Adeunt Romani tecto

Well I cheated and rather than convert some Airfix figures, I bought the HAT Roman artillery set which also had the light infantry I needed.  I know realise I have Airfix Early Imperial Romans mixed with HAT late Republicans.  My excuse is I was too focussed on constructing an opponent for my Ancient Britons.

 Light infantry, psiloi or skirmishers.

 Not sure of the wisdom of the headdress.

The poses are decent.

 A bit smaller than I imagined, but true to scale.

The base dwarfs the model.

 Ready, aim, fire!

or, as the Romans might say:

"Parantibus tenditque ignis"

Thanks Google Translate

I had these guys sitting around and decided to paint them.

 I rather like them.  Unusually for me I had based them first.

 I also cheated when it camp to the camp.

This is a paper model from: 

http://papermau.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/tents-from-roman-campaign-by-papermau.html

I have plans to make a palisade for it, one day.

My whole 1/72nd scale Roman army.  

It is just meant for DBA, but if I was to get some more figures purchased/painted I could do a Basic Impetus army... NO!  I mustn't go there!

One nice thing about this latest addition is that my daughter picked up the HAT figures from Tactics for me when she was in the city recently.  She didn't have to do it, just texted if I needed anything.

Osprey Campaign 177 - Waterloo 1815 (2) - Ligny

In working on a scenario for Ligny I came across this Osprey publication which I found to be a very refreshing read.

It really focussed on the battle, giving only the essential contextual information about the wider campaign.

I found the early engagements between the French and the Prussians inspiring and think Gilly might work as a small scenario for Napoleon's Battles, although perhaps more suited to rules at the battalion level.

What I now have to accommodate in my scenario is the absence of the 14th Division which was engaged in skirmishing with the III Korps, the arrival of the 5th Cavalry Division as a reinforcement (17:30), that it was only a brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division that arrived, and of course the impact the appearance of the 1st Corps had on the French left wing (18:00-18:30).  It would also be nice to have the news from Quatre Bras impact the Prussians (which I think is going to be needed as a game balance.  It was received around 18:00 and so the Prussian new the "dark masses" were French reinforcements).  Then there is the thunderstorm (around 20:00).

There was no mention of the covering attack by the 9th Brigade at the end of the battle, although certainly the work of the III Korps in assisting the safe withdrawal of the Prussian army is mentioned.  I'm guessing the Osprey format with it's fixed number of pages meant somethings had to be left out, or maybe the other sources that I have read thought it was more significant than it actually was.

Early Seleucids versus Spartans

Andrew talked me into a game of Basic Impetus 2.  The theme was Greek and I decided I would try something different: elephants.

 Flanked by two woods, I was happy to get my elephants into position.

 Seen from the Spartan side, my light infantry and skirmishers are confident of taking the woods,

while my light cavalry sweeps round the rear.

 My peltasts got in a bit of a muddle and things soon went bad for them.

 But my elephants and pike got in.

Sadly they failed to inflict significant casualties.

Just before the end...

The Spartan cavalry was dealt with, but it was too late to affect the battle.

The Spartans prevailed against my pike and elephants.

Sensibly, my general kept out of it.

I am really impressed with Basic Impetus 2 

WBTS via Vassal - Weeks 81 to 84

Welcome to 1863.

The Union carried forward 173 supply and received 180.  They implement a draft system which caused riots to breakout in New York city and it will be necessary to send a division, 4,000 men, to put an end to that.  As the Emancipation Act has not been declared, the draft cannot tap into the swelling number of coloured folk who are wanting to fight for their rights.  This reduces the number of Personnel Points by 10 per cycle (but to a minimum of at least 10 - which is better than the 5 that the Union were facing otherwise).  The draft call gives the Confederates three political points.  The Confederates now have a one political point ascendency, but that is not good for anything and in fact it is good for nothing.

The North get 50 personnel points.

The Confederates carry forward 129 and receive 95 from major city supply and a 3 from imports.  Total 227 supply and 10 personnel points.

