Lyon attempts to storm the fort at Island No. 10. No supply is used and both sides lose 2. Not an issue for the Union, but it means the Confederate garrison is halved. BUT Lyon is wounded and out of action for 9 months (back 9/62). This is a major blow for the Union. Jackson will now have his chance.
The Union carried forward 17 supply to which they can add 175. There is no town supply. Total of 192 and 10 personnel points.
The Confederates carried forward 115 to which they can add 8 import supply and 40 from major cities. A total of 163 to go with their 10 personnel points.
The Union convert 4 militia from each of Baltimore and Washington to two 4-3s and 6 garrison in Baltimore to two 3-3s. They commission a Supply Train, a River Flotilla and another one of those new fangled ironclad things. This leaves them with 66 supply.
The Confederates augment a 4-3 in Little Rock to a 10-3 and convert 4 militia in that same place to a 4-3. They raise 3 garrison and a Supply Train. This leaves them with 121.
The Union deploy 15 militia, 7 garrison to Baltimore, a 2 strength cavalry division to each of St Louis and Alton, a Naval Transport to C3901, an 8-3 to St Louis, a 5-3 to Evansville, a 4-3 to Alton, a 3-3 to each of Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia. The Naval Commander Farragut arrives in St Louis.
Militia demobilisation hits the Union in a big way, affecting Kentucky, Illinois and Tennessee. In total they lose 9 militia, three from each state. They will return 13/62.
The Confederates deploy a 10-3, 3-4 and 6 garrison to Richmond. A 3-3 goes to each of Mobile, Little Rock and Charleston. A 4-3 goes to Memphis. The ironclad is still undergoing fitout. Floyd, Brucker and Bragg (who is wrongly labelled A Johnston) arrive. Van Dorn, Polk and Stuart are promoted to Corps commanders.
Confederate supply consumes 25 and 6 railroad points. Hardee creates a depot in Nashville and some supply is then broadcast to it.
Union supply consumes 26 and 2 railroad points. The Union broadcast 10 supply to the depot at Fort Pickens.
In Missouri the Confederates are able to raise some militia in Rolla. In Kentucky the Union raise militia in Bowling Green.
Week 25
The Union get the 3 chit which significantly offsets the loss of Lyon and militia.Farragut takes command of the Mississippi flotillas and blasts the Confederate garrison of the fort at Island No. 10 to smithereens. They get a political point for capturing the fort when they order troops from Cairo to complete the occupation. Halleck is railed to Bowling Green. Buell is railed to St Louis (the compulsory initiative spent in the east).
McDowell repairs the line to Ironton and then rails to fix the broken line to Cairo. The plan is for him to takeover Lyon's corps. Pope declines to move. Banks throws a party to celebrate Halleck's arrival.
Burnside prepares to attack... And he does! It's on the 111-130 column of CRT 2. Beauregard is forced to retreat, but there are no losses.
A closer reading of the Restrictions after Water Transport [7.27] indicates that the initiative value of the so marked leader is not reduced. Keyes does a march attack, but the screening Confederate cavalry fall back, but he captures Yorktown.
Militia deploy in Cairo, Philadelphia and Baltimore.
The Confederates send Magruder to confront Keyes. Stuart and two cavalry divisions are sent the Culpepper. An extra division is sent to Longstreet. Beauregard taunts Burnside.
North Virginia where Burnside and Keyes have launched offensives on the flanks.
The Confederates have a very strong centre, but are without supply wagons.
Polk, now he has his promotion, is energised and starts off to Missouri, taking a division from Memphis that he probably shouldn't have (one of the little ones meant for augmentation). Jackson, hearing of the loss of the fort at Island No. 10, pulls back to Jackson so he is better placed to support Hardee or Memphis.
North Tennessee and the threat to Nashville.
Hardee wants to blow up the bridge at Carthage, but has no way to transport the explosives. Doh!
There are no Confederate militia to deploy.
Week 26
The Union have no free initiative.With their guaranteed two free initiatives per week, the Confederates know they can get Polk to join Price and reestablish his supply line to Springfield, MO. Price voluntarily returns to Rolla to pick up the new militia.
