RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)

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All Forums >> [Current Games From Matrix.] >> [American Civil War] >> Gary Grigsby's War Between the States >> After Action Reports >> RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate) - Confederate POV

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RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)... - 3/23/2008 9:04:22 PM

Hasardeur

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Joined: 3/15/2008
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Hallo Joel,

many thanks for your prompt reply and this nice overview over production !

Greets

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Post #: 61

RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)... - 3/26/2008 1:19:27 AM

Joel Billings

Posts: 32265
Joined: 9/20/2000
From: Santa Rosa, CA
Status: offline

With March came another great Confederate victory. Lyon's 100,000 men were met by Lee's 55,000 men, and was turned back just north of Jackson. General Pemberton, guarding Tupelo (northeast of Jackson), was unable to get his 15,000 men to Jackson in time for the battle (no initiative). Lee, working with just Hood and Taylor's Corps and Withers' Division (rushed from Vicksburg) and Forrest's Cavalry Corps, was able to take on 60,000 men from Lyon's army and turn them back. After the battle, Forrest's cavalry was sent to raid north, going all the way to Corinth and tearing up Union supply lines. This could easily keep Lyon from being able to move offensively in April.

I'm still heavily outnumbered on all fronts, but the two recent strategic victories have really helped out politically. I've also captured enough cannons to outfit a few artillery units. The screenshot shows the current disposition of the major armies. Notice that the 1st North Carolina field artillery battalion is now a 2-star unit (2 experience points gained in battle, this gives a +2 combat bonus in combat). The Union player shuffled his command, dismissing Freemont, promoting McClellan to Theater Command in the East, and making Sheridan an Army Commander. Grant is now in Charleston.

The Political score is now Union 969 Confederate 1077.

Sherman is reported to be reporting for duty, so it's likely he'll get another Army command soon. General Withers died in battle at Jackson, while two good Union commanders were lost in the last two battles (Philip Kearny killed at Tullahoma and John Schofield wounded at Jackson). I keep waiting for Longstreet to return, but it seems that he needs a few more months to recuperate from his wounds.

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Post #: 62

RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)... - 3/28/2008 5:46:25 AM

Joel Billings

Posts: 32265
Joined: 9/20/2000
From: Santa Rosa, CA
Status: offline

With the arrival of good weather, all hell broke loose in April. Newly appointed army commander Sheridan attacked Joe Johnston in central Tennessee, while Grant moved inland from Charleston and faced off against Beauregard. Pope landed near Savannah and assaulted the city with about 25,000 men, supported by plenty of artillery and the full might of the Union Navy. In West Virginia, Mansfield led 6000 men to attack Franklin.

The 2nd Battle of Tullahoma, fought with around 55000 men per side resulted in a resounding Confederate victory. Sheridan's low command rating meant that he was unprepared to assist an army this large (he could only help around 20000 men compared to Johnston that could help about 40000 men). Sometimes it's tempting to promote a leader to Army Command due to their good ratings, but if you can, it's better to wait until they've increased their command rating through battle experience.

The battle of Aiken pitted Grant with 70,000 men against Beauregard with 60,000. It was a very close battle, but ultimately Beauregard was forced to retreat to Columbia. Earlier in the game I built a second factory in Columbia, so losing Columbia will be a big blow. I've moved reinforcements to Columbia, but hopefully Grant will hold up in May.

In Savannah, Pickett took charge of the defense, and was forced to give up the city. I had been forced to weaken the garrison due to the pressure from Grant, and it cost me.

In West Virginia, Jackson had initiative and was able to rush to the aide of the small force under Gustavus Smith that had been delaying the Union advance. After several successful actions in the east, Jackson now has a Command Rating of 15 and is primed to be promoted to Army Command. I've considered relieving Polk in order to promote Jackson (this would cost me 12 political points), but have decided for the moment to leave things as they are, and take advantage of Jackson's abilities as a leader of a large Corps.

In addition to the other action, the Union fleet lost another gunboat fleet to the guns in Ashley, Arkansas. The Union now has built up a large fleet of gunboats, so I expect an intensive effort to begin soon to destroy the heavy artillery batteries in Ashley.

With the loss of Savannah, the Political score is now Union 1012 Confederate 1052.

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Post #: 63

RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)... - 3/28/2008 6:55:32 AM

Joel Billings

Posts: 32265
Joined: 9/20/2000
From: Santa Rosa, CA
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In May, Lyon once again got initiative and advanced south with his large army against Lee. Lee called for all possible reinforcements from adjoining areas, and his able subordinate commanders all had initiative and were able to reach the area of battle. Lyon maneuvered his larger army, but Lee was able to badly defeat it. Many of the troops in Jackson are experienced, and they are led by some of the best tactical leaders in the Confederate army.

