[UNION] - "States of the Union" - the accounts of President Lincoln

[Rafiki]

[CENTER][SIZE="6"]"States of the Union"[/size]

Wherein is held the journals of Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United States of America, and excerpts from the archives of his cabinet during the Civil War.



[SIZE="2"](This is the AAR from The Grand Campaign Project for the Union president)[/size][/CENTER]

[Rafiki]

I guess it's about time to get this underway. I'm a full-blown AAR newbie, so I'll keep this fairly simple, i.e. no story arcs, narratives or suchlike, just me describing what I've done and why I did it, as well as possibly some comments on what the others do. I'm thinking that there'll be enough "in-character"-speak in the War Room, so this'll be the variation to that (not having any clue about how the others will go about their AARs )

I hope Korrigan will be able to get a system/mechanism set up for feedback, since I'm interested to hear what people think of it. And, so there is not doubt, should there be such a way, please make sure to not include or hint at information you've gained from reading the other AARs, since I'd hate to have to excuse myself from the project because someone else made me break the project-FOW rules

[Rafiki]

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Analysis[/size][/CENTER]

It's a bit daunting, this. I've barely finished a campaign and suddenly one shall display one's meager AACW skills to the world at large. It's also (almost) the first time I play a game like this against humans (being traditionally quite comfortable with solo-play against AI opponents), and then to top it of, there's to be AARing. In other words, quite a few firsts (or at least, "pretty-earlies") on my part here.

I was tempted to fire up the '62 campaign as the CSA just to see what we're up against, but decided not to, for a variety of reasons;

• It's borderline unethical, and I don't cheat, even if it's "just" border-line cheating
• It's my own penance for being (so-far) a staunch Union player (not having seen the inside of a CSA game since the game came out)
• It'll be more fun this way!

In any case, I think we have the upper hand, the industry of the north is bigger, and as long as we avoid making any big blunders, we'll prevail in the end, though I'm prepared for it to take some time to get there.

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]"Commanding-in-Chief"[/size][/CENTER]

So far, I'm pretty certain that both Jim and Sphar will perform at least as well as I would as Union theater commanders, and probably better. The way I see it, I'm just doing a kind of QA on what they do, and that my task is first and foremost to make sure to provide them with what they need in the way of replacements and reinforcements.

Still, it'll be interesting to see the dynamics of their (relatively) "small picture" compared to my "big picture" view on things.

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Navy (and friends)[/size][/CENTER]

The first turn will always be a time for reorganizing "stuff" to your liking, I think. Instead of having screenshots showing a lot of movement arrows and suchlike, I'll provide some when things have settled down and easier to present in an easy way.

I'll make one exception:

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This is Butler's force (before being combined into a division), that has been loaded onto Farragut's ships and sent to New Orleans. The ports that the Union controls in the south are too small for comfort and it's too convenient to start out with an invasion force stacked alongside Farragut with suitable ships to not use, especially when there are marines there. I'm pretty sure that this is what historically happened with these guys anyway

However, the CSA *must* be expecting something like this, and my only concern is that they may be able to strengthen the defense of New Orleans significantly before Butler gets there. If that's the case, I might simply redirect Farragut/Butler to some other suitable destination, but time will tell how it goes.

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Replacements/reinforcements[/size][/CENTER]

Here's an overview of the reinforcements ordered this turn:

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• Some infantry to reinforce Western Command
• Some militia to help garrison various areas, especially in Kentucky and further east
• Cavalry and cavalry artillery as per Sphar's request
• Some river units to help bolster the Mississippi fleet and to increase both its bombardment and blockade capacity
• Transports to increase trade revenue and to make sure we have enough ocean transport capability

There is a lot to build, and this is just a bare minimum. I would've liked to order a lot more infantry and artillery, some divisions, perhaps an army HQ for Butler, as well as build a massive fleet on the Mississippi and blockade the trousers off the CSA with a dozen new blockade fleets, but I fell better thinking the Jefferson Davis has a harder time with his budget than I have with mine

The Union starts out with it's replacement pool fully depleted. Though that might be a bit incorrect, my thought is that the winter was harsh and that it depleted the Union reserves. In any case, there is a significant need for replacements, and I expect to have to spend some resources the first few rounds to get to a spot we're I'm comfortable with what I have. Here's the first round of it:

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Rule of thumb: at least one in each category, then more in those categories that are most needed. I guess I'll aim for something like e.g. 10 "line infantry" replacements before being comfortable, but if the generals are on the offensive, more might be needed. Time will show, I guess

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Industry and transportation[/size]


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Our railroads are hurting (Jim moving an army to Kentucky by rail isn't helping.... ), so I decided to expand them quite a lot. I'll have to wait and see if there needs to be that much expansion each turn; hopefully & probably not. I'll need to expand the river transports a bit too, but that's a secondary concern for now. Ocean transport will be of no concern, since I have quite a few transports on their way there already, and more in th eprocess of being built.

No industrial expansion this turn; there's just too many other things to spend money and war supplies on.

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Politics[/size]

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I found that I needed more people than I got without any bounty. Since I got a fair amount of cash from other options, I decided that the extra men were worth the extra cost.

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I wanted some financial room to do what I wanted, but without going overboard. "Exceptional taxes" seems to be a fairly balanced way to do it. I'll have to see how much the generals scream for reinforcements the next turns before I decide how much money I'll need to print....


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This one, I was a bit unsure of, but not much. You get money, you get NM, you get VP, and in most cases, you'll reduce the chance of foreign intervention. I think the only case we're I wouldn't go for it is if foreign intervention is looming and the 7-15 points potential increase might be enough to actually bring the Brits & French into the war. That's not the case (yet), so I consider this pretty straight-forward.

