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 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.
This seems a catastrophe, for sure, for the CSA. After following your game for some time, it seems to me that the initiative system is failing. Too much hand-sitting, I think. The generals in the CSA exhibited much more initiative than their cardboard counterparts seem to muster.
ReplyDeleteStill, very interesting read and I am enjoying it very much!
Yes, but I think the game will continue along historical lines.
DeleteThe initiative system also reflects weather in addition to general incompetence. Some of the initiative rolls for the Confederates were unlucky, but then maybe they needed Jackson over east and they have suffered from general casualties a bit (Longstreet and Stuart being wounded in this campaign), plus they needed an army HQ to really get the best out of Lee.
In the previous game, but using subtly different rules, the Confederates were very strong when they had an army HQ with Lee, especially when the Union didn't, and that was a significant factor in their victory.
I'm glad you are enjoying the posts. They are fun to write and I think the change to reporting men lost gives more flavour than referring to factors or strength points.
I infer that Lee is now a POW with his 51,000?
ReplyDeleteLee's remains will be captured along with his mighty army in the supply phase in the next cycle. While a military death blow, it is not a political disaster. One of the rule challenges with WBTS that I've seen is how to allocate political points for battles. The 2016 rules do this for loss of corps and army HQs which seems reasonable. The experimental rules also add in points for accumulated losses and that seem a good idea.
DeleteIn my game the Confederates came very close to winning if they had still been able to keep their troops threatening Washington/Baltimore. But it was a challenge with supply from the beginning and by the time they got the railroad fixed, it was too late. The death of Lee just makes it very hard to recover although Johnston got close. It also coincided with an uptick in the Union's free initiatives and in them having enough commanders so that at least a few could be expected to roll their initiatives (which are mostly 1 or 2 - the arrival of Porter, a 3, was lucky, although maybe Hooker should have been kept back - BUT, to win the Union need to capture New Orleans, as well as Memphis, Richmond and Atlanta; plus Nashville which they now have).