After the battle, Forrest's cavalry raided north, capturing and destroying most of the supplies in the Union depots, and disrupted the rail capacity of the Union rail lines. This shows the disadvantage of moving a large army by land in hostile country. Dependent on the rail line from Corinth, marauding cavalry cannot only destroy supplies, but they can also increase the supply cost of every unit in the area. Normally each unit uses 1 supply point per turn. With the rail disrupted the cost increases to 2 points per unit per turn. With an army of 55 units (42 infantry, 5 cavalry and 8 artillery after the battle), this means that this turn not only did Forrest destroy and capture 55 supply points, but he caused the Union to expend an additional 60 supply points (cav costs 2 per turn), and 10 to repair the rail infrastructure. That's 125 additional supplies due to the vulnerability of the land based supply network. That's about 16% of the Union's monthly production, over and above the 8% that the army would normally use. If the Union army were being supplied from a river or ocean area, they wouldn't have to worry about the rail lines. There is also some ability to live off the land, as areas generate resources that can be used by infantry and cavalry instead of supplies. Of course, the Confederate armies have generally been consuming the resources in areas they've occupied for long periods of time, leaving little remaining for the Union armies when they've been captured.

Speaking of the river, action on the Mississippi River heated up in May. 8 Union Gunboat fleets pounded the level 1 fort in Ashley Arkansas. Unlike Vicksburg (which is level 2), Ashley was vulnerable to this sustained bombardment, and the 6 heavy artillery units in Ashley was all damaged or destroyed at the loss of 3 gunboat fleets damaged. As I have no way of quickly reinforcing this area with heavy artillery, the Arkansas River is now open to Union transports and gunboats. Several batteries were rushed to Vicksburg to prevent the Union fleet from being able to safely move south, but Little Rock is now vulnerable.

To the south, a fleet of 3 Ironclad and 4 Cruiser fleets sailed up the river and bombarded forts near New Orleans and Baton Rouge. However the attacks were done in a piecemeal fashion. At the cost of only 2 heavy artillery units damaged, 4 Cruiser Fleets and 2 Ironclad Fleets were damaged. Only 1 Ironclad fleet remained in the area after the action.

Sheridan's army disappeared from view this turn as cavalry and a small corps was left in Murfreesboro. Based on reports of major activity in Nashville, I believe that Sheridan has moved his army back to the city with the idea of sending part of the army down the Mississippi and/or Arkansas rivers to open up a new front. Joe Johnston was not strong enough to launch an attack toward Nashville, and instead I decided to pull troops from the area and reinforce Columbia and Northern Virginia, as Sherman has taken command in Washington.

Thanks in large part to the victory in Jackson the political score at the end of May is Union 981 Confederate 1083.

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Post #: 64

RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)... - 3/29/2008 8:57:53 AM

Joel Billings

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From: Santa Rosa, CA
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In June, the Union launched a small amphibious operation against Little Rock. The Arkansas militia mobilized and then scattered, but the 6000 good troops remained and after a brief battle, the Union troops returned to their ships and sailed away. Lyon was immobilized by Forrest's cavalry raids. A small cavalry scouting mission against Corinth discovered that Sheridan had arrived with some of his army. It's unknown exactly how large the force is, but this move puts Mississippi and Alabama in grave danger. It relieved the pressure on Chattanooga, and I was tempted to attack toward Nashville, but elected instead to send Polk and some of his troops to Alabama, leaving Hardee to hold the line in Tennessee.

In the east, Grant advanced on Columbia and a major battle was fought. The South Carolina militia mobilized and losses on both sides were heavy. The Confederates lost 100 guns they could ill afford to lose. However, Grant was successfully turned back (.093 to 1).

In an action intended as a diversion, Wilmington was attacked by an amphibious force of 25000 men under Sherman. The North Carolina home guard units joined with Smith's corps of regulars and defeated the Union army.

Now something worth noting is the rules on militia mobilization. Each area has a number of militia units (from 0-6 for the south depending on population and resources in the area) that will mobilize when the area is first attacked. This is a one-time event. This slightly overstates the fighting ability of the militia, however it also portrays the additional recruiting that would go on in areas directly attacked. Usually a lot of this militia is "destroyed" in combat. Destroyed militia place half of the unit's population back in the population pool (it is assumed a militia unit would run before losing all their men, so you can't totally destroy them). The population will then be used to create new units or repair damaged units. The net effect is that the south gets some small protection for areas not yet attacked, and once attacked, the south will likely end up with some additional militia units or recruits which can be used as normal units in the future. This turn, since three large population centers were attacked for the first time, I mobilized 14 militia units (28000 men), but 9 of these units were damaged during the combats. That left me with 5 more militia units then I had in the past, and enough population in my population pools to mobilize 4 1/2 more units at the end of my turn. Again, this is a one-time event. My losses from all of the battles were 31000 men and 100 guns, but this was offset by the 28000 extra militia mobilized. The Union lost about 20,000 men and 70 guns. Given my militia mobilization, I could take these losses. However, since I won't get militia in these areas again, I can't afford to take these kinds of losses for long. Hopefully I can train up this militia quickly and turn them into regular infantry which will be more useful in battle.

My cavalry raids were not as successful this turn, so I may be facing a lot of attacks next turn. The Political score now is Union 961 Confederate 1110.

