Trying to change my mistakes of the past: An AAR

[Jonah]

Option 2.

[Jonah]

Option 3.

[Jonah]

Option 4

[Jonah]

Option 5

[GShock]

LoL great map if drawn with laptop... much better than what i'd do with a pencil and paper ! [8D]

[Jonah]

Hello everyone, I’m back. After tabulating the votes on this forum and on other sites I posted on, the answer is option 3. Let’s see how this goes…

Johnston looked over at Breckinridge.
“John, I’ve decided to support your idea. We’ll attack the yankee center tomorrow. I want you and Richard Taylor to get your divisions, along with General withers and Stewarts men, to advance along the Louisville pike and cross Alum creek. There your four divisions will advance upon McPherson and Hulbert’s divisions along with Benton’s division. If we break the center,” Johnston continued, “Buckner and Martin will advance upon their right along with Cleburne upon their left.

As the sun rose along Alum Creek, John Breckinridge rode to the front of his division. He saw his six brigades, in two waves, Withers was to the left, Taylor to the right and Stewart to his right. Breckinridge looked over to his right and saw one of his Brigade commanders, Daniel Donelson.
“You may advance.”
“Yes sir.”
As he rode off the beating of drums and the sound of the bugles as over 65,000 men advanced towards Alum Creek. Across Alum Creek, close to 50,000 men in that position alone. The Confederates advanced in perfect order, as if on parade ground. Soon, artillery shells began to burst over the confederate ranks. As countless Confederates went down, officers urged their men to race to the creek. Confederate ranks began to break as shells shattered his ranks. Soldiers began to duck behind trees near the creek. Canister shredded the confederate ranks, dozens going down. As the confederates were pinned, they needed a push to get across the creek. It needed to be soon, due to the losses adding up by the minute. The confederates, panicked, were on the verge of breaking as volleys were poured in upon them from McPherson’s division. The confederates needed support, or else this would become a disaster.

Albert Sidney Johnston looked through his binoculars at the attack. Through the smoke he saw Confederates straggling back in retreat. He turned to Breckinridge,
“Do you have any more reserves?”
“None but a brigade from Withers which lost half it’s strength yesterday sir. We’ve sent all the men in.”
“I’m heading up to the front.”
“Sir,”
“And you’re coming with me!”
Johnston, along with Breckinridge and the brigade if depleted Missourians, advanced to Alum creek. Johnston rode up and down the line rallying the men.
“Rally men, we must drive them today!”
A cheer rose up and Breckinridge’s division advanced across the creek with bayonets fixed. Soldiers jumped over the earthworks and engaged in hand to hand combat with McPherson’s division. As the union struggled, Taylor, Withers and Stewart also advanced over the union breastworks. Charge after countercharge led the barricades to be captured and re captured and lost again. The battle raged for nearly an hour, without any victory. To the north, however, is where the battle will be decided.

As the union drew troops from their right and left to reinforce the center, Buckner and Martin saw an opportunity. They realized the union right was in the air. Without verification, Buckner for the 2nd time in the battle acted on his own initiative and advanced on the union right. In a matter of minutes, Johnson’s division broke and Buckner and Martin’s division were driving to the Louisville pike to cut off the union line of retreat. Combining this and the confederate advance in the center, the union line dissolved. Brigades in the center fled the field down the Louisville pike. It was left to William Sherman to guard the union retreat. Thousands of prisoners were taken, and as the smoke lifted at noon, over 17,000 soldiers lied dead and wounded on the field. The union lost close to 11,000 men, and over 6,000 confederates as well. The victory, while solid, was not complete. The union army was still large and still effective. It would have to be decided on another field. In retrospect, of the Corps Commanders, none really distinguished themselves. Of the division commanders however, Martin, Stewart, Taylor, Breckinridge and Withers proved solid. Cleburne and Buckner however proved brilliant, and were worthy of high command. This was a solid victory, but the war in the west was not yet decided.

[Jonah]

October 28, 1862

Following the battle, I heard news that General Beauregard and his army were marching towards Louisville, to liberate that city. His men soon routed the garrison in a brief battle and then occupied the town. To the north, Albert Sidney Johnston crossed the Ohio river into Indiana. His lead column was under Hardee, who was striking Indianapolis, as Kirby Smith guarded their line of supply. Hardee, near Wabash, met two union reserve divisions under generals McCook and Stoneman, with Sheridan commanding them. At the time Hardee only had Breckinridge and Cleburne up immediately, Buckner and Martin wandered off to the east, and away from the fighting.

