The Other Boot!

[John 3rd]

Hello.

Revzoom and I have decided to initiate a game over the hallowed ground of Gettysburg. First emails have gone and initial movement started.

I've played the Talon Soft BG Series since they originally came out a long time ago. Was quite excited when Matrix picked them up to re-launch. Have to admit that I was disappointed that they did next to nothing with them but am happy to have them as active titles again.

The South and Bobby Lee is who I have taken for the game.

Will allow my noble opponent to chime in now before I close the Thread to him and talk strategy.

[revzoom]

I was MG Commanding of II Corps in the American Civil War Gaming Club years ago, so I, too, have been playing them for a long time. The system rewards the use of proper ACW tactics.   I actually prefer the Battleground series to the later HPS ones - the scenarios seem tighter and the terrain graphics are better.  I was overjoyed when I found Matrix had brought them back out. 

Gettysburg is a great 2 player game.  Have been to Gettysburg 28 times over the years - went to college in Pittsburgh so it was an easy trip.  This looks like it should be a good, tense game with a good opponent.  I anticipate the play.
Rev Zoom (Kevin)

[John 3rd]

OK.  Thank you Sir for the commentary and now we are closed to all evil and vile Union SPIES!
 

[John 3rd]

The battle is such a see-saw on Day One. I've played all sorts of ways in the opening hours: all-out attack, wait for all of Heth's ID to arrive and then attack, or some sort of othner possibility. For this battle I've decided to attempt something a little on the tricky side.



My initial two Brigades (Archer and Davis) will attack pell-mell down the Chambersburg Pike until they are repulsed. At all points I will attempt to drive away and/or cripple Buford's Cavalry Regiments. Once I am repulsed, probably by Wadsworth's ID, I will fall back more then I need and hope to draw the Union 1st Corps away from Gettysburg. My troops will then rally around Heth's remaining two Brigades (Pettigrew and Brockenbough) and await the arrival of Gen Pender's ID.



By moving back and trying to pull the Union forward, I hope to open the door for the 2nd Corps (Rodes and Early) to smash the Union Right and rush on Cemetary Ridge or Culp's Hill. As soon as troops begin to fallback I will trust Heth and Pender forward to fix the Union 1st Corps and, hopefully, destroy it.



This is the tentative plan. My opponent is well schooled and well versed in this battle so I don't know if he will fall for it but we'll give it the ole Southern try.



NOTE: The ANV really starts with an advantage in Artillery on Day One. It is my hope to pound the Union lines with two full artie battalions for most of the day prior to the main assault.



Here is the situation map:

[John 3rd]

Archer's Brigade deploys as artillery takes up a cover position. Short-range artie moves in with the troops while the two batteries of long-range artie set-up a ways to the rear. Two small Cavalry Regiment advance slightly to meet the move and one is immediately destroyed by a quick charge.

Davis is moving around and will deploy after this turn.

[John 3rd]

Wow. As I move forward, General Buford elects to make a forward defense of Herr Ridge. The result is a quick clash that looks fairly positive for the ANV Brigades.

Davis, moving around Herr Ridge's woods, runs smack into a Union Cav Reg. They kill 25 of his men but he holds the troops together to make a risky bayonet charge that drives the Cavalry back and kills 100 of them for just 25 of his. A nasty clash by anyone's view.

Meanwhile Gen Archer has all the rest of Buford's troops to deal with. NOT GOOD! The 3 Confederate Batteries should help. We'll get a feel of my opponent's play style by his next move. The logical thing to do is fall back. If he attacks then I get an insight into his playing style.

[John 3rd]

The good Rev decided to fall back towards the Seminary.  This is a good thing as I suddently noticed that I didn't actually deploy my artillery batteries.  I moved them to their present locations and FORGOT to have them set-up.  Big mistake that I luckily don't have to pay for.  Since they aren't set-up, I will advance them several hexes and THEN deploy them.  Will alslo advance my two batteries of long-range artillery so I can take the Seminary under fire.
 
Should be getting my next pair of Brigades pretty quickly as well as a second Artillery Battalion.  Pending on how aggressive Buford remains, I think my hold of Herr Ridge is solid and I can deploy my artillery to inflict some real damage.  If I can gain all of Heth's ID without substantial losses, I may make a full division attack and try to REALLY distract the Union from the threat approaching on their right flank. 
 
Know that Union Infantry is coming but haven't seen it yet... 

[John 3rd]

It has been a year since I was on this Forum.  Are there going to be any readers of the AAR?  Please sound off if there are!

[Doc o War]

There are a few readers out there- I am also at present playing a guy Gettysburg- I am the south and its nearly the end of the first day- very bloody day indeed. Good luck with this one. I shall check in from time to time and gauge the progress. Good Hunting.
  Doc o War

[Andy Moss]

I always like to hear how others are doing as long as it's a head to head game and not human v AI.
I only played Gettysburg the once, got totally humiliated and retreated rapidly back to Napoleonics.

[John 3rd]

It is easy to get humiliated in Gettysburg while playing EITHER side.  Happy to know there are a few readers out there.  Will keep the AAR going.
 

[John 3rd]

0920 July 1st

Davis moves out on the Right, Archer holds the Center, Brockenbough moves up to establish the Left, and all the while a total of nine batteries work to set-up to make life 'difficult' for the Union troops.

