RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet!

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All Forums >> [Current Games From Matrix.] >> [American Civil War] >> Forge of Freedom: The American Civil War 1861-1865 >> RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet!

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RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 12/8/2006 1:05:25 AM

Gil R.

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And here is a graph showing how Victory Points have been swinging back and forth. The CSA is olive-green.

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RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 12/8/2006 1:06:26 AM

Gil R.

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And finally, and most worrisomely, but not unexpectedly, this graph shows the increase in the quality of weapons both sides use, with the USA (magenta) clearly having a growing edge, thanks both to their research and their greater spending power.

But maybe I can win a few battles and take some of those weapons.

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RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 12/8/2006 1:08:42 AM

Gil R.

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Before getting to the action, here is what most of my governors (i.e., those who fit on one screen) are up to.

I can't afford yet the Iron Works that Gov. Moore demands, but Selma is a major Iron production center, and I sure could use one there. Maybe I'll hamstring my military a bit and give it to him soon, before he stops producing the extra 15 Money each turn out of frustration with me.

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RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 12/8/2006 1:10:22 AM

Gil R.

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I haven't shown this in a while -- the overview screen. It's not bad -- most of my territory is untouched by the Yankees.

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RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 12/8/2006 1:11:35 AM

Gil R.

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I really should break this habit of showing Virginia each turn, when nothing is happening there. Other than that this time the larger Abingdon division did indeed head south to Florida.

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RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 12/8/2006 1:14:06 AM

Gil R.

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And here's Florida, first showing the two fleets. The Union's one surviving fleet is in wretched condition, showing just two squares. I decide, of course, to pursue it, keeping my fleet on "Intercept." I actually tell my fleet to overshoot it, just in case it makes an initiative check and gets to move first, so that it won't get away.

(You can see my third blockade-runner in the Cuban Channel. Since it couldn't reach the shipment of money near New Orleans I'm leaving it here, since from this position it can reach any sea zone next turn.)

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RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 12/8/2006 1:16:04 AM

Gil R.

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And here's Florida, showing that the siege is by no means over, but that my 8th Division got there by rail.

And that division is stronger by 2000 men, since last turn I spent the extra money to put it on "high" supply, which ensured that each of its four brigades would get 500 replacements.

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RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 12/8/2006 1:19:07 AM

Gil R.

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The 8th Division now has about 9000 men, making it equal in strength to the Union corps. But the Union corps has got to be nearly out of supply, and I can't imagine that it's in good shape to fight me. Especially since, after so many turns, disease must have hit there at least once. Plus, the Union's troops weren't that good to begin with. My troops aren't great, either, and they don't have enough generals, but they do have some good weapons, some scouts and brigade cavalry, and they'll be fighting in their own territory and thus getting a defensive bonus. So, I send them on the attack, first replacing one brigade's muskets with the much better Richmond Muskets.

I don't want anyone in the Union corps to come back alive.

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RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 12/8/2006 1:23:30 AM

Gil R.

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In the west, here's Mississippi, where Jackson's 2nd Army is defending Jackson, and ready to help repair its defenses.

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RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 12/8/2006 1:28:26 AM

Gil R.

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And here's Tennessee. I see some really bad news in the form of a new artillery unit -- the USA 4th Artillery -- that is obviously on its way to join one of these Union forces. It is VERY tempting to send my corps out to intercept it and smash it, but this is very risky: I don't know where it's heading (southward into Tennessee, or eastward into Kentucky?), and since I get the sense that the Union wants to bring the forces that were just besieging Jackson back north I run the risk that my corps of 50,000 might encounter a Union army of 100,000.

But there's a nice alternative, which is to try to take my corps and barrel into Bowling Green again. Last time, I killed something like 8000 of the men in that army but lost the battle anyway, but it's my guess that because the Union has been forced to divert supplies and reinforcements to other armies and corps this one might not have been strengthened, and might be easily crushed this time. It's a gamble, but a logical one.

Plus, when that army defeated my corps one of my brigades lost its priceless (well, 50 Money is their price) Lorenzs, and I want them back. Losing my Lorenzs hurt me as much as it hurt a Roman legion to lose its eagle.

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< Message edited by Gil R. -- 12/8/2006 1:43:57 AM >

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RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 12/8/2006 1:31:22 AM

Gil R.

