AAR 1756-58 The Montcalm campaign. Rule Britannia!

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AAR 1756-58 The Montcalm campaign. Rule Britannia! - 12/16/2006 11:41:53 AM

USS Yorktown

Posts: 52
Joined: 12/14/2006
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Hi all,

As Birth of America has just been made available to Matrix customers, I thought you might be interested in an AAR to get an idea of the gameplay. So here is an AAR of my current BoA Pbem game.
The chosen scenario covers the early campaigns of the Marquis de Montcalm, from its arrival and the capture of Oswego till its incredible victory against all odds at Carillon in 1758. The Moncalm campaign is one of the episod of the French and Indian War (FIW). Had the French won the FIW, and the USA will be eating camembert burgers right now

The FIW is itself one of the different battlefields of the Seven Years war. Many historians consider the Seven Years war as being the first global war.

Now back to the historical Montcalm campaign:
"After a year and a half of undeclared warfare, the French and the English formally declared war in May 1756. For the first three years of the war, the outnumbered French and their Indian allies dominated both the wilderness and the battlefield, their commander the Marquis de Montcalm defeating the English in battles and sieges at Fort Oswego (1756) and William-Henry (1757). Unfortunately for the French, their navy was completely dominated by the Royal Navy and reinforcements never reached North America, or in very limited numbers. This theater was also a secondary one for them, as the Versailles war cabinet has its eyes set on the battlefields of Central Germany where victory or defeat, so they felt, would be decided.��As a consequence, Montcalm had to do with the little he came with or received later. This, coupled with his distrust of the Canadians and their 'Petty War' tactics, explains why he showed caution in his overall strategy. Similarly, his lack of offensive actions and limited success kept the Iroquois Confederacy in a pro-British expectative attitude. One must however recall that Montclam's job was to preserve Nouvelle France from conquest till the war was settled by a European peace settlement. By 1758, his delaying strategy was begining to crack, as the British had received large reinforcements from England. Nevertheless, Montcalm early campaigns ended in triumph when, outnumbered 1 to 4 but well entrenched, he repulsed against all odds the British frontal assault of his breastworks outside Fort Carillon in July of that year. One more year had been gained..."

Well, this is what history tells, now let's see what we can do...
Note: You'll be able to read my opponent AAR here: http://www.armchairgeneral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46347

The medium campaign will last 31 turns, from March 1756 to October 1758. This is the first time I'm playing it as a Pbem, and my main experience is with the full French and Indian War campaign (127 turns) against the AI. Furthermore, I usually pick the French side. So, this game will be a a kind of discovery for me.

I'll try to post more information about the French and Indian war along this AAR.

First, let's study together the theater of war, right now there is a lot of snow but the spring is coming and with it the first military operations...

New-Brunswick (Acadia).

I picked the most remote view for you to have the general idea. You can see Quebec and Louisbourg (in blue), the two French sea side strongholds, and Halifax(in red), my main base of operation in this part of the battlefield. As you can see, not much easy objectives to take for me here. The French has gathered some forces in Acadia (Militia in St Jean and some micmac indians warriors).

Lake Ontario and Middlestates.

I expect the bulk of the fights to take place here. You can see Oswego and Albany, my two forts that Montcalm will try to size. If I can afford to lose Oswego, Albany will have to be defended at all cost as it is the strategic hub of my armies. On the other bank of the Lake Ontario, you can see Frontenac. If I successfully repulsed Montcalm, it will be one of the objective of my counterattack. The French have not yet finished building Fort Carillon, by the side of Lake Champlain. The Iroquois tribes are still neutral, waiting to see which side will take the upper hand. Most of the British reinforcements will land in New-York. You can easily see on this map why Albany is so central and important for me.

Lake Erie and Shenandoa Valley

This part of the battlefield is pretty empty. The French has some irregular troops and excellent guerrila leaders in Fort Duquesne; He is going to set the whole frontier aflamed. I have some regular troops in Alexandria with Dunbar , he will have to be very carefull.

In this game, I'll be facing Stewart from the Armchair General review (aka Napoleon). I've never played against him, but I'm going to assume he is a seasoned wargamer, with an agressive attitude. Therefore, I'm going to play safe. I'll concentrate my forces to defend Albany and eliminate the "Coureurs des bois" units in the south before to gradually push toward the French positions as my reinforcements will arrive. The French has as the military upper hand right now so it's gonna to be tough but I must be ready to punish the Marquis de Montcalm if he misses me respect...

We'll be playing Birth of America 1.10d and I'm using French language (languages availables are English, French, Spanish. I think there are also German and Russian versions). We agreed on 2-3 turns a week.
Please feel free to ask questions and correct typo.

I hope you'll enjoy this AAR.

< Message edited by USS Yorktown -- 1/2/2007 12:23:41 PM >

Post #: 1

RE: 1756-1758 The Montcalm campaign. Rule Britannia! - 12/16/2006 11:55:28 AM

USS Yorktown

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Joined: 12/14/2006
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Turn 1: March 1756

1756 should be a difficult year.
Very early, the French are going to be able to gather a military superiority in the Mohawk valley. Montcalm and Bourlamaque are likely to use the St Lawrence to get the French royal regiments down to Lake Ontario and assault Oswego. These French regiments are my main problem as they are regular professional troops that I'm not able to confront right now.
Oswego is garisonned with two provincials regiments. Not exactly elite troops, but better than most of my milicias troops. Retrenched in Fort Oswego, they could delay the French troops, but they won't be able to resist more than 2-3 turns to a siege and eventually they will be anihilated. Alternatively, the French could also choose to attack through Lake Champlain, or worse execute a pince attack on Albany.

Therefore my plan is to retreat my two regiments from Oswego to Albany. In order to make my conter-attack easier, they will destroy Oswego fort before to leave. In Albany, combining them with reinforcements from New-York, I will establish a defense line against both possible French attack axis.

In the Shenandoa valley, I won't be facing regular infantry regiments but mainly French irregulars units (coureurs des bois) and their indians allies. These troops know perfectly the battlefield. They move fast, strike and run. Furthermore, they have excellent camouflage values and they are lead by two excellent leaders (Dumas and Langlade), which enjoy guerilla abilities. To confront them, I have Dunbar with two depleted infantery regiments in Alexandria and a young guy named George Washington in Fort Cumberland with two militias. This young lad looks promising, and I would be sorry if he died... So I bring him back to Fort Allen in order to establish a line of defense with Dunbar. Washington has "partisan" (bonus to irregular units) and "master driller" (can improve the quality of militias), so I send him another militia from Alexandria.

