(1) Polk at Memphis - The "Sword over the Gown" (2) Remaining Confederate forces in the West and (3) the Volunteer Call Ups and Supply

 

Above : Leonidas Polk - Bishop and slave owner (see site footer) 

Leonidas Polk the Episcopalian Bishop when asked if he was giving up his Bishopric to take up a senior position in the Confederate command responded "No - I am buckling my sword over my gown". Polk was the former West Pointer, then Bishop and large slave owner appointed by Jefferson Davis at the outset of the war to command "Department Number 2" which comprised Kentucky and Tennessee. 

Now in uniform he committed one of the greatest blunders of the War deciding to push North from Memphis and to occupy Colombus Kentucky. Kentucky which had declared its neutrality at the outset of the war promptly invited the Union forces to "expel" the invading Confederate forces. The Confederates were unable to secure Kentucky's secession or even occupy its territory convincingly at any point.

We find Polk in fortified Memphis on our map commanding a small cavalry division and two small divisions of regular infantry as shown below - some 2,000 cavalry and 6,000 infantry. Without an HQ counter Polk will be able to directly command two divisional counters under the variant leader campaign rules for War Between the States. So that's a guarantee of two of these counters moving if Polk is commanded using one of the Confederates assigned initiative points. The remaining counter could also take up an initiative point from the weekly "chits". Alternatively the points could be saved for movement elsewhere and Polk's own initiative of "2" could be rolled against to see whether he is able to move two divisional counters. This would I guess simulate delay and prevarication of a number of weeks. The limited resources of movements represented by the weekly chit draw of moves from a cup presents a very real limit on the available strategic resource or planning juice at either sides disposal. 

The above counters would model as two 2-5 Cavalry bases which would dismount as linear infantry. I expect the two divisional counters should be stands as 6-4 PT NE with an assigned artillery brigade or "DG" assigned artillery with each base and a 1-5 Artillery battery base. Polk has a supply train with 2 supply points. The counter would represent the wagon corps and supplies of food and ammunition. There is also river transport available to Polk. 

The remaining confederate forces in the West are as follows :-

• 6 militia counter points at Little Rock Arkansas together with a supply train loaded with 3 supply points. I expect that I would model these as three bases 4-4 PT NE with "DG" and a battery artillery base or a brigade of appropriate guns.
• There are small contingents of Militia or small garrisons stationed at towns or in fortifications at Mobile on the Alabama coast, Pensacola Florida, Fort Morgan and New Orleans. There is further river transport at New Orleans. 

Resources for the confederates in the West are limited. The production spiral will provide 8 militia strength points immediately in July, 15 garrison points in August and 15 infantry and 6 cavalry points by September some of which can be sent to the Western theatre. The production rules require resources to be spread (not necessarily evenly in some cases) between departments. 

The confederates begin the war with a bank of 200 supply points and begin with 40 further supply points each strategic turn from their Major cities and a handful of supply points imported through seaports. We can discuss the Union "Anaconda" strategy for blockades and denial of the Mississippi in a future post as the campaign commences. 

It terms of the personnel points the first Confederate call will produce 80 points in July which will tail off through the year. Both sides face tough choices as to how to call up or draft further troops to keep their war machines supplied. These political decisions can impact negatively on the victory system which relates to war events both on and off the battlefield. A negative reaction to drafts or a positive reaction to deferring that decision can result in the European powers joining the side of the confederacy or e.g. Missouri or Kentucky seceding. 

So in July 1861 the confederacy should begin immediately with 80 personnel points and an augmented bank of roughly 255 supply points (40 from the Major Cities and a further 13 from import points - Pensacola and Norfolk begin the game blockaded). I love the Production Spiral in the campaign for the boardgame and I will adopt the system wholesale to both generate new brigades (create)  and to restore to strength existing ones (augment) or change (convert) garrison and militia points into regular infantry points.  As an example a single infantry point (1,000 men or 2 points for a V&B base on the table top) costs 3 personnel and 2 supply points. So a full strength  tabletop brigade base at 6-4 which requires a 3-3 counter to be placed on the board would cost 9 personnel points and 6 supply points. It's the raw man power which seems in short supply for the confederacy. 80 in a single hit in July 1861 is the biggest number of personnel points that the confederate states ever get - even the first draft will yield only 60 points. In comparison the Union receive 100 at the start of the first call track (it reduces by 10 each month) and 90 for the second. The confederates second volunteer call only attracts 50 personnel points.

By far a more efficient way to generate regular infantry is to return militia points to the spiral and expend just 1 supply point. They will appear as regular infantry counters with an identical points value 4 months (strategic turns) later - so initially then in November 1861. Further whole infantry divisional counters can be placed back on the spiral to be augmented with further points at a cost of 1 personnel point and 2 supply points. Overall if new Militia is raised it would cost the same once converted to infantry however it would appear in 5 months rather than 8 months. 

Other units such as ironclads, siege guns and naval bases are eye wateringly expensive for the confederacy. There is a harvest in the Summer or Autumn after which the confederacy gets a seasonal boost to supply points (3 per City retained for example in September 1861 which would produce an additional 200 points. This does not compare however with the way that the Industrial North churns out 150-300 supply points turn after turn throughout the war. 

Now I have looked at the deployments in the West for both sides I can draw my attention to the Eastern Theatre. The major theatre of the war throughout the four years of war. The first and last major battles of the war were fought in the East with Virginia as the front line.