[Rafiki]

The turn-file just arrived form Korrigan. I've given it a quick overview, and one thing caught my eye pretty fast:

This one, I was a bit unsure of, but not much. You get money, you get NM, you get VP, and in most cases, you'll reduce the chance of foreign intervention. I think the only case we're I wouldn't go for it is if foreign intervention is looming and the 7-15 points potential increase might be enough to actually bring the Brits & French into the war. That's not the case (yet), so I consider this pretty straight-forward.

Ouch! Not only did it backfire a bit, but the Foreign Intervention score went up 12 points because of this, and is now at 23. Still not that much, but seomthing to keep an eye on.

Where's that Emancipation Proclamation, eh?

Anyway, I'll give a full update once I've placed my orders (unless something happens in the meantime, like Jim & Sphar using unexpectedly much time to do their orders)

[Rafiki]

(Re-arranged the order of things a bit; I think this works better)

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Analysis[/size][/CENTER]

All-in-all, I think things are going OK. The main armies on both sides have yet to face off in some way, but I don't see any reasons to be particularly concerned. "Famous last words", eh?

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]"Commanding-in-Chief"[/size][/CENTER]

Sphar and Jim are handling things well, I think. The concerns I've had so far are pretty minor, and they have thought of more than a few things that probably would've gone unnoticed by me. In other words, their net worth is definitely positive, and rising; this president will probably be replaced before those generals

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Politics[/size]

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Yup, I went for it. Full mobilization. With the generals shouting for reinforcements (kinda, at least), I want to give them the tools they need. In the long run, the "investment" of 75 VPs and 5 NMs will be worth it, I hope, but that remains to be seen. I do have to admit, it doesn't feel too good, but close to 800 conscription points will translate into a nice list of reinforcements.

And to top it off:

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If this doesn't provide enough to boost our forces significantly, I don't know what will.

So, between this and the previous round, the only option left to me is moving the capital, but let's hold off on that for now, shall we?

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Replacements/reinforcements[/size][/CENTER]

With these policy choices in effect, the stage is set for bringing in a sizeable number of reinforcements. I decided to focus on infantry regiments, given the available division HQs, both in the east and west, and that neither of th egenerals seemd to mind some more line troops.

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I went for a mix of brigades both in size and in composition (hadn't noticed till now that one of the Pennsylvania brigades includes a sharpshooter element) to give the generals some flexibility in putting together their divisions and stacks.

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I also made room for a couple of river gunships to expand the blocking capabilities on the Mississippi (especially given what I note later on about blockades).

I would've liked to see some more artillery and ocean navy on the shopping list, but that'll have to wait till later rounds.

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Industry and transportation[/size][/CENTER]

This round didn't see any investments into industry either, since it seems we are good for now when it comes to various resources, and money is a bit tight due to other stuff. However, I think that we'll need to produce more supplies in the long run, so investments will be starting up next round.

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This turn, it was the river transport that cringed ([SIZE="2"]stupid tornado that struck the navigable rivers[/size]), so I've ordered some additions to that, as well as some railroad stuff to maintain the current capability.

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Navy (and friends)[/size][/CENTER]

Turns out I may have misunderstood a few things about bloackading; I thought that when I sea area specified a certain number of combat units, it meant "elements", but it seems it really is units (which should be no shock, since that is, after all, what the tooltip says). To me, this seems unfair for e.g. the blockade squadrons, but I'll post a thread about it to see for sure.

In any case, this means I'll be doing some adjustments this turn. There's still some movement to do before things are where I'd like them to be, bvoth in th eblockade boxes and off New Orleans, so in the report for next turn, I'll give som emore room to how things look navy-wise.

[Rafiki]

(placeholder for late April report)

[Rafiki]

(placeholder for early May report)

[Rafiki]

(placeholder for late May report)

(my apologies to anyone who thought there was an update here now, but do know that they are underway within a day or two (hopefully) )

[Rafiki]

I haven't been able to add reports for late April and for May 1862, and it doesn't look like I'll be able to, either. My apologies for that. I hope you still are able to enjoy the AAR.

[Rafiki]

(Placeholder for early May 1862)

[Rafiki]

(Placeholder for late May 1862)

(Early June to follow, will add previous turns in retrospect)

[Rafiki]

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Turn 6: Early June, 1862[/size]

[SIZE="5"]Analysis[/size][/CENTER]

It seems that things are loosening a bit in some places now, especially in the west. The rebs are pressing on Washington, but I think Sphar is capable of dealing with it.

If Jim continues to make headway in the west, especially if it turns out that the CSA is pulling out soldiers to go way east, I might order him to give up some units to strengthen the Army of the Potomac. The east also has a screaming lack of corps leaders with good strategic ratings (can't say I envy Sphar who has to struggle with that), and Jim may have to give up a good man or two. A bit ironical, though, succeed in what you're doing, and you get "punished" for it

On the other hand, if Jim gets a breakthrough in some way, it may force the CSA to route more resources west, thereby easing the pressure in Virginia.

As can probably be deemed from the war room correspondence, I like the idea of trying to blindside the CSA when possible. Trouble is, you don't want to do it if it leaves you open to some serious problems (as could happen in the east), and you also like to get your generals onboard to do it, especially since the doubts they express probably aren't taken out of thin air. I hope that in a few rounds, we'll be able to send some division-sized forces into unexpected places, like the environs of Richmond and Little Rock, but that'll have to come after the things currently underway.

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Politics[/size][/CENTER]

Nothing happening with regards to poltics (or economics or drafts or anything) this round; next round though, a lot of the options become available for play again, so a lot more will happen here then.