In New Brunswick, with a general, 3 regular infantery regiment and some militia, I enjoy military superiority... Well, jolly good because the closest objective is St Jean, a tiny French locality... Louisbourg and Quebec could be reached using the Royal Navy, but I prefer to make a strategical choice. I send my fleet from Boston to Halifax in order to prepare an evacuation. I am going to bring back my army in Halifax to New-York. Thus, I hope to be able to contain the French offensive against Albany and get more quickly the upper hand to counter-attack. Meanwhile, I keep of small detachment (47th foot and militia) to take St Jean and get rid of any French presence there.

In New-York, the 60th regiment (Provincials) and the 1st Rhode Island (Militia) are available. But the Hudson valley is under the snow and I prefer to keep them safe in the city.

< Message edited by USS Yorktown -- 12/17/2006 8:59:58 PM >

(in reply to USS Yorktown)

Post #: 2

RE: 1756-1758 The Montcalm campaign. Rule Britannia! - 12/16/2006 12:13:49 PM

USS Yorktown

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Joined: 12/14/2006
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Turn 2: April 1756

The French raiders are at work, look at this screenshot. You can easily distinguish the track of two groups, coming from the Monongahela river. Each red circle with enflamed goods marks a pillage... I underlined the likely tracks with some blue lines. Meanwhile, Washington and Dunbar are protecting the two bridges on the Potomac. I am not strong enough to confront the French raiders , right now. I must only move to kill.

In New Brunswick, my 47th Foot and some canadian militians have easily seized St Jean, but the ennemy forces have not been destroyed yet in this part of the battlefield.

In the Mohawk valley, my plan is running smooth. The fort in Oswego has been destroyed and my two infantery regiments have begun to retreat to Albany (in good order, one shall insist this is a "strategic redeployment" rather than a vulgar retreat

).
Good news from New-York! The King has sent me some reinforcements to defend the american colonies: A dreafull Highlanders regiment and a very usefull artillery batterie. With the spring, the Hudson river has unfrozen, so they will use the river boats to move to Albany (twice quicker at least than marching).

So the question is : Where are these damn French?
I have no clue. This is one of the charm of the French and Indian war, and the strong quality of the Birth of America engine. The mecanisms of guerrilla conflicts are perfectly simulated. The only thing I know is that someone has been looting some of my regions in the Shenandoa valley.
But I'm not worried, soon Montcalm and the dreadfull French royal regiments will show up...

... Ok, it's official: I AM worried.

Feel free to ask any questions!

< Message edited by USS Yorktown -- 12/17/2006 9:24:58 PM >

(in reply to USS Yorktown)

Post #: 3

RE: 1756-1758 The Montcalm campaign. Rule Britannia! - 12/17/2006 11:25:48 AM

Nibelung

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a question, on turn 1 you says that Montcalm can take Oswego from the lake, but it seems frozen? Will he uses a ice-breaker?

(in reply to USS Yorktown)

Post #: 4

RE: 1756-1758 The Montcalm campaign. Rule Britannia! - 12/17/2006 2:15:01 PM

USS Yorktown

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Joined: 12/14/2006
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I was refering to the 1756 year as a whole.
But you're right, the St Lawrence and the Lake Ontario are still frozen and Montcalm won't be able to use his river transport before it gets warmer. However, the French troops based in Frontenac can take advantage of the frozen surface to actually walk across the lake and attack Oswego!

Another direct French threat on Fort Oswego are the troop lead by Francois Pouchot in Fort Niagara. This guy enjoys the engineer ability, meaning he has bonus to siege forts... Potentially, using only his irregular fast units, he could have been in Fort Oswego in 6 days (!). If he had taken some Compagnies franches with him (regular infantry units, not as dreadull as royal regiments but close...), he would have needed still only 32 days. By ordering such a direct attack, Montcalm would have found a French Oswego when he would have eventually landed there much later.

But my opponent seems to have chosen a more carefull approach. Stay tuned!

< Message edited by USS Yorktown -- 12/17/2006 3:08:15 PM >

(in reply to Nibelung)

Post #: 5

RE: 1756-1758 The Montcalm campaign. Rule Britannia! - 12/17/2006 2:39:40 PM

Nibelung

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wow, this game is deceptive, there is much subtleties involved I see. Infantries able to walk on frozen lake, its kinda cool. Reminds me of the siege of Leningrad and how the Russians set a supply line across Ladoga during WW2.

(in reply to USS Yorktown)

Post #: 6

RE: 1756-1758 The Montcalm campaign. Rule Britannia! - 12/17/2006 4:32:37 PM

USS Yorktown

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Joined: 12/14/2006
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Turn 3: The calm before the storm...

I've sent a letter to the King to expose him the situation: The early French offensive that we expected seems to have been delayed. Our master plan is developing according to the most optimistic prediction, without any interference. I still request some reinforcement in order to be able to take the offensive as early as possible when our army will be grouped enough.

I wonder what this calm means... The St Lawrence is still frozen so Montcalm river fleet must be still locked in Quebec and Mont Royal. In the worst case, Montcalm is planning an attack on Albany from the North, through Lake Champlain. This won't be very too disturbing as I can defend Albany from any direction. However, I was expecting some kind of actions in the Oswego Area.

He could also plan a naval invasion of Halifax and New-York using his troops in Quebec and Louisbourg but this would be quite foolish.

Finally, he could choose to a full defense strategy. This is one option I had never thought about, as I tend to blitz when I play Montcalm in the French and Indian War, but he might think he is controlling more strategic cities than me right now, so rather than risking his precious royal regiments he might be planning to keep them in defense and thus win if I fail in my counter-attack. I have never tried this strategy, usually the French tries to go for the sudden death victory before the British reinforcement become overwhelming...

(If you want to know about my opponent evil plans to make America drinking red wine and eating cheese, click here:
BOA AAR of the Montcalm Campaign.....Vive la Nouvelle France! )

Mohawk valley/ Hudson valley

The plan is going fine. Reinforcements are on their way to Albany from Oswego, Boston and New-York. Actually, New-York reinforcement should already have arrived, but the boats were delayed during their river trip to the North.

