Fire and Fury - Pick-up with random entry

Wednesday night Craig and I had tried the Fictional Army Generator again to create two opposing armies.  Craig ended up being Union with five brigades and six batteries to my three brigades and four batteries.

More interestingly we tried a random deployment, using the table on page 14 of the first edition of the rules.  Basically we rolled for each unit and commander: a 1 meant three turns late, a 2 two turns late and a 3 or 4 one turn late; 5,6 or 7 meant deployed on the table edge; 8 or 9 could deploy up to one move in and a 10 up to two moves in.  We had a 3x4 foot playing area and identified one corner as Union and the opposite as Confederate and then labelled 12" lengths as 1,2; 3,4; 5,6; 7,8 and 9,10 to give the unit's starting location or entry point.

As this was done unit at a time, and for units not on the table location only diced for on entry, the commanders had some uncertainty as to exactly where their army was.  It also meant the Union with their two divisions were a bit mixed up.

 At start I had my best brigade deployed forward 

and half my artillery ready to move up through the open wood.

 The Union moved in quickly along the road, 

but at least my other two brigades were on.

 The Union cleared the field, but stopped at the woods.

The couldn't see my veterans (visibility was 4"), but I am sure they could smell them.

Having got this far the Union didn't seem inclined to go further.

That was good as my centre brigade was tardy in getting up. 

 Finally my divisional commander arrived,

along with the last of my artillery.

 The Union seemed reluctant to attack,

so I cautiously advanced my centre brigade.

 They met with success and the Union centre fell back.

Buoyed by this I pushed my right brigade forward.

It did the trick.

A sharp hand-to-hand combat caused the Union to fall back.

This encounter was early war, set in the Western Theatre in July.  The game started at 14:00 and lasted till about 17:00 when the Union decided it was time to go home (the army generator is fun, but cuts into playing time).  

The random deployment worked okay, but it was felt artillery should really be travelling on roads. Speaking of which, this game saw the debut of my freshly made roads, I just need to make some more and perhaps give them some extra character by adding a little bit of flock, very sparingly, to the edges.

My real challenge will be making some fences.

The varied weapon types, while I am sure historically as accurate as these things can be, adds an extra level of complexity for not much difference.  It would be better if you could see what the weapons were by looking at the figures in the unit, but that's not feasible in this scale. 

WBTS via Vassal - Weeks 61 to 64

The cycle that could have seen a Confederate victory instead sees a horrid compounding defeat.

The Union carryforward 30 supply and add to it 190 plus 28 from captured towns (after accounting for the loss of Harper's ferry - rail line is blocked by Confederate zone of control); that's a total of 248 for 10 personnel points.

The Confederates carry forward 126 plus 60 from major cities, a mere 2 from import supply and 61 from towns.  A total of 249 for 60 personnel points - the Confederates have implemented the draft. This gives the Union 3 political points.

The Union augment a 3-3 to a 10-3, convert a 3-2 to a 3-3 and build a railway repair unit.  This leaves 171 supply.

The Confederates augment four 3-3s to 10-3s, build a railway repair unit, an ironclad and raise 14 militia.  They are left with 69 supply.

Buell does his best to reorganise his army by amalgamating brigades with divisions, his army is so battered he is able to do four of these - what was once an 8 division strong army is now 4 divisions.

The Union deploy a 3-3 to St Louis along with a River Flotilla and an ironclad.  10-3s go to Cairo, Evansville and Washington.  A 3-3 goes to Cincinnati and 4-3s to Philadelphia and Baltimore.  A 2-4 goes to Washington.  Lyon returns to the work and is joined by McCook and Franklin.  They go respectively to Baltimore, Cairo and Washington.  Each has a corps.  Lyon has requested a seaside posting to aid in his convalescence.  The Department of the South is created in Bowling Green, KN.

2,000 Union militia decline further service.

The Confederates deploy 8-3 divisions to Richmond and Raleigh.  Longstreet returns and is placed in charge of a corps in Raleigh. There are no partisans although a cadre is formed in Virginia.  Jackson's plans to build a fort at Fort Pillow to further protect Memphis are delayed.