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Replacements/reinforcements[/size]

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This round has been entirely devoted to line infantry replacements. 17 isn't too much, but next round will see a call-up for volunteers so we'll make a bit more headway then, I hope.

I have to admit that I've been underestimating the need for line infantry replacements. In my own games, I usually don't need that much, but here, the need is a lot higher, and I haven't been able to get the buffer I'd like to have. So, until the buffer is there, line infantry replacements shall be the order of the day, and of tomorrow, and possibly the day after that as well.

I saw a thread mention that it was cheaper for the Union to buy new units rather than replacements, but I find that hard to believe, and until I see some more info about that, I'll heed my generals' requests.

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Industry and transportation[/size]

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At the moment, I'm investing carefully in industry; just in a few fairly small and therefore fairly inexpensive states. Anything more either becomes expensive, less likely to be successful, or both. I'll wait a bit and see how well our war supply production matches up with what we want to use money and men for and stick to what I consider "middle ground" investment-wise for now.

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Our stocks aren't that big, all things considered, and I would especially like to see more war supplies coming in, but it could be worse.

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*sigh* If only Jim and Sphar could be more predictable in their transportation needs

Things are looking fairly good here now, considering that there are some mid-size rail movements underway (Sphar is moving a couple of corps unless I'm mistaken). My goal isn't necessarily to have full rail coverage at all times, but neither should there be too many rounds in a row with 1/3 supply transportation. So, here too, continuing low-scale investments shall remain the rule unless we have a very good extra capacity or the generals start large-scale movements over time.

I'll be the first to admit that I never think about supply-by-sea; it always seems the Union has a comfortable situation in that area, and the details provided by the tooltip don't leave much to work on anyway.

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Navy (and friends)[/size][/CENTER]

Things have become fairly stable now, I guess.

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Palmer has a nice control of the Gulf of Mexico, and with New Orleans in our hands (and hopefully soon the forts guarding the Mississippi inlet too), resupply and refitting are fairly straight-forward.

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The Atlantic squadrons seem to be doing OK. Might need some more supplies soon, but no worries yet.

All-in-all, I consider a blockade percent of 35 to be fairly good, and hope to see it remain close to that in the coming rounds too. I am sending a small fleet into the Mississippi to do a bit of scouting and fire support, so I'll have to see if that reduces the blocakde percentage in any disturbing degree.

I'll see if I can put together an overview of the coastal naval activities before the CSA get their orders in; if not, I'll do it in my report for late June.

[Rafiki]

FYI, and in case Sphar doesn't say aything in his AAR, the "big catastrophe" I'm referring to in the "The Grand Campaign project: Call to volunteers"-thread is that Fremont and his army (~2 divisions) are in Christianburg. If the rail line northwards from Christianburg suddenly disappears, he'll have a hard time getting supplied, but we'll just see how it plays out now.

The reason for not stating things more openly in the thread is that I/we don't want to give the CSA any free information about where we have and don't have units

[Rafiki]

With the recall of the Pacific Squadron, the Gulf blockade now looks nothing like it does in the above screenshot. This is its current state:

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I'll have to look into this, since I think I might need to transfer a squadron or two from the Atlantic to balance things, but I'll await the turn resolution first.

[Rafiki]

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Turn 7: Late June, 1862[/size][/CENTER]

I'm writing about this a bit after the orders were done. One would think I had learned by now, but evidently not

Anyway, there was advice given to start small and expand if given the opportunity, which I intend to follow. While catching up, the AAR posts will probably be a bit sketchy, but lets see what I can get churned out by the time a new turn arrives from Korrigan

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Analysis[/size][/CENTER]

Things were looking fairly well. No big battles in the previous turn, and our forces were either holding or advancing.

In numbers, the status looks like this:

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Morale isn't too bad, Victory Points likewise, especially since we are gaining more than the CSA. Foreign intervention is higher than I like, but it'll likely be higher than I like for the remainder of the game, I guess.

It's interesting that the CSA has suffered greater losses than us, since I imagine that they receive less manpower than we do.

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Politics[/size]


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In order to support our later extravaganzas, we need money, and lots of it. Maxing out the war bonds and taxes brings a lot of cash, but there is a steep price in both national morale and in victory points. Inflation is of less concern, since it still is under control at 9%. Since we do not wish to be too greedy, we'll let the money printing rest for now.

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I started feeling that manpower was limiting my reinforcement efforts, so I decided that just going for the "freebie" volunteers wasn't enough. This is an expensive thing to do, but the return in new soldiers is worth it.

I've also signed off on another total blockade. Hopefully it'll go better than it did last time.

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Replacements/reinforcements[/size]


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(The exact numbers represented by the envelopes, from left to right: 1 - 8 - 24 - 1 - - 1 - 6 - 2 - 2)

For a while, replacements have been scarce, and it is time to make a real effort to make sure we have enough available. Time will show whether it'll be enough or not.

There's also room for some reinforcements, more specifically:

- 2 Pennsylvania infantry brigades (of 4 and 2 regiments)
- 2 Illinois cavalry regiments
- 4 Michigan artillery regiments
- 1 Illinois supply brigade
- 1 Blockade flotilla
- 2 Armored frigates

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Industry and transportation[/size][/CENTER]

No large investments. Some industry, but no transportation. There is a need for more transport, but this turn, resources are in greater need elsewhere.

(Current turn is 9, hope to catch up with it in the days ahead.)

[Rafiki]

Since any would-be commenters and/or questioners can't post here, I've set up a comment thread that I hope you will use to let me know what you think and wonder about concerning this AAR

[Rafiki]

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Turn 8: Late July, 1862[/size][/CENTER]

With the confederates busy bringing their new president up to speed and therefore a new turn still a bit off, I continue my "sprint" to catch up with my AAR'ing

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Analysis[/size][/CENTER]

"Rafiki is 'a bit more worried about how this will turn out'".

