PBEM - Coffee Sergeant vs. Dirk

[Coffee Sergeant]

What follows is a turn-by-turn AAR I have written about my current PBEM against Dirk. It is delayed enough that I'm not giving him a whole lot if he decides to read it. It was as much for me as it was for the community - especially with PBEM it is very hard when you go away from the game for a day to remember where you were when you get the next turn file. Especially for things like what units were intended for. I have played 3 PBEMs so far, and in all 3 I have noticed that a lack of planning has really hurt me. Often I would not rememember why I sent a unit here or a recruited a unit. I hope that by updating this AAR after each turn I would be able to avoid this and execute less chaotic play. Hope you find it interesting.

Version 1.09a
No mods
Campaign: April 1861
Side: Union.
Standard settings.


Overall Plan

I just finished a PBEM where I basically got my rear handed to me because I did not defend against calvary raids and the Union was aggressive early. I plan to do the same, but mostly focus on the east. It is still baffles me how my opponent was able to able to launch simultaneious offensives on three fronts (Virginia, Tenessee and Missouri/Arkansas) and managed to substantial acheive success on all of them by the end of 1861.


[SIZE="5"]Turn 1-2[/size]

The CSA managed to capture Harper's Ferry on turn 1 with the single militia unit. I am going to make a concerted effort to take it back, as it is very strong defensive position for the CSA. I couldn't do much almost all my units are still locked and buy reinforcements. Pretty much all I did was move Schurz to Frederick, MD, preparing for an invasion into Virginia, and my generals appeared in Washington which I moved to Alexandria to form the core of the ANEV(Army of Northeastern Virginia). Hooker and the Union brigade also showed up, which I moved to Alexandria. I think I also moved some frigates to defend Ft. Pickens, as there isn't much else you can do with them.

Its pretty much a no brainer to hold off on financial and draft options until turn 3; you can't buy anything until then and they amount you receive depends on accumulated VPs.

[SIZE="5"]Turn 3[/size]

Finally, I am allowed to by reinforcements so I go ahead with the draft and financials. I opted for 6% War bonds, graduated taxes and call for Volunteers at $1k per company. I don't have the monetary reserves yet so I delayed mobiilization because it takes 4 or 5 morale points away, and early on the Union needs all the morale it can get.

The ANEV appears in Alexandria, and that is where I plan to form it. I am going to try to be aggressive in Viginia early, if possible. I have seen it done to me and so I plan to try to do it to someone else. It can really frustruate the Confederate player if he startins losing in the East, forcing him to defend Richmond early, and open up Tennessee and the Trans-Missippi for the Union. I plan to fill out the divisiosn already there with newly formed units, not the brigades you are given for free.

In this game I plan to write down all the units that buy, their origin and their purpuose, because especially in PBEM it is very easy to forget what a unit is for. So I figure if I keep track it will be much easier ( I wish there was an in-game feature for this). Names, of course, do not appear until the turn after formation, but I fill them in as they form. For 'composition' i stands for infantry, c for calvary, a for artillery, and s for sharpshooter. so a 2i 1c 1a unit would mean a brigade composed of two infantry regiments, one calvary regiment and one artillery piece (usually 6lb)

Code: Select all

Composition   State      Purpose         Name
2i 1s   PA      3rd division (ANEV)      Carrel's
2i 1c 1a      PA      3rd division (ANEV)      JC Robinsons
2i 1s      PA      4th division (ANEV)      **** not formed - see turn 4 notes ****
2i 1c 1a      PA      4th division (ANEV)      Tower's
3i 1c 1a      NY      2nd division (ANEV)      French's
sharpshooter   PA      1st division (ANEV)      1st Berdon's
2i 1s      PA      2nd division         **** not formed - see turn 4 notes ****
10lb      NY      1st division         1st NY Bty. A   
            (one of the infantry brigades in the 1st division received an arty on turn 5, making this unit arty redundant)
10lb      NY      2nd division         1st NY Bty. B
10lb      NY      4th division         1st NY Bty. C
10lb      NY      4th division         1st NY Bty. D
Rodman (x3)   NY      ANEV
Marines      -      ANEV
2i (x2)      OH      6th division (Clermont, OH)   Schenk's, Thayer's
2i 1c 1a      OH      "            Candy's   
2i 1a      OH      "            Tyler's
10lb (x2)   OH      "            1st OH Lt. Bt A, B
Field Hosp (x2).   -      ANEV
Militia (x4)   CA, IL, IN, MO   garrison empty towns
Blockade Flotilla    New Engalnd   Gulf blockade
Calvary    MD      Raiders/raid defense


The bulk of my spending went to complete the ANEV. There are already alot of units there, but the divisions are incomplete. I am not going to use the numerous free brigades composed of militia and light infantry to form the army corps for most part - I plan to use them for garrisoning and guarding rail lines. I did not want to completely neglect the Western front, so I formed the 6th division which will form up at Clermont to be a part of the Amy of the Ohio.

[SIZE="5"]Turn 4[/size]

Well a little surprise here, as Polk has managed to nab Cairo. I think I neglected to position gunboats, but I'm sure there were no ground units I could have sent there to defend it in time as everything was locked. I moved the two gunboats in the area to cut him off - perhaps I can prevent an escape and strike an early victory here. I also moved two militia and a calvary unit reaction force to defend Salem, which contains a critical depot.