Shenandoa valley

Everything is quiet. No further French raids signaled. Have they retreated? Have they swithed to passive mode in ordrer to stealthly by pass my defenses on the Potomac river... No clue. In the North, you can see some Mohawk scouts rushing south to join up with Colonel Washington (nice lad, I think he could do something later). The Mohawks will give some detection bonus to my troops to fight more efficiently the French raiders.

New-Brunswick

Here, the things are going smoothly.
Two Infantry regiments have left Halifax in a Navy transport to sail to New-York. They should arrive next month. I take a slight risk, if Montcalm attempts a naval invasion, Halifax garrison will be depleted but the French have never been really good in naval operation. On the other, these two foot regiments will be more than welcome to change the forces balances in the Mohawk valley. I accept a temporay risk in Halifax in order to get a strategic advantage in Albanay. Would we be playing chess, this would be a "castling queen's side". The troops transport shoud arrive next mont in New-York, right now they are in central atlantic so you can't see them on this screenshot.

At the same moment, Governor Charles Lawrence was embarking with a chariot of supply in the Neptune and the Sutherland, two warships. They sailed to the Bay of Funday where they will be able to support my troops in St Jean with their guns if the French counter-attack. Next month, Lawrence will land in St Jean. This will give a nice boost to my troops fighting efficiency. Non-commanded units suffer from -50% malus. Under Governor Lawrence lead, and with the +10% bonus of the supply chariot, my 47th regiment should be able to clean the last French forces in this area (Lawrence stats: Strategic rating= 6 Offense=1 Defense= 2. 6 in Strategic rating mean that Lawrence will be able to move each turn).

South of St Jean, you can also spot a band of indian warriors. These are the faithfull Mohicans, coming to help our troops to get rid of the Micmac, indians allies of the French.

Finally, I had still two idle Navy transports, I sent them in the Louisbourg area. This is completly harmless for the French fortress, but if this gives the Marquis de Moncalm something to wonder... well...

< Message edited by USS Yorktown -- 12/29/2006 9:19:00 PM >

(in reply to Nibelung)

Post #: 7

RE: 1756-1758 The Montcalm campaign. Rule Britannia! - 12/17/2006 4:49:31 PM

USS Yorktown

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Nibelung
wow, this game is deceptive, there is much subtleties involved.

True, Birth of America is an easy to learn but hard to master game.
The more you play, the more you discover some new war tricks. I will try to explain more what I'm doing and why.

< Message edited by USS Yorktown -- 12/17/2006 6:40:56 PM >

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Post #: 8

RE: 1756-1758 The Montcalm campaign. Rule Britannia! - 12/30/2006 3:14:17 PM

USS Yorktown

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OK, end of the Christmas truce. Back to war!!

Turn 4 (June 1756): The last of the Micmacs

After some reflexion, I've decided to keep on with my attack move in Albany, while hasting the things in New Brunswick and taking some initiative in the Shenandoa valley. This more agressive stance remains coherent with my strategic plan, as I've always planned to pacify New Brunswick, destroy the ennemy forces in Pennsylvania before to take the offensive toward Lake Champlain and Lake Ontario.

The New Brunswick offensive

I show this screenshot, as I was quite pleased with my plan and it's good illustration of how the BoA engine can be deceiptivly simple while allowing complex moves: Here, you can see Governor Charles Lawrence landing in St Jean, taking the commandment of the the British expeditionnary force there (47th Foot Reg. and Nova Scotia milita) and leading them to attack the nearby indian MicMac village. These four actions (landing, take commande, move and attack) will take place in the same turn. Meanwhile, I move my faithful Mohicans behind the village in order to be able to attack any ennemy retreating units. I hope this violent attack will destroy the French militia and their Micmac allies, enabling me to redeploy quickly my forces elsewhere.

Here is the result of the attack.
Some explanations to read the board:
British forces:
Governor Lawrence (6-1-2) Strategic rating:6, Offensive bonus:1, Defensive Bonus:2.
1 full Infantery regiment (4 companies) [X]x4
1 full Supply (4 chariots) [o]x4
1 half-strentgh Milita regiment (2 companies) [M]x2

French forces:
No leader (50% malus)
3 half-strentgh Indian units (6 warriors), [tomawaks]x 6
1 full Militia regiment (4 companies) [M]x4

At first glance, the fight looks fair. 10 British units vs 10 French units. You can see at the left balance that the troops number are equal.

At the lower right and lower left, you can see that both sides enjoy 100% supply in food and ammo.
However,the French are in defense, 100% of them enjoying entranchment and terrain advantage, 20% of them being inside the village. But the French have no leaders, where my two regiments are fully commanded by Lawrence (no combat malus). Moreover, Lawrence give them his offensive ability (1) and the supply chariot adds a 10% fire bonus. Most importantly, the 47th Foot regiment is a regular unit that enjoys a much better training than the French units.
In this fight, you can see that 1 indian and 1 militia are eliminated during the shoot-out, and two more indians units are killed in close quarter (with 5 losses more overall, where my units only take 2 losses). I don't detail here the colored icons at the bottom that gives more details about how the fight went, but you can see at the right balance that losses are heavily tossed toward the French side.

It's a slaughter, only some militians managed to escape, while my fierce Mohicans were slaughtering the Last of the Micmacs...

The French are moving

At last, I can spot some French movements.

Some French raiders have got close to Oswego, I underlined their blazing track with a blue line (1). They must be quite puzzled to discover the city undefended and the fort gone...

Less stealthy, Lotbini�re is moving from his position in Fort Carillon with a "Compagnie franche de la Marine" (4). I think he has been sent to scout my defense in Albany. Lotbini�re is an excellent leader and I will need some regular troops to confront him. Unfortunately, the French have plenty of excellent leaders whereas I have barely one leader for each battlefront (hence, I have to bring down Governor Lawrence ASAP).

This two moves hint for an quite methodical opponent, carefully scouting my organisation before to attack and not revealing yet his main forces.

In the South, same thing. Dumas is still in Fort Duquesne (5), with 4 unknown units. I think he is keeping his "compagnies franches" and militias with him. Meanwhile, I can observ a new raid (3) passing by Washington before to cross the Potomac in a undefended spot before to go north seemingly to join with a second raiding force coming from Fort Niagara (2). I think they plan to attack New-Jersey villages... I can't do much to prevent this right now, my militia are far too slow to hunt for them. I shall wait my first rangers units to begin counter-guerrilla tactics.

