When the Union take Brookhaven New Orleans will be isolated and when they take Augusta, the same fate will befall Atlanta.
Blockade runners get to Savannah and New Orleans, netting the South 8 supply to add to their carry forward of 76. They get 60 from Major Cities (Atlanta and New Orleans) and this cycle 13 from other cities and town. A total of 157. This leaves them 137 after raising 10,000 garrison troops.
The Union get 66 supply from liberated towns and cities. They are carrying forward 710 and get 250 from Major Cities. A 3-3 division is augmented to a 10-3, 3,000 garrison troops are raised and 3,000 Missouri militia and 3,000 Kentucky militia are converted to 3-3 divisions. This leaves 996 supply.
No more partisans rise up for the Confederacy, but some militia join up for the Union in Kentucky and Missouri.
Knowing the end is near, 3,000 militia desert in Georgia.
Stoneman arrives in Baltimore, ready for action. He is joined by 10,000 new infantry. 3,000 infantry go to Washington along with 3,000 garrison troops. 2,000 infantry go to Bowling Green.
5,000 garrison troops are deployed in each of Atlanta and New Orleans. A new ironclad appears in New Orleans, ready for commissioning. The other ironclad completes its commissioning and joins the existing Confederate vessel. They are needed if they are going to stop the Union gaining control of the Mississippi.
Confederate supply is 21 using 9 rail. They are left with 119 supply and 16 rail.
The Union consume 78 supply using 28 rail. They are left with 918 supply and 22 rail.
Week 117
The Union get the 7 free initiative chit.McClellan is told to deal with the partisans. In the resulting battle where 1,000 US troopers become casualties, he reports that he successfully stopped the rebels from capturing Washington.
Rosencrans is ordered to go get Price's now depleted militia army. He destroys it, for the loss of 1,000 men.
Halleck then gets order to capture Price which he does, netting the Union one more Political Point and more importantly getting them closer to Savannah.
Sumner with his 10,000 men is sent to join Sykes.
Not taking any risks, Lyon is ordered to leave a small garrison manning the newly acquired fort at Natchez and then go and occupy Baton Rouge.
Under the same policy, Grant is told to take Brookhaven. In the fighting Forrest is almost killed, but he holds on and does not retreat. However Rebel losses means that the can no longer project a zone of control around the the town.
Buell is ordered to join Grant on the west bank of the Pearl River.
Burnside doesn't want to miss out and, after leaving a small garrison in Grand Cliff, moves down to just east of Natchez. McCook, Banks and Ord show no initiative.
Curtis doesn't know what to do, but McDowell sends him his 2,000 extra men all the same.
Sickles progresses clearing the rail line of rebel residue in east Tennessee.
Sherman, Hooker and Sykes are all in position.
Meade, Pope, Hancock, Granger must all think the war has been won as they do nothing. Thomas however pursues the Rebels.
Sedgwick, Howard and Heintzelman also do nothing, but at least McClernand advances to catch up with the Rebels.
Elsewhere in the east, Franklin is lost in a forest and Stoneman is busy explaining to Butler where Arkansas is.
Thomas attacks Taylor on the 251-400 Column of CRT 3. The Confederates lose 2,000 men (20%), the Union 3,000 (10%). They are able to slip round the Union force when they retreat.
McClernand is keen to attack, but is told not to try. If his corps loses any more men it will cease to have a zone of control and that is very valuable at this time of herding the Rebel retreat.
Rosencrans wriggles across the Ogeechee River. He is now at the gates of Savannah.
Sykes and Sumner want to attack, but fail to agree on who commands what and when and where.
Grant and Buell fail to attack Forrest, but Reynolds does. Forrest retreats and Brookhaven falls. New Orleans is in dire straits.
The Confederates rail D Hill and 14,000 men to Savannah.
Hindman and Taylor are ordered to fall back to the new defensive line of the Cape Fear River.