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Post #: 65

RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)... - 3/31/2008 4:23:05 AM

Joel Billings

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From: Santa Rosa, CA
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Union armies, stymied in their attacks on Columbia, SC, Jackson, MS, and Little Rock, AR decided to try the indirect approach in July. Grant decided to try the march to the sea in reverse, turning half of his army southwest and marching to Augusta, GA, brushing aside a division led by Pickett (he was wounded during the rearguard action). He left a large enough force behind under John Reynolds and I wasn't in a good position to attack it this month. I moved troops to Macon and Athens to block the way to Atlanta, having to weaken the forces in Columbia. Cavalry attacked the rail line from Charleston, which will make things more difficult for Grant, but at least half of Grant's advancing force will be able to live off the land (as long as he keeps moving).

Sheridan attacked Tupelo, Ms with a large force, including some of Lyon's army which moved east from their positions in Grenada. Lyon appears to have moved back to Memphis, possibly to prepare a move on Little Rock. Taylor retreated for Tupelo after executing an effective rearguard action.

Both the attack on Augusta and Tupelo were overrun attacks requiring an attack of 6 to 1 or better (in modified combat value of troops/leaders). The Augusta move I expected as I could only hope to slow Grant's move away from Columbia. The Tupelo move was a surprise as I thought I was "overrun proof". I had not realized how large Sheridan's army was. I had only nominally scouted it the previous turn. I was lucky to have even discovered that Sheridan was nearby as I thought he was in Nashville before my scouting mission discovered his location in Corinth in June. This move now threatens both Meridian and Jackson.

In Arkansas, the Union attacked Arkansas Post (just over the river and to the northeast of Little Rock). I withdrew my cav to Little Rock in the face of the attack by Union gunboats and infantry. I now have about 15,000 men in the Little Rock area, enough to defeat a small invasion, but not a determined effort.

I decided with all of these threats, I needed a long overdue command reorganization. I relieved AS Johnston of Theater command in the east, replacing him with Polk. Polk's successes to date have built up his Command Rating and gotten him promoted to 4-star general, so he'll be an effective TC (although his admin rating of 3 is average). Stonewall Jackson was promoted to army command and sent to Columbia to take charge of the army there. Beauregard, with his high Command Rating was sent to take control of the Army of Northern Virginia. With Sherman in charge, and with a large force in Washington, I think the relative calm in Virginia is about to end. Longstreet, recovered from his wounds, took control of Jackson's old corps in the ANV. Lee remained in Jackson, and Joe Johnston was sent to command forces in Meridian, MS (with Hood nearby in Tuscaloosa, AL).

Union forces are burning up a ton of supplies, with their advances inland. The small combat actions in July cost me a net loss of about 5,000 men versus only 1500 Union casualties. Confederate forces still number around 350,000 soldiers. I can't tell exactly how many troops the Union has, but I'd guess it's between 700,000 and 750,000.

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Post #: 66

RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)... - 3/31/2008 4:33:49 AM

Joel Billings

Posts: 32265
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From: Santa Rosa, CA
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The screenshot below shows the political score at the end of July (997-1055), as well as the list of Theatre and Army Commanders for each side. Notice the numbers circled, they are the Command Ratings and Political Ratings of each leader. Notice that Sheridan has a CR of only 13. This means he will have difficulty controlling a large army. Jackson was just promoted to AC and has 18. He also is ready for promotion as soon as he has some battlefield experience as an AC. With a PR of 3, he'll gain 3 more CR when promoted to 3-star general.

My dismissal of AS Johnston cost me 16 political points.

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Post #: 67

RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)... - 4/3/2008 3:21:57 AM

Joel Billings

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From: Santa Rosa, CA
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In August, Sheridan sidestepped and attacked Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Joe Jonston, moved south for just such an eventuality, reacted aggressively with Hood and Taylor and beat up Sheridan's forces. The Union losses were double the Confederate losses. Lyon moved to Tupelo, MS and brought a large cavalry force with him. Sheridan retreated back to Tupelo, so now Lyon effectively controls all of the troops in Tupelo. The large Union cavalry concentration protected the supply lines in Tupelo, but the depot next door in Grenada was cleaned out by Forrest's cavalry.

In the east, Sherman led another assault on Wilmington. Since Grant had been off attacking Augusta, GA (and then slowly reversing his course back to Aiken), Jackson took off for Wilmington with Stevenson's corps and reinforced Kirby Smith. Jackson, taking charge of the battle easily defeated Sherman, and was subsequently promoted to 3-star general, increasing his command rating to 21. After defeating Sherman, he made his way quickly back to Columbia.

