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! - 11/19/2006 3:28:19 AM

Gil R.

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quote:

ORIGINAL: ericbabe

quote:

ORIGINAL: Gil R.
Shenandoah gets 14. Rappahanock is getting none -- I'm not sure why.

The U.S. fort there.

I knew that. Silly me.

< Message edited by Gil R. -- 11/19/2006 3:31:46 AM >

(in reply to ericbabe)

Post #: 271

RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 11/19/2006 3:53:34 AM

Gil R.

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Twenty-fifth Turn

Some unexpected events just happened, but I think that they put me in an even better position out west. And out east, the only thing happening is that siege in Florida, and I like my odds there too...

First, the Event Report shows that the siege in Florida caused major damage to the invaders in the first round, and minimal damage to the defenders. (I guess that Brigade Artillery one of the garrison units is sporting must have made a difference.)

Over in Jackson, an encirclement siege has begun, which means fewer casualties on both sides. I'd rather that the enemy try a different siege, since it would use up their lives and supplies more quickly. But I'm fine with this -- Jackson won't fall. Not this year, at least.

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Post #: 272

RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 11/19/2006 4:09:39 AM

Gil R.

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Next, there were several encounters in both theaters. Out east, the Union jumped on that tiny division in Shenandoah, and the ANV wasn't able to reinforce. So, the Shenandoah is now Union territory. I'll have to take it back in the coming turns -- before winter sets in and gives the Union a chance to build a fort there -- and this should be easier than that battle in Cumberland because the Union won't have a fort there giving a defense bonus, and I'll be able to send my army in by rail so that there's no chance of fatigue.

That tiny division that I had sent into Bowling Green to make it CSA territory ended up running into that division that started the turn in Bowling Green, even though I had tried to detour around it. The lone brigade in that division took some casualties, but no major harm done to the overall war effort.

Then comes the much more significant event: on its way to relieve Jackson, while passing through Oxford the 4th Corps encountered the Union army that had been in Arkansas, and an unexpected battle occurred. The CSA won it, but took significant casualties and used up most of its supplies (as will be seen below). The defeated Union army retreated into Yazoo, where it so happened that I had stationed the 4th Division in a previous turn. The Union won that battle -- how could it not, outnumbering the division by roughly 4-to-1? -- and the division retreated to Jackson, where it found the Union corps waiting for it. All told, what had been a very good division lost 3000 men and one of my best Legendary Units, Extra Billy Smith's Boys, surrendered.

The only positive to trouncing of the 4th Division is that it forced both Union forces to use up more of their supplies -- and I've now got their supplies cut off and have raiders nipping at them too.

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Post #: 273

RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 11/19/2006 4:17:05 AM

Gil R.

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But wait, it gets better. At the very end of last turn, I had promoted Longstreet to 3-star general with the intention of sending him out to Virginia this coming turn. Well, he died in that big battle in Oxford, so once again I'll have to promote a 3-star general, and none of my other options will be as good.

The only positive about losing Longstreet is that in promoting him I got to boost one governor's Attitude, and now that he's dead I'll get to promote another general and achieve the same result with another (or the same) governor. This might not be such a bad strategy, come to think of it...

Some good news: my reinforcements are up thanks to the new camp, and the Plantation in Milledgeville will let me build more research institutions there this winter.

And then some bad news: unrest has spread from Yazoo into Natchez, and I have some pretty important buildings there that risk being destroyed (see below).

But then some excellent news: the governor of North Carolina is giving a boost to British diplomacy, which might give me the edge I need in getting the British to favor me enough that I can obtain some Enfields or Whitworths from them.

Regarding governors, in two turns something very interesting will happen, there will be gubernatorial elections on both sides, and many of the current governors could be thrown out of office. In general, it is the governors on the side that is losing who will be tossed out by a dissatisfied public, and as of this turn it's looking like Lincoln might have to deal with a few more governors who don't approve of the way he's handling the war.

