Fight the War

Strategic Turn 1

March 1861

 

 

Presidential Communiqué No.1

FROM: President Macbeth

TO: All Generals and Advisers

SUBJECT: The Rebellion

 

Gentlemen,

 

The lifeblood of the Republic is threatened by an eruption of that vile disease, Rebellion. It is my sacred and sworn duty to crush these Rebels; to root them out and destroy them; to restore those parts of the country, whose self-appointed leaders have seen fit to lead them into darkness, back into the bosom of the nation.

 

I do not pretend this will be an easy task. It is certain that these Rebels will fight hard, filled as they are with the fanaticism born of wickedness and wrong, but we may be confident in our strength and purpose, and sure of the justice of our cause.

 

To sustain the Rebellion, the enemy relies on a population and industry vastly inferior to our own. He has a huge and resentful legion of oppressed slaves, who wait for the moment to cast off the chains that bind them. He has no navy to speak of, yet will need arms and supplies from foreign lands. These disadvantages doom him, but only if we have the will to exploit them.

 

I will be blunt, gentlemen: I intend to pursue a policy of annihilation and total war. Our battle-cry must be one of ‘no-quarter’. The enemy is to be fought as often as maybe; his manpower is to be bled white; his cities and fields are to be burned; his industry wrecked. If on the field you should lose 10,000 brave Union men, yet inflict the same loss on the enemy, that is a victory. He cannot sustain great loss for long. We can and we will.

 

Very soon you will be assigned to the field of battle. Your orders will be to march and to fight. You will do this relentlessly, until, God willing, the dark heart of the Rebellion is utterly destroyed.

 

Signed this 11th day of March under my own seal

 

Spoken like a true Lincolnian! Damn the Constitution, and let us make this Union a Merchantilist state in the image of Henry Clay's "American System".

 

Gentlemen of the South, if these Yankees are successful it will spell the end of "consent of the governed". We will see our nation and furthermore our individual homes burned, and pillaged, our women ravaged, and society destroyed! It will mean the birth of Corporate Welfare, Political Corruption en masse such as the world has never seen. Let us stand gentlemen in defiance against tyranny and those who would install their socialist reich in place of our limited government system so cherished by our forefathers.

 

In the words of a great Southern statesman Patrick Henry, "Give me liberty or give me death"!

 

Hoorah! Hoorah!

For Southern rights hoorah!

Hoorah for the Bonnie Blue Flag

that bears a single star!

 

Deo Vindice

Brig Gen. Mike Smith, 3/3/ANV

 

In answer to the elected Yankee president.

 

Suh!  We in the south have asked only to be let on our own way. So that we may endeavor to forge a new government built on the ideals of our fore fathers. We seek only to withdraw from that union which has grown odorous with the stench of corrupters such as yourself.  You speak of "no-quarter" and "his manpower is to be bled white; his cities and fields are to be burned"

 

Well Suh! I tell you that if there is to be war, on your head and your head alone that decision rests......as do the lives of your fellow countrymen which you seem to hold in such little regard. We in the south will defend our homes...we will defend them to the last and if need be we will advance into you lands and burn your cities. Our lives become worthless without our God given rights and freedoms and that Suh, is our strength.

 

Col. R.A.Weir

They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them nor the years comdemn. At the going down of the sun and the morning We shall remember them.

 

March 1861: General Joseph Johnston moved his troops to Mannassas, Va. where they have been confronted by Federal troops under Irwin McDowell. (Looks like 1st Mannassas May be a little early). General Jackson has moved down the valley to Harpers Ferry and attacked General Fremont before the Union troops could take the offensive. A.S. Johnston moved from Nashville and occupied Louisville, and has then been attacked by General McClellan. So we have three battles. I need each of the six commanders to email me which level of conflict they would prefer (includes fighting turns only, they can manuever and deploy without using turns). Skirmish-6 turns...Low 12-turns...Moderate-18turns.....High-24 turns....or All out-30 turns....Once both officers from a battle have sent their choices, a weighted dice roll will be sent to both referees...I will need all officers to stay in close contact until their scenario is complete. Each of you have deployment decisions to make...once you make these, I can get the scenario to you very quickly....Regards to all, and good luck.....Hank

 

I forgot to mention that Union troops moved from St. Louis and occupied Paducah Ky and that Confederate troops have occupied Ft. Donelson and moved from Vicksburg to Memphis. Regards, Hank

 

Gentlemen,

All 3 battles have now been sent to the participants, and 2 are well underway. The first casualties of the war have been taken in the East as Union cavalry armed with longer range weapons has fired upon poorly armed Confederate Cavalry while staying out of range themselves. Confederate artillery fire has taken the first Union casualties....In the West, both armies are maneuvering for position, near Louisville with no contact as of yet. Regards, Jefferson H. Davis

 

Word has reached us from Manassas that brave Union cavalry, armed with the latest weapons, encountered a motley crew of Rebs on broken-winded old nags and carrying peashooters. Some of the Rebs were sitting facing the rear of their mounts, obviously so they wouldn't get shot in the back as they ran away...

 

President Simon Macbeth

 

Jackson is on the March! With a glint in his eye he is leading his Valley boys north to Harpers Ferry. Pity the poor Yanks that try and stand in the way of a moving Stonewall. We are poorly armed and trained, but we know how to use the bayonet and that's all that matters.

 

Col Ted Huffman

 

General Huffman, give them the cold steel sir, the cold steel! Most importantly the Black Flag sir is to be used, no quarter given!

 

Brig Gen. Mike Smith

 

We, the men stationed at Winchester, proudly await the confrontation,

our men are eager to do battle in a just cause! When that wall arrives, we shall endeavor to crumble it. When our bugles blare the war cry. It will be the mirror of Joshua at Jericho!