There was bad news in the west where thanks to some lucky hits, Union gunboats pulverized Vicksburg (they had 5 of 23 shots be critical hits, each about a 4% chance). In fact, this brought up something we hadn't counted on in all the latest adjustments and tweaks to the game. We ultimately changed the game so there is no chance for a critical hit to units in forts (critical hits are only for ships, artillery and cavalry units, as infantry and militia units use an attrition system instead of a critical hit system). Each gunboat shot had a basic 5% or so to hit, but I had forgotten about the critical hits when recently calibrating some of the combat values. So the 5 hits could have happened even without the critical hit chance, but the odds would have been much lower. Anyway, we aren't going back, so the bottom line is I had to rush more artillery to Vicksburg, but a gunboat has moved south of it and forced Confederate shipping off the river. The 20,000 troops west of the river are mostly concentrated in Little Rock in case the Union tries another invasion there.

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RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)... - 4/3/2008 3:29:57 AM

Joel Billings

Posts: 32265
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From: Santa Rosa, CA
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The screenshot below shows my end of August 63 troop levels (yellow text are units built at the end of the turn and added to my totals). The Union values are not 100% true, but are probably pretty close to what they really are. So I'm outnumbered about 2 to 1.

The political score is now Union 985 Confederate 1063.

There are two more turns of good weather left before winter. Grant can either attack Columbia (and he has a good chance of taking it), or he could move west and attack an area next to Atlanta. I'm not sure what I'm most worried about. Better would be for Grant to not get initiative (he has about a 65% chance of getting initiative). I'm still waiting for Sherman to move into northern Virginia, where Beauregard and Longstreet are waiting for him. That would be a tough battle, especially if Sherman can bring his full army into play. As always, I have to count on by better leaders to hold the Union back.

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Post #: 69

RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)... - 4/5/2008 3:38:41 AM

Joel Billings

Posts: 32265
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From: Santa Rosa, CA
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Off for vacation, so no reports for 10 days. In September 63 the Union attacked Manassas , VA, Columbia, SC and Jackson, MS with 3 large armies. Sherman took Manassas but with bloody losses. Lee held Jackson, so it was up to Stonewall vs Grant for the rubber game. Stonewall held Columbia, so I only ended up losing Manassas. Total losses were around 34000/90 guns for the Confederate and 52000/150 guns for the Union. It's getting interesting. More details when I get back.

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Post #: 70

RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)... - 4/17/2008 8:35:07 PM

Joel Billings

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News that Union corps commanders Hancock, Prentis and Ormsby were killed and Hooker seriously wounded during the September fighting, was good news for Southern hopes.

In October 1863, all Union armies got initiative (ouch). Lyon once again tried to oust Lee from Jackson while Sherman attacked Fredericksburg and was met by Beauregard's army. Grant, tired of failing to take Columbia, SC, marched towards Atlanta, attacking Pender's division in Macon. On the Mississippi River, 5 Union gunboats attempted to bombard Vicksburg. Two were damaged while only one of the 4 heavy artillery units was damaged. At this point, Union gunboats withdrew north. The threat to the lower Mississippi River was finally removed, and some troops were able to cross into Vicksburg from Arkansas. A force of 8000 men (mostly militia) was left to defend Little Rock. Intelligence reports there are only 4 gunboat fleets left on the river. We're hoping that supply shortages in the north has prevented northern factories from repairing and replacing the many gunboats damaged and sunk over the past six months. A large force of Ironclads and Cruisers was sighted off the coast of Louisiana, so it is likely that the Union Navy plans on trying to attack New Orleans during the winter. I now have 4 heavy artillery battalions in Vicksburg, and 4 in forts near New Orleans. I will probably have to reinforce the New Orleans positions next turn as my damaged heavy artillery is repaired. It's also possible that Mobile will be attacked. I don't have enough heavy artillery to defend Mobile adequately, so I'm counting on the ability of nearby troops to come to Mobile's defense if it is attacked.

As for the battle results, Lyon once again proved he is not capable of wielding the large army he's been given. Lyon had 70% more troops, but was not able to commit more than Lee brought to the battle. Union losses of 16000 men and 80 guns compared to Confederate losses of 10000 men and 40 guns. Lyon continues to lose Command Rating (he's now 16 versus Lee's 24), so if this continues much longer he's likely to be replaced. Of course, the Union doesn't have anyone better at the moment. Grant brushed aside Pender's Division and the local militia, with both sides losing around 2000 men (when accounting for the gain of the federalized Confederate militia). Grant's army is now adjacent to Atlanta.

In Fredericksburg, Sherman suffered a sharp defeat. Sherman was only able to use 60% of his 75000 men in the Wilderness while Beauregard committed almost all of his 50000 men. Union losses were around 11000 and 10 guns against Confederate losses of 4000 and 10 guns.

The two Confederate strategic victories helped politically, although the loss of Macon and the threat to Atlanta was a drag on this gain. Union losses in the battles were about double Confederate losses. I need to cause losses in this ratio or better to be able to hold out in 1864.

The screenshot below shows the situation in the Deep South at the end of October. Joe Johnston rushed to Atlanta along with troops from Mississippi, Tennessee and South Carolina. With winter weather coming in November, Grant will be unable to double back to Columbia and attack it in November, so many of the troops in South Carolina were shifted to Georgia and Virginia. Ewell's troops in Dublin Georgia were forced to head southwest around Grant's army in an attempt to eventually reach Atlanta. I'm afraid that Southeastern and Central Georgia is now permanently lost.