The ANEV officer corps arrived at Alexandria, along with the Union brigade and Hooker. I decided to form a division with Hooker and the Union brigade. It was named '3rd division', so I guess Hooker will take over the 3rd division from Lewis Wallace, who I will have to find some other use for (he doesn't have a division command yet)

Patterson appears this turn in Maryland with his infantry brigades and supply units. I merged one of the brigades into Patterson's command and sent the rest west to Clermont, OH along with two supply units. There they will recover some strength and start defending the southern border against possible CSA calvary raids, as well as form a possible emergency defense force in the event of a CSA invasion. Patterson's command will strike at Harper's Ferry. although it says 24 days to arrive I'm not sure he will do much good before the CSA can get reinforcemnts there. I also sent Schurz across the Potomac into Winchester, as I see a wandering CSA artillery and supply unit, which perhaps I can grab.



On a positive note, I noticed my opponent decided to try an embargo against Great Britain, but apparently the move backfired. I found this choice interesting; in my experiencing playing as the CSA, I always found money to be in short supply early on, and an embargo costs $150k. I hope this means that he has negliected his ground forces expecting me not to attack early.

I decided to start my calvary raider force now. I have seen really vicious Union calvary raids against me as CSA, and I am going to try to do the same thing to my opponent. . I also started a couple more support units as they take a while to form so its best to start them early. With the left over money I built a 20 lb. for the ANEV.

For some reason two of my PA brigades that contained sharpshooters did not appear, but were the 2i 1c 1a variety isntead. This may have been an error on my part. So I dediced to shift those forces west, and raise two new PA brigades.

Units recruited this turn

Code: Select all

Composition   State      Purpose         Name
Calvary (x5)   NY, CT, OH,   Raiders/raid defense
2i 1s      PA      2nd division (ANEV)   Hancock's brigade
20lb       PA      ANEV
12lb      OH      Army of Ohio      1st OH Lt. Bt. C
2i 1c 1a      PA      Army of Ohio      ***  formed on turn 3 ****
2i 1c 1a      PA      Army of Ohio      ***  formed on turn 3 ****
Militia      PA, IL      garrison
Field Hosp.    -      Army of Ohio   
Signal      -      ANEV
Engineer         ANEV


[SIZE="5"]Turn 5[/size]

A substantial force shows up in Harpers Ferry under the command of G. Smith. In addition, Patterson is taking his sweet time crossing the Potomac, and his men are at low strength and cohesion. I decide to temporarily abondon the retaking of Harpers Ferry, until the ANEV is complete and seen the elephant against a ver probable CSA defense of.Manassas, after which I will reevaluate. I have noticed Zolicoffer is already there with a few units, probably digging in preparation for the Beauregard's force in Richmond. Unfortunately Patterson cannot be moved anywhere, so he will have to sit tight and hope the enemy does not attack.


The elite Califonia brigade shows up in Philadelphia, and in addition several of my units built on turn 3 are fnished. I move the force to Alexandria. Very likely the California brigade will form a new divsion in addition to some odd units picked up along the way, such as the recently upgrade NVA/6th brigade under Patterson's command.

In Cairo, Polk is content to dig in, but he has sent a calvary force north, which did not enter Salem . My two militia units arrived, but for some reason the calvary force I sent there did not get there in time because it did not travel by rail. My gunboats battled some CSA ships, and were forced to retreat. However, with Foote and his force unlocked I
should be able to retake the river.



Two of my infantry brigades are finished in Clermont. I decide to relocate Lewis Wallace and assign him a division command, since he lost his command to Hooker and he was the most senior general active this turn. This force could very well be the one that drives Polk out of Illinois.

Sumner shows up in Sioux city along with an infantry regiment. Being active, I decide to make him a division commander and send him to Califonia, where he will form a force which will defend Tusco/California and possible invade Texas. I also send to California two regular infantry, one calvary and one 10lb which appeared in the Oregon. A militia unit from California is headed to Portland to garrison it. I will also send the regiment in Denver to California once I have a militia unit there to replace the garrison.

Alot of naval units also become unlocked this turn, including Farragut's force. I opt to send him straight up the James to blockade Richmond. I did not think it was possible, until it was done to me. I also send two transports to the Atlantic shipping lane and two to Baltimore to prepare a possible invasiion/raiding force.

I decided to focus on my naval forces this turn, especially with the capture of Cairo it appears my opponent is going to be aggressiv ein the West. I figured the easiest way to control the rivers is with a dominant river force, which will prevent crossings and allow me to cross rivers without worrying about opposing fleets.

With conscripts running low, I deiced it was time for a draft, so I opted for partial mobilization this turn. Money was the bottleneck however, with only 25 remaining (20 of which will go to form 2 new divisions - the 6th and the 7th). But the finaicials optiosn will get refreshed the next turn, so I figured it was the optimal time for a draft.

Units recruited this turn

Code: Select all

Composition   State      Purpose         Name
Militia (x11)   CA, IL, IN, OH   Garrison/raid defense
      DE, MD, PA   
Calvary(x5)   NY, CT,      Raid/raid defense
      PA, MD, OH
Gunboat(x7)   MO, OH      River patrol
Riverine Tr(x2)   MO, OH      River fleet transports
Monitor      PA, NY      JA Dalgren's command


[Coffee Sergeant]

[SIZE="5"]Turn 6[/size]

Polk continues to hold on to Cairo. Humorously enough, the garrison spawned there, under my control, outside the city. I am sending the 6th divsion under Wallace(currently containing 6 regiments infantry 2 10lb and 1 6lb) there immediately. Unfortunately, the rail line to Cairo has been cut, and the CSA calvary unit has entered the Salem region, probably planning to cut the rail there as well. I hope the garrison can defend against attacks for a turn, as it contains valuable coastal artillery. I have dispatched a militia brigade to repair the rail there, and set the Salem force on the offensive to hopefully fend off the anticipated rail cut.



