as 50,000 casualties for the two sides -- an unfathomable carnage, except that the real war was like that too.



Then a win for me. Note that I got better die rolls (represented by the shamrock) than the CSA did throughout these battles.



And another loss. For once the CSA has organized its army right; no red "drum" icon. Also, it's brought much more materiel to the fight than I have, another good thing. I clipped my casualties, but I think they were in five figures. I'm not sure why I wasn't booted out of the city after this loss.

[Grotius]

The Battle of Alexandria was preceded by draft riots up north.

[Grotius]

Anyway, somehow I did retain control over Alexandria, which is good because my garrison in DC isn't all it could be. But Beauregard has established enough "ownership" of the region that he's cut my supply line into Alexandria, which isn't good. On the other hand, his own supply is depleted after three days of bloodshed -- his supply level is indicated by the red dots on his counter.

Beauregard's move to Alexandria has also opened up an opportunity for George Meade to break out of Harpers Ferry, which Beauregard has been threatening for the whole game. Meade sets a course for Winchester.

[Grotius]

Speaking of Harpers Ferry, the great state of West Virginia joins my cause in late June 1863.

[Grotius]

June 1863 is a busy month in the West, too. Grant slips by Cleburne and besieges Memphis. Grant is a "siege expert," which makes the siege go quicker, and I've beefed up his artillery support. He quickly makes a breach in the city's defenses, and here he's preparing to charge in.

[Grotius]

More good news: Island 10 has finally fallen, more than a year after it fell historically.

[Grotius]

And Grant storms into Memphis.

[Grotius]

So Grant has done his part, dashing to Memphis and securing my first major objective on the Mississippi. Unfortunately, though, McClellan is very slow to move on Nashville. He had to sit out the winter because of bad weather, which is okay. But now it's July, and he still can't get his act together. He was supposed to move northeast, toward Nashville, to complete my encirclement of the city. Instead, check out the second line of the info text at the bottom of the screenshot.

[Grotius]

This brought about a great moment for the AI. I thought I had Nashville encircled, but it managed to break out, retaking Gallatin (to the northeast of Nashville) and clearing a supply line. I'm not saying the AI is Deep Blue, but I've played plenty of wargame AIs that have no clue how to fight back against encirclement.

[Grotius]

Instead of closing the circle, I get impatient and charge in prematurely. Not smart. Even though the AI hasn't fully organized its troops, this time it beats me -- barely. I'm outnumbered, but once again the AI has some brigades that aren't led.