Oh no, McClellan's in charge! Tullius (USA) vs Marquo (CSA)

[TulliusDetritus]

Anyway, now that 1861 is over this is my half-ar*ed analysis.

I would say it's a DRAW [:)]

I do not count Missouri and West Virginia as great gains. It's good to have them, true, but nothing else.

So what's left? The East or the Potomac area. Ok, I have now 2/3 of the Shenandoah Valley BUT Marquo has Alexandria (aka a direct threat to Washington).

I have said I plan to move the big Union army: McDowell or McClellan. Come to think of it, not only to exploit a concrete situation ie Beauregard has been battered, but because I can't allow him to freely maneuver! So far he's had that advantage, I could do little to stop him. But if I allow him to keep doing that, he will certainly kick me out of let's say the Shenandoah Valley!

In other words, moving McDowell (or / AND McClellan) should necessarily glue Beauregard [8D]

[TulliusDetritus]

[center]Early February 1862[/center]

Strategic picture first as there are changes. Positive changes because Washington is temporarily safe at least [:)]

As I suspected, Lee moved to Leesburg. Therefore I plan to send McClellan to Mclellansburg... Nah...

This is the opportunity I was waiting for: the big Union Mammoth (the big army in Washington) is going to be on the move! Unto Alexandria! And presto! Dabai dabai!

Marquo's move makes me think he is not aiming at Washington anymore (open the bottles of champagne, dear citizens, and don't forget to vote me on the next elections [:D]) but the Shenandoah Valley itself methinks.

Not sure if loyal and tough Milroy can stop that one: CV = 612 and entrenched level = 4; the Rebel stack from hell CV = 1000). So McDowell will advance towards Alexandria. McClellan is ordered to closely assist / help / engage Lee (I have to glue him, remember).

Manassas is still in my hands but it should fall on next turn, I suspect.

[TulliusDetritus]

My bad [:D]

I have opened the turn and did not even check the battles. HAHA, Lee actually attacked "loyal and tough Milroy"! [:D]

The guy did not disappoint me! 18.000 Union vs 30.000 Confederates, we were defeated but we did NOT retreat. We keep our fortified positions (level 4)

[TulliusDetritus]

And what the hell is this? Fifth columnists?? [:@] If I well understood Marquo played that card or they automatically appeared because of low loyalty?

[TulliusDetritus]

In Kentucky Thomas is here and it seems I sort of have the upper hand here ie more men. We will soon put these hordes to good use.

Marquo is building a depot west of Bowling Green. Why not that in that city itself?

[Q-Ball]

Copperheads are a regional card; pay 5 VPs, get 2 militia units. That spot isn't really a good use of them, since they can't really threaten anything.

That is an interesting place for a depot in KY, that's for sure....

[TulliusDetritus]

Northwest Department. The Ace 2.0 has arrived to Grant's HQ. Sherman that is. Foote, with half of the Ironclads fleet (four + a myriad of gunboats) is starting to sweep the river. We defeated a Confederate Naval force but if I am not mistaken the sunk ships are those of the Union [:D]

Soon I will be able to gather, concentrate the 9 Ironclads. We will keep sweeping the river to make sure Grant has free way along the Mississippi.

Grant's archenemy McCulloch is just one region away. This time he should not escape!

[TulliusDetritus]

More so-called strategic thoughts [8D]

I would say now I have MORE boots on the ground than the Confederacy. In Missouri (50%-50%). In the Northwest Department (Illinois, Mississippi, Grant) I clearly have more men (you can see the last screenshot). In the Old Northwest (or Southeast, Kentucky) too. And finally in the Potomac I would say I have a little advantage.

So what's happened (the South starts with more boots on the ground)? Well, for sure I have recruited like crazy, as if there was no tomorrow, regular brigades. Most of them in the Mid Atlantic front or Potomac or Washington. I knew I had less men (NOT overwhelmed, I insist [;)]) therefore I had to do all I could to stabilise that VITAL front. In other words, to merely survive [:)]

This means I have necessarily and completely neglected the Industrial cards and the ocean naval programme. As Lenin had said during the Russian Civil War: "everything for the front!". And to me the front was Washington.

So did Marquo fall asleep and did not recruit like crazy? Possibly. And I think I know the reason. He's concentrated on many Industrial Cards (these messages are dsiplayed), and that costs money! Cash he thus did not have to overwhelm me with boots on the ground (if that is even possible, which I really doubt).

Another possibility which I should not rule out: maybe he is hiding a BIG strategic reserve I could not detect thus far. After all… he knows me! We exchanged more than 100 turns / emails on our WitE game. Not to mention my messages on the WitE forum. He knows perfectly that I am a history freak and that when possible I will ALWAYS stick to history. Even if this will mean being inefficient. Remember, we play for fun, not to win at all cost.

Which leads us to this: Lincoln wants Banks and Farragut to visit him. Officially to drink coffee and smoke big cigars But I am gathering *somewhere* a quite big army (which grows day by day).

[Aurelian]

Well, as a history freak, you should know that neither side had any strategic reserves. It was a concept not familiar to their military doctrine

For example, when troops were sent to Grant at Chattanooga, they didn't come from some strategic reserve. But from Meade's army.

Same as the Confederates at Chickamauga. Bragg's army was sent Longstreet's corps from Lee's army.

One of the hopes of Lee's 1863 raid into PA was that it would force Grant to lift the Vicksburg siege and come east. Not something you could hope for if the other side had strategic reserves.

Both sides would have to deal with reports of "General X is coming from Y with Z number of regiments."

But hell, doesn't hurt to use SR

[TulliusDetritus]

Aurelian, it's hard to believe the strategic reserves were not used during the Civil War [:)]

Let's take the sophisticated and massive use of these reserves by the Stavka (they could afford them so big deal). During the first period of the war, the strategic reserves consisted of the new units. They are indeed "reserves" because they come from a "reservoir" = the country manpower pool. On the game, when I have built many brigades, these are indeed reserves. I have to send them straight to the front, ok, this does not change anything.

During the second period of the war, the Stavka was forming strategic reserves from on-map (so to speak) units. When operations ceased in x Front, or when -for some reason- less forces were needed, many forces could be released and thus sent elsewhere. Well, not inmediately. They were kept somewhere behind the front, ready to be thrown to the enemy. On the American Civil War I guess something similar had to happen. Or the generals always kept a massive number of soldiers even if there were no enemies on sight? Weren't they forced to release that surplus of men, badly needed elsewhere?

I guess they never reached the sophistication of the Stavka during WW2 but they had them reserves [:)]

[TulliusDetritus]

I can give you an example from my own game, in fact [:)]

The forces which helped me to kick the Confederates from West Virginia: the Ohio forces totally idle in that part of the front (Kentucky was a shield).

And Indiana forces helped Lyon to capture Springfield in Missouri too. Again, forces which were idle, not needed in Indiana (the Kentucky thing).

So in fact these forces were Strategic Reserves, sent elsewhere etc etc. Now they are not anymore reserves. They were sent back to Indiana and Ohio when operations were over and are now fighting in Kentucky.