Week 1 August 1861 (Union Turn) - First Major Clash in the East

 

Above : Henry Halleck (see site footer) 

"I will not attempt to hamper you with any minute instructions" Henry Halleck to John Pope in respect of the capture of island number 10

So "Old Brains" is installed as Chief of Staff in Washington early and it's time for the chit draw for the first turn of August 1861. Union threats are starting to brew in both the East and West. In North Virginia  a strong force of 27,000 men organised as a Corps under McDowell has crossed the Potomac and has been organising itself for several weeks. This strong force is preparing to attack around 29,000 men gathered under the combined leadership of Beauregard and Jo Johnston at Manassas Junction. 

In the West a number of further threats are brewing. An advance guard under McLennan is at Cairo with options to move on Polk at Union City. In Missouri a battle hardened force of 7,000 cavalry and infantry under Heintzleman remains at Rolla and could continue to press Price and the remnants of the Missouri State Guard who have slid across to Ironton. On the Ohio River Stoneman has arrived in theatre to take command of the departmental garrison at Evansville. From there the Union may attempt to a swift invasion of neutral Kentucky. 

The clock is always ticking for the Union politically under the Strategic victory point situation. The Union must capture four victory point cities East of the Mississipi by August 1862 or the Confederates will clock up victory points each turn and eventually be able to successfully roll against the tables for a victory or Foreign Intervention to bring the War to an early close. As a reminder the main target cities for the Union are Richmond, Nashville, New Orleans, Memphis and Atlanta. The second tier of cities include Charleston, Chattanooga, Corinth, Knoxville, Mobile and Vicksburg. This should inform the axises of attack for the Union. Clearing the Mississippi should be a key aim for the Union and from both ends if possible. Seabourne assaults could be attempted for each of Charleston, New Orleans and Mobile. Finally an overland campaign through the heart of the confederacy to take Nashville and then to cut the central rail line and take Knocksville, Chattanooga and Atlanta could be attempted. The Confederacy will always have limited resources that must be husbanded and cannot defend in strength everywhere. In some ways however both the Strategic targets and the availability of Headquarters organistions and competent leaders with initiative will guide the Union sides' progress. 

Kentucky's neutrality is an annoyance. If the Union moves through into the State its legislature will declare for the Confederacy however a swift campaign could then take place to secure the main cities and the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. The Personnel Point bonus to the Confederacy is not massive.  It effectively provides roughly 60 Personnel Points to the Confederacy over 6 months in comparison to 30 for the Union so the difference is not that great. This is really not more than a couple of divisions. Cessation will however deliver 6 towns and cities to the confederacy which will  produce Production Points. This resource is set to take a leap up in October as the cotton harvest is brought in. This could be worth a small boost to the cause until they are taken back. Given that the Confederacy is unlikely to invade the Kentucky themselves for fear of losing that advantage and giving a gift of yet more resources to the Union has time to gather its forces before a swift invasion. 

On balance in the West for now I think that Heintzelman should continue to pursue Price and then combine with McLennan to seek to knock out Polk and dislodge the Confederate stronghold at Union City the top of the Mississipi. I have noted from the rules that despite Missouri declaring for the Confederacy the railcnet in Union still belongs to the Federals. 

Strong naval forces will be arriving in theatre in a matter of months so early 1862 could be the time to attempt the invasion of Kentucky. In fact a river bourne invasion would not immediately violate neutrality if aimed at Nashville bypassing Kentucky and using the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. I think it better to move swiftly on the key cities that would contribute to the Confederate cause, hold territory and threaten Nashville. Nashville would be the first major strategic loss for the Confederacy. 

On the  Confederate side the other hemisphere of my strategic brain keeps coming back to the simple maxim that the Confederacy does not need to "win". It just mustn't "lose". The Confederates have there a new nation - it simply needs to dig in and hang onto it for now. Concentrating forces and blocking potential moves and reinforcing key strategic cities is the aim of the game. For example why attack Ivrvin McDowell North of Manassas ? Richmond and some of the small towns and cities such as Fredericksburg and Lynchburg, Charlottesville and Gordansville  need to be defended but there is no immediate strategic advantage to throwing McDowell back across the Potomac. Better to continue to consolidate forces and focus on having an advantage when attacked. The topography of Virginia presents the Confederates with a series of East/West rivers providing natural defensive lines. 

Initiative Chit Draw

I use my wife because I can feel myself hoping that the Union remains stalled in North Virginia - I have to paint those bases at some point ! Also I think I know what each Chit looks like now even if reversed. Again I swear that my wife is a zealous abolitionist and Lincoln loving Republican. The Confederates opt for the safe "2" in parenthesis under the WbTS boardgame rules. Of the remaining 3 options - "0", "1" and "3" Jane picks the "3" from the cup. The Union takes the initiative and has 3 guaranteed initiative moves which is remarkably useful given the very low initiative of Union commanders to get anything done independently. 

Union Moves 

(1) Heintzleman ** and the I5 and C1 counters he is stacked with continue the pursuit of Price backed by (2) the supply train.  They move across to A2415 and A2414.  Heintzleman can order a division and a brigade as a ** Divisional commander so moving the supply train to ensure that he can engage in combat healthily when he catches Price will cost another chit initiative.

(3) One of the I5 divisions at Harpers Ferry has moved to join Banks at Baltimore. Incidentally the Federal  Naval Transports are nearby. The Northern papers trumpet the potential for seaborne invasions along the East coast of the Confederate States alerting the Confederacy to the potential danger. Should the Confederates then use valuable resources to garrison each city on its coastline ? I have been toying with the idea of building up garrisons where I can to create a fighting reserve that can react to threats. The arrival of a substantial force threatening key cities such as Charleston or Atlanta would require a significant reaction that would then of course weaken resources elsewhere. The Union has the advantage of the Sea, the Ohio river and eventually the Mississippi (if it can take it) creating a contiguous exterior line of communication from where it can assault at will. This is Winfield Scott's Anaconda plan in its full glory. 

There are of course the potential for initiative moves for the union as well. 

Only Stoneman at Evansville makes his initiative roll (he gets a “2”). I think he needs a larger force to move into Kentucky than the 6,000 militia and garrison he currently has. Potentially he can take some militia with him to create a depot when he does move but he should take at least a strong infantry division to have any chance of success. This will be the thrust towards Nashville when it is ready. 

The more you "run the board" for the Union  to generate threats to the Confederates the more you realise that the Confederates are constrained strategically to defence and possibly counter punches  e.g. in the form of raids in strength in the North or to retake territory in the West. The experimental political victory point rules I have adopted from WbTS are particularly elegant at capturing this "mood" to proceedings.  

Combat Phase 

Heintzleman is not yet in a position to attack Price. Again Mcgruder has a series of increasingly agitated telegrams from Lincoln demanding that he march on to Richmond by destroying the confederate main battle army right in front of him. 