The Union start training 10,000 militia in Baltimore to become a single 10,000 strong infantry division.  In Washington 6,000 militia commence training to form two 3,000 strong infantry divisions.  In Bowling Green, 3,000 militia undergo the same process.  From Bowling Green and St Louis, small 3,000 man divisions commence augmentation into 10,000 man divisions.  A 3,000 strong cavalry division is initiated along with raising 12.000 garrison troops.  A supply train is ordered and also a Navy Flotilla, River Flotilla and an Ironclad.  The Union are left with 106 supply.

The Confederates recruit 10,000 garrison troops.  The silver lining is that in 1863 they can absorb up to 2,000 garrison troops into each infantry division per month [22.7].  They have 207 supply left.  They complete the fort at Petersburg and build one at Helena on the Mississippi which reduces the supply total to 127.

The Confederates deploy 8,000 garrison troops, a 10,000 strong division and 2,000 cavalry troopers to Richmond.  Other 10,000 man infantry divisions go to Raleigh and New Orleans.  An ironclad starts fitout in New Orleans and Forrest says damn the curtains, launch the thing straight away.  It floats, but for how long?

The Union receive another Naval Flotilla and deploy 10,000 strong infantry divisions to Washington, Baltimore, St Louis, Cairo and Bowling Green.  This deployment was the results of the call for volunteers back in late September.  The Union could actually use a new corps, but fail to generate any.  Luckily Sedgewick is in place to takeover Lyon's old corps.

There are no partisans.

Stuart returns from sick leave and takes command of his old cavalry corps, ready to strike fear into the hearts of those northern aggressors.  Ewell appears in New Orleans where he is given the plans for the building of a massive fortress at Vicksburg.

No militia appear in Kentucky or Missouri this month.  I've also just realised that I've been giving the Union only half of the militia they should have been receiving from Kentucky.  Doh!

Union supply consumption is 49 and 18 rail.  That leaves 57 and 12 rail.  6 supply is railed to McCook.

Confederate supply comes in at 30 plus 13 rail.  They are left with 97 supply and 7 rail.

Week 81

The Union keep up the momentum getting the 4 chit.

I have been wracked with indecision about how best to use the four free initiatives that the Union have.  So much to do.

Pope is directed to send the division he has with him to New York to quell the draft riots (which are serious and see 1,000 military casualties; the civilian casualties are not released).  He then gets on with repairing the rail lines.

The new division in Bowling Green is ordered to rail a brigade to Dalton, TN to block Bruckner's invasion of East Tennessee and then to march to Nashville.

The new division in Cairo takes river transport to Paris and then starts to march to join McCook.

McCook is ordered to push south to keep the pressure up on the Confederates.  They are nowhere in sight, but he is able to clear railway lines and improve the Union supply situation.

Banks displays initiative, and liberates Greenville, AL, on his way to the Gulf.  Halleck and Hooker decide not to move.

Buell, while maintaining his base at Grand Junction, sweeps up to the rebel militia at Ripley and sends a brigade to cut the railway line just south of Hernando to delay the retreat of Johnston's Army of the Mississippi.

The naval flotilla blockading New Orleans moves out to deep water (and thereby avoid any sneak attacks from the new Confederate ironclad).

Over in the East, McClernand takes his corps down towards Lynchburg.  Burnside is too busy rounding up stragglers to do anything, but Franklin moves his corps down to the James, just outside Richmond.  Meade follows and takes Hanover Junction.  Sedgewick doesn't get any orders and stays idle north of the York.  McPherson, who should cross the James and join McClellan, fails to move (explanations could be the state of the James river at this time of the year, not just general incompetence).  McClellan, with his back to a river, faced by multiple Confederate armies, unsurprisingly fails to move.  Howard, in charge of reinforcements in Washington, has some nice parades, but fails to send any troops to the front.

McClellan has a serious think about attacking Bragg, but decides the time is not right.

McClernand thinks of doing an attacker wriggle to take Lynchburg, but decides it would be too embarrassing.

Johnston struggles south while Forrest cuts a way through the Union cavalry.