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RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)... - 4/17/2008 9:18:43 PM

Joel Billings

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From: Santa Rosa, CA
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The screenshot below shows the status in Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee at the end of October 1863. Things are very quiet in Tennessee now. In North Carolina, Sheridan has arrived in Elizabeth City with an unknown number of troops. I know there are at least 15,000 troops there, but there could be many more as most of my cavalry was tied up in the fighting in Fredericksburg. I'm guessing that there are only about 20,000-35,000 troops with Sheridan. I moved Jackson and Hill's veteran corps up from South Carolina to Petersburg. I'll look for a chance to counterattack Sheridan if possible. Aside from Lee, Jackson is my best Army commander in the attack, and that's why I've decided to send Joe Johnston to Atlanta (where I intend to just hold in place) while Jackson has been moved to southern Virginia. I would like to be able to launch a counterattack against either Elizabeth City or New Bern if those forces are weakened. However, winter will make it difficult to pull off, even if the opportunity is there.

The Political score is now Union 1001 Confederate 1089.

I think the Union army still has about 700,000 men, while my army is down to 320,000 men. At least 150,000 Union soldiers are tied down in garrison duties, and this may be as large as 250,000. There are several pressure points that I have to defend. Going west to east they are:

Vicksburg - I need to keep the river clear so troops and supplies can move east from Arkansas and Texas.
Jackson - If I lose this, I'll lose Vicksburg and New Orleans.
Meridian - If I lose this, I lose rail connection between Jackson (and points west and southwest) and the rest of the confederacy.
Atlanta - If I lose this, I lose 9% of my production and more importantly the rail link connecting the Eastern and Western halves of the Confederacy.
Raleigh - If I lose this, I lose the rail connection from South Carolina/Wilmington and Virginia.

All of these areas are threatened at the moment by adjacent armies (or in the case of Vicksburg, fleets). I cannot afford to lose any of these.

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RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)... - 4/18/2008 8:09:58 AM

Joel Billings

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Turns out I was wrong and Sheridan's army was at least 40,000 and Sheridan was able to get initiative and take Norfolk before Jackson could react. That was unfortunate as I can't aford to lose any areas with factories or population (Nofolk has both). Union forces were otherwise quiet. Jackson left a small garrison in Petersburg along with some cavalry to continue to recon Sheridan's forces. Jackson then moved to Raleigh with 25,000 men. From this point he can either move back to Petersburg if Sheridan moves, or possibly attempt to retake New Bern.

Attrition hit the Union army hard with 13 units hit by "exceptional" attrition while no Confederate units were hit (I was very lucky). The only other activity in November was the arrival of a large Union fleet in Mobile Bay. The Mobile forts were not able to put up much of a defense, but as no soldiers came with the fleet, Mobile is still in Confederate hands. This does close off the port of Mobile from any overseas trade. Only Wilmington remains as a port of entry for Confederate blockade runners. The Union navy does not appear to have any gunboat fleets, so they will be unable to move up the Alabama River. I now have to station some heavy artillery on the Alabama River in case Union gunboats arrive or I risk having my last east/west link cut. Intel reports no gunboats outside of the Mississippi River, but intel could be wrong. The good news is that this Union move removes the threat to New Orleans for at least another month. Reports indicate at least one gunboat fleet has been repaired in St. Louis and will soon rejoin the 4 gunboat fleets that are just north of Vicksburg.

The political score at the end of November 1863 is: Union 1016 Confederate 1070

< Message edited by Joel Billings -- 4/18/2008 8:11:26 AM >

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Post #: 73

RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)... - 4/19/2008 1:24:17 AM

Joel Billings

Posts: 32265
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From: Santa Rosa, CA
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In December, 6,000 Union troops landed at Pine Bluff, Arkansas (just southeast of Little Rock). Little Rock is currently being defended by 10,000 mostly militia troops with another 2,000 men marching from Texas. Leaving behind 40,000 troops, Sheridan left Norfolk and has disappeared. However, large accumulations of supplies in Memphis has me guessing he's been ordered to command forces there in preparation of a major offensive to subdue Little Rock and the rest of Arkansas.

Given Sheridan's move, Jackson had a perfect opportunity to attack New Bern, but unfortunately Jackson didn't get initiative. He had a 28% chance to get initiative. Had Polk (the Theatre Commander with a 50% chance of initiative) gotten initiative, Jackson would have had a 46% chance. Either way, it shows how hard it is go get an army moving during the winter. Jackson remained in Raleigh with 25,000 men, hoping for a chance in January to attack New Bern.

With the Union navy holding Mobile Bay, a force of 12,000 Union soldiers landed on the east side of the Bay and captured Baldwin. Grant, had initiative, but chose not to attack Atlanta but instead brought in reinforcements.