Will there be any progress in the main battle theatre in Virginia ? 

The union rolls a 1 which is good for  McDowell's initiative of 2. McDowell is stacked on a Corps HQ and as such can attack with all 4 divisions with him - the 3 x I6 counters and the I9 counter - 27,000 bayonets. Facing him are Beauregard and Jo Johnston with fully 29,000 men. Finally the slow preparations of Union have resulted in a clash. 

This is the mid-sized encounter I have been looking forward to as a tabletop project to take my gaming resources forward  - a clear step up from the  Battle of Rolla. I will need to (1) design and dress the tabletop. (2) Draw up Orders of battle and organise units within my divisions - naming the stands and regiments and (3) decide on how I deal with the battlefield rules for the day and the arrival of units and so on. There are a number of rules questions for me to consider. The battle should be large enough however for me to properly divide up the forces into “divisions” or forces and assign wings or a strategy under the Road  to Glory system. I will allow each side sufficient battlefield divisional commanders within their counters as well as the *** and **** generals present as overall Army/Corps sized commanders. 

Painting wise I will need to produce probably half a dozen more 3" infantry  stands for either side to be able to play this but ultimately I will need upwards of 30 stands a side for the biggest battles in any event. In terms of 20 mm square bases I should now just get the production line rolling again. I have taken delivery of some very nice Black Hats and Zoaves that could make an appearance. I am good for cavalry. Stuart will be present with a small brigade of cavalry however there are no cavalry on the Union side. I will need probably a fairly significant amount of artillery unless I model this at Divisional Guns. 

In terms of scenery I think I need two “tiers” of hills so some foam board shapes that can sit under my cloths will win the day. My existing collection of hills can then just produce the second tier or standalone hills. Henry Hill was of course the focal point of action at Bull Run on 21 July 1861 but it needn't be in this encounter.   I also need a stone bridge and possibly just more trees again ! I am not sure yet how big to make the tabletop.

To keep things simple there is a good map for a Bull Run Scenario on the Volley and Bayonet  internet pages. But this really covers an area dictated by what the two sides on the day actually did. In reality both sides tried to turn the left flank of the other by an attack. This was called off on the Confederate side to defend against the Union assaults of Henry Hill. All reserves arriving at Manassas Junction by rail were eventually thrown this way (notably Jackson's first brigade) prior to general assault by the Confederates leading to a Union collapse. 

I have also ordered a second hand copy of Eastern Battles which supports the Fire and Fury system. That should also have a map and order of battle I can lay onto my counters. This is the moment that the troops become real and take on a character and identity. There is a wealth of information available on the internet obviously. I am taken by the concept that the Union has a multitude of potentially fords and crossing points along Bull Run from which it can attack. The overall concept for the scenario could be the the Confederate needs to make its deployments and then the Union axis of attack will be determined. There is no need for complex rules for the arrival of a strategic reserve by rail as the Confederates have been concentrated at Manassas junction for several weeks. 

The full table itself could be up to 12 feet long x 6 feet  deep depending on how I orientate it. I want take in all the potential river crossings if I can. This is a great project within a project and one that will take me beyond Xmas I expect to get on the table. The key for me is to keep the battle fresh, fair and give both sides a good chance. Most of the troops will be very raw and unproven. Both sides will though naively see the opportunity for that “knock out blow”. The object of this whole campaign for me is primarily to have fun, create some beautiful tabletop battles and essentially tell a story. I should also gain some understanding of the big picture and learn some history as go along. 

I ordered a small piece of astroturf last week to have a go at some crop fields given that the battle will take place in August. My battle of Rolla was lacking in corn ! Spray painted a corn colour the Astroturf  should be quite good. The rules for corn fields block line of site until they are trampled by a crossing brigade. Perhaps I can have two versions - one for the corn standing and one for the corn trampled ! 

Time to retreat to the study/modelling room for a couple of weeks to get this on the table ! I doubt the Great Republican will allow a 12 foot x 6 foot table to appear in the "Front Room" this side of Xmas competing with the tree and dining table. 

Overall I am very excited now again to deliver a larger battle that will deliver a result in the grand campaign. Who will go limping back to the capital on this occasion as the Summer of 1861 draws to a close ? Will the Union sweep on to Richmond or will this first foray into Virginia end in the debacle of the “Great Skeedaddle” as it did historically.

There is one final thing I can decide on with a simple dice roll. The V&B House Divided campaign rules have a system for determining the start time for the fight (see Rule 8 Battles here). In August sunset is at 5 am - adding to that a roll of D6 the Union attack will not take place until 11 am. As sunset is at 7 pm the Union forces will be limited to 8 turns of action on the first day. It is possible that we could be in for a multi-day battle

See you in hell Billy Yank. See you in hell Johnny Reb ! 

Week 4 July 1861 - The Union Invests Cairo Illinois

 

Above : River Boats landing Troops at Cairo Illinois from Harpers Weekly - June 1861 (see site footer)

Chit Draw

The Confederates elect to take the "2" from the available guaranteed initiative chits. 

The Union draw a "1" initiative chit on this occasion. 

Confederate Turn

(1) Trapper's South Carolina Brigade I3 (2nd Palmetto and 10th and 19th South Carolina regiments) continues on its train movement delivering the Brigade to Nashville (costs 3 Rail Points).

(2) An M2 Alabama Volunteer Regiment brigade  from Mobile has moved by train at a cost of 2 Rail Points to B2408 about 20 miles from New Orleans. 

Union Turn

(1) McLennan boards river boats with a supply train and 3 supply points and M2 Thayer's Brigade (1st Nebraska and 58th, 68th and 78 th Ohio Regiments) to move to Cairo. 

The initiative role for McDowell and combat at Mannassas Junction is failed again ! 

The Mississipi is starting to bristle with volunteer regiments supported by flotillas of River Transport boats on Both sides. 

The Confederates appear to has shored up the defences of Nashville. In the East McDowel's  27,000 Union infantry that crossed the Potomac are in a stand off with the 27,000 Confederates under Jo Jonston and Pierre Gustav Toutant-Beauregard across Bull Run at Manassas Junction. 

Thats the end of July 1861. I will update the Living Tracker and then take a pause to consider the strategic turn for August 1861 which will deliver new  leaders, volunteer units and resources into theatre.

Week 1 July 1861 - "You are all Green Alike" - Lyons and Price lock horns in Missouri

Above : Abraham Lincoln (see site footer) 

"You are green, it is true, but they are green, also; you are all green alike" 

Abraham Lincoln to Irvin McDowell July 1861.