In the east Stuart is dispatched to secure Lynchburg.  Beauregard then takes 19,000 men from Richmond and joins D Hill.  Hindman and 2,000 men are sent west (but slowly).

Smith with the (in name only) Army of Northern Virginia, decides to join Hindman on the march.

Forrest decides to leave Ewell in charge of New Orleans and, leaving him a brigade, takes 8,000 men up the Mississippi.

Beauregard attacks McClellan on the 131-160 column of CRT 3 hoping to push him back across the James.  The Union are not going to budge.  Both sides lose 3,000 men.

The Confederates attempting to secure the James.

(Note: the leader labeled "Longstreet" is "Stuart")

 Johnston's retreat

Week 82

The Union get the one chit.

The Army of the Mississippi continues with its escape.  Johnston first uses Hardee to clear the road at Holy Springs.  Both sides lose 1,000 men, but the Union don't budge.  Johnston then tries, but has the same result.  Forrest is sent to Corinth to stop McCook, or rather, to delay McCook (the Confederates only have 2,000 troopers).

In the East Smith force marches to join Stuart and sends Hill to join Beauregard.

The final free initiative is used to move a lost militia unit to Atlanta.

Price moves down the Neuse River to pick up troops.

Bruckner liberates Rome, GA.

Jackson is on the march.  He's not sure where to, but he know he has to do something.

Polk holds put in the fort at Helena, his job being to stop any Yankee boats that might want to sail down the mighty Mississippi.

The Army of the Mississippi fails to attack (all three generals failed to activate).  Johnston is now thinking he should have burnt his supply wagon and gone directly south.

Beauregard, who now has 63,000 men to McClellan's 17,000 fails to attack.  However Bragg and D Hill attack.  Bragg goes first on the 201-250 column of CRT 3.  Both sides lose 2,000 men, but the Union don't budge.  Bragg had also used up 2 supply.  Hill attacks on the 161-200 column of CRT 3.  Again both sides lose 2,000 men but McClellan stays put, furiously writing orders for reinforcements.  Luckily he was so engrossed scribbling away that the cannonball that had his name on it sailed right over his head as he was crouched over his desk.

McClellan is given his request and reinforcements are sent across the James, boosting his numbers to 35,000 effectives.  It was good this was done as none of the Union commanders on this front showed much initiative except for McClernand who continued to secure the headwaters of the James and Burnside who rounds up a lost brigade and sends it to the front.

The Western Theatre also sees a lack of Union activity, except for planning for the surrender parties at Fort Pillow and Memphis.

Week 83

The Union get the one chit again.

Hardee finally clears the way for the Army of the Mississippi to continue its retreat.

The Railroad Repair unit starts to deconstruct some rail lines to get essential supplies.

Bruckner is ordered to start moving down the Alabama river.

Forrest decides to pull back to Pontotoc, MI.  With only 2,000 troopers he is significantly outnumbered by Buell who has 6,000.

Jackson reaches Williamsburg, MI.

On the James, with close to parity of numbers, Beauregard has no intention of entering into a battle of attrition.  The Confederates realise they need a Jackson or a Lee back here in the east.

The Union order Pope to finish repairing the rail lines and then move down to the James to support McClernand.

Burnside rounds up another stray brigade.  Sedgewick prepares to cross the James, increasing the noose around Richmond.  Nothing else stirs in the Union camps in the East.

Buell does another cavalry sweep, retaking Corinth, but then pulling back to Grand Junction to protect the rear of the Union armies besieging Memphis and Fort Pillow.

All very quiet, but I guess it is the depths of winter.

Week 84

The Union return to action with the five chit.

McCook and the 10,000 reinforcements from Cairo are hurried along to Corinth.

Howard is given a kick up the bum and and told to send reinforcements to Meade and get himself over to Culpepper to take over command of the vacant XXII Corps.  Sedgewick is given permission to cross the James and further invest Richmond.

Banks is told to hurry up and get to the Gulf.

Burnside in a continued demonstration of initiative brings his 1,000 stragglers down to the James.  Franklin takes a division from Meade, but is still part of the investment of Richmond.