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So, I take the 1st Corps and try to send it by rail into Bowling Green.

But I also sent that tiny CSA division -- the one I kept trying to send into Arkansas-Mississippi River -- into Paducah so as to cut rail supplies (for a turn, at least) and perhaps even attack the artillery or infantry brigade.

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RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 12/8/2006 1:34:13 AM

Gil R.

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Back in Jackson, I decide to try to attack the enemy corps in Yazoo, figuring that if I go in by rail I might catch it before it escapes, and also figuring that I can destroy it with my superior numbers before the Union can reinforce it.

I know I swore off trying to fight in Union territory, but I like my odds here, if I can get there in time.

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RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 12/8/2006 1:37:28 AM

Gil R.

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Originally, my plan was to use the 2nd Army to repair Jackson (which is still at less than 50% strength after the siege), but a new plan occurs to me: since the Union doesn't appear to be threatening, I take the 6th Division and its two brigades, which I had just stuck in there a turn earlier in order to strengthen its garrison, and give that an engineering command to repair the fortifications. Once they're strong enough, this division can rejoin the 2nd Army, or go elsewhere.

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RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 12/8/2006 1:41:48 AM

Gil R.

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I do just one more thing this turn, which is to build a Plantation in Nashville, at the cost of 50 Labor and 50 Horses. I could have used my 100 Horses to produce another Raiders unit (I'll have one ready again next turn), but Tennessee's cities are almost out of building slots, and since Plantations take six months to complete it's best to start now, lest the governor demand a building I am unable to build.

I then hit "End Turn" and have a new Logistics upgrade. Regrettably, it's still not "Invalid Corps," which boosts the production of my Camps. But Nursing Corps is in some ways similar: rather than supplying new men, it protects the ones I have so that I don't lose them to disease. So, in the case of the Army of Northern Virginia over in Lynchburg (with its two Hospitals), if disease were to hit there, instead of losing 5000 men I would now just lose 2500 men. That's a fine upgrade to have...

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RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 12/8/2006 3:01:21 PM

FFE

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Great AAR!

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RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 12/8/2006 3:06:17 PM

jonreb31

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Can't wait to see how that battle in Kentucky turns out. :)

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RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 12/10/2006 9:28:15 AM

Gil R.

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Thirty-secondth Turn

Rather amazingly, the Union force, despite having lost thousands of men and almost certainly being out of supply (or very close to it), won the battle in Tallahassee, and is now one turn away from taking the city, since its strength is down to 23%.

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RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 12/10/2006 9:32:28 AM

Gil R.

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Not much other news. All three blockade-runners struck out trying to get the money shipments, which is annoying: three runners each had a 50% chance of success, and none made it.

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RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 12/10/2006 9:35:20 AM

Gil R.

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Here's Florida now. The 8th Division was chased into Jackson, and one of its brigade lost its weapons.

But the Union is now down to 6000 men, so even though the 8th Division was just defeated I think it would be guaranteed if I were to attack again, since the Union force must have used up most or all of its remaining supplies, and is no longer being supplied by a Union fleet. So, I'll have to try attacking again.

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RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 12/10/2006 9:37:52 AM

Gil R.

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So, the 8th Division heads right back, using rail movement. Even though it lost 1300 men in the battle, it received 1600 replacements this last turn, so it's actually a bit stronger than it was before the battle. Plus, I buy Richmond Muskets for the unit that loast its Minie Rifles, which makes it stronger.

This time, the Union should be defeated, since it's outnumbered and outsupplied, and once that happens its remaining brigades will soon be disbanded.

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RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 12/10/2006 9:39:26 AM

Gil R.

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The Union fleet, unfortunately, got a away. I made a mistake sending my fleet only two sea zones, since the Union got the initiative role and was able to move away before I could pursue.

Now I pursue, hoping to crush the Union navy while I have a chance.

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RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 12/10/2006 9:40:28 AM

Gil R.

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Here's where the Union fleet got to. The movement arrow shows where my fleet is supposed to head.

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RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 12/10/2006 9:43:19 AM

Gil R.

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Here's the whole of Virginia. That dratted division in Abingdon still hasn't moved to Parkersburg to retake it for the CSA.