In the east, my opponent continues to hold on to Harpers and Manassas, and sent a calvary unit to Frederick, MD to cut the rail. B. Johson is now visible at Harpers Ferry, along with Bartow's brigade at 104 strength. C. Winder has arrived at Manassas; the force there now is now 3 brigades totaling around 200 strength. The question becomes, should I launch a limited attack now, or wait until the bulk of my army arrives. I figure it will be too my advantage to wait, so I delay the attack one turn. I plan to focus all my efforts on Manassas. I figure if I can take it, I will open up another invasion route and Harpers and Winchester will collapse. I will most likely place a small defense force there to fend off an (improbable) CSA invasion.



The California Brigade arrived at Fairfax. I realized I was one sharpshooter unit short for my ANEV divsiions, so I add it ot the 4th division, and drop the two militia units there, as I want my "regular" army to be composed of regulars, with militias being used for patrolling and garrisons. .

Farragut got through the James without any trouble from Norfolk or Sullfok. Richmond is now blockaded, which should put a a hurt on the CSA war machine. I have moved Dalgren's force down to Fort Monroe. When enough ships are available, Dalghren will take over for Farragut in the 'battle for the James' and Farragut will be used for some longer range operations, such as New Orleans, though I have no concrete plans for those yet.

Sumner's division is still on the way to California, and should arrive there next turn. From there I will move him to Tuscon. I plan to join the small force in Lexington, MO with him, which will give him a supply unit and brigade that has a calvary element.

I notice that Heitzelman is active this turn. I decide to go ahead and form the 9th division, which will be formed in Clermont. I had an odd brigade in Pittsburgh that was, so I mistakenly recruited, so I teleport him there, make him division commander and move him to Clermont

With a bit of money left over, I start building artillery for the 10th division which will form at St. Louis. Lyon should be showing up in a turn or two. Hopefully I can overrun Springfield and Fayetteville before my opponent has time to reinforce them.

Code: Select all

Composition   State      City         Purpose            Name
2i      NY      Rochester      4th division         Stahel's
2i      NY      NYC         4th division         Bartlett's
2i      NY      Brooklyn      4th division         Warren's
Sharpshooter   OH      Cincinatti      6th division         11. Sharpshooters
Sharpshooter   MO      St. Louis      7th division         14th MO 'Birgie's'
1i 1s      IN      Indianapolis      9th division (Clermont, OH)   Palmer's
2i 1c      IN      Indianapolis         "         McDowell's
2i      IL      Peioria            "         Oglesby's
2i      IL      Chicago         "         Wallace's
2i      IL      Chicago         "         MacArthur's
10lb (x3)   IN      Madison(1), Indianpolis(2)   "         1st Bt. Lt. Arty, 2nd Bt. Lt. Arty, 3rd Bt. Lt. Arty
20lb      IN      Vincennes      9th division (Clermont, OH)   Ist IN. Co. A 'Jackass'
10lb(x2)      IA      Council Bluffs,Indepdence10th division (St. Louis)   1st IA Lt Arty, 2nd IA Lt. Arty
[CODE]

[SIZE="5"]Turn 7[/size]

Polk's force assaulted the Cairo garrison(which was actually outside the city) which was defeated quite handily.  The coastal artillery and naval engineers did somehow manage a hasty retreat north :-)   Wallace's 6th division will not get to Cairo next turn.   He is not active so he would not be able to attack Polk anyway.

Also in the west, for some reason I got the 'Kentucky invaded by USA troops' and Kentucky went to the CSA.  I did send some brigades to fix up some rail lines that my opponent was tearing up. Maybe I made the mistake of setting to offensive posture.

Manassas was reinforced as expected, yet unexpectedly my opponent decided to split his force.  The reb Army of the Potomac resides at Fredericksburg, while Bonham heads a single corps at Manassas.   Unfortunately, not all my reinforcements from the north have arrived in time.  The papers are pushing for an immediate offensive.  Should I oblige them and assault Manassas, or wait yet another turn and absorb the morale hit, which in my experience is almost unavoidable?  Milroy is active this turn, along with the 1st divsion under Tyler, 3rd division under Hooker(with the elite)  and the 5th under Tyler are all active, and I have enough units present to make them each full divisions.  Altogether, Milroy's corps is 1334 power.   I decide that is a good enough force to push my Bonham out of Manass, so I send them that way.  A field hospital from Washington should join them before they arrive.   The 2nd and 4th divisiosn, still incomplete, are left in Alexandria as reserve under McDowell

I got a huge influx of cash from somewhere (I think it may be a the Union annual "tax"). After completing the 10th division, I have enough left over to raise another one, which will go to the ANEV.