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< Message edited by Gil R. -- 11/19/2006 4:26:33 AM >

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Post #: 274

RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 11/19/2006 4:20:56 AM

Gil R.

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I mentioned the danger that unrest poses to Natchez. That city has an Engineering School and a Camp, both of great importance. Not to mention the Capitol that permits income to be raised in the province, and one of my Mints. Below I'll show one approach that I take to trying to quell the unrest.

On the left, you can see that this most recent battle gained me further Experience.

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Post #: 275

RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 11/19/2006 4:26:06 AM

Gil R.

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In the aftermath of the ANV's loss of 15,000 men, I had set the whole army as well as the division in Abingdon to "Normal" supply level and set the western forces not to receive any supplies, in order to steer reinforcements into the ANV and reinflate it quickly. As can be seen here, this approach is working, and all 5500 reinforcements went to Virginia.

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Post #: 276

RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 11/19/2006 4:28:32 AM

Gil R.

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Here's how Virginia looks now that the Union has taken Shenandoah. Fortunately, my rail-lines are not fully cut, since Virginia is connected by rail to the west through Atlanta. But that's a major detour for my forces to take when heading east or west, so I'll need to get rid of the Union's army soon. Somehow.

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Post #: 277

RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 11/19/2006 4:29:29 AM

Gil R.

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Here's the siege in Florida.

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Post #: 278

RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 11/19/2006 4:33:42 AM

Gil R.

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The Union is sending that fleet that had transported the amphibious force to Florida over into the Gulf of Mexico, no doubt so that it can provide sea supply to those forces. If I can destroy that fleet, the invading forces will likely be destroyed through unit attrition. So, I decide to do something that is almost certain to catch the Union offguard: I purchase the most powerful naval artillery that is available to the CSA at the start of the war, and assign it to my ironclads. My guess is that the Union hasn't bothered to invest in superior weapons for its ships, knowing that the CSA is an insignificant threat to those ships. We'll see about that.

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Post #: 279

RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 11/19/2006 4:35:52 AM

Gil R.

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I then take my fleet of ironclads and other ships and send it after the Union fleet, setting mine on "Intercept." The Union's other fleet is still off the coast of Virginia, meaning that it will be too far away to attack my fleet, and by the time it's in southern waters I should be able to get my fleet safely into Mobile Bay or another southern port.

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Post #: 280

RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 11/19/2006 4:39:30 AM

Gil R.

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Westward-ho! My corps in Huntsville failed to move last turn, which means it's out of position for my needs. That's bad, because I had hoped to be on the verge of sending it into Jackson this turn.

Fortunately, the Union still hasn't moved its army from Hatchie -- either because it doesn't want to, or can't. It probably is trying to hold Hatchie in order to keep the southern forces in rail supply.

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Post #: 281

RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 11/19/2006 4:44:09 AM

Gil R.

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Here's Mississippi. As noted above, Sibley's 4th Corps fought a battle in Oxford and won, forcing the Union army coming from the Arkansas River to retreat into Yazoo. As will be shown below, the corps is significantly weakened -- but my guess is that the Union's army is even weaker, not only because the loser in a battle suffers significantly higher loss of supplies, but because of the march attrition it must have suffered to get to Oxford. If I can keep this army from being supplied for perhaps one more turn, it might begin to disintegrate. But I'm going to try to attack it...

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Post #: 282

RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 11/19/2006 4:46:11 AM

Gil R.

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And here's the rest of Mississippi, showing my poor 4th Division after it got bounced around like a pinball from one province to the next.

Over in Mobile, my army container is finished, so I put those two infantry brigades in it to keep it from being destroyed by the enemy, and soon move it in the direction of my corps.

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Post #: 283

RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 11/19/2006 4:48:02 AM

Gil R.

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Here's the 4th Division now. It used to be more than twice as strong. Each of those units is now "depleted" or "badly depleted," which means they risk being disbanded.

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Post #: 284

RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 11/19/2006 4:50:58 AM

Gil R.