The first step is to draw initiative chits for each side for the turn. Each side will have a guaranteed number of force moves (which might include a leaders command) and then is able to roll against an individual leader's "initiative" to determine whether additional forces can move. A division or other counter not directly controlled by a leader counter will need to use one of the chit moves in order to get about. Naval movement does not require initiative and Naval transports (River or Blue Water) can transport up to ten strength points for 40 hexes on the rivers and 50 hexes at sea. 

From 7/61 to 6/62 the initiative chit pool each turn is very small - 0,1, (2) & 3. It does increase through the war but fluctuates during e.g. Winter.  There is an option for the confederates to always take the number in parenthesis rather than risk a blind pick. I think I will adopt that rule which models a somewhat sclerotic Union strategic command. If the confederates take "2" at the start of a phase they will usually (2/3 of the time) move first with the union having 1 guaranteed initiation or none at all. Rarely (1/3 of the time) the union will move first with 3 guaranteed chit force moves - representing finally say McDowell or Burnside deciding to succumb to pressure and get on with it. The initiative then of individual leader counters then becomes very important. Planning and the resources for it are very finite. It took the Union four years to conquer in effect an area the size of Western Europe and eventually required 2.2 million men at arms  to be called up or volunteer for the Union over that period. 

Confederate Initial Strategy 

I do not think at this stage that the confederates have sufficient strength to attempt to "invade" the North. While Kentucky is a strategic prize for the confederacy the price of breaching Kentucky neutrality is probably too high. The Union would receive fully three times as many Personnel points from the State population as the confederacy in that instance. In some ways Kentucky can act as a "buffer" and the Union  faces the same jeopardy of gifting the confederacy a large amount of additional Personnel points. 

It might be useful for the confederates to bring any straggling units into supply as best they can and to look to shore up the defences of the Mississippi in particular and other "borders" and seaports.  New Orleans needs more than its small garrison to defend itself. In addition some forward deployment of units to Union City in Tennessee might be useful. Historically the confederates entered  Kentucky expecting the local population to rise up which it failed to do in any large numbers. I will leave well alone for now and let the Union make the mistake of disaffecting the Kentucky legislature. Missouri though and St. Louis remain a tempting target. 

In many ways the confederates can adopt a strategy of seeking to hold what they have and perhaps to "dig in" in as many places as are possible for the longer term defence of the new nation. Things are not going to unfold with any great pace even with 2 guaranteed force initiations a week across the 4 turn cycle of the month. Are we heading inexorably to a repeat of first Manasasses (with all the painting that requires !). 

Union Initial Strategy and Logistics 

The victory/political point clock (see my description here) begins ticking for the Union which has a year to capture 4 key confederate cities East of the Mississippi failing which the Confederates will begin to accumulate political points which could allow recognition or even an outright victory. A continuous assault will need to be maintained on Richmond tying down large numbers of troops of the Confederacy in the Virginia theatre. Rather than maintain a single point of pressure it might be useful to attack both frontally on Richmond as well as down the Peninsular from Fort Monroe and possibly even through the mountains of West Virginia flanking Richmond and the confederacy. McLennan is based in Cincinnati and his leader counter is currently the best on the board in terms of his Command Span and Combat Ranking for morale on the tabletop. He is stymied with a low initiative of 1 so nothing is going to move very fast much to Lincoln's dismay unless the priority chit moves are used - on that basis maintaining McDowell in command in the Virginia theatre is acceptable. 

The "target" cities (of which 4 are needed by 8/63 include cities on the Mississipi such as Memphis and Vicksburg as well as strategic cities along the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers such as Nashville, Chattanooga and Knoxville. Further in that valley area in Tennessee there is the strategic railroad from Lynchburg to Cleveland Tennessee. It may be difficult to supply such an army operating in the interior of the Confederacy without developed logistics. 

Supply is traced through operative and owned railroads navicable rivers and coastal hexes from Departments. Supply Depots and train can also dispense supply to nearby units - so in effect operating as forward operating bases for campaigning armies. Movement in the interior will require careful thought. I have read up the rules on railnets, rail cuts and also the broadcast of supply using neutral railroads in Missouri and Kentucky which should help the both sides to a degree.   

Lyons is sat in Missouri with Price 100 miles to the South West in Rolla. Lyons currently has the forces to take on Price and actually with an initiative 

Finally there is the temptation (as the Union did) to secure base of operations on the Confederate coastline. A seaborne campaign for example against targets such as New Orleans or Charleston. 

What is clear is that across 4 turns of July the Union may only receive perhaps 3-5 chit moves in total as an average and probably very spread out (3 or 1 being the only two possible draws or value). It is probably best to focus on developing one strand of strategy through July. 

So is it to be "On to Richmond" to begin applying pressure to the Union from the outset or a subtler more nuanced approach ? What is clear is the strategy that won eventually was one that required extended logistics and multiple axise of attack. Ultimately seizing Richmond would be a huge blow but it is unlikely to be possible on the tabletop for quite some time. I think the political pressure from Abraham Lincoln would be impossible to ignore. I think I have a crash painting exercise to undertake if 60,000 men are to clash in Northern Virginia in July. Nothing will move them if the Union fails in its chit draw and the McDowell fails his initiative roll ! 

Chit Draw - 7/61

Confederate elect to take 2 - 2 forces may automatically have initiative and after that unused leaders may roll. Automatic moves must occur before initiative rolls are determined.

Union draws 0 - no automatic force initiative. 

Confederates to move first 

Confederate Moves 

(1) Confederate M2 counter on 1609 moves to join second militia counter on 1612 just below 1611 Franklin West Virginia.

 

(2) Initiate Force with Polk***(2-1) at B2802 Memphis 

A *** General without a headquarters can command two divisional counters under the optional historical leaders rules. Those units do not have to move in concert but can disperse. The initiative allows separate orders. 

3021 New Madrid is of no strategic importance to the Confederates other than its position on the Mississippi. Union City at the far NorthWest of Tennesee is also on the Mississippi but  commands a four way rail junction bordering on Kentucky and sits astride the road to Memphis. 3013 next door is also a prime candidate for a fortress as it sits on some bluffs overlooking the river. Historically there were a number of defensive works at this position on the Mississippi including the famous Island Number 10. The M2 counter on New Madrid cannot move to Union City using the Ferry Crossing to Columbus as this would violate Kentucky neutrality - a subject discussed at length earlier in this post and prior posts. It seems difficult to make a river crossing within the movement allowance. 

Thankfully the River Transport unit at Memphis can just about operate to move the I3 unit to Union City. The RT has to pay 10 to embark and disembark troops from its allowance and the distance in water hexsides from the Ferry at Memphis is 20 (total 40). For the I3 unit at Memphis embarking at a Ferry costs 1 movement point and disembarking at a clear hex (Union City is not a "port or base") costs 2 points. There is a separate embarkation and disembarkation points cost table that I have missed before when playing. 