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RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 12/10/2006 9:51:25 AM

Gil R.

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Here's Tennessee. Hood's corps failed to make it into Bowling Green, but that might be a blessing after all, since the Union is up to no good once again: it has sent two forces into Tuscumbia, and fortunately the 1st Corps is closer than it would have been had it made it into Bowling Green.

The Union's exact plans are unclear. I have to think that the army in Bowling Green has been staying there because it has siege engines and will be attacking Cumberland River once a larger force gets there. But why the forces in Tuscumbia weren't combined with the army in Hatchie is a bit of a mystery -- they could all have reached Cumberland River together, and I would have been unable to defend the province against them, being badly outnumbered. Perhaps the Union's plan is to have the forces get there separately, with those forces in Tuscumbia capturing more CSA land on the way. But maybe their target is Chattanooga and its railroad junction. Or perhaps even Selma and its valuable iron production are targets.

This screenshot shows some good news (my new Raiders unit in Chattanooga), and some very bad news (Philip Sherman is now heading the Union's large army, which means that my advantage in generals is now smaller).

Since I am outnumbered in the West, I would really like to shock the Union and send a corps from the Army of Northern Virginia by rail, but can't do that while the ANV is pinned down by the Army of the Potomac in Shenandoah. In a turn or two I might attack that army, which would permit free movement westward along the rail-line. But it's not yet time for that...

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RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 12/10/2006 9:54:44 AM

Gil R.

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I first take the 4th Division in Paducah, where it's doing nothing all that useful now, and send it using forced march to Oxford, where it can cut off rail supply to the Union in Tuscumbia. (I manually tell it which path to take, since I want it to avoid the army in Hatchie.)

Speaking of Paducah, that Union artillery unit got past my forces, and must now be in Sherman's army.

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RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 12/10/2006 9:57:59 AM

Gil R.

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Then I try to use the 1st Corps, 52000 strong, to attack those forces in Tuscumbia. I'm gambling that they are heading back into Tennessee, so by sending the corps this way it should bounce into them. And, if they happen to be heading to Selma, they'll be cornered there. The enemy might sneak by me if it enters the river province and then Pulaski, but obviously my corps can't be everywhere. I can always turn around to pursue, if necessary.

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RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 12/10/2006 10:00:07 AM

Gil R.

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Not knowing where those Union forces will be, I send the Raiders after a more certain target -- the army in Bowling Green. (Unfortunately, at the end of the turn my choices aren't great, so I try economic damage in the province instead of going after the army itself.

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RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 12/10/2006 10:04:18 AM

Gil R.

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Down in Mississippi, Jackson's 2nd Army didn't reach Yazoo quickly enough to do battle with the Union forces there, though its consolation prize was retaking the province for the CSA. This turn, it heads into Oxford, so it can help cut supply lines to the Union forces in Alabama, and can pursue them too. Plus, this gets it heading in the direction of Hood's corps, which can soon join that army. This would bring the strength of the 2nd Army up to around 110,000 men, which would stand a much better chance against Sherman's army.

Also, just in case Selma is a target I send the garrison of 3000 men from Montgomery, which is not at risk, to Selma.

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< Message edited by Gil R. -- 12/10/2006 10:17:56 AM >

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RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 12/10/2006 10:06:41 AM

Gil R.

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Now that Jackson is no longer in danger, I decide not to keep the 6th Division there rebuilding its fortifications, which the garrisoning brigades can handle. So, I send it ot Oxford as well, so it can join the 2nd Army. (I did this instead of first sending the division to join up with the army and then sending the army on, since that would delay the army's movement into Oxford. Best to let the two brigades catch up, and not delay the movement of the whole army.

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RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 12/10/2006 10:13:01 AM

Gil R.

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Since the Union has given me a breather AND since any turn now one of my cities or forts will be besieged AND since I need money to produce new units next turn, I do something I haven't done yet: I turn off all supply to all divisions/corps/armies, which has the effect of 1) saving all upkeep costs for a turn and 2) forcing the 6500 reinforcements to go to garrisons instead. So, my garrisons, some of which have been affected by previous sieges as well as disease over the past year, will become stronger, and next turn, as the screenshot shows, I'll have a lot more money than I would have had -- enough to buy another artillery unit.

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