I'm beginning to have a feeling of pouring men and resources into a great big hole which so far has seemed bottomless. We are making progress in some areas, but the setbacks are more numerous and the successes fewer than I'd like (which they always might be, anyway?). I'm wondering what the status will be when we reach the end of the campaigning season, but for now, I shall remain cautiously optimistic.

I'm really wondering what the confederates are on about in Northern Virginia, and I hope Sphar will be able to gain the upper hand in whatever it is they plan on doing.

In the west, there are two things I worry about. 1) That Memphis didn't fall (I was really rooting for Pope) and it needs to do that if we are to make progress down the Mississippi, and 2) The confederates seem to be pulling forces out of the west and I don't like having sizable forces "on the loose".

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Politics[/size]

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Yay! The British are starting to see that we are fighting the good fight and the CSA is unworthy of their support Foreign Intervention is now at -4 and therefore off my "worry-list" for the time being

Having played a fair share of options last round, it's fairly limited what I can actually do this round, but seeing as there is a need for money to buy stuff, let's make some more of it:

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[SIZE="5"]Replacements/reinforcements[/size]

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Taking it a bit easy with the reinforcements this turn. A couple of Marine regiments to help river crossing and amphibious assaults, and an infantry brigade for each of the theaters.

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There should now be enough replacements to go around for a while. I'll be keeping an eye on the levels from now on, but hopefully, we won't need any more "dedicated efforts" in this area.

(But what are those Mexicans doing there?)

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Industry and transportation[/size]

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(Large screenshot, but it covers everything in this area)

Fairly low industrial investments, just a couple of "cheap" states. I might need to step up the investments since the need for supplies and ammo will only increase as more units get fielded, and I haven't seen a significant surplus in war supplies yet. Don't get me wrong; I don't need to have loads and loads of these things (since that means I've been over-investing), but neither do I want these things to be lacking, and that's where we're headed in the long run the way things are now.

Transportation gets a boost this round (in addition to an event-based +50 for the railroads). Having limited amounts of supply will be bad enough, but it would be doubly bad if we aren't able to transport what we have to the frontlines. However, at full capacity, the railroads are currently stocked approximately 150 points above what we need for full supply transportation, which leaves abundant amounts for Jim and Sphar to move troops without hurting supply badly.

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Navy (and friends)[/size][/CENTER]

Navy is long overdue a better treatment in this AAR, so I intend the next update to give a good overview of what the status is, especially amongst the fleets currently operating in brown waters.

[Rafiki]

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Turn 9: Late July, 1862[/size][/CENTER]

This brings us as close to up-to-date with where the game stands now as I can bring it before the others get their orders done for turn 10 (Kinda, at least, I'll see what I can do about turns 3, 4 and 5)

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Analysis[/size][/CENTER]

Few good things happened this turn. To take a look at Hardeeville:

[CENTER][/CENTER]

Losing 5 NM in one province in one turn is pretty steep, getting a general killed might explain some of that, and we aren't close to actually achieving anything there. So, we'll be pulling out now and transferring these forces to New Orleans, where they'll hopefully be of better use. I'm not giving up on campaigning in the deep south, but that'll have to happen after the situation in Northern Virginia has been resolved.

Time for a look at the "big picture", i.e. the objective cities:

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The one we're closest to getting is Memphis. Beyond that, Atlanta might be within reach and after Memphis falls, perhaps Vicksburg. Other than that, the CSA cities on the list will probably be left alone for quite some time yet.

The rebels, on their side are sieging New Orleans (though with Burnside and his people on their way there, I see no way the rebels should be able to take the city), and they are a stone's throw away from Washington with sizeable forces (though I don't see them capturing that one either, luckily). The rest of the cities we already control are safely behind our lines.

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Politics[/size][/CENTER]

I've come te realize something; I'm starting to get hooked on money printing. It's available every turn, and it isn't that costly each time; 4% price increase ("when has inflation ever been a problem?") and 2 points of National Morale ("the units this will buy will certainly win at least 2 NM over the course of the war!"), but I probably need to be a bit more restrictive on its use. Starting next turn, I swear....

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Replacements/reinforcements[/size]

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There are three main thoughts behind this set of purchases:

• Jim's fairly specific requests for infantry, sharpshooters and cavalry
• Approximately matching the same for Sphar, since he has given no requests, but has needs comparable to Jim (as far as I can see)
• Me wanting more ships to play with

I also chose to add a fair amount of militia from Maryland and some from Pennsylvania, just in case all heck breaks loose. Militia aren't great and they won't stop armies, but they'll arrive now, and they can add to what is there already, as well as get trained into something better, given the opportunity and the right leader.

Indiana and Pennsylvania provide infantry brigades with sharpshooters incorporated already, which makes them a nice choice as building blocks in most units, sharpshooting being an ability that extends to an entire unit, be it division or brigade.

The ships will be used for blockades (both blue- and brown-water) and for building up a second transport fleet (next to Farragut) that is able to transport a small force; division-sized or so.

As for replacements, I'm aiming for maintaining levels, so 7 envelopes divided between 5 categories, i.e. no major investments in anything particular.

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Industry and transportation[/size]

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I don't think I'll ever be able to assemble enough locomotives and cars for those two train-hogging generals of mine...

However, as mentioned earlier, I've started to worry about supplies and how we will be covered in the future, so I'm upping the industry investments when I can. I concentrate on states that are rated "excellent" or "very good", since I imagine the return on investment is greatest there.