Polk himself can move to Union City by Road or Rail but will accompany his C2 cavalry at a cost of 2 rail points for the cavalry from the Confederates award of 10 for the turn. Leaving now I3, C2 and Polk at Union City. 

Price at Rolla in Missouri fails an initiative roll which could prove costly. There is no need for Magruder commanding an I4 unit on the peninsula to move. He is man-marking Butler at Fort Monroe. Butler has an initiative of "0" and the union has scored "0" this turn on chit moves. He is therefore moribund and cannot advance up the peninsular as he has no motivation or orders !  This information would be available in a two player game. To my mind the porous state of information on a board without fog of war and clarity of ones own divided intentions when playing solo models the state of clear information and gossip about troop movements for much of the war. At the outset of the war the papers in Washington clearly broadcast the intention of the army to a frontal assault on Richmond. 

There is a possibility of concentrating all or part of Joe Johnstons force now with the main force of Beauregard at Manassas junction. Any Union force advancing to Richmond would have to deal with a consolidated land army of more like 30,000 than 20,000 men. Joe Johnston rolls 6 and fails his initiative this turn in any event. 

This concludes the Confederate moves and the Rail Points are reduced by 2 for the cavalry rail movement from Memphis to Union City. 

Union Moves 

The Union is restricted to initiative moves only by leaders. 

McDowel (2), McLennan(1)  and Butler (0) fail initiative tests - automatically in Butler's case ! Heintzelman (2) who was newly placed in Evansville, Illinois  also fails a test. 

I wanted to bring Heintzelman to Missouri to give greater options for a campaign in that small theatre against Price. There for example an I3  counter out on a limb at Jefferson City that could outflank Price's forces while a main assault take place from ... 

Lyons**(4-2)  - the martyr of Wilson's Creek on August 10th 1861. Lyons passes his initiative and can command a division and a brigade as a ** leader. It is time to take the fight to Price. The regular 2nd US army regiment (I3 - 6-5 and not PT NE) moves out together with the US regular cavalry (C1 - Cav 2-5). The Missouri railroads can be used by either side while Missouri is neutral. The union uses 4 rail points to move Lyons' regular forces which detrain in Missouri farmland outside of Rolla at A2114. 

A further initiative throw will be required to initiate combat. A "4" again on a D6 - Lyons is able to attack Price at Rolla. By luck or judgement I have a small opening battle between Lyons and Price which I can get on the table relatively easily. 

The two Orders of Battle will be as follows :-

Union - Lyons Command - Exhaustion 5 

Lyons - Divisional Commander - "2" Combat rating (I will remind myself how to deal with this on the tabletop but Lyons should get some sort of advantage over Price for morale purposes). 

2nd US Infantry M5 [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 

US Cavalry Brigade M5 [S] [S] (Treat as Light Cavalry rule 23.1.1 V&B RtGlory - Breach loading carbines) 

Artillery Brigade - SB-F PT  M5 [ ] [ ] 

Confederate - Price Command - Exhaustion 5 

Price - Divisional Commander - "1" Combat Rating 

Militia Regiments (1) M4 PT NE [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 

Militia Regiments (2) M4 PT NE [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] 

Confederate Militia Cavalry Regiments  (1) M5 PT [S] [S] (Treat both brigades as Light Cavalry 23.1.1 V&B RtGlory - Muzzle loading carbines)

Confederate Militia Cavalry Regiments  (2) M 5 PT [S] [S] 

Artillery Brigade SB-F M5 [ ] [ ] 

This is fantastic small painting and terrain project to complete to kick off the campaign on the tabletop. I have the option to double up the scale using the Volley and Bayonet telescoping system so that e.g Price's command becomes perhaps 8 regimental bases. I may however keep it simple and just play the battle on a small 4 x 4 table with the Confederates drawn up in and around Jefferson and the Union forces seeking to eject them from the town. I can also have some fun naming individual militia regiments and minor commanders on the field. 

I am wondering whether I should have perceived the threat and withdrawn the confederates back to Jefferson City but Ultimately that would have not been like Price who has already hatched a plan to steal the Missouri militia artillery and to rouse the local militia. Price could not move however due to his low initiative and the confederates had strategic priorities elsewhere. Lyons has demonstrated as he did in August 1861 that he is on the front foot. I will play out this battle over the next week. 

There is one more rule point I should cover as transfer from the counters to the tabletop. I am not going to treat Militia counters in the boardgame with all of the Militia rules for the tabletop from Volleys & Bayonet. Militia in Volley and Bayonet suffer a permanent disorder from the beginning and as such will rout as soon as they receive a second disorder marker. I have looked through all of the scenarios I could find online for ACW Volley and Bayonet and the Volley and Bayonet House Divided campaign. It doesn't seem that that scenario writers are hampering early war units to this degree. I have opted that any militia counter will retain its "PT" status and will not lose it after 6 months. Further a militia unit will always stay green with a morale of 4 and will not be able to train or be promoted  as a result of battlefield experience to become veteran with a morale of 5. I am using a quarterly system for promotion of units and upgrades for division taken from the excellent Volley and Bayonet ACW campaign designed to be used with the House  Divided board game as its engine. 

Time for the assault on "lead mountain". 

See you in hell Johnny Reb ! See you in hell Billy Yank ! 

War Strategy 1861 - Scott's Annaconda Plan and the Victory and Political System for the Campaign

 

Above : Winfield Scott's Anaconda Plan 

Before I dive into the minutiae of the July 1861 strategic turn for my campaign (essentially supply and recruitment) I thought it might be useful to pause and appreciate the historical planning and deliberations on both sides and how this will relate to the rules the campaign taken from the boardgame War Between the States. I have written before about how the Union has to take the battle to the confederacy in order to satisfy its war aim of bringing an end secession through coercion and manage public opinion and outside politcial pressure. Initially it is clear that on the Union side the plan was simply to advance on to Richmond after defeating the confederacy's  main field army in one large engagement. We could call this simple strategy "On to Richmond" ! 

Given the small number of troops in the field and the overwhelming size of the confederate States and disparate nature of political leadership (the cotton states were not entirely wedded to the idea of a Central government and ceding all of their resources to Richmond) this was always was a somewhat naive plan In any event the result of First Manassas or Bull Run on 21 July 1861 soon disavowed the leadership on both sides that this was going to be a short war. The Confederate States provide a theatre of operations larger than Western Europe. In July 1861 the Unions attempt to invade Virginia and force a resolution of the war with 35,000 men was naive. Tecumseh Sherman who was to play such a key role as Grant's trusted lieutenant later in the war privately ridiculed the notion of a call up of 75,000 volunteers for 3 months by stating that "you may as well try and put out the  flames of a burning house with a squirt gun. By the Autumn he was personally bombarding Washington with requests for 200,000 men to deal with fighting in Kentucky alone. He was declared unfit for duty and temporarily removed from his command on the grounds of sanity. He was of course proved a prophet in terms of the utter scale of what was required on the part of the union to bring about a total victory. Eventually and throughout the course of the something in the order of  2 million troops took up arms for the Union and 800,000 for the confederacy.   At the outset of the war the numbers in the field were roughly equal which belies the notion of the "Myth of the lost cause". For the union to achieve and early victory and avoid huge battlefield casualties over 5 years it would need to rapidly take fortified cities in the South which generally requires a battlefield advantage of 3 to 1. At the peak of 1863 the Union only ever had an advantage of 2 to 1 to conduct an offensive to take the a piece of ground the size of Western Europe. 

