September 23rd 2018 face to face game at Little Gaddesdon

Hi all

A reminder that the September 23rd 2018 game at LG will be a Corps level ACW game.

Early sign ups to the attached poll https://xoyondo.com/dp/N5npZSQafhcvdai please to ensure Richard, whose organising, can plan the game and ensure everyone gets a meaningful role.

Thanks in advance

Steve

Louisville or Bust!

The September game is an operational level ACW kriegspiel that takes place in 18862 in Tennessee and Kentucky. The numerically superior Federal armies of Maj Gen Don Carlos Buell and Maj Gen William ‘Bull’ Nelson face the Confederate forces of Gen Braxton Bragg and Maj Gen Edmund Kirby-Smith.

Scenario
It is August 1862. Unlike the forces facing General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, the Union Armies in the Western Theatre have made much progress. The Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers have been opened to the U.S. Navy after successes at the battles of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson.

Following the significant victory won by Major General Ulysses S. Grant at Shiloh in April, the railroad hub at Corinth has been evacuated by the Confederates, causing most of West Tennessee to fall into Union control.

New Orleans, the Confederacy's largest city has been captured by Admiral David Farragut and the city of Vicksburg, an important strategic aim for the Union commanders, is the remaining end of railroad communications running to the wider is Confederacy. Consequentially, protecting this Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River has become a top priority.

President Jefferson Davis, in conjunction with Braxton Bragg, who he promoted to full General just four months ago, is determined to draw Union attention away from Vicksburg and the major rail centre of Chattanooga, Tennessee, now under threat from a large Union force under Major General Don Carlos Buell.

It is planned to achieve these aims by invading Kentucky.

Terrain
The main terrain features of the campaign area are the great rivers, the Mississippi, the Ohio, the Cumberland and the Tennessee and the Cumberland Mountains, though much of the countryside is is characterised by rolling hills and open woodland.

The Cumberland Gap

Louisville

Lexington

Chattanooga

Nashville

Hi all

September already!  

Richard has given a comprehensive taster of the game (see above) and we look like having ten players/umpires.  If you're planning to come then the poll https://xoyondo.com/dp/N5npZSQafhcvdai is still open but we'll need to close things off in the next couple of days to ensure everyone gets a meaningful role.

See you there!

Steve

Here is an outline map of the situation at the start of the game.
Kirby-Smith left Knoxville last week, which way he marched and where he is now is unclear.

How did the game go? Any chance of a report?

Some gentle offline prompting has been done! Hopefully something soon!

S

Louisville or Bust!

      Scenario

      The scenario will be similar to the situation that existed in Kentucky and Tennessee in Summer 1862. Bragg has recently taken command of the Army of Mississippi and has made a surprise strategic move to concentrate his forces at Chattanooga with the aim of advancing on Louisville wresting Kentucky from Federal control and cutting a major line of supply for Federal the armies of Grant and Buell.

      On Bragg’s right is Kirby Smith with a smaller force has recently crossed the Cumberland Gap from Knoxville. Kirby Smith is nominally under Bragg’s command but the chain of command is not clear and he regards himself as an independent commander.

      Buell will command the Federals, he has been reinforced with 4 Divisions from Grants Army of the Tennessee under Thomas and has marched East from Corinth and aims to prevent Bragg from taking Kentucky and above all Louisville. The Federals have recently crossed the Tennessee River and are currently at Athens and Hunstville.

       There is also a smaller Army of Kentucky under Nelson based in the Northern part of Kentucky.  

      Confederates

          The confederates are outnumbered and deficient in supplies and ordnance but they have better elan and their cavalry is much more effective.

          To this end Confederate cavalry brigades are noted independently in the OOB, they can be detached to obtain intelligence, disrupt the enemy rear and provide more accurate reports. Once detached they may be player or umpire controlled depending on numbers.

          Initial attacks by Confederate infantry will be highly effective.

      Federals

      The Federals are considerably more numerous and better supplied but Buell is cautious and deliberate.

      If the Federal forces fight a 2nd day their Artillery superiority will give them an edge over their opponents.

      Game Objectives

The game is not aimed principally at drawing the armies to battle, it is designed around personal objectives for the players.

Each commander will seek to achieve their written objectives which will be based on historical situations and their known characters.

For instance Buell is cautious and plodding, Bragg is prone to indecision, Kirby-Smith is looking for glory and may lie to Bragg to get it.

          Game Map

      The map can be obtained at http://www.davidrumsey.com/maps3220.html follow the “view larger, zoomable image” link then press the EXPORT button. Select the Extra-extra large up to 12288 px option and save it to your PC.



      We will be using an A0 or double A0 greyscale printout of the map.

      The rail network has been highlighted on the maps.