However, I've taken advantage of Dumas passivity in Fort Duquesne to launch a British raid against Catawba an isolated indian village in Virgina. These French allies are going to learn what it costs to interfere with white men business!
Burning down indian villages prevent indian units to reappear the following years. I will try to destroy as much villages I can as a course of action against French indian raiders.

< Message edited by USS Yorktown -- 1/9/2007 9:43:59 PM >

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Post #: 9

RE: 1756-1758 The Montcalm campaign. Rule Britannia! - 1/3/2007 5:58:53 PM

Gibbon

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Great AAR, keep on the good work!

_____________________________

McClellan asked, "What troops are those fighting in the Pike?"
Hooker replied, "[Brigadier] General Gibbon's brigade of Western men."
McClellan stated, "They must be made of iron."

(in reply to USS Yorktown)

Post #: 10

RE: 1756-1758 The Montcalm campaign. Rule Britannia! - 1/3/2007 6:10:34 PM

Erik Rutins

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Yes, very interesting AAR. I'd played the revolutionary war scenarios, but hadn't yet gotten to the French and Indian war. After reading this, I will certainly have to!

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For official support, please use our Help Desk: http://www.matrixgames.com/helpdesk/

Freedom is not Free.

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RE: 1756-1758 The Montcalm campaign. Rule Britannia! - 1/4/2007 3:58:15 AM

spence

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From: Vancouver, Washington
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Enjoying the AAR for sure...I notice the text messages on the screen are in French (which I can read OK in most cases). Is that because you're playing the original (French) version or must I go get my French dictionnaire out of storage?

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Post #: 12

RE: 1756-1758 The Montcalm campaign. Rule Britannia! - 1/4/2007 10:14:46 AM

Pocus

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You can choose to play in English, French, Spanish or German as you wish, by clicking on an in-game option.

_____________________________

AGEOD Team

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RE: 1756-1758 The Montcalm campaign. Rule Britannia! - 1/4/2007 11:26:06 AM

USS Yorktown

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Yes, I'm a native French speaker, so I went for the French option.

However, I realise this might be uneasy for my readers to grab everything from the UI, so I shall go for the English version.

(otherwise I can keep on if you want to refresh your French notions, it's a great language to chat up chicks

)

< Message edited by USS Yorktown -- 1/4/2007 11:37:24 AM >

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RE: 1756-1758 The Montcalm campaign. Rule Britannia! - 1/6/2007 10:26:21 PM

USS Yorktown

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Turn 5 (July 1756): The British Lion shows its teeth

Curiously enough, the French and British settlers were not feeling themselves very much concerned with the ongoing war that was going to decide America's fate. The two homelands were far and away, and both colonial population had developed a very large autonomy. Moreover, the French colonial administration was plagued with corruption, whereas the London decision to rise the taxes in order to finance the French and Indian war did not appeal much to american hearts

As a results, French and British regular troops were getting much support from the population, and were sometimes wondering if was worth to be killed for the these ungratefull settlers that kept on trading with their "ennemy" counterparts throughout the war. It will be only in 1758 , with the appointment of William Pitt's government of his gracious Majesty and Montcalm initial successes, that the British colonies will begin to actually mobilise to help in wining the War.

The difference in population (British: 1 milion, French: 50.000) leads to much more massive reinforcements for the British side. However, taxes rising, unwellcomed massive presence of British troops, training of colonial troops and leaders such as Washington were paving the way for the American War of Independence... (But this is another great Birth of America campaign).

This month, His gracious Majesty faithfull american subjects have spontaneously rised some nice reinforcements: The 1st Royal American regiment, the 1st Providence militia and my first Rangers unit.

Le Grand d�rangement

In New Brunswick, the Acadian problem is solved. In the same turn, Governor Lawrence has destroyed the remains of the Acadian militia, burn down the Indian Micmac village and is now back in St Jean where he is going to board and sail for another battlefield.
During the real French and Indian war, the Acadian population was imprisoned and deported to Quebec, France (Belle-isle) or Louisiana (where they will become the Cajuns). Thousands will die in the process, one of the first historical example of ethnic cleaning. The deportation ("le grand d�rangement") is a shame in the British history. Ironically enough, as I have some acadian roots, Birth of America drived me in doing the same war horror...

Mohicans on the warpath

The first part of my plan is now completed. Next will be the attack of Fort Duquesne in the Ohio valley, and the defense of Albany. But, meanwhile I have decided to harass my French opponent, Louis-Joseph, Marquis de Montcalm de Saint-Veran (aka Napoleon from Armchair General, but let's just call him "Stewart"). Remember, I had sent 2 transports sailing toward Louisbourg. One of them is back in Halifax, but the other one has kept on and I order him to sail up to Quebec. In the meantime, my faithfull Mohicans were sent in an audacious raid, deep in French territory, to attack Trois Rivi�res (Tois rivi�res is one of the only french town that do not have any garrison).

Well, I guess the French was not expecting this...
(the boat was captured in Trois Rivi�res)

De l'audace, toujours de l'audace...

I want to keep the French on his tip toes. The more cautious he will be, the more time I earn. Time is runing for me as he has now more troops than me but I'm expecting massive reinforcements next year.
In Pennsylvania, I have sent Washington with few troops in a bold advance toward Fort Duquesne. This will give give Dumas something to think with, and hopefull will incent him in keeping some irregulars with him, therefore not sending less of them pillaging my countryside.

Meanwhile, Dunbard has executed his raid against the Catawba village. The Catawba warriors have been destroyed and I will burn down the village next month. Interestingly enough, I read in the turn account that Dunbar had a skirmish in Lynchbourg with some indian warriors. This means the French was just about to use them against me when Dunbar arrived.
However, I'm informed that Dunbar will be inactive next turn. With a strategic rating of 3, Dunbar is exposed to this kind of problems. In Birth of America, most of the British officers are flawed with low strategic rating, simulating the slowness and passivity of the British army during this war whereas the French (and later the American rebels) enjoy plenty of excellent and active leaders.