[CODE]
Composition   State      City         Purpose            Name
2i      IA      Des Moines      10th division             Vandever's
2i      IA      Council Bluffs         "            Perczel's
2i 1c      IA      Independence         "            Tuttle's
10lb      IA      Des Moines         "            3rd Iowa Lt. Arty
Sharpshooter   MO      St  Louis      10th division            12. Sharpshooter's
2i      DE      Wilmington      11th 8th division (ANEV)         2nd Delaware
2i      DE      Wilmington         "            13. Infantry
2i 1a      NJ      Newark            "            Carr's
2i 1c      MD      Baltimore         "            Kenly's
2i 1s      PA      Philadelphia         "            Meade's
10lb(x2)      PA      Philadelphia, Pittsburgh      "            1st PA Lt. Bty A & B 
12lb      NJ      Morristown      11th 8th division (ANEV)         1st NJ Lt. 'Hexamer's
Bloc. Flotilla   NY      New york      Gulf blockade            Blockade Squadron #2
Med. corps   --      DC         unsure - either ANEV or AtO      4th Medical
Engineer   --      DC         unsure - either ANEV or AtO      2nd engineer
[/CODE]

[SIZE="5"]Turn 8[/size]

Milroy is a coward!  He retreats from Manassas without firing a shot.  Although Beauregard arrived there, I'm sure that his force could not have been greater than Milroy's.  Playing as CSA I found it almost impossible to scrounge up enough units in time to defend Manassas properly.   Now neither Milroy, Hamilton or McDowell is active this turn.  So I suppose the offensive will have to wait another day, and the Union press is not going to be pleased.   To make matters worse, I see Jackson poised jusr across the river at Harper's Ferry, although I am not that concerned if he makes an unlikley move into Maryland. 
[IMG]http://mason.gmu.edu/~praphael/dirk/dirk%20pbem%20turn%208%20-%20east.JPG[/IMG]

A clash takes place over Tuscon.  I had sent a regiment there from Denver to join Sumner's force arriving from California.  My opponent had sent Sibley with a substantial contigent.  But he must have arrived piecemeal as I somewhat did, because the first major battle  (there was a insigificant clash with some raiders on day 7), he only had 3 calvary.   My outnumbered force held on until Sumner arrived and drove Sibley back to Kaufman, although the U.S. 9th was heavily bloodied and one of the calvary units retreated to Denver.  Tuscon will be safe for a bit I think, as I complete Sumners division I will contemplate a move into Texas, but only once I can defend Tuscon probably   It will probably require an additional brigade to secure Tuscon while l I advance on Houston/Galveston.  .   
[IMG]http://mason.gmu.edu/~praphael/dirk/dirk%20pbem%20turn%208%20-%20tuscon%20day%207.JPG[/IMG]
[IMG]http://mason.gmu.edu/~praphael/dirk/dirk%20pbem%20turn%208%20-%20tuscon%20day%2010.JPG[/IMG]
[IMG]http://mason.gmu.edu/~praphael/dirk/turn8-sumner-sibley.JPG[/IMG]
Polk contines to hold Cairo, and Wallace was not active this turn :-(, so I cannot set him to offensive to drive out Polk.   Frustrated, I warp over Keyes figuring one of them will have to be active next turn, and whoever is will lead the attack.  Good news is my gunboats were completed, so I will probably be able to seal off Polk at Cairo and he will not be able to get reinforcements or retreat.
[IMG]http://mason.gmu.edu/~praphael/dirk/dirk pbem turn 8 - cairo.JPG[/IMG]
My calvary in the east is all set to go raiding.  In addition to the several regiments at Manassas, I had also sent 3 regiments to Fort Monroe by a naval transport through Baltimore, and also a regiment from West Virginai will be able to reach the east-west rail line that runs from Lynchburg to Chatnooga which is an important link between Tennessee and Virginia.   In total, 7 regiments are planned to reach rail lines into Virignia.   Despite the lack of a offensive,a good calvary raid into Virginia will disrupt the Confederate reinforcement effort, and likely disperse Confederate forces to guard/repair the rail lines.   

I notice a large brigade at York, PA in Patterson's command.with 3 infantry regiments, 1 calvary and one arty.   It was upgraded from one of the smaller 3 element brigades.  Also another 3 element brigade, with 2 infantry and 1 artillery,  gets unlocked in Franklin PA.  I decide to go ahead and make it a division, so I recruit the necessary elements.  I also finally notice my ANEV HQ is low - I wonder if that has been affecting whether the corps leaders are active or not.  To be on the safe side, I buy a replacement for it (only one i have).

[CODE]
Composition   State      City         Purpose            Name
2i       PA      Philadelphia      12th 11th division (York, PA)      Christ's
2i       PA      Philadelphia         "            Seymour's
2i 1s      PA      Philadelphia         "            Allebach's
20lb      PA      Pittsburgh      12th 11th division         2nd PA Hvy. Co B
2i 1c 1a      OH      Cleveland      Tuscon defense force         Plummer's
Funds remaining: $14k, 120 conscripts, 521 war supplies.
[/CODE]

[SIZE="5"]Turn 9[/size]

My opponent was not defending his flanks and my calvary raid into Virginia has been successful, with 5 or the 6 units reaching their destinations. And aa big bonus: I have captured three CSA units as they were heading north to Richmond from Henrico, including a 20lb, a siege artillery and a supply unit!   I order them to the James to rendevous with the fleet but it is unlikely they will get out in time before my opponent will be able to send forces there , as it takes severals days for each of them ( actually put each of them in their own stack, unlike the screenshot).   Perhaps they will be destroyed trying to defend themselves, and at least it will serve as a distraction to my opponent.  Most of my calvary is moved back out of Virginia.  Interstingly, it was much easier to get in than out, as not all of my forces will make it out to safe territory, especially the three units sent from Fort Monroe. .
[IMG]http://mason.gmu.edu/~praphael/dirk/turn%209%20-%20east.JPG[/IMG]

