Joel Billings
Posts: 32265
Joined: 9/20/2000
From: Santa Rosa, CA
Status: offline
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Now that WBTS has gone gold, it’s time to finish this game.
In April, Sheridan sent 30000 troops under Joseph J Reynolds to take the fort level 2 in Baton Rouge (Port Hudson). Sheridan, thinking that Baton Rouge would fall, moved back to Jackson to take command of forces there to prepare for a move against Joe Johnston in Meridian. Unfortunately, the Union navy was not yet in position to cut off supplies to Port Hudson. They will be able to block the river in May, but in April, with supplies able to flow over the river, the Confederate fort held out after losing a heavy artillery unit versus several Union artillery units damaged. As the retreat odds were .89 to 1, had Sheridan remained with the army, it is almost guaranteed that Baton Rouge would have fallen as Army Commanders contribute a lot to the retreat odds. Of course he would have been out of position for any move in May, so this was a calculated risk intentionally taken. I’m glad that Baton Rouge held out.
Another force of 25,000 men under Eugene A. Carr attacked Vicksburg. With the Union gunboat fleet badly shot up, no Gunboats appeared to block the river. I was able to reinforce the Vicksburg garrison with 4000 soldiers from Arkansas. Had the two remaining gunboats been willing to risk fire from the Vicksburg guns, they could have prevented this reinforcement and Vicksburg would have fallen. Instead, Vicksburg held out for another month, but the heavy batteries were wrecked and the garrison commander, Charles E. Lightfoot was wounded (give the guy a medal). Again the lack of a Union Army Commander made the difference. However, Vicksburg will fall if another attack is made.
In North Carolina, Grant maneuvered his army of 85,000 men against Wilmington. Stonewall Jackson managed to scrape together 62,000 men from all over North Carolina to meet Grant. The leaders involved in the battle are a who’s who of the Civil War: Meade, Pope, Schofield, Custer, Kilpatrick, Hunter for the Union, AP Hill, Kirby Smith, Pickett, Pender, Kershaw, Jeb Stuart for the Confederates. Could this be the battle that decides the war? As the battle wore on, Pender was killed leading his troops. This wasn’t enough, however, as Confederate fixed fortifications, and hasty entrenching was enough to counter the Union numerical advantage. Confederate losses were 10,900 and 10 guns while Union losses were 12,300 and 100 guns (much of it heavy artillery lost during the Union retreat). Grant was forced to retreat to Marlboro, SC.
My political points are now at 445, which means with the automatic loss of 284 over the remaining turns, I can afford to lose 160 more PP’s. Clearly Lee must hold Richmond. Sherman is still poised to the northwest of Richmond with a huge army of over 125,000 men. Beauregard still holds Atlanta, with Lyon’s army of 55,000 next to it in Macon. Joe Johnston holds Meridian with Sheridan next door in Jackson with over 55,000 soldiers. Grant has over 80,000 men in Marlboro while Jackson remains in Wilmington. Against these forces I have just over 250,000 men in the entire Confederacy. I think the entire Union army contains close to 800,000 men, but luckily many are tied up in garrison duty. I just need my armies to keep the Union armies in check for two more months.
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RE: AAR Jon Pyle (Union) vs Joel Billings (Confederate)... - 
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