Dark clouds above Oswego

In Albany, I had to make a wild guess with Lotbini�re�s next move: He can advance toward Albany but that would be foolish. He coud attack Fort Edward but last turn I have sent some militia to reinforce the garrison (you can the little �2� indicating the presence of two regiments). Lotbini�re has only a �compagnie de marine� with him, this a bit short to assault a now correctly defended fort. However, he could be tempted by an audacious �coup de main� against Dayton, a village without fortification and only defended by a half depleted militia, just at the gates of Albany�
I decided to move Johnson's army from Albany to Dayton. Anyway, I still don't know what will be the first French objective, so I prefer to recenter my main defensive army. Meanwhile I send some Mohawk to scout toward Mont Royal in order to get some intelligence about what Montcalm is up to�

Oddly enough, at the end of the turn Lobtbini�re has done exactly the same move than me, midway between Oswego and Albany. Does he try to center himself between the two objective towns? Or is he simply on his way to Oswego?
NB: The Indians in Onondaga are members of the Iroquois nation. They are supposedly allies of the Crown but they wait to see how the battle goes� If Montcalm captures Albany, they will join him. If I capture Fort Carillon, they will join me in the battle to help me to win�

The Mohawk scouting is a success: They have spotted Chevalier de L�vis with a heavy detachment of infantry (2 royal regiments, 1 royal artillery battery , 1 militia regiment, huron scouts and some supplies). They are currently in La Pr�sentation. Are they waiting to be ferried? Are they walking up to Oswego? I suspect Lotbini�re and de L�vis to be converging�
But, this leaves me with the question: Where the hell is Montcalm?
My good Mohawks did not spot any important advancing troops around the Fort Frederic, but I have no view on the Lake Champlain. Marquis de Montcalm may have embarked in Fort de l�Isle aux Noix and be now sailing on the lake�
The good ol� Murphy tells me he could also have embarked in Mont Royal and is now somewhere between Mont Royal and Oswego� If Chevalier de L�vis� troops are walking, someone must have taken the remaining boats (and royal regiments) somewhere� This would be annoying, Johnson army has a chance to intercept and destroy Lotbini�re, de L�vis together but I can�t take yet them AND Montcalm. (did I mention the French had much more leaders than me?). Should I go? Should I wait them behind Albany walls? I have to pick a course of action here�

And here is my glorious 1st Royal American regiment. Not as strong as a Redcoat regiment but ready to be ferried on the Hudson up to Albany.

Well, I�m quite happy with this turn. Two French Indian allies villages have been destroyed and Moncalm is going to be mad with the Mohicans raid in Trois Rivi�res�
However, I feel the real action will take place in the Mohawk valley, around Oswego and Albany.
I wonder if I should be more audacious against Dumas in Fort Duquesne�

< Message edited by USS Yorktown -- 2/2/2007 10:20:21 PM >

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Post #: 15

RE: 1756-1758 The Montcalm campaign. Rule Britannia! - 1/8/2007 9:56:31 PM

Gibbon

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Where is Fort Carillon?

_____________________________

McClellan asked, "What troops are those fighting in the Pike?"
Hooker replied, "[Brigadier] General Gibbon's brigade of Western men."
McClellan stated, "They must be made of iron."

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Post #: 16

RE: 1756-1758 The Montcalm campaign. Rule Britannia! - 1/9/2007 7:44:22 PM

dr. smith

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Frenchie version of Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain north of Albany.

< Message edited by dr. smith -- 1/9/2007 7:59:47 PM >

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Post #: 17

RE: 1756-1758 The Montcalm campaign. Rule Britannia! - 1/9/2007 9:32:56 PM

USS Yorktown

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Yes indeed.

You can't see Fort Carillon on the map because the French have not built it yet.

It will appear in Crown point province. This is the region north of Albany, west of Lake Champlain where lies Lake George (the harbour is already operational, you can spot the anchor).

If the French still controll Crown point, Fort Carillon will appear in October 1756.

Historically, Fort Carillon was the place of Montcalm's famous victory against the odds (1/4) in 1758. Surrounded in Fort Carillon with only 4.200 men, Montcalm managed to defeat Abercromby and his 16.000 british soldiers (thanks to great defensive tactics and poor British leadership after the death of Abercromby's genius lieutnant, Lord Howe).

Colonel de Bourlamarque will destroy Fort Carillon in 1759 before evacuating it. General Amherst who was sent to take Fort Carillon decided to build a new fort: Fort Ticonderoga.

A side note: During this game, the British will be also building a famous fort: Fort Henry (the Fort Henry from The Last of the Mohicans).

< Message edited by USS Yorktown -- 1/13/2007 8:27:30 PM >

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Post #: 18

RE: AAR 1756-58 The Montcalm campaign. Rule Britannia! - 1/14/2007 2:50:15 PM

USS Yorktown

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Turn 6 (August 1756): The French offensive begins

This month I had to make a choice in the Oswego area. Intercepting Chevalier de L�vis'troops walking down from the north was tempting as it was a gold opportunity to destroy some lone "r�giments royaux". But I was not feeling comfortable with this plan, as it was a drastic change in my strategy. My original plan was to defend Albany and wait for the reinforcements, I did not plan to take the initiative in this region before 1757. Moreover, to commit my main force in Oswego was a significant risk as long as I didn�t not have located the main French battle corp.
After some reflexion, I decide to stick roughly to my strategic plan: Johnson will try to intercept the closest objective and sends back his artillery and some infantry regiments to defend Albany. Meanwhile, I will use my Indian scouts to try to localise Montcalm.

Skirmish in the Mohawk valley

August 6th: Thanks to Johnson�s skills (Master spy), Lotbini�re troops are located: They have left the cover of Honedaga Mountains and are moving toward Lake Oneida and Oswego.
Colonel Johnson is a one star commander. He can�t command more than two regular regiments without suffering some penalties in move and combat. Later, I expect to receive some (very) needed two stars leaders but (just like in real life) they won�t be as capable as Johnson (ranks and skills don�t necessarily match!).
Speed being the key of this interception, Johnson has taken with him his Highlander regiment (elite troops) and the 40th Foot (a redcoat regiment), plus a chariot of supply for the added firepower value. These are my best troops, so in case they run into a trap, Johnson has ordered the rest of the infantry corps to follow his little task force.
In game play terms, I have created 3 groups:
The first one is composed with artillery, supply and some infantry and militia is going back Albany. From there, the militia will redeploy elsewhere.
The second one is Johnson taskforce (Highlander, redcoat, supply). A nice mix between speed and firepower. I have given them the order to intercept Lotbini�re troops.