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Navy (and friends)[/size][/CENTER]

Another reorganization underway, since quite a few of the fleets and flotillas are experiencing low supply levels, which I admit I wasn't quite prepared for. At least I discovered it before it really became a problem; this way I can replenish in a slightly orderly fashion. In the future, I might start adding transport ships to the main fleets, but I'll have to look into how that really works first.

Let's take a look at the main brown-water fleets and what they're up to at the moment:

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The main action is taking place off Savannah, mainly in support of Burnside's operations there. Farragut is there mainly to pull Burnside out, while 11. fleet has been providing fire support as well as blocking the river for crossings and blocking Savannah Harbor. In order to blockade the harbor, the estuary has to be blockaded as well, which is what 14. fleet doing.

Once Burnside is on board Farragut's ships, they'll head for New Orleans (that's the current plan, anyway), while the other two might remain, since Savannah combines easy blockading (relatively speaking) with a sizable city and a short distance to supply, at Fort Pickens just off the coast there. Farragut is starting to run low on supplies, which just makes it more attractive to get him to a proper port sooner rather than later.

[CENTER][/CENTER]

Moving up the coast, we find Dahlgren at Hampton Roads with a small fleet. Truth be told, this fleet is neither here nor there, figuratively speaking. It isn't by far enough to blockade Norfolk, nor does it block exit from Norfolk (since Norfolk has an exit directly to Cape Henry, east of Hampton Roads. I do like having a presence there, since it makes the CSA think twice about moving too much by sea in the area (and I don't want to see amphibious assaults into places like Delaware and Baltimore).

[CENTER][/CENTER]

Last, but not least is the fleet blockading Richmond. Richmond is also a nice place to blockade, since you only need 5 units in the James River to block the harbor, and the city is a nudge larger than Savannah, even. Currently, it's on it's way to Fort Monroe for replenishment, since I saw little point in having a non-effective blockade for Richmond while spending several turns cycling units in and out, some after the others.

[Rafiki]

[CENTER][SIZE="1"](This is currently the second-to-last turn we've done, i.e. the one before the one submitted to Korrigan last night)[/size]

[SIZE="5"]Turn 10: Early August, 1862[/size]

[SIZE="5"]Analysis[/size][/CENTER]

Harper's Ferry was ugly this turn. I'm sure Sphar has covered it in his AAR, but to sum it up: Army of North Virginia *gone*. National Morale loss of *12 points*. Still, I don't know how I'd do it any different, so I'm putting it squarly under the "shit happens"-column and moving on. I mean, look a the leadership involved; Banks is a measly 2-0-1 versus Longstreet's 6-7-9 (no idea what Jackson is at this point). That alone is a 30% advantage, and serves as a pretty good example of one of the main challenges for the Union.

Oh, right. I was supposed to move on, wasn't I?

In any case, Grant will be coming East pretty soon. And those pesky CSA generals with their pesky offensive and defensive ratings will soon have to pick on someone their own size.

Moving on now. Promise.

Big picture:

[CENTER][/CENTER]

Given the preceeding, there are no big surprises here. National morale took a big hit (with a corresponding boost for the CSA), but we get a lot more victory points each turn (seeing as the campaign predates victory points accumulation being tweaked in favor of the CSA). That doesn't help too much when I use victory points like any other currency available to me, though

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Politics[/size][/CENTER]

Not too much happening here, except our old friend, money printing:

[CENTER][/CENTER]

I've just noticed that the amount of money you get depends on your current victory point score. I'll keep this in mind when faced with options costing VPs in the future....

Union inflation is just over 20% at this point. Not alarmingly high, but also something to keep in mind in the future.

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Replacements/reinforcements[/size]

[/CENTER]

No doubt about it. The East gets whatever I can give it. The West is doing fairly fine, and anything I order up now will probably not reach any frontlines till winter arrives anyway.

I'm building units solely in Pennsylvania. My gut feeling is that this will let Sphar bring them forward on short notice when they're ready, while hopefully keeping them far enough out of the way for any raids and incursions. Also, but raising so many units in PA, some will be raised in the same places, hopefully provided mutual support should any CSA units drop by.

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Industry and transportation[/size]

[/CENTER]

This should show most of the relevant stuff. Minor production investements in states with good potential. Transport capacity is pretty good, and with this rounds investment in railroads, we should be at a level we can aim to maintain for some time, even with some serious troop movements. River capacity is a bit worse, especially since we might see more movement on the Mississippi river system, but time will show. I don't think I've ever worried about ocean transport capacity, and see no reason to start worrying now.

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Navy (and friends)[/size][/CENTER]

Not much going on here. Several fleets are either in port being replenished or on their way there. I'll be blockading Richmond again this turn, but apart from that, there is little to mention.

In my ongoing effort to provide a view of the various parts, I now present the Atlantic shipping box, and the two fleets there:

[CENTER][/CENTER]

The fleet hunting raiders (seen in the unit screen) isn't too big, but I aim to at least have a small presence here at any given time. The transport fleet (as seen in the pop-up) is of some size, bringing in some nice additions to the money and War Supply pools, and making sure that places like New Orleans stay in supply.

And here is Palmer's fleet from the Gulf blockade box:

[CENTER][/CENTER]

In any case; it's good to be underway again, and I trust we'll be back to a proper pace from now on

[Rafiki]

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Turn 11: Late August, 1862[/size]

[SIZE="5"]Analysis[/size][/CENTER]

I'm a bit more at ease now than I was last turn. I'm really happy to have Sphar as my Eastern general, as he once again proves to have a good overview of the situation and the problems and possibilities that lie within.