Using his initiative, Jackson creates a supply dump at Jackson and then rails his supply train to Nashville where it is eagerly awaited by Hardee. Jackson also sends his small division back to Memphis for later augmentation. He is confident the Union won't be attacking anymore this year.
Magruder is ordered to send his cavalry to Stuart. Given Keyes has no supply train he does not expect him to attack.
Longstreet crosses the Rappahannock.
The remaining Confederate generals sit put except Floyd who takes a train to New Orleans, although he has no idea what he will do there.
The Union sit and ponder in the West, however Farragut does see that his fleet is resupplied and a River Transport is sent to the Cumberland in case Halleck has need of a ferry in case the Confederates blow up bridges. I also now see I might have been a bit too generous with my ferry operations: they need to be in place first. Whoops.
In the East supplies are sent to Yorktown, by River Transport from Washington, but they won't arrive till next week. Burnside plans to attack again, but doesn't. Keyes waits for supplies before he will attack.
Week 27
The Union get one free initiative. The Confederates go first, with Polk proceeding to join Price and Hardee blowing up the bridge at New Carthage.Van Dorn gets it into his head that will be a better commander in New Orleans and takes his personal train and staff of his Corps there. Floyd writes a complaining letter to President Davies.
Longstreet advances to confront Heinzelmann. Stuart does a sweep to recapture all the bridges around Manassas.
A River Flotilla is sent up the Tennessee (I've just read the rules about a warship being able to destroy bridges, like say rail bridges, that are linking Nashville to other cities for supply).
Halleck advances to the Cumberland and crosses it using his ferry. Banks is on the other bank watching Nashville which they are planning to surround. The other generals in the West do nothing.
In the East everyone waits to see the results of Burnside and Keyes attacks. Seems they will be waiting a while.
Militia flock to Baltimore and Philadelphia.
Week 28
The Union are back with the zero chit.The Confederates expend their two free initiatives getting Price and Polk together.
Jackson takes himself to Memphis in the hope of getting some reinforcements. Hardee is petrified in Nashville. Van Dorn and Floyd argue in New Orleans.
Longstreet stays put and Stuart moves to cover his flank as well as to be in easy supply range of Richmond.
In an amazing show of initiative Halleck (he's in command of an army HQ with two cavalry divisions) first moves to the Duck River near Columbia cutting the railway and then to just south of Murfreesboro where his zone of control will block Confederate supplies to Nashville. A River Flotilla is moved to the Cumberland to stop the Confederates getting supply that way.
McDowell is also in good form, completing the rail road repairs to Cairo and taking himself to Island No. 10 to take command of Lyon's Corps.
The Union belatedly discover they can start blockading Confederate seaports. Porter takes his fleet to Mobile and bombards the fort protecting it, dispersing the garrison.
Neither Keyes or Burnside attack.
Nashville is probably the number one critical area going into the new year.
It is currently under "extended siege".
Just a note about supply:
It traces from the source to the unit, (in the recent face to face game we were doing it the other way)
so Halleck is four movement points from being supplied by water on the Cumberland.
Hardee's supply on the Cumberland is blocked by the Union River Flotilla which has a 10 hexside zone of interdiction, he is five hexes from getting supply from the Columbia railhead and blocked by Halleck's Zone of Control from getting supply from the railway at Tullahoma.
Luckily for both of them they have supplies on hand.
Missouri is a sideshow, but one where the Union could pour in resources to end it.
Virginia is always a balancing act, but if it tips it would quickly become decisive.
The Anaconda Plan in action.
Looking at Van Dorn's counter, I'm not sure they are the correct values - should he be 3-3-1?
Looking at Van Dorn's counter, I'm not sure they are the correct values - should he be 3-3-1?
Its all happening a lot faster for the unions this game because the naval rules seem certainly to favour them more than the previos rules..
ReplyDeleteAlso do the confederates have great trouble making wagon trains?
The naval changes have turned out to be very significant. The turns I've just done (weeks 29 and 30) were heavily influenced by naval activity. The Confederates are cursed by the late arrival of their ironclad.
DeleteI should have given the Confederate Wagon Trains higher priority (instead of an ironclad). The cost and build time hasn't changed. Also, Army HQs are yet to make an appearance for the Confederates and that causes problems.
There has been lots of excitement both in terms of unexpected things happening and expected things not happening.