PBEM AAR - It Ain't a Lost Cause Yet!

[Gil R.]

Now to the big forces. First, I send Hood's corps where I think the Union is heading: Upper Tennessee River.

The most potent thing I could do would be to send both this corps and Jackson's army straight into Tuscumbia, but if the Union happens to get the initiative to move first then my two forces would have nothing to attack. This way, I might get there first, and Hood's corps is strong enough to do some harm on its own, even if Jackson's army doesn't come in to reinforce.

And, if the Union forces get there before Hood does, they'll encounter that small division, which might hold them up a bit. (If the Union is on "Avoid Battle" they have a 50% chance of avoiding this battle, or a battle with Hood. If they get lucky, they get lucky.)

There is also a chance, I realize, that the Union might send its army and corps in separate directions, but that's stupid, since it would increase their chances of encountering one of my forces, and would make them much easier to defeat.

[Gil R.]

Then I send Jackson's army straight into Tuscumbia, hoping to get there before the Union can escape. (In retrospect, I realize that I should have given the army a second order to head from Tuscumbia into Upper Tennessee River, so that it would end up where Hood's corps is, and possibly have a shot at the Union if Hood had missed them. That would also have been wise just in case the Union sent a large part of Sherman's forces into that province to help save its Tuscumbia forces. If that does happen I have to hope that Jackson is able to arrive in time to reinforce Hood's corps.)

Incidentally, I almost forgot to take the army off "Avoid Battle," the setting I put it on a few turns ago. It would have been quite bad if I had failed to attack the Union for such a silly reason...

[Gil R.]

Having moved around all my western forces, I now try to get the 8th Division, the "Heroes of Tallahassee," into the action. I first march them by land into the adjacent Flint province, where there's a railroad. I then send them by rail to Murfreesboro, where they'll be in a perfect position to join in an assault on Cumberland River (or, if I choose, to pursue the Union forces that are currently in Tuscumbia, in case these try to get cute and run around Alabama instead of letting me destroy them).

[Gil R.]

Here's a screenshot showing how everything is supposed to be if all of my forces go where they're told. If this works, then the Cumberland River forces will be unable to resupply, and the Tuscumbia forces will suffer an even larger defeat than last turn. It might not happen this way, but my odds are better than 50-50.

Also, I should point out that if the Union's Cumberland River forces try to swat at my small divisions so that it can reestablish lines of supply then there will be fewer troops for Jackson and Hood to deal with when they enter that province. So no matter what, this is a very good strategy.

[Gil R.]

This turn I made only one new purchase -- I spent 100 Money and 100 Iron on another artillery unit (as I did next turn), which I'm building in Richmond. Within a few turns I'll have two new artillery units in the ANV (unless I send one out west), and will be in a much better position to raise the temperature on the Union's forces in Virginia.

I could have bought more, but I'm saving up resources so that the one artillery unit in Jackson's army, which currently has 24-pounders, can be upgraded to an Ordnance Rifle next turn. I'll also have enough money and resources left to produce a new infantry unit, or to purchase attributes such as Brigade Artillery for some of my units just before they go into Cumberland River. In fact, knowing that I'd need to make some critical purchases, I lowered my diplomacy investments for this one turn by 20 Money, figuring that it wouldn't hurt me too much to do this.

Then, after hitting "End Turn," I get to promote a 2-star general to replace D.H. Hill (who died last turn) and choose Pender, who has very good ratings, and also three abilities he can teach.

[Gil R.]

And finally, my Raiders get to attack Union supplies in Cumberland River, and have a very good shot at destroying quite a lot of supplies. Much as I don't like that 31% chance of losing them, the upside is too great to cancel the raid.

And with that, the turn is over.

[Gil R.]

Thirty-fourth Turn

Making up for lost time, at least a little, here is the second turn of the day.

First the Event Report.

To my surprise, the Union did not initiate a siege in Cumberland River, even though it could have this past turn. I'm not sure what's up with that -- did jchastain simply forget to begin it? Hmm. This is an unexpected boon for me, since it gives me one more turn before I have to get to Cumberland River and relieve Nashville.

Some excellent news, as will be shown below, is that I guessed correctly where those Union forces in Tuscumbia were headed, and trounced them in battle -- my forces were three times as strong (roughly), and their were out of supply or close to it. Not a fair match in the least.

[Gil R.]

Some mixed news in the second half of the report. The best news is that disease hit Knoxville, meaning that I got very lucky and it missed my armies in the field. I'm at a point that both Jackson's 2nd Army and Hood's 1st Corps are in provinces without hospitals and therefore especially susceptible to disease. (I can only hope that the Union isn't being so lucky these days...)

I then get the bad news that my Raiders unit failed to destroy supplies, and then got smoked. Luckily, I have a new Raiders unit appearing this turn. But still, this is not good.

Similarly, a blockade-runner that was going after 55 Horses with a 70% chance of success and 40% chance of danger got completely destroyed -- something that rarely happens to runners at full strength. So I am back down to two runners fleets, and can't afford to build a new one anytime soon.

