Jacksonville gambit

[John B.]

Jacksonville starts the game empty and I'm not sure the CSA can get a unit down there before the union sticks a brigade on an amphib and sails in and occupies the port in the summer of 1861. Basically, the union gets to take advantage of "intel" that was not available in the real war and take away a blockade port for free. I just took advantage of this fact in my first game against a real player just this week so perhaps there is some move the CSA can make that I'm not aware of. But, if not, the developers might want to consider some mechanism from keeping this from being an automatic gain for the union. There was a company of infantry raised there in 1859 that was later incorporated into the 1st Florida Regiment so perhaps an understrength regiment should start the game there?

[Platoonist]

If playing the 1861 Blue & Gray campaign you can deploy one of the first available Confederate brigades in the port city of Savannah. It can then make a naval transport hop south on the next turn to Jacksonville long before any Union troops or warships arrive. I'm pretty sure even one of the later Confederate brigade deployments could preempt any Federal designs on Jacksonville if it deploys in a nearby port city and then quickly moves by sea. Of course, it helps to have had previous experience playing the South in order to see that danger coming.

[John B.]

Thanks!