The third group gather the rest of my infantry: They will follow Johnson, but without leader they move more slowly.

The fight is a success. The single �Compagnie franche de la Marine�, lead by Lotbini�re, can not stand against the combined firepower of my Highlander and Redcoats. The French marines are annihilated, but Lotbini�re manages to escape. Had I know a full strength company, I might have not taken the risk but now I can only savour this success. The French have a strong but limited force pool, each regular infantry loss is a blow for him.

At last we will reveal ourselves to the British, at last we will have revenge (Dark Montcalm)

While I was happily chasing Lotbini�re in the Mohawk valley, Montcalm has landed without opposition in Oswego. His fleet must have arrived in Lake Ontario last month, but I failed to detect it. More surprising, Bourlamaque has landed near Fort Niagara. I wonder why.
So, there we are�
I can now begin to assemble what is the French plan: Montcalm has spitted his forces in 3 even groups.
1) The southern group, lead by Bourlmaque, has landed near Fort Niagara. (Composition: 1 royal regiment, 1 Marines Company, 2 militias, 2 Indian warriors bands, 1 supply). Does he want to flank my defence? To protect Fort Niagara against a possible raid? To attack my Iroquois allies? I have no clue yet.

2) The Montcalm group (3 royal regiments, 1 Artillery, 1 supply). This strong group was to invade Oswego.

3) The Northern group, lead by L�vis (2 royal regiments, 1 Artillery, 1 Indian band, 1 Militia, 1 supply), walking down from Mont Royal. It looks like he has attempted to intercept my Indian scouts� His Indian allies in his stack give him detection bonus, I must be careful.

He also seems to have some scouting parties. I have destroyed Lotbini�re�s group but I can spot another one above Oswego (4).

Meanwhile, I receive some information from my own Indian scouts (5 and 6) and no troops movement have been detected around the Lake Champlain.

Money time

Nothing really new elsewhere.
I have received a new regiment of Redcoats in Halifax. Washington and Dunbar are still defending the Shenandoah Valley. I have also brought back some militia from Albany in order to defend my villages against some possible French raids and patrol Albany surroundings (7).

It�s turn 6 and we are now entering in money time. I have to check the French OOB but I think I have spotted now the whole French main battle corps, and he most probably has detected mine (8). Stewart is using a strategy I had not met yet. It could offer me the opportunity to destroy one of the French groups separately, but I have to be very careful. Perhaps I should have been more aggressive toward Fort Duquesne, this is my main question for now.

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RE: AAR 1756-58 The Montcalm campaign. Rule Britannia! - 1/16/2007 1:33:00 AM

USS Yorktown

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Even if the overall strength of the unit is summarised by a single figure in the User Interface, troops in BoA are defined by multiple caracteristics. Here, from left to right his Majesty formidable Highlanders (elite), the passable Militia men and the elusive Mohawks...
You have to get the best of each. Some charismatic leaders such as Washington or Lotbini�re are able to turn militia or irregular units in formidable foes... But non-combat attributes, such as Hide value/Detection, or movement type are crucial too.

< Message edited by USS Yorktown -- 1/16/2007 1:47:26 AM >

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RE: AAR 1756-58 The Montcalm campaign. Rule Britannia! - 1/21/2007 3:23:43 PM

USS Yorktown

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Turn 7 (September 1756) : Search and destroy !

The unexpected French strategy in Oswego had left me quite puzzled. On the one hand, Montcalm had splitted his forces, and this was an opportunity, on the other hand he was gathering some huge forces in Oswego, and I had to be careful not to get caught between the hammer and the smith.
1) I could attack Montcalm in Oswego, but he is very likely to receive some support from Bourlamaque and even if I have some fair chance to contain them this would be a bloody mess and I don�t wish to waste my precious regular units now, the worse is to come�
2) I could strike the irregular units, but I don�t want to face de L�vis who is likely to keep on his walk down to Oswego (but he could also cross the Adirondack Mountains in order to launch a pince attack toward Albany through the Fort St Frederic and the Lake Champlain Valley).
3) I could do nothing, entrench, wait and see.

I opt for a mix between 2 and 3. Just like last month, I create a Fast interception group, and position the rest of my forces in order to defend the Mohawk Valley. The aim is to attack, strike the small group north of my position before it joins with either Montcalm or De L�vis, then run back to the British position. If the junction has been made, then the group should be fast enough to escape Montcalm heavy infantry.

While I�m using my regular units to retard the French advance, I�ve decided to take advantage of some of my militia patrolling Albany surrounds. I need to protect the construction of Fort Henry, which sould be completed in October, scout what�s going on in the Lake Champlain Valley, and, if the French has not had the same idea, to prevent the building of Fort Carillon in Crown point (moreover, Crownpoint is a strategic region, and after the fall of Oswego I need to get some compensation).

Small success around Oswego

Jolly good!! I won a battle just at Oswego gates!
The French detachment is 70% destroyed, and Johnson group only took few casualties.
The French have taken heavy losses because they were not commanded (50% malus), more over the British troops were elite soldiers (Highlanders, Redcoats) with superior firepower and excellent assault skills. One the other hand, the French have only lost some irregulars (Indians and Courreurs des bois) and only on company of marine troops. These troops are very handy for the petty war, but the main French battle corps is still untouched.

It looks like that, expecting a British assault, Montcalm had decided to gather his strength in Oswego (1). Johnson�s men have intercepted and defeated the small French detachment as it was crossing the Oneida river (X). After this successful search and destroy patrol, they moved back quickly in the Mohawk valley up to Albany (4). The whole Mohawk valley is now strongly defended by several provincial infantry regiments (3). Meanwhile, de L�vis has finally chosen to meet up with Montcalm (2), and my militias have taken Crown point (5).

In New-York, Brigadier-General Daniel Webb has arrived from Europe with another nice Highlanders regiment. He will sail to Albany as soon as possible. One of my patrolling militias has intercepted a band of Indians warriors. TIP: In order to improve your patrol efficiency, add some natives (indians, rangers) to your regular troops.