Union supply consumes 53 using 12 rail leaving them with 118 and 28 rail.  They take the opportunity with this surplus to top up their depots and supply wagons.

The Confederates require 31 supply and 8 rail which leaves them with 38 and 17 rail.  That's the good news.  55,000 men surrender to General Keyes outside Baltimore, there has never been a more dejected looking set of captives.  A further  51,000 men are isolated with Johnston on the Potomac. The loss of the Corps HQ with the surrender gives the Union a political point.

The survival of Johnston depends on the Confederates getting to move first.

Week 61

The Union draw the 1 chit.

The Confederates tell Johnston to get out of there.  He needs no encouragement.  The supply train has to be abandoned as the army heads to the mountains.

Van Dorn is ordered to send a brigade to cut the rail line supporting the Union offensive directed at Atlanta.

Longstreet rails to Richmond with his division.

Bruckner liberates Jacksonville.

Jackson attacks Buell on the 131-160 column of CRT 4.  Jackson uses two supply.  Both sides lose 15% which is 7,000 men for the Confederates and 5,000 for the Union.  Buell is wise to stay back at army HQ as he again avoided becoming a casualty.  The Union retreat.  Jackson doesn't follow.

The Union tell Crittenden to clear the Confederates off the railway line that is causing consternation to Halleck's Atlanta offensive.  He succeeds, although the rebels still block the line as far as Halleck is concerned and a 1,000 men and much supplies were lost in making this backwards move.  Pope, Banks and Halleck all wait on Crittenden.

Sumner stays in Springfield, MO.  McCook, Buell and Pleasanton all stay put on the banks of the Mississippi; the fish must be biting.

Hooker captures Tallahassee and cuts the rail line to Jacksonville, FA, this makes Buckner's liberation of that town of limited use.

In North Virginia, McClellan fails to stir, exhausted by writing his victory speech.  Porter also doesn't move, but Curtis has the sense to send him some reinforcements from McClellan's army.  Keyes and McClernand are slow to move and Franklin is still being measured for his uniform.  That leaves the newly returned Lyon.

Not to disappoint, Lyon takes 14,000 men and supplies in a large fleet of naval transports and river transports to Hampton and then marches up to confront Hindman.  He attacks on the 251-400 column of CRT 4.  Both sides lose 2,000 men and the Confederates retreat.

Porter should attack.  He has a good chance of being able to cut Johnston off if he can force Magruder out of the way.  But he doesn't...

Week 62

The Union get the 4 chit.

McClellan is told to stop Johnston from attacking.  He orders Porter to march attack Beauregard. With 8,000 cavalry Beauregard would prefer to retire, but knows he must stand and fight.  Both sides lose 1,000 men, but the Confederates hold.  Seeing this McClellan reinforces Curtis and Porter and wonders if they, later, maybe, will just possibly attack.

Franklin is sent forward as is McClernand.

Crittenden is told to try again to dislodge the Confederates blocking the rail line.  His march attack inflicts 1,000 casualties on the Rebels, but they do not budge (they are in rough terrain and could avoid retreating even if that was the result he achieved).

Halleck stares at Atlanta and wonders what to do.  Grant (his apprenticeship now finished) slips out from under him and goes and joins Crittenden.  Banks goes back to Nashville.  Pope wishes he knew what to do.  Later Grant doesn't even break a sweat (or risk himself) in removing the Rebel roadblock in east Tennessee.

The Mississippi generals keep fishing.

Hooker captures Chattahoochee and the fort covering the mouth of the eponymous river.  This river gives a back door way to Atlanta.

Lyon, proving every bit adept as Hooker in striking where the Confederates are not, slips back to Hampton, but this times boards a river steamer and descends on Petersburg.

Keyes is still busy processing all the Confederate prisoners.

