AAR: Battle in the Wilderness

[Gil R.]

ORIGINAL: jchastain

Ut oh Gil. Get ready to look foolish.

Hard Sarge is without question the best battlefield commander in the playtest. I know I would hate for my battle results to be compared with what he was able to achieve with the same setup.

Are you kidding? It would be an honor, like having a great artist or band do a cover version of a song I wrote. I'll feel like the guys from Badfinger would have felt when Mariah Carey covered "Without You," if they hadn't been dead.

The files are in his in box.

[Hard Sarge]

Well, to be honest, I have had trouble with part of what is going on and would like to see it work, plus it looks like a interesting battle

[Grotius]

Great AAR, Gil! I hope you continue this game, and keep posting here. Of course, I'm buying this game regardless of what you do, lol.

[Gil R.]

Thanks. I played another six hours last night, and have advanced a year. There hasn't been a major fight, but the Union recently took Shenandoah and I've now got my ANV in adjacent Fredericksburg. I was waiting for another artillery unit to finish being produced before attacking, but am now ready to do so. Also, I've taken Kentucky's capital and am about to take the rest of the state. Necessity forced me to do this, since when the Union emancipated I lost a lot of my income, and Kentucky is a rich state. Nothing can stand in my way in Kentucky, but the Union in Virginia can still mess up my plans. I'll play again tonight, and if it's an interesting battle I'll share.

Also, I sent Hard Sarge the save game, so if he wants he can fight for the Shenandoah too. (In either case, we'd be the attacker there, so the Union would have an advantage.

[Hard Sarge]

this is a not really a fair replay, as I am not able to get the same set up as Gil had

what is odd, I got Wilderness, Wilderness for the terrain

this is going to be bloody though

[Hard Sarge]

well, here was the ending of my battle, not really fair to compare as they were not the same battle or set up

but it was a fun one

[Hard Sarge]

LOL
I didn't think about it, but for both of us, that was a Defending battle, and both of us were on the off from the start

[Gil R.]

I take it that those high USA casualty numbers can be explained to some extent by the enormous number of cavalry and the openness of the terrain? That's a perfect battlefield to let loose the equestrian team.

[Hard Sarge]

Not really, I didn't get to let the Horses loose, you do not set yours up like I do

most of mine in this battle were way out on both flanks and never got to the battle until it was over

[elmo3]

ORIGINAL: Gil R.

I take it that those high USA casualty numbers can be explained to some extent by the enormous number of cavalry and the openness of the terrain? That's a perfect battlefield to let loose the equestrian team.

I'm no Civil War expert so can you give me any examples of where large numbers of cavalry fought infantry in the open? There were plenty of large cavalry charges in the Napoleonic era but I can't think of any in this war. I also can't recall any battles where large numbers of infantry in retreat were ridden down by cavalry. Thanks.

[Gil R.]

elmo3, you're right that there were no Napoleonic cavalry charges (I think there was just one saber charge the entire war, or something like that), but cavalry definitely played a role against infantry. Cavalry was mainly used on offense by having the men ride up to the enemy, fire, and then dismount and fight on foot -- it was a rapid, mobile strike force. Cavalry also was used to attack enemy units that had been taken out of the fighting and were retreating or disorganized. So in "Forge of Freedom," if you used cavalry to charge an infantry brigade that is in good order the cavalry will mostly get blown away (especially if it's a head-on charge), but if that infantry brigade is shaken and its morale is down then cavalry can do a number on it.

Wikipedia has a pretty decent discussion: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavalry_in ... _Civil_War

[elmo3]

Thanks Gil. That makes sense.

[Gil R.]

I was just skimming through the manual and saw that I had forgotten that cavalry is also quite useful against unprotected artillery. (I think that image on Wikipedia's page will explain why.)

Cavalry in battle are also used for scouting, since they can move much farther than other units and find out where the enemy is hiding.

[elmo3]

ORIGINAL: Gil R.

I was just skimming through the manual and saw that I had forgotten that cavalry is also quite useful against unprotected artillery. (I think that image on Wikipedia's page will explain why.)...

Interesting site. Thanks for the link. As long as you guys aren't advocating Balaclava style cavalry battles then it sounds like you have it right. [:)]

[Hard Sarge]

Cav should be used as fast Inf, move around and then form line (dismount) and fire, if you got Dragoon tactics, then you can either move away or fire again

I for one, almost never charge, too dangerous

[6971grunt]

ORIGINAL: Gil R.

elmo3, you're right that there were no Napoleonic cavalry charges (I think there was just one saber charge the entire war, or something like that), but cavalry definitely played a role against infantry. Cavalry was mainly used on offense by having the men ride up to the enemy, fire, and then dismount and fight on foot -- it was a rapid, mobile strike force. Cavalry also was used to attack enemy units that had been taken out of the fighting and were retreating or disorganized. So in "Forge of Freedom," if you used cavalry to charge an infantry brigade that is in good order the cavalry will mostly get blown away (especially if it's a head-on charge), but if that infantry brigade is shaken and its morale is down then cavalry can do a number on it.

Wikipedia has a pretty decent discussion: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavalry_in ... _Civil_War

Battle of Brandy Station May 3, 1863, was the largest cavalry battle of the war [J.E.B. Stuart got surpirsed by probing Union Cavalry- i.e., Buford]. Some speculate that this is why J.E.B. was late for Gettysburg - a regaining of his tarnished honor - when in actuality Stuart was delayed because of summer rains that delayed his crossing of the Potomac River.

[Real and Simulated Wars]

ORIGINAL: grunt6971
Some speculate that this is why J.E.B. was late for Gettysburg - a regaining of his tarnished honor - when in actuality Stuart was delayed because of summer rains that delayed his crossing of the Potomac River.

I don't know if he is guilty of anything, but Stuart made his forces unneccesarily busy. No wonder he was late.
1) Fighting at Haymarket, against Hancock's II Corps
2) Destroying telgraph lines and railroad lines, even capturing a Union supply train
3) Fighting at Westminster
Besides that, being late is the lesser of his sins. He didn't provide means to inform Lee of his fighting at Haymarket. I wonder if Gettysburg would have ever happened if Lee knew about this engagement.
Before battle, the prime mission of cavalry is reconnaissance. Using it in a disruptive role in detriment of reconnaissance is folly.

[Real and Simulated Wars]

Double post. Yikes!

[Jonah]

"I'm no Civil War expert so can you give me any examples of where large numbers of cavalry fought infantry in the open? There were plenty of large cavalry charges in the Napoleonic era but I can't think of any in this war. I also can't recall any battles where large numbers of infantry in retreat were ridden down by cavalry. Thanks. "-elmo 3
 
 
Uhhh, Five forks. Sheriden Sent all his cavalry to chage G. Pikett's defenses.  Overan them too!
Third Winchester. Simmiler Scenario in the end of the fight.
Fisher's Hill. Kinda the same.
First Mannassas. J.E.B. Sturat's brigade charged the fire Zouves at the end of the fight. Routed them.
It happens.
 

[Jonah]

Agreed. Custer doesn't agree though. He always did that-

And always lost.