The biggest shift happened in the west, where Lyon's army seems to have been greatly reduced in size. Lyon has an army of around 70,000, while Grant now has an army of 85,000. Sherman in Manassas now has 130,000 men. Given the shift in Union strength, I elected to move Joe Johnston to Jackson where he commands 40,000 men (backed up by Forrest's 15,000 cavalry and another 10,000 men in neighboring Meridian. I moved Robert E. Lee to Atlanta to counter Grant. Lee has 75,000 men in and around Atlanta. Beauregard has around 70,000 men in Northern Virginia to counter Sherman.

The political score at the end of 1863 was Union 1035 Confederate 1047

In 1864, recruiting soldiers gets much harder, especially for the Confederacy. The positive for the Confederacy is that it's more likely that units will build entrenchments during combat. Also, when entrenchments are built, they are not immediately removed after the combat. This allows units fighting in the same area to retain their entrenchments, and they can even build level 2 entrenchments if attacked again. This can make Union attacks very costly, especially if they repeatedly attack an area. Let's hope I win some battles and can dig in deep.

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Post #: 74

RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)... - 4/19/2008 1:33:53 AM

Joel Billings

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I forgot to mention that Forrest's Cavalry raided Union supply lines in Tupelo and Grenada. The destruction to rail and supplies was such that it will cost the Union army about 85 additional supplies to supply Lyon's army. Wade Hampton led his cavalry against Grant's supply lines in Macon and the damage will cost the Union army about 105 additional supplies. This shows the costs involved in keeping large armies in hostile territory not supplyable by naval transport.

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RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)... - 4/20/2008 1:03:52 PM

beevor_fan

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Really entertaining AAR - keep em coming :)

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Post #: 76

RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)... - 4/22/2008 6:59:48 AM

Joel Billings

Posts: 32265
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From: Santa Rosa, CA
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In January, the Union launched another operation against Wilmington. Jackson was forced to take his army there to beat off the Union attack, and thus was unable to attack New Bern. The Union forces were defeated and sent back to Elizabeth City where they had come from, but AP Hill was wounded early in the fighting, and this kept the losses fairly even with 6300 Union casualties versus 4700 Confederate casualties.

In Alabama, Lyon and 60,000 men advanced on Tuscaloosa, destroying half of Hood's corps (7900 casualties) while suffering only 2500 casualties. Lyon's army in Tuscaloosa threatens Selma and the east/west rail line that runs between Jackson and Selma. Joe Johnston moved Pemberton's corps to Meridian, and Taylor's corps to Selma, while he positioned himself and Hood's rebuilt corps between the two. With these 50,000 troops, he should be able to meet any further attack by Lyon. Forrest's cavalry destroyed the depot that Lyon left behind in Tupelo. Lyon in Tuscaloosa is now off the railhead in Tupelo, and has to pay double supply costs. Tuscaloosa had been stripped of its resources by Hood during the past 6 months, so Lyon can't live off the land in Tuscaloosa.

In Georgia, Wade Hampton's cavalry made life difficult for Grant by destroying 20 supplies. I've tried to take advantage whenever possible to thin out some of my troop concentrations to reduce my supply consumption. Near Atlanta, I moved additional men to Athens where I've been feasting on the resources that have built up there. Every supply I can save during the winter makes it easier for me to rebuild my damaged artillery or buy a commerce raider. In fact, in January I finally saved enough supplies to afford to purchase a commerce raider (which will be ready in four months). With the Union navy concentrated in the Gulf, I'm hoping my raider can slip out to sea and cost the Union a few political points before he's inevitably tracked down and sunk by the large Union navy.

The Political score at the end of January 1864 is: Union 1030 Confederate 1048

Attachment (1)

(in reply to beevor_fan)

Post #: 77

RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)... - 4/22/2008 11:03:07 AM

GShock

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Carry it on, for the cause! :)

(in reply to Joel Billings)

Post #: 78

RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)... - 4/23/2008 10:38:12 PM

Joel Billings

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No Union initiative in February, so things were quiet. Now if I can only get the Union Generals to keep that attitude for the rest of 1864. My main concern now is that Sheridan has disappeared. A Union depot has sprung up in Baldwin, Alabama to go with those in Memphis and Norfolk. I'm betting he's in one of those three locations, but which one. Cavalry identified several leaders in Baldwin, including Burnside, but I'm only seeing 10,000 infantry, 6,000 cavalry and 40 guns there while I still have 30,000 troops identified in Norfolk. I'm betting Sheridan is in either Baldwin (with considerably more troops), or in Memphis looking to hit Arkansas. I've tried to position forces to counter these different possibilities, but I can't be everywhere at once. If he is able to attack with multiple armies in the same theater, things could go south (pun intended). March is still winter weather so it's not likely to happen then, but you never know.

A large naval force of ironclads and cruisers looks like it's ready to move up the Mississippi River, and there are also 7 gunboats north of Vicksburg. I've got alll of my heavy artillery waiting for him.

