Best way to organize?

[Uncle John]

I am playing my first campaign game as the Union and some things are going well, not always by design. For example, Magruder bypassed Harpers Ferry and was moving up towards Harrisburg. Nathaniel Banks was a couple counties east of Magruder just staying out of the way, and at the same time some reinforcements I had built in Buffalo had finished training. The troops moved south, Banks became eligible for divisional command and they beat Magruder pretty good. Pretty much an accidental victory.

My biggest headache has been generals being eligible for command. Schurz is a good sxample, he has been in game since May(?) and now it is early August and he is still ineligible to command a division. Sumner out west is the same way. Meanwhile other generals sit around doing nothing and some become eligible for divisional command and others remain ineligible. Is there any rhyme or reason to this. Many can lead units according to the tool tip, they just can't lead a division. It has mad it pretty hard to get my army organized.

BY the way, my first strategy has been a five pronged attack. Out west I have gathered my units (3 inf brigades, 1 cav brigade) and am gathering them around TUcson, I will go for Dallas from the west. Lyons and Sumners command(he has three inf units with him) are going into MO and AK. I would love to have Sumner become eligible for divisional command so I can combine my forces and re-deploy Lyons east. Lew Wallace has a division in Cairo and is being reinforced (I am sending McCall west to form another division) and he has pretty much held the CSA at bay while also trying to invest a couple towns to the south (Charleston (?) and will also try for Paducah and Columbia. I was trying to gather a force around McClellan around Cincinatti with the idea of taking Lexington but as soon as I moved south he was named head ogf the Army and now I have to re-assess that command. Out east I have one corps under Milroy who has taken Manassas, but is getting beat up by Johnston and my forces in the DC area appear to be outnumbered. Patterson had command of Harpers Ferry and held off an attack by Bee, but has just been relieved. He is holding Harpers Ferry with one division.

The rest of the Union is strung out up to NYC and I am trying to figure out rally points to gather cavalry and infantry and get them into divisions. I have begun to move inactive generals to York, PA to get them out of the way and I will try and use them when they can actually do something.

One other problem I have run into ius the RR outside Baltimore. It was wrecked early on. I moved an engineer there to reb uild it, but he seems unable despite being far away from the fighting and a surplus of war materials. Do I have to have him with aline unit, even behind the lines.

What about light infantry? Are they any better than militia. What is the best use for them? I am using them mostly around Louisville to prevent an Ohio River crossing.

In case you haven't noticed, I am addicted, lol.

Any help would be appreciated.

Any advice

[Daxil]

Many can lead units according to the tool tip, they just can't lead a division.

That's probably because they're innactive. They can't form a division unless they're active.

Read this guide here: http://ageod.nsen.ch/aacwwiki/AACW_strategy_guide

It explains the ideal division and more.

[Banks6060]

With the Union...inactive leaders are just something you're going to have to deal with. You just kinda have to make do. One thing I'll usually try to do is this:

If I have a general that I know I'll want to have control a division...when he activates...(if he does)...I'll give him a division HQ right away...even though it costs money and WS...and I'll maybe put a brigade or a couple cav and arty there just to hold the HQ together....that way you don't lose your chance to form the division since Union generals typically don't activate.

really though, with the Union...all of their really bad generals are at the 2-star and higher range...most of the Brig. Generals are 3-1-1 or better. Strat rating of 3 gives you a 50-50 chance of activating each turn...so they should come around.

As far as organizing. It's pretty much to each his own. just get your divisions and Corps together as soon as you can. 1861 is really a pretty chaotic year in the game....you'll probably be fighting alot with single brigades...or commands that are all messed up. But once that first winter hits and you're able to take a break from the action and start organizing....your armies will really come together.

[Daxil]

Another thing that disturbed me when I first started playing is leaders lose stats for a turn when they become divisional commanders. A 3-1-1 will become a 1-0-0 for example. They return to normal after a turn and even gain stats if in a corps based on the corps commander's stats - so it behooves you to form armies.

[Gray_Lensman]

deleted

[Daxil]

I think it's just supposed to model the confusion of organizing a new division.

[Jabberwock]

They return to normal after a turn

If you retain enough resources to pay for the division.

[Uncle John]

One other thing that I seem to have trouble with is the smaller or medium scale of battles in game. I'm not complaining, but it seems like it is pointless to form many corps right away since forming corps means you have to keep them in teh same stack and that leaves a lot of front lines uncovered.

I've been putting out fires for 6 months with Bee sneaking through and Magruder sneaking through and now the CSA is infiltrating Indiana and even took Indianappolis just before winter set in. The battle for Indy was such a stalemate that they have a couple cannons and maybe 100 men left so I am sending 4 brigades of light infantry up there to expel them.

So far my plans have not gone very well. I manged to get Magruders division to Tucson, but not before Siddel arrived with an even bigger division and despite me being in teh city and he outside, my strength is draining away and not his.