Meade musters 55,000 men to attack Richmond which is defended by 42,000.  The attack goes in on the 111-130 column of CRT 3.  Meade uses supply and both sides suffer 10% casualties (6,000 for the Union and 5,000 for the Confederates).  As Richmond is a city, the Confederates don't have to retreat.

Johnston get's his army to Grenada, losing 1,000 troops on the way.  Polk is ordered north, and although he goes, he is busy looking over his shoulder at Charleston which is seeing a lot of US naval activity.  Breckinridge is pulled out of Richmond, leaving Taylor in command of the garrison.  In doing so he sends reinforcements to Beauregard (9,000 garrison troops that can be absorbed into his depleted divisions).

Hindman decides to do something, but then realises he has only the 4,000 militia in Smith's Army of Northern Virginia that he can have access to.  He therefore decides to stay put.

Hill returns to Atlanta.

Forrest hatches a plan to recruit partisans, but then realises he would be out of supply.

 Charleston, SC, looks vulnerable, but there are no convenient landing areas.

But maybe the Confederates don't know that?

 Is the Army of North Virginia about to become the Army of North Carolina?

 Is it big out west or is it just the magnification?

Are both the Union and the Confederates overstretched when it comes to Operations in the Gulf?

Casualties

The Union lost 18,000 men in the first four weeks of 1863.  The Confederates lost 16,000.  However with the imminent surrender of Memphis and Fort Pillow that number will more than double.

Normandy 44 - Turn 1 and 2

Today Richard and I started Normandy 44.

 All set up and ready to go.

 And when we've finished we have these two beauties to play.

 The Commonwealth beachhead after D-Day+2.

The beach assault took a heavy toll on the 3rd Canadian and 50th Divisions.

Except for the paratroops, the US landing went well.

Private Ryan is saved.

Seven Pines Again

After playing this again recently and also planning to play it agin I thought it was time to inflict the scenario on Stephen N and Mark B, who had last tried it three years ago.  These big games, not that Seven Pines is really that big, require preparation and it is nice to be able to make the most of this, particularly when the terrain is all ready to go.  I find this scenario is also really effective as a game.

 The battlefield all ready to go.

 The Rebels arrive and charge.

 ACW can be colourful, in moderation.

 The initial charge was checked, but the Union forces fell back all the same.

 It is essential for the Confederates to keep pushing forward.

 Casey's Division was overwhelmed,

but then the Confederate attack stalled.

The Confederate flank attack went in too late, although it looked promising.

We stopped at the 17:30 turn.  With only one Confederate turn left at that point they had reached their peak.  Victory points stood at 9 for the Union and 13 for the Confederate.

WBTS via Vassal - Weeks 77 to 80

The Union have stockpiled 182 supply and get another 180 from production.  It's hard times for liberated town supply.  There are 10 personnel points from the call for volunteers.  A 4-3 division is augmented to a 10-3, a river flotilla is ordered and two siege trains.  This leaves 224 supply.

The Confederates carry forward 140 supply, receive 60 from their major cities and 6 from imports.  They have 20 personnel points which they convert to be 20 garrison factors (as shortly garrison factors can be directly absorbed into infantry divisions).  They have 166 supply left.

The Union receive a Naval Flotilla (East coast) and a River Flotilla (St Louis).  A 10-3 division is created in Cairo and a 3-3 division in Bowling Green.  The Union carried forward 2,000 militia and have 9,000 returning to the colours from a previous disbandment.

The Confederates receive 10,000 militia and 22,000 garrison troops.  The garrisons go to Memphis (10,000), Richmond (10,000) and New Orleans (2,000).  A 10-3 division is deployed in each of Memphis, Richmond, Raleigh and Little Rock.  This is the result of them implementing the draft back in September 1862 (eh, cycle 9 in game speak).

The Union destroy the fort at Pittsburgh Landing. The Confederates try and build one at Petersburg, spending 40 supply, but failing to complete it.

The Confederates move the Department of South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama from Charleston to Atlanta.  They can create more corps, but have no need.  Wheeler is promoted to command of the 1st Cavalry Corps.