      Game Level

      The game will be pitched at corps level with the occasional detached division/brigade being permitted, especially Cavalry.

      Map Scales

      NB we will use nice round numbers to keep it simple, rather than trying to be exact.

      On the A0 map 10 miles is approx 20mm (or 12 miles to the inch).

      Daily a corps can be expected to travel up to 24 miles or 2 inches.

      A cavalry brigade might travel half as much again or 3 inches.

      Practically we need the armies to march 24 to 36 inches during the game, therefore it is proposed each move normally be 3 days during which the infantry bodies will be able to march 5 or 6 inches.

      The umpires will take account of any traffic jam issues.

      Attrition

      Continual marching will reduce troop effectiveness by 10% per turn for each day spent marching after 2 turns.  A rest day will restore the troops effectiveness (D6 1,2,3 restore 10%, 4,5,6 restore 20%).

      NB It is summer and there is a drought so water is scarce and marches are restricted. Longer forced marches should result in much higher attrition losses.

      Supply

      Attention will be given to gathering and distributing supply via a simple system. Armies out of supply and unable to maintain a line of communication to main source of their supply will lose strength. The umpires will monitor the situation and inform players of any supply difficulties.

      The Confederate supply is woeful so it must be supplemented by supplies taken from local stocks. To achieve this raids and occupations will be necessary. The umpires will assess the benefit of Confederate raids and the like by free kriegspiel methods.

      Couriers and Telegraph

      Couriers will move at double infantry speed. Communication by telegraph will be allowed if appropriate.

      During the course of the game the umpire team will send one or more telegraphs to the commanders from more senior figures, the intention being to generate some general amusement and a mild headache for the recipients.

      Railroads

      The armies did not use the railroad to move troops in active campaign areas but supplies can be moved from the railheads at supply depots, e,g, Cincinnati, Louisville, Nashville.  

      Rivers

      Will only be considered for supply, we will not game brown water Navy actions.

      Combat

      Most decisions will be made using free kriegspiel techniques.

      Scouting

      Most decisions will be made using free kriegspiel techniques.

Federal OOB

Army of the Ohio, supplied via Athens – Nashville railroad

     Maj Gen Don Carlos Buell, Commanding, Athens
      Maj Gen George Henry Thomas, second in command, Athens

      * All Corps have a small cavalry force attached sufficient for scouting duties but inadequate for offensive action.

      I Corps MajGen Alexander McDowell McCook, Athens

      3rd Division  Brig Gen Lovell Harrison Rousseau 7,000

      10th Division Brig Gen James Streshly Jackson 7,000

      II Corps MajGen Thomas Leonidas Crittenden, Athens

      4th Division Brig Gen William Sooy Smith 7,000

      5th Division Brig Gen Horatio Phillips Van Cleve 7,000

      6th Division Brig Gen Thomas John Wood 7,000

      III Corps MajGen Charles Champion Gilbert, Huntsville

      1st Division Brig Gen Albin Francisco Schoepf 7,000

      9th Division Brig Gen Robert Byington Mitchell 7,000

      11th Division Brig Gen Philip Henry Sheridan 7,000

Army of Kentucky, supplied from Cincinnati & Lousville

      MajGen William "Bull" Nelson , Commanding, Lexington

      Lexington, BrigGen Mahlon Manson 3,000,  raw untrained troops, supplied from Cincinnati

      Frankfort, 3,000, BrigGen Charles Cruft 3,000 raw untrained troops, supplied from Cincinnati

      Munfordville Col John T Wilder 3,000  raw untrained troops, supplied from Louisville

Confederate OOB

Army of the Mississippi -  Smithfield just North of Chattanooga, supplied from  Chattanooga

     Gen Braxton Bragg, Commanding

      1st Corps MajGen Leonidas Polk, Dallas

      1st Division BrigGen Charles Clark  5,000

      2nd Division MajGen Benjamin Franklin Cheatham 5,000

      3rd  Division BrigGen Franklin Gardner 5,000

      1st Cavalry Brigade Col John Austin Wharton  1,500

      3rd Corps MajGen William Joseph Hardee, Smithfield

      4th Division BrigGen James Patton Anderson 5,000

      5th Division MajGen Simon Bolivar Buckner 5,000

      2nd Cavalry Brigade Col Joseph Wheeler 1,500

Army of Kentucky -  left Knoxville 14th Aug, location TBD, supplied from Knoxville

      MajGen Edmund Kirby Smith

      6th Division BrigGen Thomas James Churchill 5,000

      7th Division BrigGen Patrick Ronayne Cleburne 5,000

      8th Division BrigGen Henry Heth  5,000

      Cavalry Brigade Col John S. Scott 1,000

      2nd Kentucky Cavalry Col John Hunt Morgan 500 * raiders