Into the home straight now for the initial deployments. I am wondering whether (a) anyone will ever see or read this or (b) make a comment. I won't bore you with the IT details but I have had problems with every website I have ever built with people being able to find them or leave a comment etc. Initially this is for me - a record or my project so if I ever get to January 1862 and have done two dozen tabletop battles and things are going swimmingly with the system I will hire an IT consultant so that it shows up on Google and can be read and commented on.
Back to the final deployments in the War Between the States Decision Games/Volley and Bayonet mash up. We are with the confederates in the East. I quite like the look of major deployments on the big map being shown by my generic Johnny Reb sized 20 mm square command stands. July 1861 and the centre of both political and martial life in the South has centred on Virginia. It is the most important City in the confederacy from a military/industrial point of view hosting the famous Tredeger ironworks (which in turn hosts the American Civil War Museum - a trip for me someday). The ironworks provided fully half the cannon for the Confederacy throughout the war as well as the iron plates to armour the "ironclad" CSS Virginia which battled in the Hampton Roads. Richmond was of course the capital of the Confederacy and the "seat" of the President Jefferson Davies.
There are three substantial deployments in the East for the Confederacy at the commencement of hostilities. The main forces of course concentrate early on at Manassas Junction to oppose McDowels early invasion "Old Virginia". Beauregard **** (3-3-1) is in command of a Corps HQ counter so will be able to command three divisions attached to the counter and one additional leader (who in turn may command additional divisions) or another division. So 4 or more divisions dependent on whether another ** or *** leader is coupled to the command. The command rules are quite complex and I have adopted the historical variant in the Decision Games "living rules" as presumably this will produce either a more balanced or historically accurate simulation. The basic version allows for random draws of leaders from leader pools which leaves too much to chance.
Along with Beauregard at Manassas junction are a 4-3 division and two further 3-3 divisions and 1-4 Cavalry brigade and four supply points in a train counter. There are also five 2-4 brigade counters.As far as the divisional counters go I do not think it good to reduce the the 3-3 divisional counter to two very understrength 3 pointy brigade bases for V&B on the tabletop. As a preference each will be represented as a single 6-4 PT NE base. The 4-3 counter can break down to two 4-4 PT NE bases on the tabletop. I have represented this in the photo below - fully 10,000 bayonets ! The final five two point counters can appear as 4-4 PT NE brigades.
The cavalry brigade is presumably Stuart's cavalry across from the Valley. Still over in the valley at Winchester Jo Johnston **** (3-3-1) commands a 4-3 division and three further 2-3 brigade counters. Without a headquarters unit he is limited to his command span of 3 which will allow him to command the 4-3 division and two of the further brigade counters. You are not allowed to simply "merge" unit counters in the Boardgame as I understand the game so command and control and the use, generation and husbanding of leaders and HQ counters becomes crucial. In the Volley and Bayonet campaign the initial "corps" raised in Winchester is the Army of the Valley and has a better trained brigade (5 morale and not poorly drilled at the outset). I am assuming this includes the VMI and locally well drilled militia in Jacksons brigade. I don't think the counter mix is going to allow me to present a 6-5 elite division without leaving just 2 spare base points (1 counter point) from the 4-3 divisional counter. I am going to reduce the 4-3 counter to a 3-3 counter initially which will model as the "first" or "stonewall" brigade/division on the tabletop - so 6-5 and not poorly trained and including elites. One of the three 2-3 counters can then be bumped up to a 3-3 which would be a 6-4 PT NE on the tabletop leaving two further 4-4 PT NE brigades. I think my Mannassas concentration will amount to a maximum of 13 brigade bases representing about 31,000 men which seems historically correct. This will be dependent on the Confederates getting a chit move (guaranteed moves) score of at least I think 3 or 4 and/or attempting a 50 % roll against Jo Johnston's initiative (3). I have described my debates over whether to allow rail or road movement as a reinforcing reaction to a battle within a weekly cycle. I will revisit the issue and cross that bridge I guess on turn one. Historically we know that the Confederates were able to force march and use rail transport to concentrate at the Manasses Junction by 21 June. Presumably the 3rd weekly turn of our 4 turn cycle in July.
Will the Union attack at the outset and risk a full-scale battle ? Historically McDowel was unable to resist the pressure from the public and Lincoln to undertake an early adventure. It took 3 or 4 days to cover the twenty or so miles to Manasses junction (with stops for berry picking and picnicking of rations en route) but a single night in the "big Skedaddle" to stream back across the Potomac into the boulevards of the capital. The union has to attack at some point to fulfil its war aims and bring its greater material to bare.
The final deployment is of Magruder ** (2-1) who can command a division and a brigade counter on the peninsula at Yorktown. The boardgame gives the confederates one 3-3 counter at that location which I expect should be modelled as a single full strength brigade 6-4 PT NE.
Again I will distribute appropriate artillery on the tabletop which I will then track as we go along. I think on average 7-9 + counter strength points (14-18 brigade base points) should support a divisional artillery brigade and where there is a concentration equating to a "Corps" (with or without an HQ but definitely when a leader is present so an organisation) then we might include a command artillery brigade as well.
There are 5 further locations with militia concentrations varying from 2 to 8 points - In the West Virginia mountains near Romney and also near Staunton, at the rail head at Aqua Creek, Richmond and Norfolk. There are small garrisons at Fort Sumter and Fort Pulaski protecting Charleston and Savannah respectively and Forts Hatteras & Clark off the coast.
I can now set up and photograph the maps and counters and describe the war aims/victory conditions for the North initially and their expected strategy.
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