The Union create the Department of Virginia in Grafton.  Sedgewick and Howard appear in Washington, in need of Corps.

Aside:  After correspondence with Don Johnston I find I have been too liberal with how I treat abandoned corps.  As they are classed as mounted they have some self preservation capability, but their loss is very much meant to represent a military defeat.  Without checking back, I think this only occurred with Burnside, Longstreet and Van Dorn' corps.  It has been a mistake for me to disband corps (and the Union are now paying the price, although there are still plenty going spare).

Pope is given command of a corps.

12,000 Union militia disband, mainly in Missouri and Pennsylvania.

After some trouble, the Confederates finally launch their last ironclad at New Orleans.

The Union consume 51 supply using 9 rail.  This leaves 173 supply and 21 rail.

The Confederates consume 32 supply using 9 rail.  This leaves 134 supply and 11 rail.  They send 5 supply to Forrest's supply train by water with secret orders, that were published in the Memphis Times, front page, that the supplies are for the garrison of Fort Pillow.

After this round of  Kentucky militia in Bowling Green and Missouri militia in St Louis, the Union are only be able to raise them every second month.

There are no partisans.

Week 77

The Union get the 5 chit.

Banks is ordered to force march down the Alabama River and capture Selma.  1,000 men are lost, but it means Banks is going in the right direction, towards the Mississippi.

McClellan goes after Wheeler destroying 1,000 of his tropper and forcing him to retreat.  Wheeler is wounded and will be out of action for seven months.  Could the war be over before his return?

The new infantry division in Cairo is sent to Union City where McCook is sent to meet it with the railroad repair unit.

Buell is activated.  He sends a supply train to McCook along with a small division, 1,000 men "disappear" on the way, and he then moves to confront Forrest at Fort Pillow.

Sedgewick takes himself off to look after Lyon's troops.  Burnside sends some isolated brigades to Washington.

Meade and Pope attack.  Meade is on the 401-900 column on CRT 3 against Hill.  Both sides lose 3,000 men.  The forces before Pope, 2,000 cavalry, retreat.  Pope crosses over into The Wilderness.

Grant attacks.  He is on the 401-900 column of CRT 4.  The Union use 1 supply.  Jackson's force is eliminated, but the Union suffer equal losses (10,000).  Grant is wounded and will be out of action for nine months.

After Grant's hollow victory, Jackson is celebrated as the savior of Memphis and promptly sent to New Orleans.  There he finds the newly completed ironclad sitting idle and sends it out to attack the Yankee blockaders.  It promptly rams and sinks a USS vessel, but proves to be unseaworthy (failed its SNAFU roll) and goes down with all hands.  The Union sailors are left asking "what was that?" and hoping that there are no more.

Beauregard abandons Gordonsville, destroying the railway tracks as he leaves.  The cavalry corps is ordered back to Richmond and Stuart is told he better get better real soon.

Taylor takes what cavalry he has and goes to meet the cavalry corps (he's man enough not to be upset by not having been given command of the corps).  The garrison of Fredericksburg is left to defend for itself.

Hindman sends reinforcements to Beauregard and Hill.  Militia are called up in Drewry's Bluff.

Price sends the new division in Raleigh to Richmond.

Bruckner starts to advance into Tennessee, but realises he won't get far as the damn Yankees have cut the rail line leading from Atlanta.  Militia are raised in Cahaba and Montgomery, Alabama.

Forrest pulls out of Fort Pillow, but leaves a 9,000 men to defend it.  He retreats across the front of Buell's army, confident that it won't attack.

 Can the Confederates establish a secure defensive perimeter around Richmond?

 So few men, so much open space.

Seems everyone is heading for Memphis.

Week 78

The Union get the 4 chit.

McCook advances repairing the rail line towards Humboldt, while also sending reinforcements to Buell.  Buell detaches McDowell to besiege Fort Pillow.  Farragut brings the fleet down to support this operation.  Buell and Crittenden then do their best to reorganise the troops after seeing Grant off in an ambulance.