In Alexandria, Washington, Dunbar and Governor Lawrence are meeting up in order to form a task force to attack Fort Duquesne.

Fall has arrived and the French have now two strong groups at the entrance of the Mohawk valley. I wonder if Montcalm will attempt a Winter campaign against Albany. Furthermore, he has now to take back Crownpoint. I feel optimistic.

< Message edited by USS Yorktown -- 2/2/2007 10:16:54 PM >

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RE: AAR 1756-58 The Montcalm campaign. Rule Britannia! - 2/2/2007 2:14:33 AM

USS Yorktown

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Turn 8 (October 1756): Tricks in the north

In the Mohawk valley, I have decided to keep on with my delaying strategy. My two Provincials Infantry regiments are guarding the road from Oswego to Albany... Well, guarding is an overstatement as they could hardly stand against Montcalm's army. It's more of a psychological trick than anything: The valley looks guarded...
Anticipating, the junction between de L�vis (3) and Montcalm (4) to move against Albany (6), I've ordered my first regiment (5) to retreat into Dayton and to join with the 60th stationed there. The two regiments, entrenched in Dayton, have a fair chance to inflict some kind of dammage to the French. Montcalm is likely to try to secure Dayton in order to take his Winterquarters there. Winter is a deadly saison for war in North America. If Montcalm tries to siege Albany, it could cost him dearly as I have now begun to gather a noticeable force with the expected arrival of Daniel Webb's Highlanders this month (they have embarked on a river boat from New-York).

In Lake George surroundings, I have secured Crown point (1), preventing the French to build Fort Carrillon if they don't take it back very quickly. At the same time, my own engineers are building Fort Henry in Saint Sacrement(2). I decide to leave one militia to guard Crown Point while the rest goes back to Saint Sacrement in order to secure the region against a possible indian raid.
Note: Fort Carrillon and Fort Henry constructions are handled by scripted events testing if the targeted province is still under control.

Expect the unexpected

Once again Marquis de Montcalm surprises me... I was expecting a bold move in the Mohawk valley, he has moved into the Oneida province. But the French is full of tricks: Chevalier de L�vis has marched toward Crown Point. I suspect he's attempted a forced march to regain control of thre region before the failure of Fort Carillon construction. He has no more artillery with him, he must have sent his battery to Montcalm in order to gain increased mobility. That's would be the reason why Montcalm did not move as much as expected: He was just joining up with de L�vis' artillery in Oneida! I guess he might have feared another raid from Johnson and has prefered not to leave his previous artilleries unguarded as last month (I was lucky enough with two successfull raids but this was before Montcalm and de L�vis's arrival, now Johnson is safe behind Albany's walls). In any case, this remains good news because with this cautious French move, another month is gone and soon winter will be here...
This is the second time Montcalm decides to split his forces to attempt an unexpected move. I can see some kind of pattern here... Examining the situation carefully, I also notice that Montcalm has left some significant troops to garrison Oswego. It's interesting to see a totally different strategy from the one I use while playing the French: I tend to concentrate my troops to rush to Albany before the British have the chance to get too much reinforcement. His strategy is a mix between extrem carefullness and audacious moves.

(More tomorow, I need some sleep...)

< Message edited by USS Yorktown -- 2/2/2007 10:44:00 PM >

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RE: AAR 1756-58 The Montcalm campaign. Rule Britannia! - 2/2/2007 5:13:52 AM

Pocus

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destabilizing strategy yes, as you say, expect the unexpected from an opponent you don't know. We have all the bad tendency to apply the same mental schemes as the ones we produce ourself to the opponent's mind (does this sentence makes sense?

).

< Message edited by Pocus -- 2/2/2007 5:27:17 AM >

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RE: AAR 1756-58 The Montcalm campaign. Rule Britannia! - 2/2/2007 10:35:58 AM

USS Yorktown

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I'm quite happy with the success of my little trick in Crown Point. When de Lotbini�re's troops made his "reconnaissance en force" in june (Turn 4), he took control of Saint Sacrement. At first, I just planned to send some militias to take it back. But when the question about Fort Carrillon was asked, it occured to me that I had a nice opportunity to prevent Fort Carrillon building. I had 3 militias near by, de Lotbini�re had left the area to try to reach Oswego (in fact Johnson will intercept him in the Mohawk valley), and Montcalm did not look overly aggressive.

This attempt was a strategic success: Fort Henry has been built, and will constitute an obstacle in the way of any French group advancing toward Albany, while the non construction of Fort Carillon leaves Crown Point exposed to a British counter-attack.
However, for the time being, I must take a more carefull course of action. Indeed Montcalm has reacted by sending strong reinforcements. My Indian scouts (3) have detected the Royal regiment Languedoc marching toward with some Quebec militias and supplies (1). Meanwhile, L�vis has arrived with two royal regiments (La Sarre and La Reine), his own militians and some indian warriors (2). I don't know if L�vis was aiming to protect Fort Frederick from a possible attack from my militias, if he wants to retake Crown point (4) or if he wishes to attack Fort henry, but this is a formidable force and I have not much to oppose to it. It looks like that Stewart (Montcalm) has resizen the strategic initiative here...

But let's remain optimistic. So far my plan has worked perfectly.
I have successfully escaped any major engament with Montcalm troops (well, the French cautiousness has helped me a lot!). I have control New Brunswick allowing to redeploy my forces from there. In Albany, Webb has arrived, and I have now gathered a nice core of regular and elite troops to defend the place, and wait for further reinforcement to counter-attack.

In Alexandria, Governor Lawrence has landed from Halifax and join up with Washington, Dunbad and newly arrived reinforcement to constitute a solid expeditionnary corps. But Washington has unexpectedly encounter some ennemy indian scouts while marching to Alexandria... That's the second time in a row, after New-York skirmish last month. Looks like Montcalm is using his indian allies to spy my strategic set up... This means he is aware that I have gathered some significant forces in the South...

I don't have enough supplies and Fort Duquesne is far away. It's October already, and soon the weather conditions are going dramatically change...
Should I engage in a winter campaign against Fort Duquesne? Will Montcalm march against Albany? That will be the question for next turn...