In Illinois, interestingly Polk moved north.  Keyes is not active, but Wallace is, so I dump Keyes and Wallace will lead the force with Howe as second in command. The division is nearly full, at 350 strength it should dismantle Polk if my intel on his force is correct (~150 strength), and I can reach him before he moves.  I do not know the intentions of his move.  Perhaps he realized he was trapped because my gunboats were surrounding him and is trying to cross into Missouri.  Or perhaps he has his sights set on foolishly set  on St. Louis.
[IMG]http://mason.gmu.edu/~praphael/dirk/turn%209%20-%20cairo.JPG[/IMG]

Union papers were as disappointed about the lack of an offensive in the east as I was, so I lose 10 NM, and my morale is at 85.  Neither McDowell, nor any of my corps commanders (Milroy, Hamilton) were active this turn, so I move Banks down to Alexandria (from New York, where had been recruiting), to see if somone in this army has some backbone. I move Hamilton to york, where two divisions are forming and he will form the northern flank there. 

Another huge infusion of cash takes place, with the confiscation act and the income tax law.  With 12 divisions planned, I decide to bolster my calvary forces so I recruit 5 units in the west.  For some reason the 2nd division has no sharpshooter unit so I purchase one out of Connecticut.  The first army HQ (besides the ANEV) becomes available so I purchase it.    I also form another blockade squadron and some river ironclads which will allow me to dominate the rivers.

[CODE]
Composition   State      City         Purpose            Name
Sharpshooter   PA               2nd division
Calvary   (x6)   IA, IL, WI            Raiders/raid defense
Army HQ   --               Army of Ohio HQ
River Ironclad   MO, IN, OH            River control
Blockade Flotilla                  Gulf blockade

Funds remaining: $14k, 91 conscripts, 298 war supplies.
[/CODE]

[SIZE="5"]Turn 10[/size]

My calvary raid into Virginia have torn up rails in 5 enemy regions, several of them critical to the Carolinas/Georgia rail line and one to the Tenessee line.  Should slow down enemy build up and force him to divert men to repairing the lines.  Most of my raiders got out although some have suffered substantial strengh/cohesion loss.  The 3 regiments that forayed from Ft. Monroe did not return there; instead they headed west and north back to friendly territory.  Two regiments still remain in Virginia and will tear up tracks there before retreating, but as they around the Covington line they are not very useful, although a future move on Covingon could serve as good base  for raids in Virginai and North Carolina  - I'll have to consider that. 
[IMG]http://mason.gmu.edu/~praphael/dirk/turn%2010%20virginia.JPG[/IMG]

T. Jackson made a move into Chambersburg, PA.  I had moved Hamilton to York and already planned for two division to be built there, whcih should be formed and ready for action next turn.   If the enemy continues the invasion I should be ready for it.

McDowell, Milroy and Banks were all active this turn.   They really should have been fired on the spot after the cowardice exhibited earlier but there were no competent commanders to replace them.   They have one last chance to redeem themselves.  With Milroy's corps at 1600 and McDowells force at 1100 it is a formidable contigent.     Hopefully Beauregard has not built up too heavily at Manassas and I can overwhelm him - the CSA forces seem divided too heavily between Beauregard, Jackson and J. Johnston. .  I considered sending Milroy to retake Harpers, but wanted to go for the gutsy move.  If I can take Manassas then Harpers ferry and Winchester should fall, and may even cut off Jackson. 
[IMG]http://mason.gmu.edu/~praphael/dirk/turn%2010%20northern%20va-md-southern%20pa.JPG[/IMG]

Polk somehow managed to escape Walace's grasp and is now safely in Rebel held Charleston, Missouri.  I don't know how he was able to get through my gunboats as all were set to offensive posture.  I direct Wallace south toward Cairo, and also Keyes who was split off from him.   Either one should be active next turn and able to retake the harbor.  In Missouri, I lost a small clash with McCullochs force near St. Louis but it was only 3 calvary so nothing to worry about.   The 10th is forming there in St. Louis  and most elements will arrive next turn.    Lyon has *still* not shown up; perhaps the capture of Cairo had something to do with that?   I make S. Hulburt the commander of the 10th division. 

Heintzelman's 9th division is nearly topped off so I send him to Lexington, although he is not active.  There is a calvary division there but not much else.   Hopefully he will be active next turn and able to storm the city.

I had two spare infantry brigades (2i 1a and 2i 1c) at Clermont, so I deicded to finsih off another division for the Army of the Ohio, whose army HQ will be ready in a few turns.  I realized I miscountered divisions, skipping the 8th division, so the 11th divsion became the 8th and the 12th the 11th.   I also build some transports to increase my revenue from shipping

[CODE]
Composition   State      City         Purpose      Name
Sharpshooter    WV      Wheeling      12th division      13. Sharpshooters
2i(x3)      OH      Cincinatti, Cleveland(2)      "      Hildebrand's, Ahmend's, Gibson's
10lb(x2)      OH      Cincinatti, Cleveland      "      1st OH Lt. Bty E,  F       
20lb      IL      Chicago         "      1st WI Hvy Bty. A
Engineers         DC         AotO         5th field hospital
Medical            DC         AotO         3rd engineer
Transport(x3)                  Atlantic shipping

[Coffee Sergeant]

[SIZE="5"]Turn 11[/size]

The assault on Manassas was a near disaster. Despite outnumbering the CSA force nearly 2-1, I sustained heavy casualties and could not force the Rebs from their positions which were substantially entrenched (300) due the dog-slow Union generals. Hooker's division lost 4 infantry units and a sharpshooter, and he dropped in seniority. . On the whole Milroys division was pretty mauled, but McDowell's force did not seem to get touched. I move both corps back to Manassas to regroup.