I'm no less happy to have Jim in the West. He is basically been breaking through on all fronts (except in the Chattanooga area), and he keeps looking into new ways to push the CSA armies back and bring the fight to unexpected places.

I am a bit curious as to what the Confederates will do in the West, seeing as the need must be rising for bringing the army at the gates of New Orleans north to stop Jim's advances. We don't know if they have some other reserves we haven't seen yet, but still, they can't leave Jim unchecked for long. Once we pull out of the Savannah area, the forces there might move North-West to the Atlanta area, but that could leave the coast more open to Union landings. Heh, one can never have enough strategic intelligence, that's for sure.

I do hope that the forces in Hardeeville will get onboard the ships soon. They have been holding their ground the past turn, but they are seriously depleted now, and they have been taking an awful long time in embarking.

As always, here's the big picture for you. Make sure to note the transfer of Memphis into the proper hands

[CENTER][/CENTER]

We got some events that boosted Union morale this turn; "Sink the CSA Alabama" and "The Great Sioux Uprising", which at +5 NM each basically bring us back to where we were before Harper's Ferry. I can't help but feel that the Union gets a bit too much help from events when it comes to morale at times. Here and now, though, I won't complain

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Politics[/size][/CENTER]

I started thinking about civil liberties this turn, and which level we'll use in the various states we liberate. Since this is something that is highly dependant on Jim's plans for garrisoning the various states, I've asked him to provide his views on this, but I do expect to see some change next turn, probably lightening up on Kentucky and enforcing stricter liberties in places like Mississippi and Arkansas. Here's the current situation:

[CENTER][/CENTER]

As for other political areas, there is little to say; we're still a fair way away from numerous options even becoming available over again. One thing I'd like to mention, though:

[CENTER] [/CENTER]

Political options are just as much about what you don't use as what you do use, and I am happy to say that I may have kicked my money-printing habit, at least till the next time I really need money. "Hi, my name is Rafiki, and it is now two weeks since I last printed money".

I've also made a choice to not opt for prisoner exchanges. It's never been very clear to me what benefits it might have, and 2 NM and 25 VP is a stiff price to pay when you don't know what you're buying.

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Replacements/reinforcements[/size]

[/CENTER]

The Eastern armies are still priority number one when it comes to reinforcements, especially when it comes to Sphar's specific request for more HQs and in general. The only exception is Jim's request for river transports, which are to be built in Missouri.

[CENTER][/CENTER]

Not too many new replacements needed at the moment; 1 line infantry and 1 militia, just to bring those up to round numbers (I like round numbers in the replacement pools; makes it easier to keep track of how many are used). However, there are a couple of fairly large battles on the horizon, and there will be replacements needed as soon as the forces currently in Hardeeville emake it back to friendly lines, so I'll need to keep an eye on this in the turns ahead.

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Industry and transportation[/size][/CENTER]

No industrial investments this turn. We have enough production of supplies, ammo and war supplies, and the money is needed elsewhere.

[CENTER][/CENTER]

Railroad seems to be going OK. There's room for more, definitely, but we're on the right track, and not too far behind on what we need.

Instead, Jim has revealed river transportation and the challenges we'll be seeing more of related to it; most of the time, we'll need a limited capacity. However, at times, major troop movements will spend most of that capacity and leave little to nothing for supply transportation, and Jim will need supplies as he heads downstream. Therefore, I'll be increasing the river transportation pool. I don't know how much will be needed, only that it needs to be a fair amount larger than what we currently have.

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Navy (and friends)[/size][/CENTER]

Seems the Confederates have a new unit that might make things more interesting for us (and in particular, me) in the times ahead:

[CENTER][/CENTER]

I don't know exactly what it might bring with it, but I'll keep my eyes open for it.

Here are the fleets on and close to the James river:

[CENTER][/CENTER]

The fleet blockading Richmond is back in place. Richmond doesn't seem to be heavily defended, and if we had enough troops to spare, I'd very much to see if we could make an amphibious landing close by to see how the Confederates would react.

I also maintain a fleet at Hampton Roads. Now, this fleet is more of a speedbump than a full block, since the CSA fleets can use Fort Monroe to transit out to sea. However, I don't want to split my fleets too much, and this gives me a fair amount of control. It also makes sure the fleet stays in general supply, since it is off the coast of Union provinces.

[CENTER][/CENTER]

I've ordered a small fleet up the Rappahannock, i.e. the river that runs North of Fredericksburg. This should make it more difficult for the Confederates to move across the river, and might also provide some fire support for the Union forces in the area. That screenshot also shows that Sphar is gathering forces in Baltimore

Finally, in our tour of the oceans, we have now arrived at the last holding box, the Atlantic blocking box:

[CENTER][/CENTER]

There are a number of blockade fleets currently resupplying or on their way to do so, so the blockade percentage is less than I like it. I have ordered a unit of transports to join it, to help with supply. Hopefully, in a turn or two, I'll be able to start bringing that number up again, with the addition of newly built and newly resupplies/refitted fleets.

[Rafiki]

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Turn 12: Early September, 1862[/size]

[SIZE="5"]Analysis[/size][/CENTER]

Things aren't looking bad. Rosecrans is finally on ships, headed for Baltimore. Grant is on his way East, Jim is making nice progress down the Mississippi and will also be taking Little Rock soon, the Confederates are staying put for now in most places and they are taking their time getting into Chattanooga, even though we have basically abandoned the city. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot Confederate troops building up, at least, Richmond seems to be fairly peaceful, 4 units leaving little room for massive support unit building. Might be more activity in other areas, but they'll probably take time getting to the frontlines. That's my guesstimate, anyway; as I've mentioned before, I wouldn't mind having a bit more strategic intelligence.