The political score is now: Union 1018 Confederate 1056

Remember, the Union player needs just 1000 political points to get Lincoln reelected. If that happens, my points start falling fast (100 per month), and if my points reach 0 before the end of June 1865, I lose. I don't see how I'm going to prevent Lincoln from getting reelected unless I win all the major battles in 1864. That's going to be tough. There's just too many areas that he can still hit that I can't cover (Arkansas being one, but also Grant's central position in Georgia gives him lots of possibilities). There's still a chance I could win if Liincoln gets reelected, but even to do that I'd need to win lots of battles. Jon's doing a good job of stretching me out so.

< Message edited by Joel Billings -- 4/23/2008 10:39:35 PM >

(in reply to GShock)

Post #: 79

RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)... - 4/24/2008 9:30:18 AM

GShock

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It looks like a more desperate situation than you want to say but well the situation for CSA was desperate from the beginning. I am really curious to see how it ends, of course i stand for you Joel, go go go !!!!

(in reply to Joel Billings)

Post #: 80

RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)... - 4/25/2008 12:24:23 AM

Joel Billings

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No intiative for either side in March, thus no ground activity. Sheridan is still unspotted. Pope now has a 35,000 man force next to Columbia, while Grant is still sitting in Macon with his large army. At this point, Sheridan is either in Memphis (ready to attack Little Rock or perhaps double team with Lyon to attack Jackson/Meridian) or he's in Aiken with Pope. I know he's not in Baldwin next to Mobile and the depot in Norfolk was disbanded so he's probably not there. Last turn the Union gunboats attacked Vicksburg. It started well for the Union with the Union hitting a heavy artillery and only losing 1 gunboat fleet damaged. However, on a follow up bombardment, 5 gunboat fleets were damaged with no loss to Vicksburg. Later, a gunboat fleet was destroyed for the loss of 1 heavy artillery damaged. There appear to be only 3 gunboat fleets left on the river regrouping north of Vicksburg. Vicksburg still controls the river. In the south, a cruiser and gunboat force sailed up the river and lost a cruiser fleet to my artillery near New Orleans.

The Political Score now is: Union 1006 Confederate 1064

With April comes good weather and no doubt Union offensive operations.

(in reply to Joel Billings)

Post #: 81

RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)... - 4/25/2008 7:47:33 PM

Grotius

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I'm really enjoying this. I love that most recent map -- the simple overview of the situation.

Can't wait to buy this one. Is it still a couple months away?

(in reply to Joel Billings)

Post #: 82

RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)... - 4/25/2008 8:11:24 PM

Joel Billings

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Grotius

I'm really enjoying this. I love that most recent map -- the simple overview of the situation.

Can't wait to buy this one. Is it still a couple months away?

Yes, the manual is in final layout now (should go to print next week) and we're working to have the game released before Origins (which is in late June). We want to be working full time on our next Russian Front game in June.

(in reply to Grotius)

Post #: 83

RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)... - 4/26/2008 1:52:59 AM

oldspec4

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Yep..a definitite buy for me also.

(in reply to Joel Billings)

Post #: 84

RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)... - 4/26/2008 11:41:46 AM

GShock

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Is Pyle ever gonna post his AARs? I think not. It's bad because it would have been wonderful to also see his POV on the game and why he did what he did and how he reacted to what you did and why he didn't do what you had expected him to do and so on.

Anyway i think this is gonna be another big hit by Matrix games. I sincerely hope the development will carry on to further support the several hundred new gamers about to join our community. I am sure however that many users, not belonging to these forums, have been alerted by the imminent release of this game.

Counting FoF and AACW, this is the third title on this subject which definitely proves it's a worthy subject for videogaming sales. :)

(in reply to oldspec4)

Post #: 85

RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)... - 4/26/2008 11:30:17 PM

Joel Billings

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The Gods of War smiled on the Confederacy in April. Three major Union commanders got initiative, and all three launched major offensives. In the west, Lyon took his army toward Jackson once again. This time, Stonewall Jackson was there to meet him. Calling all major commanders to Jackson (Hood, Taylor, Pemberton), Jackson was able to outmaneuver and outnumber Lyon and throw him back to Tupelo. Confederate losses were 8600/40 guns, while Union losses were 7000/80 guns, showing that having more troops can often mean taking more losses. Jackson did capture 20 guns, but the attrition of 1 to 1 overall is not good. Politically though, it was a goldmine. Also, if Jackson wins one more major battle as an Army Commander (he's won 2 so far), his Army Mod of -1 will go to 0, making him equal to Robert E. Lee as an Army Commander (4 attack and 4 defense rating).

In Georgia, Grant moved to Columbus to cut Atlanta's southwestern rail link to Alabama. Lee shadowed the Union army and Grant's 70,000 men and 340 guns engaged Lee's slightly smaller army in the forests of west-central Georgia. Losses were even, with Confederate losses of 10300/70 guns versus 11000/60 guns for the Union, but the Confederates captured 40 guns. Also, John Reynolds was killed. Another bad loss ratio for the south, but Atlanta's link with the west was maintained and Grant was sent reeling back to Macon. Another strategic victory and political gain for the Confederacy.

