"Jonesboro AAR with Double Blind" Topic

Last night we refought the last major battle of the Atlanta campaign--Jonesboro (August 31, 1864). Hood sends Hardee with two corps, hoping to catch part of Sherman's army by surprise and engage them piecemeal. As usual, Hood's plans go awry from the start and Hardee is left with a tall task. The Altar of Freedom scenario is pretty short--6 turns--so the Confederates have to act decisively before dusk settles. We also used our double-blind matchbox system for hidden movement, and it resulted in a couple major surprises for both sides…just the sort of result everyone hopes for with fog of war mechanics.

Lots of photos, commentary, and battle maps at our site:

link

superb – thanks

Love the double-blind matchbox idea. Great looking game! I used to work in Jonesboro, not much there today except an historical marker or two. Trying to fight a battle there today and you would have to wait 3 hours in traffic just to get at the enemy :)

Nicely presented game, well written (clear and not overly verbose) AAR, website, terrain…the whole deal. Exceptional.

Nice work as always. Sorry to hear about Cleburne.

Love the double-blind idea and it was well-executed by you fellows.

B

On the double-blind……doesn't seeing the enemy pull out the match box you are reaching for give away the enemy?

Also, if contact is lost….say in a Wilderness scenario….can units go hidden again?

Good practical question. My next matchbox design will be single-sided, so players can just hand it back and forth. Right now, because it's double-sided, we each tuck it out of view in our laps while opening boxes, so the enemy doesn't see what you're doing.

Absolutely yes, this system allows units to go hidden again. It's happened several times in two games. Very neat to see a bunch of brigades there one minute and melting away into the woods the next!

The actual battle of Jonesboro was a two-day fight, with the Confederates on the offensive the first day, and nearly pushing the Federals completely into the Flint River. Hood withdrew half the Confederate force that night due to a rumored Federal attack on Atlanta. The Confederates stood on the defensive the second day and were defeated, abandoning the field and the vital rail line. The area where the first day battle happened is today a residential neighborhood with all the streets named after battles and generals. The second day battle took place not far from the Patrick Cleburne Confederate Cemetery near downtown Jonesboro. The Confederate trenches ran roughly along what is now Lee Street.

"The actual battle of Jonesboro was a two-day fight, with the Confederates on the offensive the first day, and nearly pushing the Federals completely into the Flint River."

No offense, but you're kidding, right? Lowrey's (Cleburne's) Division veered off course to drive Kilpatrick's cavalry over the river, and never really attacked Howard's infantry. The rest of Lee's attack never stood a chance against the Union infantry and were stopped cold. The Confederates made no headway against the entrenched Union infantry, and were never in any danger of being pushed into the Flint River. I doubt Howard's Army of Tennessee would have been pushed back or defeated even if all the Confederate forces could have been brought to bear correctly.

excellently presented battle report …hood's battles make for an agonising read, how close he came to victory?

That is really great, and your game system and tabletop methods offer up a terrific gaming package.

Thanks!