The forces sieging New Orleans managed to get in a some hits (though the units inside seem undamaged), and the walls have been breached, so we might see an assault now. Our guys are heavily entrenched, and should the CSA manage to take the city, it'll be at a heavy cost.

Here's the current objective screen:

[CENTER]

[SIZE="5"]Politics[/size][/CENTER]

A couple new options became available this round, and I consider both to be no-brainers on my part.

[CENTER][/CENTER]

I've repeatedly (this turn included) been short on manpower when coming round to building reinforcements and replacements, having if not ample, then at least more than enough money and war supplies. Getting a sizeable increase in the manpower being generated each round is worth the price of a few victory points.

[CENTER][/CENTER]

The mother of all political options, I guess.

It gives a hefty increase in morale and VP, and it brings foreign intervention way down, possibly to a point I doubt the CSA can bring it back from. I seem to remember hearing that it causes loyalty to drop in the border states, but the bonuses are simply too great to let slip away. *Not* using this option is not an option (pun intended).

[CENTER][/CENTER]

Jim gave an excellent analysis on the impact of choice in civil liberties on the need for garrisoning in the war room this turn (recommended reading for anyone interested in such things!), and Kentucky and Tennessee will remain under martial law in the foreseeable future. Arkansas and Louisiana have such limited Union control that we should be able to garrison what we need for now, keeping liberties as they are, while I'll review Mississippi's situation as Jim's troops spread through the state (or not; he might opt for staying close to the Mississippi river and head straight for New Orleans).

I do see the paradox in the fact that the more we are able to liberate a southern state, the less freedom will be granted its citizens, but such is the dirty business of war, I guess. At least, that's *my* dirty business in this war. "History" will have to judge if I'm doing the right thing

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Replacements/reinforcements[/size][/CENTER]

As mentioned above, I'm short on manpower. Also, we took a slight dip in various replacement categories, so reinforcements are few and far between this turn. Hopefully, next turn will be better, once the colored troops start being recruited (as per the abovementioned option).

[CENTER][/CENTER]

Luckily, single-element ship units are cheap when it comes to manpower, so I've ordered up 5 steam frigates to increase my brown-water capabilities, at a price of 5 manpower. This will take some time before becoming available, but this war is far from being over.

[CENTER][/CENTER]

I chose to prioritize replacements, but your wouldn't believe it looking at this. I felt I had to buy 1 heavy artillery and 1 engineer replacement, since you need to have at least one for any units to even consider replacing losses. In other words, even if you end up not spending a replacement, you still need to have at least one for the replacement process to start.

3 line infantry and 3 milita, simply because I couldn't afford any more. These levels are lower than I'd like them to be, but it might stretch into winter before I'm comfortable with them.

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Industry and transportation[/size]

[/CENTER]

No industrial investments this turn. Some investments in railroads, to maintain capacity, and a sizeable investment in river transport so that Jim won't have any worries on the Mississippi. Well, fewer worries, at least. My goal is to be able to transport a full corps by river transport, and still maintain at least 2/3 supply.

[CENTER][/CENTER]

Our stocks of various resources and supplies are fairly OK, except when it comes to manpower. We're using a good deal of ammo, but not enough to cause any alarm.

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Navy (and friends)[/size]



[/CENTER]

Rosecrans finally got onboard (in more than one sense, I guess), and the transports with a couple of escorts will be bringing him and his troops to Baltimore either this turn or next. Farragut will take most of the combat ships and join up with Dahlgren coming with most of his fleet from Hampton Roads and then set course for New Orleans to provide fire support. Hopefully, the battle won't be over by the time they arrive there.

Hampton Roads will be bolstered by a few new ships that became ready for duty this turn, and there are also transport ships and a blockade flotilla that became available again. Most fleets now have a transport to help staying in supply.

[Rafiki]

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Turn 13: Late September, 1862[/size]

[SIZE="5"]Analysis[/size][/CENTER]

No large battles this turn, except for Culpeper. Getting beat in Culpeper was inconvenient, since the Confederates now have open supply lines to Lee outside Manassas, but it wasn't wholly unexpected, I guess. The forces in Harper's Ferry and environs have remained stationary, even though they seem to have no immediate supply problems, and that's probably among the best news we could get. Now, Sphar has gathered a sizable force north of the Potomac, and the Confederates can no longer head north without facing significant opposition.

Elsewhere, New Orleans is being hit hard. Lots of hits scored (that got replaced, but still), and there's a second breach in the fort, which might be what the CSA is waiting for before assaulting.

As usual, here's the objective screen:

[CENTER][/CENTER]

Little Rock has fallen into our hands. The emancipation proclamation played last round has brought us a nice lead in NM and we're well ahead in VPs too. We earn quite a lot more VPs per round than the CSA does, and as long as I don't go completely overboard with my option-playing, I can't quite see the Confederates catching up with us VP-wise. Foreign entry is in the nicest place I think I've seen it so far; time will show if it stays there.

All-in-all, though there are causes for worry, I think the war is going our way. Time is on our side, as Sphar masses troops on the Potomac, and Jim brings his forces southward.

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Politics[/size][/CENTER]

Not too many option left to play. I'll stay away from money printing, since I've got over a million dollars available. I'll also refrain from moving our capitol as that would seem a bit over the top, given our current situation.

[CENTER][/CENTER]

That leaves only POW exchange, which I'll give a try. It earns a bit of NM and VP, but I'm not too certain what it does beyond that. My guess is that both the Union and the rebels have to choose it, and if they do, they exchange some POWs which get translated into manpower. Since manpower is our most significant shortage these days, I'm willing to try most things that might give me more soldiers.