Porter attacks Magruder on the 251-400 column of CRT 3.  The Union use 2 supply inflicting 4,000 casualties on the Confederates and forcing them to retreat.  However they lose 5,000 men including Porter, shot through the head.  Magruder is wounded and will be out of action for 7 months.

Can Johnston escape?

Johnston tries a march attack to break out (71-90 column of CRT 1). He succeeds, but as he leads his men out of the trap he is shot dead by a Confederate picket who mistakes him for one of those damn Yankees.  Whoops!  At least there is Breckinridge to take command.

Beauregard and Bragg (mislabelled as Johnston on the counter) sit tight.  Longstreet must do the same in Richmond as there are not enough troops to defend the capital and engage Lyon.

The Confederates realise they need some supplies in Atlanta if they are going to be able to fight back.

Van Dorn turns round and liberates Florence, but it costs him 1,000 men.

Jackson leaves Hardee in charge and takes 11,000 crack infantry to go and join Van Dorn and confront Grant.

D Hill, Huger and Polk do nothing, this might be okay for Polk, but the other two were supposed to send Jackson some supplies.  Instead Hardee sends his supply train to Jackson.

Buckner is shocked by Hooker's actions in Florida and doesn't know what to do.

The loss of Florida

It is big out west

Week 63

The Union get the 1 chit.  This means a back to back move for the Confederates.

Beauregard sends troops to reinforce Bragg and also a small division back to the Richmond environs. Breckinridge leads the Army of the Atlantic to join Beauregard outside Manassas.

D Hill is ordered back East.  The Confederates are a tad short of generals.  He has to change trains and gets as far as Greenville, AL.

Hardee, now with a supply train sent by Hill, stays at Fort Pillow.  His numbers match Buell's at around 26,000.  Polk stays at Little Rock and Huger takes command of Memphis.

Jackson rails his supply train to Van Dorn and then force marches after it, arriving safely and building the force up to 23,000.  Van Dorn just waited for him.

Floyd sleeps soundly in New Orleans, Buckner worries in Florida and A Hill stares at Halleck, trying to make him go away from from Atlanta.

Hindman, who was down to just 2,000 men, is reinforced by Longstreet.

The Confederates, with the successful escape of poor Johnston's army, now have over 70,000 men north of the Rappahannock.  The Union have 117,000 south of the Potomac and over 40,000 north of the river.

McClellan leaves Washington, where rumours that he was plotting a coup turn out to be untrue, fake news not having yet been invented. He takes the Army of Potomac HQ to command poor Porter's leaderless corps.

Curtis and McClernand wonder what to do next.  Franklin sits secure south of Alexandria.  Keyes starts an offensive in the Shenandoah Valley.  He captures Winchester and the Confederate garrison flees, losing 2,000 men.

Lyon with his 9,000 men marches to attack the naval base at Norfolk, leaving 1,000 men to destroy the railroad at Petersburg and then force march to join him in his assault.  The base surrenders (it was forced to retreat which I interrupted as eliminated).

Hooker contemplates his next move: should he go up the Chattahoochee?

Halleck wonders if he should march down and meet Hooker, but he doesn't.

Grant tells Crittenden to stay put while he goes to get reinforcements (he goes to Nashville and catches a train to Bowling Green).

Banks rests up in Nashville.  Pleasanton stirs into action and heads south capturing Humboldt and Jackson.  McCook sends reinforcements to Buell, although a 1,000 are lost on the way.  He then heads to Bowling Green along with some militia sent by Pleasanton on a paddle steamer.

Sumner does nothing in Missouri.

Week 64

The Union scrape in with the 2 chit.

Longstreet organises the reoccupation of Petersburg, but the damage has been done, however they can organise if enough water transport to keep it functioning as a supply town.

Beauregard decides to stay north of the Rappahannock and sends 5,000 men to reinforce the valley. D Hill continues his journey east arriving in Raleigh, but too late to get a hotel so he sleeps in his train carriage.

Buckner remains mystified in the Florida swamps.

Jackson goes to Athens taking every available man except Van Dorn who is abandoned in Florence. Hardee thinks about going and trying to get Jackson back, but decides he better stay and protect Memphis.

