How to protect from CSA incursions in west and mid-west?

[JRod]

Just got the game and I'm having a tough time with the west and mid-west. The CSA always sends a few raiders or cavalry, which is ok, but I feel like I'm just dealing with it in the right way.

I thought about putting a militia in the southern cities, in states like Ohio, Michigan, etc.

The other way is to form a western line of militia that stretches from Pittsburgh to kansas. Not historical and while raiders could evade that, it would help in quickly deploying militia to fix railroads, and take back lost towns.

Or I guess the question is how important is it, when you lost non strategic towns. Should I just continue with some planned campaigns and when I get around to it, take back those areas.


The eastern front is much better for me, a newcomer, because I can set-up front line war from manassa to the potomac and inch my way to Richmond. It seems any opening, and the AI will usually find a way to get around and into DC.

Anyway just wondering how people handle the west and mid-west fronts.

[pepe4158]

Yeah raiders were a problem always especially late in the war where Sherman had to devote 50% of his forces to raiders who especailly went after the union payroll wagons.
Devote your smaller forces to covering the towns as raider usually cant actually take a town from line Inf. and just rebuilt the rail once they run outta supplies n leave.

N keep pushing deeper into the south with your main forces, late in the game the AI will see its better to try to raid your deep incursions in the south n leave your lightly defended areas in the north alone

[Jabberwock]

Pepe has the right idea. Pushing forward gives the raiders fewer bases to operate from. If you want more immediate results, there are a couple other things you could try.

A dedicated raider-hunting unit, made up of a good brigadier, and either two cavalry or a cavalry and a horse artillery. This can move up and down the rails (using shift key to enable return to the starting region), or targeting a specific raider with intercept and assault orders and a rail move. Be careful with that last order if you are close to enemy lines. Raiders sometimes like to retreat into the protection of a big stack, and your hunter can get chewed up.

A line of single gunboat squadrons along a river. If there is no opposing gunboat in the area, the enemy can't cross where you have a gunboat. You can protect these gunboats from being run down by ironclads by posting a few shore batteries at critical points.

[pepe4158]

Yeah i use and build a few Cav. units to hunt down raiders who become too much of a nusance if they push too far north........dealing with raiders in the south will be a never ending prob so remember to bring enough wagons to supply your forces as they push south cuz the raiders are gonna be a prob always as you push into the deep south.

[hootieleece]

I have found it is easier to deal with using a combination of militia and gunboat tactics. Militia in the towns and gunboats on the rivers. As I moved south the AI changed tactics and started sending corps and divisions on nuisance raids. It is September 1863. I'm inching a long in a long drawn out campaign for Tennessee. I hold Nashville and most of western Tennesee just lost Memphis to the Rebs again. (I sent major field forces(3 corps) after the Main Reb army under Van dorn. Was defeated and they counter attacked my Army headquarters in Memphis (under strength corps) and overwhelmed it even with the defend to the last man orders.

A corps/division of rebs under Cheatham have been beseiging Rome, Indiana for 2 turns sent acouple of brigades of infantry w/artillery and chase the off. They were hoping to take the depot.

[pepe4158]

Yeah hoot...tried militia bit Athena actaully cheated me n bowled over a militia defended town
After that said sc$%w her Im using lined Inf lol...she never did that to one of your northern town using militia only?
The only thing that gets me....in really pisses me but havent made a stink is this, when they cut the rail, its automatic n never fails, but my repairs often fail which is lame IMO

[Le Ricain]

Yeah hoot...tried militia bit Athena actaully cheated me n bowled over a militia defended town
After that said sc$%w her Im using lined Inf lol...she never did that to one of your northern town using militia only?
The only thing that gets me....in really pisses me but havent made a stink is this, when they cut the rail, its automatic n never fails, but my repairs often fail which is lame IMO

Were you using a two regiment brigaded militia unit? Against a normal cavalry raid type unit, I have never had a problem when defending with a double unit. Using a standard single militia can be a different story.

On your second point, it is a whole lot easier to break something than it is to fix it.

[pepe4158]

1.Ahh ok...yeah didnt think to check that, yeah probably single. Ill go with double next time maybe cheaper then line?

2. Well maybe easier in theory but....really suxs for game play cuz I doubt half the union army was devoted to fixing broken rails as mine is as Athena luvs that tactic...she'l keep me outta the deep south cuz Ill be too busy trying to fix broken rails that NEVER repair
Look my only bi$ch is you guys shoulda turned down the repair failure some, to make the game more plausable for the union, or a small chance that the break wouldnt occur?.....not all lines could ALWAYS be successfully cut in the prescence of hostile troops in the same area.

[Le Ricain]

1.Ahh ok...yeah didnt think to check that, yeah probably single. Ill go with double next time maybe cheaper then line?

2. Well maybe easier in theory but....really suxs for game play cuz I doubt half the union army was devoted to fixing broken rails as mine is as Athena luvs that tactic...she'l keep me outta the deep south cuz Ill be too busy trying to fix broken rails that NEVER repair
Look my only bi$ch is you guys shoulda turned down the repair failure some, to make the game more plausable for the union, or a small chance that the break wouldnt occur?.....not all lines could ALWAYS be successfully cut in the prescence of hostile troops in the same area.

1. Yes, the double militia option is chaeaper than using regulars.

2. The big problem that I have with the RR repair process, is that if the work takes longer that one turn, you have to remember to reset the unit doing the repair. There is no prompt from the log and you need to remember to check the progress if you can remember where it is.

[hootieleece]

I used militia initially after a while I leave a line regiment/Brigade in each depot near the front lines. I'm still playing the same campaign. Historical atrrition/normal/fog of war/ random generals. I was really getting going in '63. I was marching on chattanooga and took Richmond. My winter offensive I had the Rebs on the Run was about to take Chattanooga with the Army of Tennessee (under McClellan) then in January '64 he disapears and throws my command structure out of wack. He was actually pretty good too (4-4-5). Make things even funnier I took Richmond with the Army of the James under Butler(2-0-1).

[pepe4158]

Omg ....Butler taking Richmond, if Grant had never been been born and the job had been given to someone like Butler we'd live in a divided country now.
About as realistic as Brag holding Mo. as someone boasted here

N oh yeah Le....wouldnt it have been more realistic perhaps if some small chance the break wouldnt occurr...just a thought?