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Replacements/reinforcements[/size]

[/CENTER]

As noted in war room, we have a significant need for replacements, and some of our pools are getting a bit low. The screenshot above shows the following replacements being ordered up:

• Div HQ: 1
• Line infantry: 10
• Skirmisher: 2
• Militia: 2
• Cavalry: 5
• Light art: 1
• Field art: 5
• Heavy art: 1
• Supply train: 1

[CENTER][/CENTER]

With replacements filling up, there's little manpower for other things. Naval vessels are generally cheap manpower-wise, and with the new blockade rules (counting elements rather than units), brigs are the brown-water blockaders of choice. I also want to give my brown-water blockaders some more punch, and have ordered some monitors. As long as replacements are eating up the manpower, we won't be raising too many land units anytime soon, at least not till the next call for volunteers or draft.

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Industry and transportation[/size]

[/CENTER]

Apart from the already lamented lack of manpower, our stocks are fairly well off.

[CENTER][/CENTER]

Some investment in railroads to get things up to 3/3 supply transportation. No industrialization, stocks in war supplies and supplies seem to be doing OK.

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Navy (and friends)[/size][/CENTER]

The navy is focusing on two things this turn; New Orleans and the CSS Virginia.

[CENTER][/CENTER]

The ships in New Orleans have finished repairs and refit. Normally they'd head out to the Gulf blockade box, but now they'll hang around and support the defenders of New Orleans.

[CENTER][/CENTER]

Just a long the coast, we find Farragut and his fleet, off Fort Jackson. They'll arrive at New Orleans in 6 days (plus any start delay); hopefully in time to provide some support. Most ships need some TLC and quality time in port, but if this helps keep New Orleans in Union hands, it'll be worth it.

[CENTER][/CENTER]

At Hampton Roads, the CSS Virginia is cruising along. I'm ordering the now ineffective Richmond blockade fleet to go after it, letting two refitted/resupplied ships from Fort Monroe join them.

[CENTER][/CENTER]

Out at sea, Semmes has shown up with the CSS Alabama. I have a sizable, though slightly weather-worn escort fleet in the Atlantic shipping box which I hope will engage Semmes. If not, I'll have to look into it again next turn.

Elsewhere, I'm closing down the blockade of Savannah. We've managed to evacuate the land forces we had there, the fleets are running a bit low on supplies and the new blockade rules would've forced a restructuring of the fleet anyway.

[Rafiki]

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Turn 14: Early October, 1862[/size]

[SIZE="5"]Analysis[/size][/CENTER]

This has been a fairly quiet round. Forces north of the Potomac have structured further. It's gearing up to a showdown at Manassass with Grant vs Lee. From what I can see, our forces are vastly superior, with several corps within hearing distance of Grant's and Meade's guns. Compared to just a few turns ago, things are definetely brighter.

In the west, there aren't too many battles brewing, but Jim is hard at work to get things organized for what is to come (the map of Tennessee looks like a blue spiderweb). Loosing Chattanooga is inconvenient, since it'll have to be retaken, but I had honestly thought it would fall earlier, so I'm actually happy it held as long as it has.

New Orleans? I don't know. Butler's artillery is suffering from the lack of artillery replacements, and there are now three breaches (I didn't even know there could be that many?). On the other hand, Farragut is on the Mississippi, ready to bombard the CSA forces under Hardee, so we'll just have to see how this goes. For now, Butler has enough supplies, so we don't have to worry about that (yet), at least.

All in all, I think things are going well, even if things have been a bit quiet lately.

For an overview, here is the objectives screen:

[CENTER][/CENTER]

Not sure what's going on in Memphis; I'll have to ask Jim what is going on.

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Politics[/size]

[/CENTER]

As we'll see later, I'm spending a good deal of money on replacements, so we need some more money. Fire up those printing presses, Mr. Chase!

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Replacements/reinforcements[/size]

[/CENTER]

As is becoming the story of my presidential life, manpower is short. Luckily, the categories with the largest need for replacements don't need that much manpower for each replacement.

• Cavalry: 2
• Light art: 5
• Field art: 15
• Heavy art: 4

[CENTER][/CENTER]

The only reinforcements being built are two steam frigates and an armoured frigate at a cost of 3 manpower

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Industry and transportation[/size][/CENTER]

A small dip in war supplies, which will dip further after this turn's heavy purchase of artillery replacements.

[CENTER][/CENTER]

Railroad seems to be a black hole that I keep throwing money and war supplies into without ever reachig a level I'm comfortable with, but I trust Sphar and Jim are putting the locomotives and railroad cars I'm buying for them to good use.

[CENTER][SIZE="5"]Navy (and friends)[/size]

[/CENTER]

I think the CSS Virginia was sunk last turn by the guns of Fort Monroe after having fought the ships I sent against it; 27 hits seems a lot for a single ship to take.

As mentioned above, Farragut is in place outside New Orleans. Last turn's screenshots provide details for what he has with him.

[CENTER][/CENTER]

I've dispatched a new blockade fleet to Richmond, consisting of one 4-element unit and one 8-element, totalling the needed 12 elements to blockade Richmond.

The fleet stationed at Hampton Roads is sending about half the ships for rest and refit in Baltimore.

Out at sea, the CSA ships are still hanging around in the shipping box. Quite a few of my ships need refit and have been sent on their way to port, while other ships, including one carrying admiral Dupont are on their way to reinforce my now token escort fleet left behind.

[CENTER][/CENTER]

Other than that, I expect four blockade fleets to reach the blockade boxes next turn, and I've started making plans for how to re-establish the blockade of Savannah, hopefully soon, while still allowing Fort Pulaski (outside Savannah) to replenish some of the supplies it is now depleted of.