All the other learned Confederate generals write letters to President Davis saying how they would have won the war by now if only they had been put in charge of the Army of Northern Virginia.  The Confederate President only wishes he still had an Army of Northern Virginia.

The Union full strength division that was marooned at Evansville is railed to Bowling Green.

Pleasanton is then instructed to conduct a devastating raid.

Pleasanton has 8,000 troopers in three divisions.

1. First the 2,000 strong division goes to Florence, capturing Van Dorn and liberating that town.  
2. Then one division splits off a brigade which goes via Corinth to the rendezvous point south of Florence.
3. The remaining division then splits off a brigade that goes to Corinth, destroys the rail line and heads to the rendezvous point.
4. Finally Pleasanton takes the remaining 4,000 men to the meet the others, putting them all in command and able to trace supply via Savannah.

The forced march via the red path (2 extra in unfriendly territory) resulted in the loss of 1,000 men (there was no risk of losing more).  The forced march on the blue path (1 extra in enemy territory) resulted in the loss of 1,000 men, but meant the black path was 2 extra in now friendly territory and had no losses while the yellow path (just 1 extra in friendly) also lost 1,000 men.  Rather expensive, but losses could have been less (as it was they were the maximum as if the whole 6,000 had done the black path - 2 extra in enemy - the maximum loss would have been 25%).

The capture of Van Dorn and his corps (even though it was empty) gives the Union a political point and cutting the railway at Corinth puts Jackson out of supply.

Buell fails to move, but Banks does, recapturing Pulaski, which would really infuriate Jackson.

Grant sends 10,000 men to Nashville, but remains behind in the Department of the South at Bowling Green.  Crittenden is to stay put.  Halleck decides to as well.

Hooker returns to Tallahassee so he can keep an eye on Buckner.

Lyon rests up in Norfolk, as does Keyes in Winchester.

Curtis crosses over to support McClellan in an expected attack, but one is not forthcoming.

 If the Union push up the valley, they will be able to turn the Confederates' flank

Compared to the compactness of the east, the west is wide open spaces.

Casualties

The Union lost 15,000 compared to the Confederates' 17,000 plus 55,000 surrendered.

Burgundian Ordonnance versus Frederic III's Imperials

Today Mark Woods and I had a hard fought game of Impetus when he took Frederic III's Imperials to fight my Burgundians.  550 points in a contemporary battle.

My stock standard army in its usual deployment.

I might lack imagination, but my CinC is a genius.

Frederic is charismatic.

Hmmm, my sub general gets down graded first turn.

I realised I had my supporting infantry too close to my artillery

 and had to pull them back to avoid presenting a large target for the enemy artillery.

 Perhaps my CinC was not such a genius...

The dice seemed to think so.

 The view from the Imperial side.

 In a daring move the Imperial light cavalry charged the guns.

Luckily for me they came up short.

 My centre recovered and tried hard to bring fire down on the enemy.

Most of my fire throughout the game was mediocre

and it was only through being sustained that any casualties were caused.

 Another view from the Imperial side, 

just before things got interesting.

Somehow that annoying enemy light cavalry

got a flank charge on my CinC.

What was that about him being a genius?

 

My CinC was trying to retrieve the disaster caused by the German wedges

which had punched hole in the left flank.

Luckily he beat off the flank attack.

 Things were moving slowly on the right...

 But then the action quickly started to happen.

 While on the left there was developing a knightly swirl.

 Stabbed in the back!

But the die rolls told a different story.

 My guys might not have been able to shoot straight,

but they could fight real good.

 The enemy centre has broken and my right hand command is doing well.

 I'm trying to turn my centre round but it doesn't seem keen.

 Oh dear, my camp is ransacked.

 The fighting on the right has intensified.

 But I am going to lose on the left, unless...

My CinC snatching a draw from the jaws of defeat,

with both armies breaking at the end of the same turn

Phew!

Great game.

Southern Hemisphere Open Zombies

Today at SHO I took part in the NWS zombie game.

