Joel Billings
Posts: 32265
Joined: 9/20/2000 From: Santa Rosa, CA Status: offline
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In June, Union forces overran what was left of the Baton Rouge garrison and attacked two low PP areas that could not be defended. With that, Confederate Political Points (accounting for the 100 I'll lose at the end of June) was effectively at 141. Grant decided to avoid the heavy entrenchments around Wilmington and instead moved inland and attacked Fayetteville with about 70,000 men and 280 guns. A secondary attack was made on Goldsboro from New Bern with what turned out to be 14000 soldiers under Carter. Sherman took his army of 140,000 men and 580 guns and attacked Richmond. Losing Richmond would lose me 237 Political Points (87 plus 50 since it's the capital plus 100 more at the start of the next turn since I've lost the election). Clearly the game comes down to holding Richmond. In Fayetteville, Jackson met Grant with 60000 men and 100 guns. First Pendleton went down wounded (he commanded my artillery), then AP Hill was killed (leading 20,000 men). The battle was very close, and casualties were almost equal, but these leader losses made the difference. The final adjusted combat values were 572 to 547 for the Union (1.04 to 1). AP Hill being killed cost me 30 points, and Pendleton cost me 10. Had they both been unharmed, the adjusted values would have been 572 to 587 and the Confederacy would have won. In a close battle like this, leader losses can make the difference. This battle cost me 32 points, leaving me at 109. In Goldsboro, Early's 10,000 troops were able to hold off the Union attack. So it all came down to Richmond. Lee managed to bring 88,000 troops and 240 guns to defend Richmond. I had reduced the army in Georgia to 40,000 men, and there were only 40,000 men spread out between Meridian, Mobile and Selma as over the past few turns I tried to ship as many men to Virginia as I dared to spare from these areas. In the battle of Richmond, Sherman was able to commit 130,000 men and 560 guns, almost his entire force. Lee threw in everything he had. Early in the fighting the victory bar was hovering just over the 50% mark on the Confederate side and Albert Sydney Johnston was killed. Losses mounted on both sides. However the value of the fort level 2 and the many entrenchments dug by the Confederate forces proved to be too much for the Union forces and the final battle odds were .77 to 1. The Strategic Victory brought my Political Points up to 129.
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