McClernand advances and takes Gordonsville while McClellan comes up in Beauregard's rear.

Sumner moves of his own initiative to St Louis.

No initiative is shown in Alabama or Georgia.

Porter takes the ironclad up the Appomattox and destroys bridges connecting Richmond to Petersburg.  No land generals display any initiative in the east.  Will there be attacks?

McPherson attacks Hill on the 161-200 column of CRT 3.  The Union use supply and both sides lose 4,000 men (which was 20% of the defending Confederates).  Hill has a miraculous escape when a sniper's bullet aimed straight at his heart is deflected by the bible he carries in his breast pocket.

Meade fails to attack, but Sedgewick does.  He launches an attack on Fredericksburg on the 401-900 column of CRT 3.  He uses supply and inflicts 1,000 casualties on the defenders, for an equal loss on his men.  Sedgewick takes a bullet, but it was spent and failed to penetrate his heavy winter coat.

Forrest was right, he was perfectly safe to ride in front of Buell's army.

The Union raise militia in Washington and Haggerston (hoping that Burnside will pick up the latter).

Beauregard continues his withdrawal towards Richmond.

Polk is ordered to bring his new division to Memphis.  He is not happy as he was planning to use it to liberate Missouri.

Forrest puts what's left of his men into Memphis and then says goodbye, riding out with 3,000 cavalry.

Hindman, sensing Hill is the weak link in Beauregard's escape plan, sends him reinforcements.

Week 79

The Union get the 4 chit again.  They are dizzy from all the activity.

McCook is ordered to Jackson in an attempt to secure the Union's rear area.

Buell is told to advance on Memphis.  He does so and establishes an extended siege, if only Farragut would sail down and block the water supply lifeline.  He does, taking the three ironclads and two of the river flotillas down the Mississippi, isolating Memphis.  One river flotilla is lost trying to get past the forts.

McClellan is ordered to keep going, "On to Richmond" being the simple order.  He crosses over the James River while McPherson moves up along the north bank.  McClernand is then ordered to come in behind McPherson.

Thankfully Meade displays the initiative to close up behind McClernand.

Franklin storms across the Rappahannock and captures Fredericksburg.  Sedgwick calls off his attack.

Burnside collects 7,000 militia at Chambersburg.

Halleck with Hooker pull back to Fort Gaines.

McClellan attacks Taylor and both sides lose 1,000 troopers.  McClellan has a lucky escape when his tent catches fire as he is writing up his glowing report of his stunning victory.

There are no other attacks.

More militia is raised for Burnside and in Washington.

Buchanan leads his ironclads up the Mississippi.  The battle with the Union ironclads is brutal, but, after thinking effective ironclads take no losses and then wondering what happens (as naval combats always result in one side being eliminated, do the Confederates have to retreat?) I checked the rules carefully - I was actually trying to work out how respective fleets could get resupplied - and found that if both sides had effective ironclads then both sides take losses as normal.  As a result a lot of iron went down in the Mississippi.  Both sides lost two ironclads.  Buchanan went down with the pride of the Confederate navy.

Johnston, in charge of the Army of the Mississippi is ordered to save the field army from being trapped in Memphis.  It will be a slow extraction.

Beauregard continues his withdrawal towards Richmond.  Bragg is ordered to the west of the capital to stop any sudden moves by the Union.

Smith sends the railway repair unit off to get more spares and repairs the blown up bridges.  Jackson gets stuck into improving the defences of New Orleans.  All the other generals do very little.

Militia is raised in Ripley, MS and in Jacksonville, FL.  If the Union retake Jacksonville, that would mean the capture of the State of Florida.

Week 80

The Union get the 5 initiative chit.  The end of 1862 has certainly seen the Union very active.

Buell orders Crittenden to besiege Memphis.  (Aside: it is possible the Confederates were too hasty in moving their field army from Memphis, but it was likely to get surrounded and so had to get out while it could.  If it hadn't moved the previous week it would have got trapped and Memphis subject to an extended siege rather than a close siege.)  Reinforcements are sent to McCook and Buell moves down to Grand Junction to block any moves by Forrest.