Team photo

This is one angry bunch of librarians

There's always one...

Eh, three...

Five!

After finally getting clear of the first wave of zombies

and getting past the notice board,

what did we find?

More zombies!

WBTS via Vassal - Weeks 57 to 60

The eighth cycle of 1862 begins with a siege.  Porter attacks the Confederate defenders of Alexandria.  As this is part of the Siege Combat (Monthly Strategic Turn) [13.41] he does not need to be activated.  He is on the 111-131 column of CRT 3.  Porter uses 1 supply and both sides lose 2,000 men.

Washington is under extended siege as the Confederates in the fort at Alexandria cut the water supply path and the large Confederate army astride the railway line to Baltimore blocks the rail supply path [13.39].  So Washington won't be producing supply.  The units in Washington have to live off supply in the city, but can do so for only one month, however this doesn't seem right as there is a good supply path by road to Baltimore.  Regardless, Washington is in trouble, as are the two Confederate blocking forces.

Supply for the Union is 180 minus 20 for the Washington being cut-off, plus 5 from carryforward. Total of 165 for 10 personnel points.  They augment a 3-3 to a 10-3 and commission a naval flotilla.

The Confederates carryforward 100, receive 60 for major cities and 6 from seaports.  Total 166 for 5 personnel points.  They build 5 garrison factors.

The Confederates deploy new 10-3 divisions to Richmond and Raleigh and a 3-3 to Memphis.  Holmes appears in Richmond.  This is not taken well as 5,000 men leave the militia in Virginia.  2,000 go home in Texas.  Beauregard is given command of the Cavalry Corps and his corps is retired (there is no rule for such a removal of HQs, but it seems reasonable).

The Union deploy new 10-3 divisions to Baltimore and Philadelphia, a 3-3 to Cincinnati and a 2-4 to Cairo.  They finish building their fort between Washington and Annapolis.  They would like to build more, but don't have enough supply to complete them outright.  They have 84 supply.  An army HQ lapses as there is no one available to take command of it.  Curtis takes command of a corps in Washington.

There are no partisans, but another cadre appears in Tennessee.

Union supply is 45 using 17 rail.  They now have 39 left.  They broadcast supply to Thomas and Crittenden.

Confederate supply is 30 and 9 rail.  They have 126 left.  The garrison of the fort at Alexandria surrenders due to lack of supplies.

The Confederates get a political point for having isolated Washington.

Week 57

The Union get the 5 chit.  Things keep going from bad to worse for the Confederates (maybe).

In the West Pleasanton is ordered to Cairo to collect the cavalry.  This will give him a good cavalry corps ready to fight any partisans that dare appear.

Halleck takes the war to Georgia, capturing Rome and Kingston and getting closer to the prize of Atlanta.

The new 10,000 man division is marched to Baltimore and the 10,000 man division there sails to Alexandria.  That frees Porter to conduct the master stroke.  A small band of militia are forced march to clear the bridge, they perish, but not in vain as the way is clear for Porter to take his 15,000 men and sweep round and occupy Manassas Junction.  He does just that, dooming the Confederates on the Potomac.

McClellan activates, but his position is as good as it gets.  Porter has repaired the bridges between Alexandria and Washington. He orders an empty supply train to Alexandria which is then provided with supplies shipped in from Baltimore.  He moves Keyes to take over from Rosencrans so the latter can take his cavalry and totally seal of the rebel host marooned at the gates of Baltimore.

Crittenden, Banks and Pope must be dazzled by Halleck's advance on Atlanta and just read the despatches, awestruck.

Hooker descends on St Marks, FA.

Buell crosses back over the Mississippi to reinforce Thomas.  The Confederates have 81,000 men around Memphis and the Union only 51,000, but the Confederates aren't able to get all their troops into battle.

The Confederates send Magruder with 22,000 men to confront Porter.