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When unrest strikes a province, there is a chance of lowering it if brigades are stationed there. So, even though march attrition will further weaken this division, I send it to Natchez in the hopes of averting the destruction of buildings there.

Natchez, it should be noted, is adjacent to Jackson, and if there is a battle in Jackson this unit might be called in to reinforce.

Since I can't leave the division's brigades at risk of disbandment, I turn up its supply level, so that reinforcements will be on their way.

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Post #: 285

RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 11/19/2006 4:53:25 AM

Gil R.

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Before the battle in Oxford, the 4th Corps was at about 50,000 men, and now it's way down. So, since it is on the verge of seeing combat again, I set it to the highest supply level to ensure that most of the 5500 reinforcements go there.

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Post #: 286

RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 11/19/2006 4:55:51 AM

Gil R.

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The other reason to boost supply so high is that two of these divisions are perilously low in supply. Since a battle against the Union army would cost more than 2 supply levels, this corps cannot risk battle unless its supply levels are boosted.

My guess is that that Union army has similar numbers, but even lower...

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Post #: 287

RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 11/19/2006 4:57:33 AM

Gil R.

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Here's the quality of these brigades. With the exception of one or two bad apples -- Yeah, I'm talking to you, 70th Infantry! -- this corps is quite battle-hardened and battle-ready.

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Post #: 288

RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 11/19/2006 4:59:32 AM

Gil R.

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And here are the weapons. I forgot to take screenshots of the Battle Report that lists which Union units lost their weapons, but among them were two brigades that dropped their Improved Springfields... which my two sharpshooter units picked up. (If jchastain didn't show the Battle Report let me know and I'll post it.)

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Post #: 289

RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 11/19/2006 5:05:25 AM

Gil R.

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Before sending the corps into battle, I spend most of my money to upgrade two brigades with Brigade Artillery. In the case of one unit, I give it that attribute a second time, which starting next turn converts what had been an infantry unit into artillery. Brigades that are converted into artillery lose a significant amount of quality, and therefore are inferior to artillery units that are raised in cities, but I could use an artillery unit in the western theater, even an inferior one. (Plus, whereas infantry brigades with Brigade Artillery have 25% of their attack done by 6-pounders, converted artillery units can have far better guns purchased for them. As soon as I can afford it, the 48th will get an Ordnance Rifle. (One can convert brigades into cavalry by buying two Brigade Cavalry attributes too.)

(In general, doubling-up on brigade attributes makes them much more effective. For example, a sharpshooting unit that has two Sharpshooters attributes rather than one will be much more deadly.)

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Post #: 290

RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 11/19/2006 5:08:53 AM

Gil R.

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After sending my Partisans from Napoleon into Yazoo, where I hope they'll be able to rob that army of even more supplies, I send the 1st Corps, still at 50,000 strong, into Aberdeen. The reason for doing this is to make sure that rail supply to Jackson remains blocked: when I have units in Oxford it blocks both the rail-line that goes to Jackson through Yazoo and the one through Aberdeen and Meridian, but if I were to move the 4th Corps from Oxford into Yazoo the 1st Corps would again be able to get supplied by rail.

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Post #: 291

RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 11/19/2006 5:11:32 AM

Gil R.

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And now I send the 4th Corps into Yazoo, figuring that even though it's Union territory that army there must be in very bad shape. I do risk the corps in Jackson coming into Yazoo to reinforce, but that's okay -- it's supplies must also be low.

Note that by positioning the 1st Corps in Aberdeen I both cut off one avenue of escape for the Union and put the corps in a position to reinforce in Yazoo if it gets to Aberdeen in time.

I should note that I set the 1st Corps to "Avoid Battle," since if the army in Hatchie attacks this corps might get beaten up badly. The "Avoid Battle" setting allows this corps to try to avoid any enemies in the same province it's in, but does not prevent it from being called to reinforce the 4th Corps in Yazoo.