 

Two Brigades of Jackson's Calvary are marching casually towards us as we speak, we have reports from an advanced unit that they are whistling "Dixie".  Said Pat Baldino "If they keep a whishlin like that, those boys might get a big smack on those puckered lips, there in for a big surprise, and it won't be from some Gal named Scarlet that will be doing the honours".

Pats a volunteer Private from Hartford, Ct.

 

Michael, I didn't know you were so blood thirsty.

Colonel Bob Malone

 

Gentlemen,

 

At this very moment Union forces are advancing to Louisville, Kentucky. Our scouts report, that Rebs are creeping and lurking in the woods. First shots have already been fired on our glorious Union soldiers, which will be punished soon. As soon as deployment of forces is finished, hell will be unleashed on the enemy.

 

Lt. Thomas Borling

 

Richmond Times - News from the Front

March, 1861 - Battle of Bull Run

 

Despite personal danger to himself, this reporter was able to gather the following details regarding the early fight along the Bull Run:

 

The Battle of Bull Run was a meeting engagement but the faster marching Army of Northern Virginia, moving from Richmond, had arrived at Manassas before the invading Army of the Potomac, so the morning opened with the ANV already in defensive positions against the much larger AoP coming down the roads from Washington. The ANV deployed in defensive positions covering the fords and bridges across Bull Run. Hill’s division covering the upper fords, Gordon’s division covering the middle fords, and Early’s division covering the lower fords (Blackburn). Trimble’s division was deployed behind the center as a reserve. The cavalry under Gen. Hampton was deployed far forward in positions along Club Run to act as eyes for the army and to force the Union columns to deploy.

 

The engagement started at first day light and the Rebel cavalry quickly identified the main columns, spotting most of the Union army under Gen. Love. Approximately 20 infantry brigades and 5 cavalry brigades were moving westward. Most of this force was moving down the Warrenton Turnpike but a separate force came in from the northeast near Flatlick Run and another column down the road to Blackburn’s Ford. Early was in position to block the southern column, the cavalry moved to block the Warrenton column at the suspension bridge and the northern column at the woods to the west of it.

 

The cavalry quickly came into difficulties being armed only with shotguns. The Union cavalry having carbines quickly drove them back with little loss. In the sometimes precipitous withdrawal one regiment got lost and was forced to surrender. The remainder of the cavalry withdrew to the northwest to cover the Sudley area with a loss of over one thousand due to the engagement. So far not a good start for the battle.

 

In late morning the Confederate commander noticed some weakening of the Union left below Club Run (Blackburn’s Ford area) and began to shift Trimble to reinforce Early for an offensive there. Troops crossed McLean’s Ford to turn the Union far left. Due to the distances and heavy woods this movement took several hours to get the forces in place.

 

Meanwhile about noon the Union army finally got into position to test the Confederate line. Three separate probes were sent out against the upper and middle fords. The center column attacking Farm Ford and the Stone Bridge were quickly driven back by the artillery cross fire created by guns on the hills overlooking Farm Ford and those further south on the hills behind Lewis Ford. The northern column crossed at Poplar Ford but was routed with considerable loss. The southern column crossed at Balls Ford (below Lewis Ford but not marked on maps) and likewise was beaten off.

 

Apparently these attempts convinced Gen. Love that the fords could not be easily taken by frontal assault and he began shifting his army toward the north and the fords around Sudley. His cavalry quickly forced a passage due to the open nature of the ground and it only being covered by cavalry. At this time he appeared to have started drawing more troops away from his far left to reinforce this movement.

 

In early afternoon the Confederates launched their attack, led by Early and Trimble, across the lower fords and woods. Unfortunately, contact was made only with some rear guard units as the Yankees withdrew all their forces on the southeast side of Club Run back to defensive positions along Club Run. Confederate forces advanced about half way to Club Run before being recalled. Trimble was ordered back to his reserve position and Early to withdraw to his original positions since the Confederate commander felt the Club Run position would be too difficult to turn and his forces too separated from the main army to hold the position.

 

This brought the battle to a close a little before 3 PM with slightly more loses to the Confederates than to the Union due to the cavalry action. Our army lost about one thousand infantry and twelve hundred cavalry to the Union’s fourteen hundred loses which were almost all infantry. The engagement was an inconclusive skirmish leaving the Confederates in possession of the fords but with their extreme left turned.

 

T. G. Henderson,

War Correspondent

("Have sketch pad, will travel")

 

 

A brief report on the 1st turns fighting.

 

At Mannassas: Generals Love and Whitehead fought to a draw (with casualties slightly heavier on the Confederate Side), and they are now settled in and certain to resume fighting the 2nd strategic turn.

 

In the Valley: Hard fighting there between Generals Malone and Huffman resulted in the Confederate capture of Harpers Ferry. Casualties were heavy on both sides, but the Confederates broke the Union positions and forced the retreat of the Union army. The Confederates now occupy Harper's Ferry....The Union army has retreated to Harrisburg.

 

Near Louisville: The Confederates under General Wier occupied Louisville and then met an army Commanded by Union General Borling near there. The Confederates were able to roll up the Union right flank and convince General Borling that he should withdraw to Louisville. Casualties were disparate in this engagement heavily in the Confederates favor.

 

I have finished editing all of the battle results into the Master OOBs. I next have to get the captured weapons distributed to their new owners, new armies formed (if any), and/or reinforcements added to existing units. I am near being able to send out the situation map for the strategic situation, but am waiting on and LOS situation to be resoved. From there we should be able to get on with turn 2.

 

Regards,

Hank Smith