War Between The States - Game Turns 57 to 63

Play resumes with a possibly too late decision by the Union to call a second draft.  The Confederates immediately do the same.

In October the Union will get more troops, 

but they will need to be trained and so wont be available till March 1863.  

The war might well be over by then.

For the record, I augmented a 3-3 to a 10-3 and a 2-4 to a 5-4, built 66 garrison points and a naval base.

The Confederates were better placed to build up their existing divisions.

They will arrive in December, four months before the Union's troops.

There had been a chance that rebel militia, still at some 20 factors strong, might have suffered disbandment, but no luck.  There is next to no Union militia on the map.

Crouch tries for an attack on Longstreet.

He gets a retreat result.  They are almost equal strength.

Lee ignores Rosecrans and invests Wilmington,

while Cleburne attacks down the Virginia peninsula.

One of the factors in Lee's decision was the building of a naval base at Morehead City that gave the Union an immediate 5 extra factors and that a 10-3 infantry division arrived (it pays to have the first initiative sometimes).

However in order to do those attacks,

the Rebs had to pull back from northern Virginia.

Big picture in the east.

Big picture in the west.

All is quiet, very quiet, too quiet... 

For those last four turns the Union initiative was 3,2,1,1 and the Rebs 1,5,4,3.

The Union keep building.

I converted a 5-1 to a 5-3, built two supply wagons, five 4-2 militias, 21 garrion points and a 4-3 infantry.

As do the Confederates.

Boom, bang, crash, wallop!

A Confederate ironclad sinks the Union river boats around Memphis.

It was not without loss as the Rebs lose their river boats in exchange.

Unlike the infantry combat table, the naval one is brutal.

For the three turns completed of the 9/62 cycle, the Union initiative was 5,3,5 and the Rebs 2,2,2. However there was little the Union could do except worry.  Rosencrans tried to attack New Berne in North Carolina but without success, although it has brought Lee back down.

Rule Change

We decided that the political point for a decisive victory is only awarded once, like that for fort capture.

Having now seen the Don Johnson enhancements (http://www.limeyyankgames.co.uk/resources/war-between-the-states-don-johnson-2015-edition-rules-charts) the change that the politcal point is awarded if a HQ is lost seems a good one.

"12.HQ loss is permanent and loses a Political point, representing a decisive battle.  No complex rules for determining when a battle is decisive."