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< Message edited by Gil R. -- 11/19/2006 5:32:12 AM >

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Post #: 292

RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 11/19/2006 5:13:04 AM

scout1

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Grand AAR ... Hopefully the game will be released soon so I can try one of my own ....

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Post #: 293

RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 11/19/2006 5:13:23 AM

Gil R.

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I next move the new army container by rail to Aberdeen, so that next turn I'll be able to put this corps in there, and soon thereafter add the second corps. If these two corps are in the army container under Stonewall they will crush either of these Union forces, and will be quite a match for the army in Hatchie if it ever comes south to relieve the other Union forces.

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Post #: 294

RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 11/19/2006 5:16:39 AM

Gil R.

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And lastly, thinking that the army in Hatchie may indeed move south this turn, I take the miniscule 14th Division and send it by rail into Hatchie. If the Union army leaves Hatchie, this division will make it CSA territory and cut off rail supply to all three Union forces, while if it runs into that army I won't lose much. I do, of course, set it on "Avoid Battle."

At the very top of the screenshot can be seen the Union force in Bowling Green. My guess is that it's heading to Hatchie to secure that province, allowing the army currently there to move into Oxford and convert that back to Union control. This is a very good strategy, but I think I can do serious damage to the Union before it's in place.

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Post #: 295

RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 11/19/2006 5:19:37 AM

Gil R.

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Since putting units on high supply costs 5 Money/brigade per turn (as opposed to 2 Money for "Normal" and 1 Money for "Low"), resupplying the 4th Corps puts me at -26 Money. If I spend more money than I have I will risk serious unit attrition, so I have to find that money somewhere. I decide to reduce diplomacy with the French by 20 Money and with the Other Europeans by 10 Money for a single turn. I hate to lower my diplomacy levels even for a turn, but there's nowhere else that I can find the money.

Also note that my net Labor production is down, since high supply uses up much more of that, too.

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Post #: 296

RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 11/19/2006 5:25:03 AM

Gil R.

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At the end of the turn, I discover that my Partisans only made it to Arkansas-Missouri River, and not the Union army in Yazoo, so the best I can do is to caues minor economic damage and deprive the Union of some resources. Next turn, these Partisans will be destroying supplies.

I task both Raiders in Jackson with further depleting the supplies of the besieging corps, with the chance to destroy a total of 45 supply if both succeed. If that works, it would be an average of roughly 2 supply per brigade, which could be devastating.

Also, I use my Horses to build another Camp, which is desperately needed after the 40,000 losses I've suffered in the past few turns.

Finally, I get to appoint a new three-star general, and go with Gen. McCulloch of Texas, who is already in the ANV and therefore won't get killed in Mississippi the way Longstreet did. It's a tough call, since some of the other generals I might choose have special abilities that they can teach to the brigades under them, but I decide to opt for the general with the best ratings.

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< Message edited by Gil R. -- 11/19/2006 5:30:13 AM >

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Post #: 297

RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 11/19/2006 12:34:39 PM

spruce

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hey Gil, in post 294 you seem to move the army container from Tombigbee up North-West ... there's also a "greenish" railroadpath displayed from Tombigbee up North-West.

But Tombigbee doesn't has a railroad in it ... does this means your army container will march trough Tombigbee to get to Biloxi to catch the train there ?

great AAR btw

< Message edited by spruce -- 11/19/2006 12:38:28 PM >

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Post #: 298

RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 11/19/2006 9:18:15 PM

Willmore

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Actually, if you look at post #283, it does have a railroad.

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Post #: 299

RE: PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet! - 11/19/2006 9:36:07 PM

spruce

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Willmore

Actually, if you look at post #283, it does have a railroad.

well spotted ! It has railroads ...

Well I was just hoping that the game would allow you to make a single move order, including both movement by marching and railroad. But it seems this move order was indeed a 100% rail movement order.

< Message edited by spruce -- 11/19/2006 9:39:13 PM >

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Post #: 300

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