The attack opened up as Breckinridge assaulted McCook’s division, adjacent to the Indianapolis road. Breckinridge skirmished and probed but found no weak spot in the union line. To his right, Cleburne led his division to Stoneman’s division. His men charged Stoneman but couldn’t dislodge him. Finally it appeared that there would be no dislodging Sheridan, until Buckner appeared on the far right with his ‘lost’ division. His men charged Stoneman’s extreme flank, sending his men into panic. As his division broke, McCook’s did as well and the entire union army fled into chaos. As the smoke cleared at 5’oclock, it revealed 1,213 confederate dead, wounded and captured. The union lost around 1,891 men. The battle cleared the road to Indianapolis as the two reserve divisions fled from the city, leaving only 8,000 men to hold on. The siege began two days later, and Indiana hung in the balance.

[Jonah]

Following the battle of Wabash, the Trans Mississippi theatre proved to have great interest. Joseph Johnston and his army crossed the Kansas-Missouri border into Missouri. His army was 24,000 strong now, exclusive of Indian recruits and ‘loyal’ Kansas militia. His target was the capitol, Jefferson City. To bring Missouri into the Confederacy would leave Illinois and Iowa as the front lines, something that would prove disastrous for the union war effort. His army, composed of Magruder, Price and McCulloh’s divisions marched east. They had to get through the key town of Westport, it was the ‘gateway’ to Missouri.

Battle of Westport part one

Unbeknownst to Johnston, Daniel Hunter’s Army of the Missouri was in the town and dug in. He had 44,000 men, in five divisions including one of Cavalry. Johnston’s army attacked filed put Price on the left, and Magruder on the right, anchored to the river and McCulloh is in reserve. The attack begins at 11:30, Magruder begins to push the union line, which according to their OOB is under Schofield. On the left as Price advances, he comes under fire from Cavalry under Pleasanton, who eluded us in Kansas. His cavalry began taking a toll on Price, who then detailed two brigades to deal with that. One Missouri and another newly recruited Indian Brigade. Led by Brigadier General Marmaduke, this Brigade was one of Price’s shock troops. The two brigades dug in as the cavalry came charging. The union line shattered as rider less horses fled after a minute of fighting. The Indian, ‘Comanche Brigade’, counterattacked and drove the cavalry out of the fight, wounding Pleasanton. On the right, two union divisions crossed the creek and came near the Confederate rear. If the two union divisions came to the turnpike, Johnston’s line would not only be out-flanked, it would be cut off from the wagons and supplies.

Just in time, McCulloh rushed his division towards the bridge. The union brigades, advancing downs the road in columns, were instantly shattered when McCulloh attacked their side of the line of march. The union line shattered as the men fled en masse from the road. Of the seven Union brigades near the bridge, two easily made it across the river. Another was making a stand on the bridge to cover the withdrawal, two more were disparity trying to ford the river to safety, and two fled to the south.

McCulloh soon ordered a brigade to contain the Union on the bridge, two to chase the union in the south, one to assault the union who are trying to ford the river, and another to cross the river to the north and cut of their retreat. The Confederate brigade that attacked the union on the bridhe were lead by Lucuis Polk, he soon led his brigade, after an hour of fighting and three assaults, over the union line. The union brigade fled but was soon hit on the flank by the two confederate brigades under McCulloh which crossed the river to the north. The union lines fell apart, with a union brigade surrendering. Soon, thousands of fugitves streamed to the East, with Confederates charging behind them.

On the Western side of the river, The union who tried to ford were routed after barely twenty minutes of action. One brigade surrendered and the other was mauled as relentless Confederate assaults battered the union line. To the south, the two Confederate brigades (And assisted by the Army’s single cavalry brigade under direct command of Johnston) chased the union for two hours, eventually they were pinned up in a small village next to the river and they surrendered en masse. After two hours of fighting, the union flank attack was destroyed. Smith’s division was completely destroyed, all were killed, wounded and captured. McPherson was wounded while conducting a rear guard and one of his brigades was annihilated, the rest were mauled. After this victory, McCulloh turned his division north to finish the fight.



