"My "Longstreet" Campaign- 1861 AND 1862!" Topic

Hi all!

Finally got this blog post up… the wrap up from ALL of my battles from 1861 and 1862 of the "Longstreet" campaign I am currently playing in, including photos of my force as it stands at the end of 1862, complete with flags newly scorched, clothing running low, and casualties on the stands!

It is a LONG post, with THREE battle reports in it… so when you have some time and want to look at/read toy soldier stuff, please come on by!

link

I liked the write up. I like that you are modifying the units as you go.

Then pull off your coat and roll up your sleeve
For Longstreet is a hard road to travel
Lay down the shovel, and throw away the spade
For Richmond is a hard road to travel, I'm afraid!

A desperate business, that 3rd battle. Sounds like one of your opponents has memorized the rule book.

Nice write up of your campaign. I too know the frustration of having to move or charge, but not being able to do both. Last week I had the chance to make my first charge of the campaign. In 1863! But having won it I was presented with further charge opportunities, and so on. So whilst my one unit of The Partisan Rangers threatened to turn the Union flank, the other seven units of my brigade just sat there for the rest of the battle. Still, the game certainly presents you with difficult decisions.

Regarding the "Move OR Charge" rule…

The reason it is done that way, is to force you to treat the brigade as a *brigade*, with the units supporting each other in close formation. New players, who are accustomed to more traditional games in which every unit can always do everything every turn, often make the mistake of scattering their units all over the place, often in different formations, and usually facing different directions, each fighting its own little battle and usually unable to assist the others.

That's why you are frustrated that you have to make the ugly choice between marching with one, and charging with another.

If you think of the brigade as a BRIGADE, operating as a team, under a single set of orders and with a single mission, then it will make a lot more sense, and you'll get a lot more use out of the cards and the units.

Ah, but I got the opportunity to gloriously charge the front of a Federal infantry regiment in line. And beat them! Something not even attempted in the real ACW according to my battle companion (waits for numerous examples of exactly that to be posted by TMPers).

And think of the Epic points!

I do understand the reason for it… But when you are in a scenario where you are expected to have half your force fighting while the other half is coming on from off table as reinforcements (ie a force that is split up by the rules of the scenario itself) it DOES force the issue a bit… There is really no logical reason that your units that are in combat could shoot and move but you could not order a charge because an officer could split his attention in firefights and moving in the face of the enemy but NOT if a unit charged.

Maybe a house rule for scenarios like that where you could have a "reserve" move of some sort… Without thinking much about it, something where units which are not potential targets of any enemy unit are allowed to move regardless of phase and without the use of a card? It would take some thought to implement, but at least units that are coming in as reinforcements could get into some sort of reserve position instead of being stuck at the edge of the board.

But when you are in a scenario where you are expected to have half your force fighting while the other half is coming on from off table as reinforcements (ie a force that is split up by the rules of the scenario itself) it DOES force the issue a bit…

There is no scenario like that. Only the Defender ever has Reinforcements, and in no case are they ever more than 1/4th of a typical force size.

The Reinforcement rules assume that the defender will Defend.

In your battle you were the defender, but chose to go on the attack, and did so in several different directions simultaneously. Thus when your reinforcements arrived, they were nowhere near the rest of your brigade. In fact, since you'd been ordered to defend the railroad embankment, but none of your units were still on that side of the embankment, your reinforcements weren't even visible to you, when they arrived.

I can very easily imagine that Colonel arriving at the railroad embankment, where he has been ordered to reinforce you, and wondering, "Umm… crap, where is everybody? Smedley, get out the map! Are we in the right place? We were supposed to meet General Ashram here. Better send a courier back to General Meade to confirm our orders. This is where we're supposed to be, but… obviously there's been some mistake. We'd better not move until we find out what's going on."

There is really no logical reason that your units that are in combat could shoot and move but you could not order a charge because an officer could split his attention in firefights and moving in the face of the enemy but NOT if a unit charged.

That is covered in the book, under FAQ #3. Page 147

"Something not even attempted in the real ACW according to my battle companion"

While many frontal charges failed, some certainly worked.

Hood's brigade at Gaines Mill went up the hill with muskets on their shoulders and only fired after the Union defenders broke and ran. The defenders were tired from driving off previous attackers and Hood's losses were heavy. But frontal charges did work from time to time.

Note also 1st Minnesota on second day at Gettysburg. The second Confederate line shot them to pieces, but only after they routed the first line of Wright's brigade.

A desperate business, that 3rd battle. Sounds like one of your opponents has memorized the rule book.

Since I think Sam is in Ashram's gaming circle, more like WROTE the rulebook!

vtsaogames – I was talking about a mounted cavalry charge against the front of an infantry regiment in line. I don't know whether or not you are. Sorry if that was not clear.

Ah. You can still find a few of those – very few – that worked.

Jeb Stuart at 1st Bull Run beat the Fire Zouaves. The infantry may have been disordered and were raw and undisciplined.

Union cavalry at 3rd Winchester (I think) beat entrenched Confederate infantry who had been fighting all day long and were at the end of their rope.

Sailor's Creek sees Union cavalry beat demoralized infantry.

But yeah, frontal cavalry charges against infantry is a way to make dog food.