I notice Jackson's corps had moved into Frederick, MD. In a batte report his force was much smaller than I thought(a little more than a full division) Unfortunately with the rail lines torn up, I can't take advantage and counterattack with Hamilton's corps. I move Hamilton to Carrol, MD. Jackson might be reinforced from Harpers Ferry so I want to guard against a move on Washington.

Most of the units I captured north of Petersburg on turn 9 were bombarded and destroyed trying to wade into the James, with the exception of the 20lb which is in Charles City(east of Richmond) for some reason. Well at least I denied their use to my opponent.



In the west, a brigade under C. Auger stormed Clarksburg with minimal losses. Heintzelman's is active and his division(9th) will storm Lexington. . Wallace is inactive this turn, and for some reason Keyes did not go to Cairo but the region east of it, so I move him to Cairo with 'assault' posture with the hope he will join up with Wallace's division and retake Cairo next turn. Lyon has *still* not appeared in the West - I think it has something to do with Cairo. I stack up Halleck, Fremont and the 12th division under Hulburt and move them towards Rolla, although they will not get there next turn. McCulloch has taken Bloomington, so I move some militia to defend the border town Quincy, a city in western Illinois that also holds a depot. I also call up some militia in Missouri.



Hooker's division needs to be rebuilt, so I purchase 2 brigades of infantry from pennysylvania, one of them containing a sharpshooter. I also purchase some heavy infantry for the Army of the Ohio, now that the cities where they will spawn is safe.

Code: Select all

Unit      State      City         Name         Purpose
2i      PA               (not formed)      3rd division
2i 1s      PA      Philadelphia      Peck's         3rd division
Rodman(x3)   KY      Clarksburg      1st OH Hvy Co B, C   AotO
Marine(x2)   NY      NYC         3rd, 4th USMC      ANEV, AotO
Militia      CA(x2)                        Garrrison (replacement for upgraded units)
Militia      MO(x3, IA(x4)                     Defend against McCulloch's invasion


[Coffee Sergeant]

[SIZE="5"]Turn 12[/size]

Fairly uneventful turn. Jackson's small corps retreated to reinforce Manassas. I move Hamilton's corps into Frederick, MD to take his place, as it is a much better defensive terrain (Hills) than Carroll, MD. McClermand takes over the 2nd division in the ANEV. For some reason only one of the Pennsylvania brigades I requested last turned was formed; since I actually had a lose 2 regiment infantry brigade hanging around I didn't need to form another one. One of my calvary units got wiped out in Virginia. It got stuck and couldn't move due to low cohesion, then a reb force came in and finished it off. All in all it was a good trade, for the amount of damage I did to the CSA rail system.



I notrice that the route to Frederiskburg is open, so I decide to send Milroy's corps there. I can't see there, but it should be lightly guarded since all the CSA corp commanders are accounted for (Beauregard, Jackson, Bonham at Manassas, Johnston in Winchester, Holmes has moved west), the force cannot be large. .
.
In the west, Heintzelman takes Lexington easily (13 casualties), and is congratulated. I send him to Hard, KY to deal with a pesky brigade under WHC Whiting. There is already a CSA corps under Holmes at Nashville, though it does not appear very threatening(a few loose brigades) I send Auger towards Prestonburg, hoping to open a route towards Knoxville and cut off that east-west rail line. Wallace is active and will retake Cairo. McCullochs' force has moved further north near the Missouri-Illinois border. I decide to go ahead and advance on Rolla with Hulbert's 10th division; if I"m lucky either Fremont or Haleck will be active next turn and I can storm it. To deal with McCulloch I send some calvary units and A. Humphries toward Quncy to form a counter attacking force. Sumner waits at Tuscon for reinforcements before attempting an invasion of Texas. I'm not sure I will be able to do it before winter comes, which can actually be harsh even in the southwest.



I decide to go for a draft (at $1k per compnay) and 5% war bonds to complete a divisoin at Evansville, Maybe I can get a late push before winter comes.

Code: Select all

Unit      State      City         Name         Purpose
2i      KY      Louisville      Rousseau's      13th division (Evansville)
2i      KY      Louisville      Laumans         "
2i      KY      Louisville      W.S. Smith's         "
10lb      KY          "         Ky. Lt. Bty A 'Stones'      "
10lb      KY          "         Ky.  Bty B 'Hewitt's'      "
20lb      IN               1st In. Co B "jackass'                     "
Sharpshooter   OH      Cleveland      14. Sharpshooter            "
Sharpshooter   CT      Boston         12. Sharpshooter   5th division
Horse arty    IN      Indianapolis      4th Bty, IN Lt. Arty   Humphrey's calvary force  (14th divisions)
Horse arty    IN      Vincennes      5th Bty, IN 'Simonson's'  Humphrey's calvary force
Militia      IN                        Garrison Evansville


[

Resources remaining: $9k, 222 conscripts, 513 WS

[Coffee Sergeant]

[SIZE="5"]Turn 13[/size]

Milroy advances to Fredericksburg without any trouble There is only the lone militia unit in Fredericksburg, but I do not want to assault it because that will leave me in offensive stance and I wish to be on the defensive should I be counterattacked. Hamilton is in Frederick and will hold off any offensive into the North.