In Virginia, Sherman attacked Winchester with his large army. Beauregard met him with Longstreet and Early. Although outnumbered by about 62000/260 guns to 40000/180 guns, Beauregard pulled out a victory. The Union forces in Virginia are fairly inexperienced and have weaker commanders (Grant has most of the best Union corps commanders with him). More of the Confederate troops have rotated in from other fronts, and have gained experience from beating off attacks on Wilmington and most recently Fredericksburg. These advantages all added up to Union losses of 12200/80 guns versus Confederate losses of 7500/60 guns, with 60 guns captured after the battle making up these losses. A note about captured guns. Whenever a force retreats, there is a chance that guns will be captured. This represents not just cannons captured, but also the other weapons of war that the victorious army can salvage from the battlefield. Because this was more important for the less industrialized south, Confederates are three times as likely to capture guns after a victory than Union forces. In addition, heavy artillery cannot retreat, but are destroyed (if not captured) when an army is forced to retreat. In this battle, David Hunter was killed and John Sedgwick was wounded. All in all, a great Confederate victory. Beauregard has now won 8 major victories during the war. If he wins two more, his defense rating of 3 will improve to 4.

The only Union victory in April came when two Union corps advancing from Louisville overran the brigade in Glasgow, Kentucky. Now only London, KY on the Cumberland Gap is in Confederate hands. If this area is taken, Kentucky will become a Union aligned state and Kentucky's four factories can be used by the Union army. I've been surprised that Jon hasn't tried to take these Kentucky areas earlier in the war to boost his production capacity. It would require an army commander and/or some good corps commanders, along with some depots, but it could have been done. It turns out Jon had Sheridan in Louisville this past turn, but Sheridan didn't get initiative so he moved him to Aiken in order to threaten Columbia. Even though Sheridan didn't get initiative, Schofield and Manson did and he used those troops to take Glasgow. In hindsight, Jon told me he wishes he had only moved Manson into Glasgow and moved Schofield with Sheridan to Aiken to give Sheridan a bigger force in South Carolina.

The net of all the April action was that the Confederate lines held, and their political points went up, while the Union points fell. However, at this point I can only replace about 5,000 men per month (plus occasional militia federalized when new areas are attacked), while the Union forces can replace 19000 men per month (1/3 are black troops). If I can keep winning major battles, Lincoln could lose the election.

The Political score is Union 976 Confederate 1120

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by Joel Billings -- 4/26/2008 11:32:01 PM >

(in reply to GShock)

Post #: 86

RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)... - 4/27/2008 10:17:39 AM

GShock

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Joel, how does this thing with initiative work exactly? You keep mentioning it and i think it's important but how does it work?

Another question: Is there anything about PoWs in the game?

(in reply to Joel Billings)

Post #: 87

RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)... - 4/27/2008 8:18:27 PM

Joel Billings

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Each turn leader's check to see if they have initiative. It depends on the leader ratings, where they are (friendly or hostile territory), and whether they have a stocked depot in their area (if in enemy areas). Without initiative, leader's don't add their skill ratings to the movement points of the units. So an infantry unit with 1 movement point attached to a leader with initiative would have between 2-5 movement points (depending on leader's infantry skill rating which is 1-4), but if his leader didn't have initiative he'd have just 1 MP which is not enough to attack. Unit's moving in the reaction phase pay more MP's if their leader's don't have initiative. It's important to note that if an Army Commander gets initiative, all the leader's in his area get initiative, so having AC's get initiative is extremely important. In bad weather months (Nov-Mar), it's less likely that leaders will get initiative. Theatre Commanders that get initiative will help leaders within range of them to get initiative, so good TC's and AC's are very important.

As for POW's, no, there's nothing about POW's. Units destroyed are gone from the game. Leader's that are captured (nowhere to retreat) automatically come back from between 1-12 months of when they were captured (assumed to be exchanged).

(in reply to GShock)

Post #: 88

RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)... - 4/27/2008 8:36:41 PM

Terminus

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Joel Billings

quote:

ORIGINAL: Grotius

I'm really enjoying this. I love that most recent map -- the simple overview of the situation.

Can't wait to buy this one. Is it still a couple months away?

Yes, the manual is in final layout now (should go to print next week) and we're working to have the game released before Origins (which is in late June). We want to be working full time on our next Russian Front game in June.

So do plenty of other people...

_____________________________

We are all dreams of the Giant Space Butterfly.

(in reply to Joel Billings)

Post #: 89

RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)... - 4/27/2008 9:35:27 PM

GShock

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PoWs released on parole often went back to fight. The PoWs exchanges, for the little they were used, helped more the CSA than the Union...it would have been historical to have such an option though...marginal. As of the generals, they go back in 1-12 months time...this is not clear, does there have to be an agreement between the parts or not? I would never EVER release Grant for example...

Sorry to pester you, another question. Is there an army structure similar to FoF or to AACW in GGWbtS or is it just men+cannons as i see in the after-battle screens?

(in reply to Terminus)

Post #: 90