Johnston, with the 16,000 man strong Army of the Mississippi, is told to abandon that state.
Magruder is told to abandon Donaldsville and join Polk. The Confederate command is concerned that they will get trapped on the wrong side of the river and with only 3,000 men between them, there is not much they can do.
The Confederate ironclads shelter under the guns of the fort of New Orleans. They don't feel very safe.
Forrest decides to take the cavalry and try and block Lyon.
The Generals around Atlanta, there are five of them, draw straws to see who will command which forlorn hope.
The new Confederate defensive line along the Cape Fear River
Georgia, Georgia
The race to New Orleans
Week 118
The Union get the 3 chit which means the Confederates win the race to New Orleans.Johnston gets closer to New Orleans. Forrest will have to cover his retreat.
Taylor and Beauregard try to balance out their troops on the Cape Fear River line. The Fayetteville Trumpet prints a story about shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic, but the metaphor is lost as no one knows about the Titanic as there are still 50 years before it is launched.
West of the river, Magruder and Polk complete their retreat to New Orleans.
The Union undertake railroad repairs in Mississippi. The locals are surprised, having been told that the Yankees were coming to wreck the joint. They are pleased to see the work is being done by coloured folk, until they realise the work gangs are not in chains: the locals flee.
Curtis is told to hurry up and get to Atlanta.
Butler and the Army of Arkansas sets sail. Their immediate destination is Beaufort, SC.
Rosencrans, on his own initiative, looks to the repair of railroads as well.
Halleck thinks of all the things he could do, but does nothing.
At Atlanta, Sykes and Sumner do nothing, despite Sherman's urgings. Maybe they are waiting to attack?
Sickles continues clearing the East Tennessee rail line.
Ord finally gets on the river boat and starts to sail down the river to Vicksburg.
Grant stirs into action, sending Reynolds in belated pursuit of the Confederate Army of the Mississippi. He sends Buell with 1,000 troopers to Columbia on the east side of the Pearl River. Grant takes 4,000 troopers down to Clinton to support Lyon.
Both Burnside and McCook get moving, hoping it is not too late to share in the glory (or pick up some cotton). Lyon moves closer to New Orleans, still hoping to cut off Johnston.
In North Carolina Meade restarts his cautious advance. Granger and Pope lag behind. Hancock however joins Meade.
Sedgewick and Howard cross the Roanoke (at last). Sedgewick gets as far as Greensboro where he runs into Hindman's Confederates. Will he attack?
Heintzelman and McClernand are lost in Sedgewick's dust.
McClellan hears that there are still rebels down south and hurries down, only to be dismayed as 1,000 of his troops decide they have better things to do.
Thomas doesn't move.
The Union Mississippi fleet, three ironclads and six river flotillas move to blockade New Orleans. Will the Confederate ironclads come out to battle?
Lyon ignores Forrest and Johnston and attacks along the banks of the Mississippi, getting closer still to New Orleans.
There are no attacks against Atlanta.
Sedgewick attacks Hindman on the 251-400 Column of CRT 3. It is a devastating defeat for the Confederates who lose 50% of their force (3,000). The Union lose 2,000 (5%). Hindman is almost wounded, but it turns out to be just a scratch. "That was lucky" he says, as he rides past the dead and wounded of his shattered army, retreating towards Salisbury.
Week 119
The Union get the 3 chit. It is going to be a long war at this rate...Magruder is ordered out of New Orleans with all available troops, 13,000 men, to help keep open the road for Johnston. Forrest moves up as well and the combined forces plan to attack Lyon. Johnston has 32,000 men at his disposal against Lyon's 11,000.
Hindman is ordered to destroy the railway and pull back to Salisbury.
Taylor is told to burn the bridge and retreat to Salisbury and join Hindman.
Back on the way to New Orleans, both Forrest and Johnston can't find Lyon to attack him. However Magruder has run into him and attacks on the 201-250 Column of CRT 3. Lyon stands his ground. Both sides lose 2,000 men.