So far the Cavalry has lost two complete Regiments and had a third routed. Heth did see a Union Regiment move past Davis on the Right and Rear. Will have to keep an eye open for a Cavarly attack against a high profile target.

Things look pretty good at the moment. If given another 20 minutes, I'll get Davis and Brockenbough into position and then advance. Union Infantry cannot be too far away so we shall see what happens. Right now there is simply a Cavalry Brigade and Battery of Artie blocking my movement. Just want 20 more minutes...

[John 3rd]

Faced by 3 Confederate Infantry Brigades, Gen Buford chooses to retreat just as Union Infantry is spotted passing the Seminary. It is an interesting move. Heth will advance and occupy the ground near the Seminary and see if the true fight begins there. If so, then we are starting considerably closer then I had initially hoped.

[John 3rd]

General Pender, with an Infantry Brigade and Artillery Battalion arrive on the field to help General Heth.

Things are somewhat strange. The Union forces have been falling back with very little fight. I still have only 4 Brigades deployed. General Pettigrew and his large Inf Brigade are nowhere to be seen. Couriers have been sent to see what his hold-up is. I plan to move onto the next rise, place my artillery, and then blast the Union off of Seminary Ridge. My infantry is fairly light but I now have three full battlaions of artillery on the map and moving. These units add up to just a little shy of 60 guns.

I've seen a good amount of Union Infantry but they have not attacked. If I can take the hill (a one hex forward move) with Davis and Archer's troops, there are three Artillery Batteries I can move immediately onto the position. Once that is done I will leapfrog my guns forward to further strengthen the position.

Am concerned about my Right Flank and will probably keep a battery or two (plus a pair of Regiments) to watch that side of things. Until I get more Infantry in there is very little more I can do at this point. Would love to gain Seminary Ridge withour too many casualties. We'll see what the Union chooses to do...

[John 3rd]

As the Confederates move forward, they are hampered by the VERY late-arriving General Pettigrew as well as members of Pender's ID. Heth orders the boys to keep pushing forward relying on the artillery to blast a path clear and protect the weakness of his Infantry.

A Regiment of Davis's Command keeps a look on the Rear while severl Regiments protect the Left. Brockenbougn's Brigade moves into the trees slowly...

The movement yields this information to the eyes. Troops moving through Gettysburg, moving up to Oak Hill, and a Brigade in fornt of the main advance.

[John 3rd]

1100 Hours
July 1st

The 12 guns in Heth's Center begin pounding the Union Infantry as Heth ponders his deployment he decides to pull in his forces a bit to be safer. More artillery deploys on the front line as well as slightly to the Rear so they can support each other. Infantry mixes into the Artillery positions to help bolster and protect it. Brockenbough (on the Left) pulls back some.

Reinforcement are rapidly closing in on the Confederate lines: Pender's first Brigade, another Artillery Battalion, and General Pettigrew's large Brigade (finally) are getting close.

Pender and his initial Brigade arrive and get about 50% of the distance to where they need to be in deploying on the Right. Unfortunately they are too late for the Union counter. If given another 20 minutes things would straighten up pretty quickly, however, that is not to happen:

[John 3rd]

Ohhhhh...

A coordinated Union Counter is made as Confederate reinforcements are SOOOOOO close. Two Cavalry Regiments appear behind Davis's Regiment and the last Artillery Battalion. At the same time the Union 1st Division of the 1st Corps (Cutler and Meredith) smash into the Confederate Center and Right.

The Artillery CRUSH Union soldiers in their headlong assault. The three Batteries in the Center wipeout 125, 125, 100 men of three Regiments. The batteries behind help out as much as possible too.

The combat breaks into a massed melee as everyone fires everything in an attempt to break the attack.






The net result of the massed attack is that the three batteries in the Center are wiped out by three Regiments sweeping up onto the hill. The Right (surprisingly) holds fiarly well though a Regiment of Davis's command is forced to surrender. The Cavalry drives Davis's Rear Regiment down the hill (it does NOT Rout) and the other wipes out a 4 gun Battery.

Losses in this 20 minutes of battle: 625 Union Infantry for 800 Confederate Infantry and 16 pieces of Artillery! CRAP!

As Pender and Heth work to Rally their men and redeploy, good news arrives in the form of Rodes ID coming onto the field with two Brigades on Oak Hill hidden in the trees. Rodes will keep them in the trees, move forward, and then join Gen Early in making a massed assault on the Union Right.

[John 3rd]

The fight becomes somewhat desperate for the forces under Harry Heth and Gen Pender's command. The Union drives back the Confederate Left and the Right hangs by a thread, however, the Center packs massed artillery that will POUND the Union terribly if time is allowed. Reinforcements in the form of three Brigades of Infantry move rapidly towards helping the situation.

This movement works oout pretty well as Rodes is now sneaking along the trees of Oak Hill. He will deploy soon and, when ready, will burst out of the trees and drive on Gettysburg. I have no intention to go after Culp's Hill. The goal is to CRUSH two Union Corps and then swing around to Little Round Top.

[Hyding]

Thanks for running the AAR.

[John 3rd]

You are welcome Sir but I haven't kept up since the Good Rev and I crank out the turns. He wants to read things to this point and I've said OK. We are now at 4am the next day. I will write a long summary of the rest of the action. Have saved screenshots so I'll try to get them in so you have an idea of the ebb-and-flow of the fight so far.