The reality remained that all the South really had to do to "defeat" the unions strategy was to essentially hang on and fight a defensive campaign. There was a good chance that the North would grow weary of the war and sue for peace once its cost in blood and treasure was fully appreciated by the Union public. 

The Union however did settle on a strategic plan to crush the Confederacy at birth thanks to its its first Generalissimo, and hero of the Mexican War Winfield Scott and it was good one. I have not seen anyone articulate an alternative plan that would have produced a quicker result. The so called Annaconda plan had three elements. Firstly to blockade and occupy where possible the Confederate coastline to prevent the  export of trade goods and the import of war materials such as the rifled musket. Secondly to cut the Confederate States in two with a thrust down the Mississipi from St Louis to the coast. Such a thrust would cut off states such as Arkansas and Texas from the union and again hinder the import of war materials through the Southern Gulf coast. Finally to surround and constrict or apply pressure to the Confederacy including its capital Richmond through the use of the Union's overwhelming manpower in the form of field armies. Whoever created the contemporary print above failed to appreciate the real detail of the plan. There was no real ring of union armies out somewhere West in the Indian territory. The head of the "Great Snake" should be menacing the upper reached of the Mississippi South of St Louis close to the beginning of the war. Geography in a way neatly defines the Union strategy and initially at first it is one that I will aim to follow when wearing my Union forage cap. 

It is worth reviewing how the game itself "War Between the States" deals with Victory as obviously this will further dictate how I set about matter when playing the Union. I am going to use the "Experimental Political Rules" from the 2006 rule book along with all or any amendments in those living rules on the Decision Games website. The system in essence "appreciates" the Unions conundrum and the potential for war weariness bringing early closure to the war. A loss of momentum in the war can very much lead to the loss of the border states, foreign intervention on the part of Britain and France (economic) and potentially an outright  confederate victory. I am really pleased with the way the strategic and political considerations of the war are modelled and how this will direct my thinking for both sides from the map to the tabletop. 

The first way for the Union to win is through a "Historical Victory". If the Union holds each of Nashville, Memphis, New Orleans, Atlanta and Richmond prior to the end of the 200th movement turn in April 1865 (the surrender of Lee at Appomattox Court House) then the Union wins. If not then the Confederates achieve their independence in part or full I guess. This then present some clear war aims for both sides. We do not have to wait until April 1865 or the capture of 5 key cities to resolve issues. There is a variant that tests the position at 11/64 on the Northern Election. If the Union holds four of the five cities the game ends in Union victory and if less than two the Confederates succeed as presumably Lincoln is thrown out of office for a "peace party" or candidate. I am not yet sure if I will adopt that variant given the way in which the main cities are in play in the "experimental poltical rules" (see below). There is nothing to prevent though the variant historical victory rules being played with experimental political point rules. It all adds complexity and at the end of the day the Union has to set about taking those key Confederate cities out of its supply chain. 

The second victory track using the "Political Point" system is far more nuanced. Both sides accumulate points based on war achievements and conditions. The difference between those two scores produces a number which can be rolled against using a D6 on a chart for each of 1861/2, 1863 and 1864/5 by either side making a political appeal. This of itself costs increasing political points for repeated appeals. To give an example in 1861/2 if the Confederates have just 3 political points in their favour or more then the table reads as follows :-

1 F, 2 F, 3 F, 4 Mc, 5 Kc, 6 C

Where F is Foreign intention, Mc is Missouri joining the confederacy, Kc is Kentucky joining the confederacy and C is an outright confederate victory. I will deal in full with the issue of Kentucky and Missouri neutrality and the potential for each to join the Union or the Confederacy in the early stages of the war in a separate post. 

Foreign intervention is a real possibility on the tables if the Confederacy is doing well during 1861/2 with only a slim chance in 1863 if the Confederacy is doing really well. The confederacy will then be recognised by both Britain and France, all import supply points through unblocked ports are doubled and the games ends in 2 years (26 cycles of a strategic turn and four movement turns). This is a fantastic mechanic. If the Confederacy can achieve recognition through some early gains in 1861/2 it can boost its resources and cut short the war. I expect this represents the Great Powers bringing the Union to the table to negotiate a peace out of their own economic interests. The reality was of course that after Antietam and the Emancipation Declaration there was little prospect of a Britain in particular coming to the aid of the Confederacy. Queen Victoria had wept on reading Uncle Tom's Cabin and Britain had been waging a war on the High Seas against the slave trade since 1821. This is again modelled with the Emancipation Proclamation being an option for the Union. The Confederacy gains 5 political points but any  possibility of foreign intervention is prohibited. 

Only a score of + 3 or more in the confederates favour can produce the small chance of an outright  confederate victory in 1861/2. As the war continues the potential results for the Confederacy both improve and the political points difference required to achieve those results. As an example if the confederates are on "0" in 1864 an appeal to the political tables will give them a victory win a roll of 3-6 on a D6. There are a multitude of results in between on a complex matrix. 

At the other end of the scale as the Union racks up larger political points scores it can bring Kentucky or Missouri into the Union or of course achieve an outright Union victory. In 1861/62 with a score of 16 + points the Union end of the table reads as follows :-

1 U, 2 U, 3 Ku, 4 Ku, 5 Mu, 6 Mu 

The Detail then of how each side can score political points in order to seek to gain political advantage or to bring an early end to the War should drive the strategy of both sides. Rather than write reems I will just set it out. As the campaign progresses I will include an updated political point tracker with the unit counter/Volley and Bayonet bases tracker that I have already created. 

Victory Appeals 

Each player can make one free appeal at any stage to the political matrix charts to attempt to secure a victory. A secondary result of foreign intervention or securing Kentucky or Missouri all qualify as failed appeals for the purposes of the points system. Subsequent appeals on the matrix cost points in increasing amounts such that by the fifth attempt the points cost is 16 points.  From the union point of view then there is an art in timing those appeals after a degree of traction has been achieved with other war wins.