Banks is ordered to cross to the eastern bank of the Alabama River.

Burnside sends his collected militia to Baltimore and then heads to Front Royal to collect more stranded soldiers.

Pope is given orders to get the railway repaired and head on down to Lynchburg.  The Railway Repair unit is sent to him.  He is also given Franklin's supply train.

Meade on his own initiative pursues Beauregard.  Similarly Sedgewick sends troops to block the roads on the York River.  McPherson sends reinforcements to McClellan and pulls in troops from McClernand.

McClellan calls for more reinforcements and passes on the chance to cut the Confederate rail junction at Burkesville.

Meade attacks Beauregard on the 131-160 column of CRT 3.  The Confederates use supply, the Union don't.  It is a very bloody outcome.  8,000 Union soldiers (15%) became casualties.  There are  7,000 Confederates (20%) that won't be going to Richmond for New Year's.

Johnston finds himself unable to move any further as his supply train is stuck in the Mississippi mud.  Another good reason to get out when he did, although there is still furious debate around the wisdom of his retreat being conducted amongst the Confederate armchair generals.

Polk is ordered to Helena and to start building a fort.  He gets there, but will the necessary supplies for the fort make it?  (Aside: Farragut should have sent an ironclad downstream to block Confederate supply, but he is still fishing guys out of the river after the big battle).

Hill takes a corps to Burkesville and was grateful that Smith had repaired the bridges and surprised to find the Yankees hadn't come back to blow them up again (Aside: I am always forgetting to use the US navy to its full capacity).

Beauregard decides to keep on retreating, to the very gates of Richmond itself.  The Confederate armchair generals go into an apoplexy over whether this was the right thing to do.

Bruckner recaptures Kingston, GA.

A Hill pulls back towards Atlanta so his supply line won't be a burden on the railways.

Forrest needs to stay put to cover Johnston's retreat from Memphis.

Jackson is asked to explain what happened to the new ironclad that was in New Orleans when he arrived.  His five letter response sums it up for the Confederacy: SNAFU.

 Memphis under siege

Richmond in peril.

Casualties

Union lost 25,000 as did the Confederates.  While this is bad for the Confederates, they are currently recruiting double the number of men through their draft than the Union are managing with their volunteer call.

Wings of Fantasy

The gargoyle and the hawkman(?) I've had for months, but the harpy is a bit of a record as I just got her less than two weeks ago.

 Cue maniacal laughter.

 Mortar the Gargoyle (I don't make the names up, I just buy the figures)

Reaper Bones Dark Heaven range 77028

Painted black, then dark grey and then a lighter grey.

There is enough detail in the figure to easily bring it to life.

A gremlin got into this photo

 Harpy 

Again a Reaper figure, code number 77041

I was trying for a feathery, scaly, fleshy outcome and I think I kind of got there, but perhaps not so much when the figure is blown up so big as in the above photo.

Cute

 Tail end

 Hawkman SS15 from Garrison.

I'm prepared to call them hawkperson in these more enlightened times.

 I'm actually very happy how Hawk turned out.

I was aiming for an angel look, but in a classic Greek sense - heroic nude.

I just wished I had paid more attention to the beak when I was cleaning the figure up.

It is hard to be a hawk without a nice sharp beak.

Galley Action

Yesterday I umpired a game of Galleys and Galleons between Mark Woods and Michael.  It was Michael's first game with these rules, so things were kept simple, not that G&G is a complex set of rules.

 Mark's flagship and its consorts.

 A frontal ram by one of Michael's triremes inflicted a bit of damage.

 The fleets coming into contact

Each side had 12 ships: one hexareme as flagship (Q4 C5), 5 quinqueremes (Q4 C4) and 6 triremes (Q3 C3).  These were arranged in two squadrons.  Mark was fielding mixed squadrons while Michael had all his triremes on his left (bottom right corner in above photo) and his big ships on his right.

The game played well, with plenty of maneuvering until contact was made.  

The game then became a slugfest, eventually going to Michael.