Grant appears on the map, and I form a corps and move him south to join Heizentlman in Barren, KY, just north of Bowling Greene. There is a Confederate corps there, although it does not appear large, I want to discourage further invasion. I have not mapped out my plan for taking the rest of Kentucky and Tennessee Bowling Greene is a pretty strong defensive point being it borders a river to the North. I have been witneess to several disasterous river crossings, and want to avoid that. Auger is bogged down in the mud in Louisa, WV, on the march towards Prestonburg, KY, and his troops are tired, so I have him rest for a turn.



Wallace takes Cairo, although he did sustain 600 casualties to enemies 750. I captured the fort batteries, and I move the rest of the garrison that was salvaged (Naval engineers and coastal artillery) back to Cairo, in addition to a 2 element militia brigade just to the north. Halleck is active and I order him to assault Rolla with Hulburt's 12th division. The calvary units arrive and Quincy and I group them under Humphries. I decide to go ahead and form a full division, as I am somewhat short on leaders. I move Keyes to eliminate the CP penalty Plus, I had long range plans to use ae calvary division to assist in the capture of Texas, although the Texas offensive will probably not take place until '62, as it is late and the southwest is notoriously muddy in the winter. Sumner got probed in Tuscon, but destroyes the lone calvary regiment and is congratulted (which mattes little, he is automatically promoted to 2** anyway). Sibley is in Dallas but his force does not appear too large, so I am not worried about an invasion (And if the enemy was really planning an offensive, someone other than Sibley woudl be leading it :-) ).



Not a whole lot of recruiting here. I will form 3 divisions this turn so I need to save some money, plus any new divisions would be unlikely to be useful before winter comes. I decided to reinforce Fort Pickens as it so crucial to the Gulf blockade resupply.

Code: Select all

Unit      State      City         Name         Purpose
2i (x2)      NY      Albany, NYC      Ross's, Patrick's      Fort pickens reinforcement
Calvary      IL      Chicago      4th IA "Left wing"   14th division
Calvary      IA      Dubuque      3rd IL "Grand escort"      "
Calvary      WI               3rd WI Calvary         "
Horse arty(X2    WI      Milwaukee      1st & 2nd By.WI Lt. Arty      "
Militia      KY                        Replace Lexington, Clarksburg garrison
Militia      IL                        Cairo garrison
Militia      WV                        Garrison Marshall, Charleston
Militia      OH                        Garrison Ashland
Militia      IA                        Garrison


Resources remaining: $57k, 157 conscripts, 600 WS (not including costs for 3 division formations)

[Coffee Sergeant]

[SIZE="5"]Turn 14[/size]

In response to my invasion of Fredericksburg, the main force at Manassas under Beauregard pulled back to Culpepper, and left only a small corps (by my intellinge estimates) under Jackson at Manassas. In Albermarle (wooded region just to the east of Frederiskburg), is a small force under Floyd. I split off a brigade (3i, 1c, 1a) from the 4th division to storm Fredericksburg. I dont' want to leave the whole stack on assault posture in case of a counterattack. I also a launch another calvary raid into Virginia from Frederiskburg.



With a good portion of Kentucky secured and Ohio no longer in danger of any serious invasion, I decide to relocate the Army of the Ohio to Louisville. I plan to retake Bowling Greene soon if the weather holds up - Grants corps has nearly joined Heitzelman in Barren, KY (actually he should have joined them this turn, but a milita brigade heading north merged with him and sent him back to Hard :-| ). I also move Nelson's 13th division to Louisville and split Porter's 14th off from the AotO to join Grant's corps at Barren. I thought of swinging Grant around to Gallatin, TN through the Macon region, cutting off Holmes corps, although that region is invisible to me. I don't want to invade significant forces across rivers.



The Rolla garrison surrenders and I gain a VP and NM point. The depot there has been destroyed so I will probably have to rebuild it if I want to carry out a large invasion of Arkansas through Springfield. I want to try to capture Springfield before winter if possible, so I move Fremont's force in that direction, although it will take them 20 days. Its somewhat risky, because if I hit mud I could be screwed. Also small force under Ruggles is just to the south. He could move against Rolla and cut off my supply base. With Cairo secure, I move Wallace's division to St. Louis. McCulloch captured Lexington, which does have a depot but is not very important otherwise. However, it is close to Ft. Leeavenworth, although he would have a hecuva time reinforcing McCulloch to take it, plus Keyes force with Humphries calvary division is nearby and he should be driven out of Missouri in a few months. . .



The southwest is already complete bogged down in mud. Even though the small defense force to guard Tuscon shoudl arrive at the end of next turn, it is not a smart move here to move Sumner's division into Texas.

I notice with all my rail movements my rail transport points are down to 7, so I invest in 50 railroad points.