Lyons did advance and destroy the depot at Rolla and is now back in St. Louuis for the winter. he will be re-deployed east. Fremont will take over his division. A cavalry unit out west angled in towards NW AK and destroyed the Ft. Smith depot and Sumner has done a good job taking Springfield (he was finally activated) He and Van Doorn are chasing each others tails west of Springfield now.

Lew Wallace's attack on Charleston, south of Caoiro ended in a stalemate with Wallace defeating teh troops but unable to take the city. he is in winter quarters in Cairo.

McClellan re deployed east to head teh Army of the Potomac. I'm not sure, but I think I HAD to build an Army HQ, remove McDowell before I could make McClellan the head of the AotP. He now has three corps around him with largest being Milroy in Mannassas, McDowell with a small corps near Fredricksburg and Griffith(?) with a corp in Harpers Ferry. He, along with Burnside and Banks managed to stave off Bee and Johnston and now they face Beauregard in Winchester. Johnston, btw, was transferred south and helped take New Orleans for teh CSA.

Near Louisville, Grant appeared and helped take Lexington along with Morrell's division and I hope to promote Grant to Corps level very soon. Grant also had fun beating up on Leonidas Polk and driving him back towards Bowling Green.

As winter 1861 sets in the Union is tsill disorganized and scattered with some huge divisions incapably led and some smaller divisions faring better with commanders.

The game is still addictive, it was 4:30 AM when I looked up last night. I'll have to figure out screenshots and set up an imageshack account for a real AAR one day.

[MarkCSA]

'As winter 1861 sets in the Union is tsill disorganized and scattered with some huge divisions incapably led and some smaller divisions faring better with commanders.'

Sounds like you are playing the game as it was intended to play!

[Daxil]

I think it depends on your playstyle. I've noticed some people sit back and slowly build large stacks pof divs before they move (the McClellan types ) and then others get aggressive right away with whatever random brigades are available (my style and I think the most effective. Don't let them breathe!)

[enalut]

For the Union: Have a grand plan and don't try to play Whack-a-mole.

I have found a mixed strategy works weel (granted due to computer and patch issies I have not progressed a game past december of 1861):

Use Shurz to repair the RR in Baltimore as soon as he is available.

Build units with the idea of creating full divisions (Concentrate in 1 the East; 2 Midwest; 3 Far West):

Delay drafting and financials until you can build troops--it gives you marginally more due to increased VP.

Then build 2 full Corps in the East--(if you take the 1 good uit that coems from Patterson and RR it over to Alexadria) it requires you to build 3 full divisions (My stnadard division is 10 Inf, 1 Sharp., 2 Cavalry, 4 Art, wich can usually be made up of 2 Large 5 unit NY/MA corps and the 3 unit Inf/Art briages from NY, plus Shaps ( and 1 PA div. thrown in with 2 of their 4 unit Inf/Art/Cav plus a 2INF/Sarp. brigade). Build the Support units: 1 more ENG and 2 Hosps (and 1 Ballon when it becomes available), and Marines--that pontoon capacity is important in NVA. Each Corps Consists of 3 Full 18 element divisions, 1 Marine, 1 Hosp, 1 Eng, 1 Ballon, and 4 Art (usually 12 lbs until I can upgrade to Rodmans) and 3-4 Supply Wagons.--Very Powerful corps, aboutt 1200-1300 power.

In the Midwest: Build 1 OH Div (18 Elements that can be made up as described above from OH brigades); and 1 "KY Div" made up of the 4 startign KY brigades plus Art and 1 of the PA Inf/Sharp Brigades.

Then build at least 1 more Ironclad and 1 Blockade Squadron so you can blockade the entire James River from Norfolk to Richmond.

Get some reinforcements, I ahve found that 1 Elite, 5 Regulars, 1 Sharp, 1 Light, (Militia rely on free replacements), 3 each Cav and Supply, and 2 each L. Art and Field Art is enough--just replenish it each turn, until the real fighting starts.

The next trun build every R. gunboat you can and move them to cover teh Ohio between Cairo and Louiville.

What ever you have left, spend on the Inf/Cav Brigades out west, always MO and then IA or IL.

Use Hooker and the DC Brigade (replaced by CA brigade once it is available) to (In this Order) capture and secure Winchester, Manassas, and Fredricksburgh.

Move your free Milita units to patroll the RR routs--the B&O coming out of Harpers ferry and the NVA routes leading from Manassas (which you captured) towards Richmond and south of Fredricksburg whioch may still eb holdign out, dependign on activations/luck.

Once the ANV activates, reorgnize it (usually enough new Sharpshooter have activated early to RR to Alexadria) to from a Corps under 1 of the ** Generals consiting of 3 Strong Divisions--usually 15-18 Elements only missing 1 brigade, and RR (why you grabed anmd garrosined Winchster earlier) that Corps over to the confederate froce in the Shanadoah Valley. You shoudl be able to at least dislodge them, if not win a vkictory because of your greater stength. Spend 1 turn recovering/RR the final brigades neccesary to get them up to full stength (both the Corps in Shenandoah and Alexandria) and then RR Both Corps and ANV to the Manassas Depot to complete fittign out. Bring Hooker there 2 , Hopefully his arly battles got him promotted, that 4 Strat makes a huge difference.