Though it appeared that the union army was defeated, hunter began to form a new line near Westport itself.

[Jonah]

Magruder and Price’s attacks, despite initial success, were slowing due to massed union fire. Schofield and Sturgis conducted a strong defense, and though the lead union elements were pushed back, outside of Westport, the attack staggered. The Missourians under Price, the famed ‘Missouri State guard division’ of four Missouri Brigades plus an Indian Brigade, were now fatigued. To their right, Magruder’s division of six brigades, one Missouri, two Arkansas, one Kansas, one Texas and One LA, were pinned in combat. The union line needed to be broken to justify the victory in the south.

McCulloh lined his division up between Price and Magruder. His Army of the West’s five brigades were placed with his two Texan Brigades and Missouri Brigade in the front line, in the second line, an Arkansas and Louisiana Brigade formed up. As Johnston gave the signal for the attack with a barrage from the Army’s Reserve Artillery, McCulloh’s first line advanced. The union responded with Solid shot fire as the confederate line began to shake as it advanced. As the Confederates got closer to the union line, musketry opened up and dozens of Confederates fell. The center confederate brigade broke and fled and the flanking brigades soon became disordered. McCulloh’s attack was falling apart. The second line soon rushed up towards the front to assault the union position. If their attack failed, the Confederates will lose the battle.

The French Prince de'Polignac was one of the Confederate Army’s famed Brigade commanders. Not because of his ability but because of who he was. A French Officer in the Confederate army spoke volumes about France’s support of the CSA in the minds of a southern citizen. Though the Union too had foreign officers in their army and it didn’t mean foreign aid, but the confederates, who longed for a hope of aid, enlarged small acts. Now Polingnac commanded a LA Brigade. As he saw hundreds of Confederates fleeing from the front, McCulloh rode up. Turning to Polingnac, he asked
“That position needs to be taken before sun down. Take it with your countryman’s fashion. Can you repeat Wagram?*”
“I will be your Marshal McDonald. Louisiana, follow me!”
At those words 2800 men dashed for the union position. With bayonets glimering, they stormed over the union defenses. A shockwave ran through the union line. Men fled in confusion as Polingnac raised his sword, urging his men on. Just as he lept over the union breastowrks, a bullet hit him in the chest. As his men rushed by, leaving him behind, Polingnac, the un honored hero, lay bleeding in a mass of dead and dying. Like Icarus, the son of the Greek Sun God, at his greatest moment of glory, he is struck down. Never the cherish the honor he fought so hard for. Hours later, as body are being lifted from the battlefield to be buried, Polingnac’s body is found, now dead. The union line bended and soon broke. Reserves were rushed in to try to stop the breakthrough but were swept away by the unstoppable gray tide. On the right, Magruder’s men seived the moment and stormed the union works. On the left Price did the same. As the red battle flag was waved on top of the union works, thousands of gray clad soldiers race by with victory down the road. Hunter’s entire army broke and fled through Westport. Union Batteries were taken, thousands of soldiers were captured. Only the cover of darkness allowed the union army to retreat.


A bloody battle. It was the costliest west of the Mississippi and percentage wise one of the costliest as well. Of Johnston’s 24,000 men, he lost 2,300 killed, 4,100 wounded and almost none missing. 6,400 all in all. Over a quarter of their army, lost. Of the union losses 1,100 were killed, 8,700 wounded and 13,400 captured and missing. A total of 23,200 casualties. Over half their army, in the long eleven hour battle, was destroyed.

Judging the victory, it was one of Joe Johnston’s finest. He reacted superbly in his bad circumstance. McCulloh as usual was excellent, and remained Johnston’s best division commander. Price did well, as did Magruder. The new rising star however Polingnac. His charge won the battle, and he showed amazing leadership qualities. His glorious charge and his sudden death shocked the Confederacy. As the Richmond Examiner would say ‘None would spend such a short time in the army, but would be so loved.’ As far as the battle goes, Johnston’s victory left a clear road all the way to Jefferson City. The heart of Missouri was now open. Soon he would unite with a column coming to reinforce him, and the thirteenth state will emerge on the flag.






Prince De'Polingnac