Code: Select all

Unit      State      City         Name         Purpose
2i (1 militia)   MO                        6th division
2i (1 militia)   MO                        10th division   
2i (1 militia)   KS                        Ft. Leavenworth defense
2i (1 militia)   KS                            "
6lb (x2)      KS                           "
Signal                              AotO
Bloc. Flotilla                           Gulf blockade


Resources remaining: $12k, 129 conscripts, 589 WS

[Dadaan]

Great update. I must confess i thought this thread was long dead. I look forward to any other updates you may have.

[Coffee Sergeant]

Great update. I must confess i thought this thread was long dead. I look forward to any other updates you may have.

Its delayed so that even if Dirk reads it he won't get much intel. I was doing them in 5 turn increments, but I decided to do it turn by turn. Makes the posts much more manageable.

[Coffee Sergeant]

[SIZE="5"]Turn 15[/size]

I take Fredericksburg with no casulaties, but unfortunately even though I had detached a brigade and left the rest of the corps on defensive posture, when Beauregard counterattacked, the entire corps switched to assault posture. So despite having a force ratio of 2:1, the detached brigade was completely wiped out, and I lost 1 NM. Morelli and Wood did survive though.



Burnside has joined Hamilton's corps with two elite brigades, so I decide to cannablize the 8th divisiona and form a new division under Burnside. Further, I decide to move Hamilton to Alexandria, to get him out of the snow. I don't think my opponent would risk an invasion north with Johnston. The mud will slow him down and I can easily railroad a corps north to defend it, whil ehe will move slow.. Possibly if the mud in Manassas cleas up I can assault Manassas with McDowell and Hamilton's two corps, though that is a long shot. Moving Hamilton also supports Milroy at Fredericksburg.



Grant arrives in Hard (finally), but Porter was delayed and had not arrived. Retaking Bowling Greene before 1862 looks unlikely, now, and I will have probalby have to move Grant back to Louisville. I can see Johnston's force although he has not formed an army yet, it is considerable and I don't know whats behind him in Galatin (although I send a calvary unit to find out). I move Auger back to Ashland - Prestonburg will have to wait.



The march toward Springfield has really tired out Fremon'ts force, but I cannot retreat. They are set to arrive in Springfield in 8 days, which should give some time to rest and recuperate before the assault. Winter is coming and they must find shelter. To take advantage of Halleck's "good army administrator" trait, I split off Fremont and have him ride around Missouri for a while before arriving in Springfield with Halleck.



I replace the lost brigade with an identical one. I also fill in some divisions who got overlooked (Sumner's 7th) or canniblized (Mansfield's 8th). I spend the rest of my money on two ironclads, to beef up Dalgren's force which is still sitting off Ft. Monroe. I also buy 3 calvary replacements and one field artillery replacement, as i noticed both of those were on zero.

Code: Select all

Unit      State      City         Name         Purpose
3i 1c 1a      NY      NYC         Doubleday's      4th division
2i      PA      Lancaster      John Peck      8th division
20lb      PA      Philadelphia      2nd PA Hvy Co. C      "   
12lb      IA      Des Moines      1st Bty. IA Lt.      7th division
Monitor      NY, CT                        Dalgrhen's force


$37k, 84 conscripts, 611 WS. (1 division forming)

[Coffee Sergeant]

[SIZE="5"]Turn 16[/size]

Halleck arrived at Springfield, but his troops are extremely tired and the division is down to strength 20. Whats worse is McCulloch is just north. I really hope he does not attack me, as my division would probably be wiped out.



Not much happens in the east. For some reason, Hamilton didn't move, but luckily the snow cleared, so I will keep him where he is. From a spare brigade commanded by Hunter who happened to be active I form a new division (16th).



In Kentucky, Grant's corps is all set to carry out the offensive, but I decide against it. It would take 15 days to march through Macon to Galatin. I would actually be cut off more than Johnston, because I woud only cut one of his rail lines while being cut off from supplies myself. With winter coming, I see a potential disaster. I form a new division under Blenker(the 17th), and split him off from Grant and move him back to Louisville. Grant I move to Evansville. I may just try the real way Tennesee was conquered - concentrating on Paducah, Corinth.and Memphis. Possibley I can even do an amphibious invasion of Donelson the way Grant did it with ironclads. I move Foote and some ironclads to Evansville (plus they coudl use the rest)



I decide to complete the two new divisions I formed, which brings the total up to 17. 9 are in the east, 5 in Kentucky, 3 in Missouri (including the calvary division) and one in Arizona. One of my calvary regiments got taken out trying to cut some lines in Virginia so I recruit a new one.

Code: Select all

Composition   State      City         Name         Purpose
2i      NY      NYC         Hatch's         16th division (D. Hunter)
2i      NY      "         Greene's         "
2i      NY      "         Durye's            "
2i      NY      "         Christians         "
10lb (x2)   NY      "         1st NY Lt. Bty G & H      "
12lb      NY      "         1st NY Lt. Bty. I         "
10lb (x3)   MI      Detroit (x2), Mich. City   1st MI Lt. Bty. A, B, C   17th division (Blenker)   
12lb      MI      Lansing         1st MI Lt. Bty. D            "
Calvary      MD      Washingotn DC.   1st MD 'Union'      Raid/raid defense
Militia (x3)   KY                        Garrison/raid defense                          "



Funds $24k, 13 conscripts, 669 WS (2 divisions forming)

[Dadaan]

Awesome updates, lookin' pretty good.

[weiwei]

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