Union Political Points 

The amended rules very much expanded the territorial ambitions of the Union beyond the 5 key cities some of which are worth 2-10 points. The other target cities worth a point are Charleston SC, Chattanooga, Corinth MS, Knoxville, Mobile and Vicksburg. A point is also award for the first capture of a confederate fort. A further two points are awarded for taking a basket of smaller cities on the Trans-Mississipi which makes that small theatre of some relevance (so perhaps my criticism of the orientation of the Snake is uncalled for !). There is a point up for grabs for occupying and destroying lead and salt mines in South West Virginia and also for cutting the strategic rail line which runs from Lynchburg Virginia to Cleveland Tennessee. There is also a point available each and every strategic turn that the Mississipi is free of Confederate ironclads, fortifications and river flotillas and every city on the Mississippi is in Union hands i.e complete control of the Mississipi will start a ticking points clock. 

There are battlefield points available for eliminating Corps and Army Headquarters counters (ceases in 1865), causing a Union headquarters force to retreat via combat with 20 per cent or greater casualties and for every 75 counter strength points eliminated by any method (I presume this would include supply attrition as well such that an Army forced away from supply or besieged would be a result for the Union). 

The Union player receives points for the capture and parole of Confederate leaders, for failed Confederate political appeals and also for subsequent Confederate drafts or conscription. 

I love the nuance and detail in this political point system. It should drive the battlefield and political strategy of the Union in a way which makes sense of the geographical and historical context. The tug of relative fortunes is further enhanced by the Confederate political points system. 

Confederate Political Points 

The amended political points systems for the confederacy are genius and display an in depth understanding of the war on the part of the rules writers of War Between the States. 

There are huge points up for grabs for a Confederate capture of Washington (50 !) and ten each for Baltimore, Cincinnati or St. Louis. Further there is a point up for grabs for the capture of a union fort (Fort Pickens then looks like a welcoming target in the South) and for each strategic turn that any one or more of the four target Union Cities are unable to trace a rail route back to the Northern edge of the map. This creates the possibility for aggressive action on the part of the confederacy. Raids in force into Maryland or Ohio or limited cavalry actions. A result from an invasion of the North such as the Gettysburg campaign to chip a few points back prior to an appeal to the political matrix. 

There are similar rules for battlefield victory points, five points from the Emancipation Proclamation,  points from the parole of captured leaders, for  failed victory appeals and from Union drafts and conscription. The rules around drafts and conscription model war weariness very effectively. 

The icing on the cake for me are the points up for grabs if the Union does not pursue an aggressive invasion of the South. These operate almost like a pendulum the intrinsic balance of which is loading against the union as the war progresses. In some ways then the union is on a timetable of conquest and the confederacy if it wishes to bring the war to a close cannot endlessly trade space for time in the hop of hanging on until April 1865. The various points to set our war progress fulcrum or timetable are as follows :-

• Beginning 1/62 if the confederates occupy  and connect by road or rail any one or more Union Cities other than the four target cities they receive a political point each turn while that condition persists. In three short strategic turns then if the Union failed to oust the Confederates an Appeal to the political matrix could result (on a one in 6 chance) in a Confederate victory !
• From 8/62 there is a political point each turn up for grabs if the Union has not captured at least four confederate political point cities East of the Mississippi; 
• Similary from 10/63 for 7 political point cities East of the Mississippi; 
• from 10/64 for 8 political point cities East of the Mississippi; and
• if the Union player fails to capture the six trans-mississippi political point cities by 6/64 strategic turn the Confederate player gets the two points instead of the Union.

Mathematically I have not gamed out in my head the  interplay of all of these factors and points however the essence of the "timetable" system to my mind really does capture the sense that the Northern public were going to tire of the war if they could not see an end in sight. It is not a question of the sides simply tallying up points to see who "wins". The points present the opportunity to make a claim against the victory matrix (which in itself can cost points) in order to secure the political victory. 

The whole system models then party and public pressure or delight at strategic progress or battlefield results, foreign intervention and war weariness. I love this system as a whole and hopefully it should not produce a "crazy" or a-historical result or drive a-historical actions. It seems to both encourage the two sides to be doing the sorts of things they ought to have been doing or politically they needed to do and prevent either side from just "sitting" back and allowing the other side any measure of initiative. There his the potential for the tempo to shift for small strategic issues to play out in the "bigger picture" of the war.

If I need a reason to invade to invade Virginia I have one. If I need a reason to resist the invasion of Tennessee rigorously I have one. The Mississippi or Memphis and Vicksburg cannot be given up lightly by the confederacy. The North should be wary or raids in force into Union border States. 

The whole point of a war-games campaign is to tie the tactical horse of battlefield success to the strategic cart so that the two add meaning and richness to each other. The survival of armies in the field in the Western theatre will matter. The loss of a hex with a rail link or access to a waterway will matter for more than mere movement to the next battle. I am very excited about the way the political system in the board game could influence my thinking both for the creation of field armies, their composition and how I use them. If I ever needed a good reason to paint a couple of thousand miniatures I have one ! 

See you in hell Billy Yank ! See you in hell Johnny Reb ! 

The Confederate Deployments in the East - July 1861

 

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. 

Irvin McDowel & The Army of the Potomac and Union Forces in the East

 

Above : McDowell (see site footer) 

May 1861 sees the formation of the Army of North Eastern Virginia based in Washington and led by Irvin McDowel. This first large concentration of Federal forces in the East was defeated in the First Battle of Bull Run or First Mannassas on 21 July 1861. The army that assembled at Bull Run numbered around 35,000 and was organised into 5 divisions with 3 to 5 brigades. 

The Army organisation is represented initially by stacking the 1st Union Corps HQ with McDowel's command counter. Generally each Corps in War Between the States can contain 3 divisions. McDowel is a *** General and can command a Corps HQ as well as one additional division counter. Without a Corps HQ counter/organisation a *** General is limited to commanding two division counters directly. As the counter limit allows for only four ten point or nine point divisional counters only in each sides mix in the campaign game to prevent ahistorical "super armies"  a *** Corps level commander with an HQ counter would be limited to commanding roughly 36-40,000 troops. So just a little in excess of the numbers at First Bull Run which seems then realistic in the first set up for the Board Game and our campaign. McDowel is not a particularly gifted commander - he has an initiative of 2 and a combat rating of 0. 

It would be as well to swap in McClellan fairly rapidly. McClellan has a lower initiative (1) however he has a command span of 5 which would allow him to command a headquarters and its units and up to 4 other leaders with our without their command counters. New Corps HQs are created in some months on a roll of 1 (and then up D6 Corps HQ counters). From the outset then if the Union can move "Little Mac" to the East he could command the Corps HQ with 3 divisions as well as 4 other leaders. ** Generals could in turn command a division counter and a brigade (One or two counter points of infantry) and ** Generals can command 2 divisions. At a stroke the size of the Union Army of the Potomac as it was to become could be increased to I think 108,000. 