The new division in Raleigh is railed to Augusta.  Van Dorn and 4,000 men are railed from New Orleans to Holly Springs in north Mississippi.  He is to collect some reinforcements and then reconquer central Tennessee.  Jackson takes the initiative to send him 11,000 men who he hopes will be more effective attacking where the Union ain't.  Hardee sulks because he wants to lead to reconquesta.  Huger keeps quiet as he likes it in Memphis.  [Aside: having looked at the experimental leader rules, the Confederates could really do with Van Dorn as a cavalry commander at this stage.]

Polk is happy in Little Rock.

Floyd is very happy in New Orleans although the gossips say Mrs Floyd isn't that happy.  He is tempted to rearrange the defences now that Van Dorn has fled, but is annoyed to find that Van Dorn has done a good job of securing the Mississippi delta.

Buckner still awaits orders in Brunswick.

A Hill completes the recovery of the North Carolina coast, and then leaving his division in Wilmington and takes the midnight train to Augusta.

Beauregard inspects his new command at Leesburg, but doesn't have the initiative to get out while he still can.  Johnston doesn't want to flee, he wants to attack.  He doesn't.  So it's over to Magruder to attack.  He doesn't.

 The catastrophe in the East 

(for both sides and the rules as well I think)

The West

where Van Dorn is ready to strike east

Week 58

The Union get the 4 chit.

Pleasanton is ordered to Columbus, he will be Van Dorn's shadow.  He also sends 4,000 men by paddle steamer to Nashville.

Halleck arrives on the outskirts of Atlanta.

Curtis comes out of Washington, picking up troops from Alexandria and securing Porter's right flank. The Confederate railroad repair unit is overrun.  Rosencrans is sent to join Porter, but with his cavalry he presents a much more serious threat to the Confederates.

McClellan, Keyes and McClernand await developments.  Porter stays put.  If he can hold, Rosecrans will be able to slip round causing the Confederates a whole world of pain.

Hooker bides his time.  He has his sights on Chattahoochee, but it requires careful planning.

Pope, Crittenden and Banks still seem bewildered in the Tennessee mountains.  They are not moving.

Sumner sends his reinforcements from St Louis to Rolla and then heads on to Springfield to collect the rest of his army.

Buell, with Thomas and McDowell, thinks about attacking Jackson.  And he does!  It is on the 131-160 column of CRT 3.  The Union use supply and inflict 10% casualties on the Confederates, suffering the same loss in men themselves, 4,000.  The Union victory is short lived as Thomas is wounded and will be out of action for eight months.

Aside: I reckon I am over committing my leaders.  If I had stuck with the optional rule [26.2] I would have been very reluctant to commit leaders as the risk is death on the throw of a 1 and a wound on a throw of a 2 with a six sided dice.  Too a high risk except for desperate battles.  Also, one would have prepared for the risk by having replacement generals handy.

Van Dorn reaches the Tennessee.

Bragg is sent to Culpepper Court House with 10,000 men from Richmond.  Hindman is left defending Richmond with 4,000 men.

A Hill is told to get moving to Atlanta.

Hardee sends reinforcements to Jackson so the latter can now make a counterattack.  He does!  Its on the 91-110 column of CRT 4.  Jackson uses 2 supply and is able to adjust the outcome to a 5% loss for him versus a 10% loss for the Union (3,000 to 5,000)  The Union retreat.  Buell has a lucky escape due to staying behind at Army HQ.

In a last chance to breakthrough, Johnston attacks Keyes on the 131-160 column of CRT 2. The Confederates use supply.  There are no losses and Keyes retreats.  Johnston has a lucky escape like Buell - it pays to be an army commander.

Precarious

The Confederates desperately need to go first in week 59.

Week 59

They do, the Union get the 2 chit.

Johnston does his best to try and extricate the trapped troops.  Beauregard is sent back to try and keep the rear open.

In the west Van Dorn keeps heading east.

Hardee brings up more supplies so Jackson can keep attacking.

Bragg helps shore up the Confederate line in North Virginia.

Johnston considers an attack on McClellan, but can't get the orders out in time.