< Message edited by USS Yorktown -- 2/2/2007 11:04:27 PM >

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RE: AAR 1756-58 The Montcalm campaign. Rule Britannia! - 2/3/2007 12:18:57 PM

USS Yorktown

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Let's have a look at the results ledger:

Well, obviously the French has the strategic upper hand with 6 controlled objectives out of 8. You can actually see why the capture of Crown point was such a nice coup after Oswego's fall, and why the attack against Fort Duquesne is so important now.

However my successfull battles has given me a slight advantage with victory points. Moreover, he is not taking advantage of the petty war rules (contrary to the British gentlemen soldiers, the devious French side and his evil indian allies can gain points from plundering ennemy regions, sacking cities and burning forts...).

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RE: AAR 1756-58 The Montcalm campaign. Rule Britannia! - 2/8/2007 1:05:04 AM

USS Yorktown

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Turn 9 (November 1756): Winter is coming

Winter campaign or not winter campaign?
On the one hand, I wish Montcalm to engage in winter siege of Albany that would be deadly for his army...
On the other, I don't want to fall in the same trap by attacking Fort Duquesne too early.

I know that sooner or later, a serious fight is going to occur around Albany. I have to delay this fight the most possible in order to gather a force able to defeat Montcalm. But Albany is Montcalm main objective, so I must put him under pressure and secure other strategic objectives.

Crown point: Montcalm is about to take it again
Albany: About to be sieged
Quebec: No Way
Louisbourg: No Way
Oswego: I have to defeat Montcalm first
Fort Niagara: I have to take Oswego first
Frontenac: I have to take Oswego first
Detroit: I have to take Fort Duquesne first
Fort Duquesne: Defended by Dumas

Well, Fort Duquesne is the obvious objective. I guess that's why the French has been piling up units in. But half of these units are indian warriors, they will go back to their villages during the Winter... I have to attack before they are back during the spring. But the trip to Fort Duquesne and the siege are likely to be deadly for my precious Redcoats regiments.

After some reflexion, I decide to try another war trick. I will send Washington with a force to establish a camp, close to Fort Duquesne, in order to enable my army to take its winter quarter there and be ready to attack as soon as the snow will be gone.

A second thought occurs to me : Montcalm (1) could have exactly the same plan and try to spend the winter in Dayton (3)!!
Therefore, I decide to send my main Army (4) in Dayton in order to confront him there before he could join with Chevalier de L�vis (2).

Chevalier de L�vis could try to join Montcalm, attack Fort Henry, or attack Crown Point. With the last two options, I feel safer to abandon Crown point to regroup my troops in Fort Henry.

And finally, a look at New Jersey... Well, it looks like my troops movements in Albany and New-York are being spied. I will have to send more patrols to try to intercept and destroy these peping toms...

< Message edited by USS Yorktown -- 2/8/2007 1:24:05 AM >

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RE: AAR 1756-58 The Montcalm campaign. Rule Britannia! - 2/9/2007 6:35:28 PM

USS Yorktown

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Well, it looks like Montcalm will stay in Oswego (3) this winter... My troops have been waiting for him in Dayton (4) but he did not show up. My opponent is really carefull. On the other hand, unsurprisingly, Chevalier De L�vis has taken control of Crown point (1). He also had a shot at my remaining milicia which was trying to leave the region unnoticed. Fortunately, my brave 1st New-Hampshire volunteers managed to retreat quickly but they took some severe damages. They will need some rest in Fort Henry (2).

I think the situation is quite good. I have some troops guarding Albany, the main French objective, and the two main attack axis are under British control. Soon, I'll be able to take the initiative in this part of the battlefield.

In the other part of the battlefield, the time has come to show the French some actions. Washington forces have arrived and have begun to build a depot. If you check the turn 1, you'll see that it used to be a British fort there, and I ordered Washy to destroy it. It's a pity, but by the time I did not know which kind of strategy Stewart (Montcalm, aka Napoleon in the ACG forum) was going to use.
Anyway, Washington (1) has brought along two chariots of supply to build the depot and three strong infantry units to defend the position. Lawrence (2) is lagging just behind with an artilery batterie and another line infantry regiment. In Alexandria, Dunbar (3) was waiting for reinfocements with two other red coats regiments and he'll be moving this month to join with the rest. Meanwhile, a transport ship is sailing to Alexandria with two more supply wagons for the campaign, Washington will come and collect them. With this plan, by the end of the winter, I'll have a strong battle corps waiting in the depot and ready to jump on Fort Duquesne before the French indian allies have any chance to gather when spring will come...

In Birth of America, winters are important.
An unprepared army surprised by snow far from any civilised and friendly place is a dead Army. Plus, some troops (milicia, indians) will just go home. So you have to take them in account when you planify your campaigns. You have to assign yourself reasonable objectives in order to find cover when time would have come, or to carefully plan the necessary supply.
Montcalm's army has taken its winter quarters in Oswego. Chevalier De L�vis has some supplies with him, he might attempt to siege Fort Henry. In the south, I both reckon the impact of winter on supply (I'm builing a depot, I bring more supply wagons) and on units (I'll try to strike while indians are gone).

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Post #: 27

RE: AAR 1756-58 The Montcalm campaign. Rule Britannia! - 2/10/2007 2:02:48 AM

LMUBill

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If Oswego back then in the winter is like it is at this moment (with 9 feet of snow) then Montcalm probably couldn't leave if he wanted to.

< Message edited by LMUBill -- 2/10/2007 2:16:16 AM >

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Post #: 28

RE: AAR 1756-58 The Montcalm campaign. Rule Britannia! - 2/13/2007 9:36:28 AM

USS Yorktown

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Well, I guess he is learning to ski...

While I'm explaining some of my psychological war tricks, check out turn 5 and turn 7, and you'll see that I had "prepared" the French by sending twice a meaningless force to Fort Duquesne just to bring it back home the next turn. I won't tell I was already preparing this small winter campaign, but I knew I would not move before I'd received reinforcements from Halifax and Britain (as this was my plan), I had these idle units and I wanted Montcalm to be always wondering what I was about... "Perfide Albion"

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Post #: 29

RE: AAR 1756-58 The Montcalm campaign. Rule Britannia! - 2/13/2007 1:25:41 PM

Gibbon

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Stop psychological bullshits, we want some real action now!!!!

_____________________________

McClellan asked, "What troops are those fighting in the Pike?"
Hooker replied, "[Brigadier] General Gibbon's brigade of Western men."
McClellan stated, "They must be made of iron."

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Post #: 30

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