Initially though in July 2016 as the campaign begins the forces arrayed at Washington consist of three 6-3 divisional counters, a single 3-3 division, four Militia points and two garrison points. The Union forces are about to immediately receive a further leader reinforcement in the form of the Divisional commander  Heintzelman ** (2-1) and ten militia points. On that basis at least 3 single points will need to be distributed to 3 other Union departments but fully 7 militia points could be stacked with the new Army of the Potomac. 

The regulation newly "Corps" for tabletop V&B for the union consist of two divisions (not 3) of 3 brigades 6-4 PT NE. The Corps has an assigned  reserve artillery brigade (2-5 R-F  PT (rifled field piece like a Parrot gun I expect)) and each division assigned artillery (alternating 2-5 SB-F PT and 2B-H PT). On that basis each 6-3 divisional counter can be modelled as two 6-4 PT NE brigade bases (so four in total) and the 3-3 division one further fun strength 6-4 PT NE brigade. With a large body of troops I will assign Corps artillery and at least  two sets of divisional artillery brigades (possibly though 3 or 4 initially given the presence of 4 divisional counters and the addition of militia up to 11 points of militia). The total field strength of the army at the start of the campaign will likely be 32,000 men. I would need something like 11 brigade bases to model the army. I currently have no union brigade bases made but the figures have arrived from Pendraken. 

This is the main Union army. Banks force at Harpers Ferry is represented by two 6-3 Divisional counters which can be modelled in the usual way. I believe there are a couple of further US Army regular brigades which in the V&B campaign start at Pittsburg (4-5 so they do not start green/poorly trained). I think I will place one of these at Harpers Ferry and the other within the main forces.  Apart from various militia and the odd fortress garrison (Fort Monroe in particular at the end of the Yorktown (James/York Rivers) peninsula) there is a 5-3 infantry counter just across the river Potomac in Alexandria. 

Butler **** 0-4-0 (no initiative or combat rating but 4 command span) is situated at Fort Monroe with 9,000 Militia poised to strike at Richmond. The Fort itself was used to base Mclennon's  Peninsular campaign in the Spring of 1862. A giant flanking manoeuvre on Richmond the confederate capital itself. While Fort Monroe remains garrisoned and threatening the confederate flank in Virginia  it will always tie down confederate troops. It's quite perplexing as to why the Union did not persist with what was otherwise a good strategic idea.On the map below from 1862 you can see the position on Butlers troops where he commanded from April 1861 to July 1862. The fort represented an excellent anchorage for the union Navy which is represented by two naval flotilla counters. The Confederates will at some point need to develop a navy of its own and Iron clads to take on the union dominance of the rivers and tidal and coastal waters. But is the expense worth it. Once I have posted with the initial confederate deployments in the West I will set up the map and take some photographs and discuss initial strategy from the Union and Confederate perspective. 

(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. 

Confederate Forces in the Border States in the West July 1861

 

Above : Planter and Slave Owner, former Governor of Missouri Sterling Price (see site footer) 

The first Confederate command to put in place on our Western Theatre Map belongs to Mexican War veteran and former Governor of Missouri Major-General Sterling Price. Despite Price being  a tobacco plantation owner and slave owner he originally and publicly opposed to Missouri leaving the Union when the Deep South seceded. All the while however Price who led the State's militia was conspiring in private to sieze the arsenal in St. Louis and to take Missouri out of the Union by force. This led to the initial collision with the forces of Union general Nathanial Lyons discussed in an earlier post. Lyons attacked Price's camp at the battle of Wilson's Creek on August 10 1861. Price Counter is ***(2-1) so initiative 2 and combat value of 1. I am using the historic leader counter rules with leaders appearing at their historic times. I guess if you root for the South you will want to Jackson to survive Chancelorsville and for the North for Reynolds to survive the first day of Gettysburg. 

Prices forces are based at Rolla and consist in counter terms of a regular 2-4 cavalry division and four M1-2 "points" of militia. On the V&B tabletop these will convert to two cavalry brigades (2-5) which will dismount as linear infantry with a single point being able to operate as skirmishers. Our miltia would begin life as a single M4-2 counter with 4,000 troops modelled as 2 x 4-2 brigades PT/NE with probably a DG attribute each and/or divisional smoothbore guns as appropriate in the same manner as the union forces (I will not set out my artillery equivalency for every force from now on but these will deploy as per my initial theory in line with confederate artillery strengths in the model V&B divisions and operate as designated gun "DG" attributes or on table artillery brigades or small batteries. 

The only other confederate deployments on MAP (which broadly covers  the border state theatre of Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky are two more militia deployments of 2 counter points respectively (which will model on the tabletop as brigade bases 4-4 PT/NE possibly with "DG") at Nashville, Tennessee and New Madrid on the Mississippi. The confederates make a strategic mistake in the early war by entering Kentucky. Again the confederates will need to consider whether they should honour Kentucky neutrality or take the risk of entering the State which will push it firmly into the Union camp as I understand the rules. 

Overall attrition and Union Order of Battle for St Louis and Missouri under Nathanial Lyons - July 1861

 

Above : Union Parade (see site footer) 

I have probably seen off any potential readership with the level of detail in respect of deliberations around the rules for my campaign thus far. As a simplification I have discussed evolution of a system for using the minor monster board war game "War Between the States 1861-65" to run an American Civil War campaign with individual combats being generated for the tabletop using Volley and Bayonet from each weekly move. I have worked out over the last week the broad strokes for interaction between the game mechanics themselves and the tabletop. The translation in particular of divisional strength counters on the tabletop into the brigade manoeuvre units for the tabletop and the interaction of leader counters and how to account for things like artillery typically not represented in the Board Game but just modelled in. 

This post will deal with a final rules point on attrition and then we can get stuck in to describing some of the forces on the map both in terms of counters on the strategic map and potential tabletop brigades and placing them under command.  I have had to be a little flexible to make it work. 

Attrition of Units 

I can still see a number of potential problems but not enough to delay starting to play with my current draft ruleset. One issue I am wary of is that casualty levels in battles could  be too high or too low between the two systems to balance the production and attrition of force levels. This is crucial for the confederacy who should be troop starved over time but not initially. 

I think mathematically the modelling should work. On the tabletop individual divisions have an exhaustion point dependent on their "mean" experience (Green through to Veteran and Crack) of between 40-60 % Once the total number of strength point casualties have been incurred on the tabletop a division will melt away and be unable to take further part in the action. If this happened on average at a 50 % level for a division and then a decent percentage of casualties were recovered overnight ( perhaps on average 50 % of the actual strength point losses dependent on whether you retain the battlefield) then total battlefield casualties (which could include dead, wounded and injured) could total c. 25 % of a  total division strength for a major encounter. This might seem high but there were other killers in Civil War field armies - disease could account for a full 5-10 % of all the troops over time. You were more likely to die of the measles than of a mini-ball on campaign. Equally desertion was a problem on both sides. The Army of Northern Virginia suffered a loss of 40-50 % of its potential troop numbers from desertion and sheer straggling from exhaustion in its first invasion of Maryland prior to the battle of Antietam in the Autumn of 1862. At those that reached the battlefield were resilient. If the attrition levels appear far too high I will simply increase by a small increment e.g. 10 % the post battle recovery rates. Ultimately this is a game and not a simulation and there or thereabouts is good enough. 