Looking over diplomacy, my decision to withdraw 10 Money from the British and Other Europeans didn't hurt me too much, and in fact I gained a level with the British despite that. And as will be seen below, the 20 Money saved is being put to good use.

[Gil R.]

And here's the Battle Report. Despite my significant victory in Upper Tennessee River I didn't benefit much from surrendering troops or dropped weapons. However, I did have four different containers improve their ratings -- most importantly, Jackson's army now has an "Excellent" command staff -- something that will significantly boost its performance.

[Gil R.]

Over in Virginia, no port attack occurred. I guess one has to begin the turn in the appropriate sea zone. So, now that my fleet is stationed in the area, I tell it again to attack the Anapolis harbor.

Over in Shenandoah, the Union's size is reported at 20000 more men than last turn, and since most reinforcements are undoubtedly being channeled into the western forces my guess is that last turn was an anomaly and the Army of the Potomac is still pretty strong. Good thing I didn't attack...

Since I'm six turns away from two new artillery units I think that I can afford to sit tight in Lynchburg for a bit longer.

[Gil R.]

Here's how Tennessee looks at the start of the turn. The Union's forces are right back in Tuscumbia, where they fled after their defeat in Upper Tennessee River. Obviously, I guessed right, and sending the 1st Corps into that province from Huntsville worked perfectly. The presence of the 2nd Army in that province shows that it was called in to reinforce Hood's corps. I also note that Orme is no longer commanding that corps, suggesting that he was killed in the fighting.

Also visible in this screenshot is that the Tallahassee division made it all the way up, the division that kept failing to take Grafton reached Bowling Green, and Hatchie has been retaken. Plus, that new Raiders unit has appeared.

Unfortunately, that division down in Jackson failed to enter Lower Tennessee River, most likely because of the presence of that fort there. This means that the Union forces in Cumberland River are still fully in-supply. That's very bad.

[Gil R.]

So, here is what I decide to do. As mentioned above, the fact that a siege hasn't started yet at Fort Donelson means that I have an additional turn before I need to relieve Nashville. So, whereas I previously had no intention of taking another swat at those Union forces in Tuscumbia this turn, I now have the luxury of doing so. I will also try to cut off supplies to Sherman's army from all directions.

First, I try again to send the 6th Division from Jackson into Lower Tennessee River.

[Gil R.]

Then, I send the new Raiders into Cumberland River.

[Gil R.]

Next, I send the 2nd Army into Tuscumbia. I considered attaching Hood's corps to it now rather than later, but in case the Union's army and corps are set on "Avoid Battle" I have a better chance of catching one of them (and thus forcing the other to reinforce) if I attack with separate forces. (In other words, the Union would find it easier to avoid an entire army than an army and a corps. Not to mention that division over in Murfreesboro that will be entering the province for the same reason...)

[Gil R.]

And here's the 1st Corps going in...

[Gil R.]

And now, just to make sure that someone is in Lower Tennessee River cutting off supply lines I also send in the 14th Division.

[Gil R.]

Then, as mentioned above, I send the 8th Division, fresh from victory at Tallahassee, into Tuscumbia. The reason I do this is that I want it to join the 2nd Army -- it has no 2-star general to command it, so it's not as effective as an independent unit -- plus maybe it will catch the Union trying to sneak into Huntsville.

[Gil R.]

Assuming that all of the units go where their ordered to, this is how things should look. There's a chance that the Union's army and corps will escape Tuscumbia before my forces arrive, but I think I have a pretty good shot at them. And, as noted before, even if they escape they have nowhere to run, being at this point out of supplies (after losing two successive battles) and being completely cut off from Union territory.

[Gil R.]

Before moving these forces into Tuscumbia I had upgraded the 24-lb. Howitzer of the 2nd Artillery (attached to Jackson's army) by purchasing an Ordnance Rifle for it -- the most powerful artillerypiece the CSA can purchase at this point. I then purchased the Baggage Train attribute for it (using the 20 Money saved in lowered diplomacy), which will make it much more effective in combat. I also used 50 Money and the usual other resources to begin producing a new infantry brigade over in Savannah River. With the population refreshment coming next turn it made sense to do this now, since it costs 2 Men. I'm not desperate for new troops, but when one produces infantry brigades they come in at a very high quality (5.0/"Seasoned") and the ANV sure could use a unit like that, especially if I purchase some Lorenzs and the Sharpshooters attribute for it. (But by producing it in Georgia I can just as easily send it by rail into the western theater.) I also provide some Minie Rifles for three ANV brigades that lack decent weapons.

[Gil R.]

At the end of the turn it's time for a Training upgrade. I am presented with excellent choices, and choose Sharpshooter Training because I have several sharpshooters already, and such units are an essential counterweight to the Union's strength in artillery. Plus maybe a few more Union generals will be killed than might otherwise have happened.