Jackson attacks Buell again, on column 91-110 on CRT 4.  The Union use 1 supply, the Confederates 2.   It is a bloody outcome, the Confederates lose 11,000 men (25%) to the Union's 8,000 (20%).

Rosencrans is ordered towards Leesburg, tightening the second noose. Militia are pushed into the valley blocking the Confederates' supply from that source.

Porter has the initiative to send a small force to bolster Rosencrans.  Everyone else in the East stays put. The tension is very high over who will get to be present at the Confederate surrender.

Everywhere else people are glued to the telegraph office waiting for the news from Washington.

 It just keeps getting worse for the Confederates.

Week 60

The Union get 1 free in initiative.  Will it be enough to doom the Confederates on the Potomac?

The Confederates tell A Johnston to pull out.  He orders Breckenridge to try and push Rosencrans aside in a march attack.  He fails with both sides losing 1,000 men.  Magruder tries also to push Rosencrans out of the way, but fails.

Van Dorn is ordered to retake Decatur and Huntsville.  He does, but loses 1,000 men in the process.

Buckner gives up waiting for orders and decides to march down to liberate Florida.

A Hill makes it to Decatur, GA.

Jackson decides to attack again, but goes into a rage after reading despatches from the East.

Breckinridge fails to attack, but Magruder does.  He has to attack across a river, but is on the 201-250 column of CRT 3.  Magruder uses supply, which he luckily has, and suffers 10% casualties (3,000 men) but inflicts 40% on Rosencrans who loses 2,000 men and is forced to retreat.  A supply line is open to the Army of the Atlantic.  Rosencrans is wounded and will be in hospital for seven months.

The Union order Curtis to counterattack.  It's a march attack on the 91-110 column of CRT 1.  To the Confederates' dismay it is successful.

McClellan shows initiative and swings down crossing the Potomac and then strikes the under belly of the surrounded Confederates.  Both sides lose 1,000 men.  McClellan, carefully leading from the rear at the Army of the Potomac's HQ, narrowly avoids becoming a casualty.

Hooker languishes in the Florida swamps.

Halleck, Banks, Crittenden and Pope display no initiative what so ever.

Likewise Buell, Pleasanton and Sumner in the West.

Farragut pulls the US navy back up the Mississippi to maintain contact with Buell's Army of the Missouri.

McClellan could attack, but thinks he's done enough.

 The East - where it has all been happening
The grey stacks north of the Potomac are doomed

The West - where the action is very different to that in the East.

Casualties

Union losses have been 16,000 compared to the Confederates' 20,000.  This is before the surrender of Lee's army, 55,000 men.  And then there is Johnston 51,000 men who were sent to the rescue but are now trapped.

The Red Badge of Courage 1974

I enjoyed this movie that I found on You Tube.  It was very close to the book and had good atmospherics.  However there was something that didn't quite work for me.  Having given it some thought, and in watching some modern TV, the acting style in this movie was too reminiscent of soap operas.  Not that it was melodramatic or anything like that, it just rang false.

The reason I went for the 1974 version was that it was in colour. I'm now thinking that Richard Thomas as "the youth" aka Henry Fleming, looks better in black and white rather than blue and gray.
Next is to watch the 1951 version, available on You Tube.

Southern Hemisphere Open Skies

Today I took part in Stephen's demonstration game at the new miniature gaming event for Perth called the Southern Hemisphere Open.  Stephen's game was part of the NWS' contribution.

 As it was his game and his models he got the unenviable job of flying five Albatross scouts.  

I had a miserly two Snipes.

And on my first shot my guns jam.

Even though my pilot had the special ability to reduce this occurrence.

Coming and going

 A hit!

One down, four to go.

 My other Snipe has had to break off.

It took 14 damage and can only take two more.

 My remaining Snipe keeps fighting,

although heavily outnumbered.

 Getting a shot at the Hun leader.

 Some near misses

Collisions are a frequent risk in Wings of Glory

  By the end of the allotted time, my remaining Snipe had 12 damage points.

10, 9, 7, 1 the damage on the four remaining German planes.