Above : Civil War Hospital 

Opening Forces for the Union 

My Civil War campaign will begin in July 1861.  There is a detailed deployment for the Union's opening positions with counter strength and location. As well placement of counters I will need to keep a separate master roster for each counter of its component battalions and artillery. I have read that for V&B campaign rules divisional artillery can either remain as independent battalions or be embedded within the individual brigades as dedicated guns at a rate of 2 stands being augmented DG for each strength point of Divisional artillery removed.  I will play it by ear but the main point is that an artillery battalion should be provided to each substantial division from the outset and in some circumstances corps artillery where that headquarters component exists as a counter on the map. The V&B campaign rules give a good indication of artillery types dependent on the stage of the war.  

The Union forces and resources then begin the game as follows :-

• The Union has a supply level of 350 points initially but receives an additional supply amount of 25 points for the cycle 7/61 through to 1/62 in addition to those points provided by Cycle Turn Record Track. 

Forces in St Louis under Lyons 

• The Union Missouri Depot is located at St. Louis near to the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. 
• Brigadier General Nathanial Lyons ** (4-2) begins the game at St Louis arriving there in command of the 2nd US infantry Regiment at the outset of the war to ensure that Missouri remained in the Union by force if necessary and in particular to deny the arsenal to the local confederate troops. 

Above : General Lyons 

• On the map at St Louis is positioned XX 3-3 which we can roster as a Regular Infantry Brigade 6-5 (a higher morale and not PT/Poorly trained NE/No Elites deisgnation to represent battalions of the 2nd US Infantry Regiment/Regular US troops. The confederates will also get some stiffer troops at the outset and one or two early upgrades to create units such as Hood's crack Texans. I have ordered a bonny blue flag in 10 mm. Coming back to US army regulars there were at the outset of the war 16,000 regulars, most of them stationed in the West to deal with frontier issues with the indigenous population of the region. While some officers resigned to join the  confederacy the rank and file Federal US Army mostly just took up the Union cause. Only commissions could be "resigned" as such. I am not aware of how many private soldiers might have absconded to take up the confederate cause. The V&B campaign allows the Union side 12 strength points spread across 3 separate 4 strength point brigades with morale 5. Given the counter mix I will model these as 2 brigades of 6-5 troops - one in the East and one in the West, 
• The other troop points at St Louis are all Militia (12 points of them) so 12 x Militia 1-2 points. For Militia as with all "green" troops I have decided that these will not automatically lose their PT/NE designation which is usually dropped after 6 months for new infantry brigades (i.e. those raised at the outset as regular infantry). Militia will only lose the PT/NE status once augmented through the Campaign Production process to become regular volunteer regiments. This is a cheaper way to produce masses of volunteer infantry battalions and the delay as the counter is paroled back onto the production spiral to re-emerge in a few months will represent the training in camp. I can decide whether those units should emerge without PT/NE status. That might seem sensible although they would still be "Green" for the purpose of Divisional organisation (i.e.  operate on 40 % exhaustion levels). For now the counters will represent collections of Militia units from across Missouri, Iowa and Kansas. 
• So this totals a further 12,000 troops. Once Militia counters are "Placed" they retain integrity. The total troop numbers in St Louis were historically around 15,000 troops for the Union at the outset. I will split the points into three Militia 4-2 counters. Should they get caught in battle as Militia troops one counter can produce two brigades 4-4 PT NE and the remaining two counters a further four similar understrength brigades representing collections of volunteer militia regiments. Militia do not attach to Corps headquarters as "divisions" in the strategic game and it is likely that the points will simply get augmented to form regular volunteer infantry divisions in due course. 
• There is also an X 1-4 cavalry counter which probably represents elements of the 1st US Cavalry which appeared in the theatre shortly before the battle of Wilson's Creek. On the St Louis Corps which is described for the start of the V&B campaign has a small 2-5 cavalry brigade attached as Corps troops. These will operate as Light Cavalry under the rules and dismount as a linear base. With one point they can operate as skirmishers. In any event they begin equipped with rifled carbines which roll 3 dice at a long range of 3 ".
• Finally as we have the equivalent of around two divisions in troop numbers (15,000) we can assign a 2-5 SB-H PT (heavy smoothbore - probably Napoleon 12 lbs) and 2-5 SB-F PT (Field smoothbore) to the XX 3-3 counter and the remainder of the militia counters respectively. 
• Further West in Jefferson City at the confluence of the Missouri and Osage Rivers sits an XX 3-3 counter which I will model on the battlefield as a single 6-4 PT NE Brigade for now but without attached divisional artillery unless I took an option to split out the 2-5 SB-F PT attached to the St. Louis based Militia as dedicated guns. I could add a DG to the the XX 3-3 in Jefferson City and a further 3 sets of DG designations to the Militia brigades. Or I could just add a single DG to one of the Militia and retain a divisional 1-5 SB-F PT battery (each strength point breaking down into two DG. 
• Other resources at St Louis include an RT 40 counter. Unarmed riverine transport which can ferry troops or affect a crossing point acting as a ferry. There is also a mobile supply train counter stocked with 2 on board supply points. The rules for the supply web are faily complex. Essentially supply can be broadcast by rivers and rails lines but as soon as an army strikes away from those arteries even by road they will require local supply with them in order to prevent attrition and to give meaningful combat. I will need to provide a battlefield effect to model being out of supply having regard to the board game rules. 

Above : Wilson's Creek 

Historically Lyons is heading for a run in with the  Missouri State Guard under Sterling Price at the battle of Wilson's Creek on August 10 1861 leading the Union's "Army of the West". Quite a moniker for what was around 5,000 volunteers at that point. The 2nd US Infantry was despatched to the East as it fought at First Bull Run. 

Lyons did not survive the  battle was an early and rare success for the confederates in the West. If he lives beyond the end of the August 1861 turn we are already in the realms of the A-historical and counter factual. "What if Lyons survives ?". He has an initiative of 4 and a combat modifier of + 2 making him a very useful divisional leader both on the map and tabletop. A ** general can lead a division and a separate brigade - so two counters only I believe under the map rules. In this situation I expect that Lyons would command the higher cohesive infantry XX 3-3 counter as well as the cavalry X 1-4 unit. That's useful in the Western theatre in any event.