You then should have 2 good strenght Corps concentrated. Have 3 Crops there so that you can transfer the divisions between Active leaders (throw 1-2 free brigades in the other just so it can march and keep up and take a when one of the others deactivates. Take this force and launch a Drive towards Richmond, and leave it concentrated--If you cna RR all the way from Manassas to Louisa great--Cross the River into Buckingham and launc your attack on Richmond from there.

The COnfeds will ahve various froces running around making a nusance fo themselves, ignore them, Richmond (and its WS, VP and NM) is the real prize. The more the Confederates spread themselves out, the fewer troops they have covering their capital. And if the Entire James River is blockaded, then it can eb duifficult to reinforce, especially if you have been ablet o destroy the RR link between Richmond and Petersburg w/ Cav.

In the Midwest, form the OH and KY divisions. hav ethe OH Division Secure Northern and Central KY--and react to Confed forces while sendign teh KY division to deal with Fort Donelsdon and them move down river to Nashville.

In the Far west, Move the first active rigade out of St. Lois to Rolla to grab that Supply Depo, and then secure the rive between St. Louis and Springfield. Use the Cav at fort Smith to capure and destroy the 2 depos in western Arkanas. Concentrate the Western Cav in Springfiled to deal with Confederate Troops.

Anyway, that is as far as I have gotten, (I am on my 4th Attmpt due to 2 computer crashes/human error, and migration to a new computer). This openign strategy seems to work well.

In short, take the initiative and force the Confederates to react to you--if they send a 10,000 man force to raid/invade WV, great, fewer troops to counter yopur moves.

Sorry fort eh long winded reply, but I wanted to see what other people thought of these moves. Note I ahve only Tried playign Athena and expect a Human would react much better to the obvious move towards Richmond.

[Uncle John]

Thanks enalut, and don't worry, it was not long-winded

It seems in my first campaign game I have made every mistake you can make. WHile I hold the east and have taken Nashville, my forces are so spread out that it appears they are very fragile.

I have lost St. Louis and the CSA frequently raids into Vincennes and north towards Des Moines. I believe I am outnumbered in the east though that may be changing, however my corps are spread along the line around Harpers Ferry (which I do not hold.

If I am supposed to, as it appears I should, keep a large force together, how do I guard the line west from Harpers Ferry? I have had two CSA armies break through that way (including Lee) and raid towards Harrisburg and now Pittsburgh. The first I did manage to wipe out and the second I have to decide whether to strike south from Alexandria, where my corps are concentrated (really spread out from Harper Ferry to Fredricksburg) or do I get them together and chase the CSA towards Pittsburgh?

In the west I am gathering more forces, but I'm not sure I'll ever have enough to contain the CSA. I have lost Tucson and now Indian Raiders have taken teh Great {Plains. I hold Omaha. but have lost Council Bluffs and while I still hold St. Joseph I have lost Leavenworth.

Right now I am just trying to gather three infantry divisions and two cav divisions together and try advance south from DesMoines and west from IL (which is still riddled with CSA raids, I just retook Cairo) and try and close in on St. Louis. As I am coming up on the winter of 1862, I will try the idea of lining the Ohio and Mississippi with gunboats and line the Ohio with militia to prevent raids and maybe position one inf and one cav division in Indianappolis to contain any break throughs. If I can solidify the east I may try and assemble an amphibious fort and try and take Florida, I launched an earlier invasion with three marine regiments (I was not familiar with the marines uses in the AotP theater) and while I did have limited success I was too disorganized to reinforce or exploit them so I withdrew them.

Again, thanks to all for the advice.

Thanks for the advice, some of it is excellent and I will put into practice right away.

[sval06]

According to me, you should not be too worry about losing ground on Far West.

This area is huge; it is hard (nor impossible) to have huge armies there and after all, it has a little impact on the overall course of the war.

Now, you have Nashville. Usually Nashville is hard to capture since it is behind a river, it has depot and RR line, --> a huge CSA force entrenched here could be very hard to dislodge.
Now you have it, you can move south until the next river. You will have then the choice to attack Chattanooga, or go west to the Mississipi.

Never forget that you have a huge advantage in terms of size of armies and replacements--> If you send corps everywhere, it will be hard for the CSA...

.... and do not forget to sometimes launch probe attacks in Virginia (preventing the CSA player to transfer divisions from there to TN...)...

... And then, having raiders in Iowa will not change anything

As a conclusion, I agree with enalut: don't let them breathe, but put the war on CSA territory rather than in Iowa...(you should see quickly that nuisances in your territory will decrease by itself as you will approach the heart of the rebellion...

[Chaplain Lovejoy]

don't let them breathe, but put the war on CSA territory rather than in Iowa

Agree. Principle of initiative: forcing the enemy to react to your moves rather than you reacting to his.