Burnside is ordered to join Lyon. The order stresses the requirement is to pin, not attack the rebels.
Rosencrans is ordered to get repairs done to the railways so that the advance into Georgia can continue.
Pope is also ordered to get fixing rail lines.
Butler and Stoneman arrive in Beaufort.
Meade and Granger are consolidating, but Hancock gets moving.
Both Thomas and Sedgewick are consolidating too.
Putting them all to shame, McClellan fires up McClernand and Heintzelman with cries of "On to Richmond!" Luckily they know that this means go to Greensboro to link up with Sedgewick.
Howard and Franklin do nothing.
Sickles completes clearing the east Tennessee rail line.
Curtis arrives at the front. Sherman was supposed to go and meet him, but... Will his commands have the initiative to attack?
Ord continues his river journey to Vicksburg.
Buell and McCook have a rest, but Grant and Reynolds keep closing in on the retreating Confederate Army of the Mississippi.
Sykes attacks Gardner on the 251-400 Column of CRT 2. Both sides lose 1,000 men, but the rebels have to retreat. The noose around Atlanta is just that little bit tighter.
The Atlanta Noose
New Orleans death grip
(and yes that is Porter coming to take over the Union fleet)
Three armies race for Savannah
Week 120
Again with the 3 chit...
Wheeler gets reports of a planned Union raid to cut off Atlanta. He orders Buckner to evacuate Newman and secure the southern approaches to Atlanta. Realising the risk is at Decatur, he swaps with Gardiner to take personal command of that location.
Johnston shuffles his army closer to New Orleans. It won't do him any good.
The Confederate ironclads would lose any battle, but just maybe might inflict losses...
The Confederate ironclads would lose any battle, but just maybe might inflict losses...
The ironclads sally forth. They are outnumbered 3 to 1. They hope for an exchange. They get attacker eliminated. One of their ironclads fails the SNAFU roll and sinks in the Mississippi mud, the other limps back to New Orleans.
D Hill is ordered to disperse his troops in order to cover the approaches to Savannah.
Taking no chances, Sherman moves to attack Decatur.
Rosencrans, railway repaired, advances on Savannah.
McClellan is ordered to continue his advance and not to wait for reinforcements. He sends Sedgewick to screen Taylor and takes the bulk of his army due south, abit.
Thomas is still stuck outside Raleigh, but Hancock at leasts crosses the Cape Fear River, which he sees on the map is named Cape Rear River...
Meade, Pope and Granger do nothing.
Sumner moves to take over from where Sherman had crossed the Chattahoochee south of Atlanta. He pushes more troops across north of Atlanta.
Porter arrives to take command of the fleet blockading New Orleans.
Grant and Reynolds close in on New Orleans. Grant is already considering acceptable surrender terms. He thinks "unconditional surrender" has a nice ring to it.
Butler forbids Stoneman from moving inland as there might be enemy troops waiting in ambush. However one of his brigaders says he's never heard such tosh and moves to cut the rail line (via attacker wriggle).
Sherman attacks Wheeler on the 401-900 Column of CRT 4. The Confederates are eliminated! Losses are 5,000 a side. Sykes narrowly avoids being wounded. Wheeler flees to Atlanta. Waiting for him are Sherman's surrender terms. They are even more harsh than what Grant delivered to Johnston.
At this stage the Department located at New Orleans is inactive as it can only trace to one other friendly town/city (Proctorsville). Atlanta is also cutoff, but the fine print rules that the rail portion of the trace may be cut, as long as it is not enemy occupied. Regardless a road link also exists. However, Atlanta is under extended siege and so is effectively kaput.
The South at its low point.
Can it bounce back?
Casualties
In the final month of the war the Union lost 17,000 men to the Confederate 15,000. Some try to claim that this represents a turning point and that the South can raise again, but, ... nah.
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