Completed Wyatt's AACWII LP (CSA)

[Wyatt_Derp]

Turn 45 -
Quiet, except for Galveston, which as fallen to Butterfield's troops. Sibley's still two weeks out from reaching Houston.

Replacements and new units builds have sapped everything I've got. No money, no recruits left.

More mines and submarine ordered for Hampton Roads and Cape Henry.

 

[Wyatt_Derp]

Turn 46 -
Mosby ready for action in the Valley. He recaptures Winchester with his rangers.

Sibley's now in Houston. New TX brigade will be ready soon, then he'll march on Galveston.

Ed Johnson's corps is up to strength and in on rails to join the Army of Tennessee in Louisville.

Partisans ordered to destroy more rails in Missouri.

Hollins fleet intercepts Yankee transports south of Cairo and sink two ships loaded with Union troops.

Jubal Early division ready at Richmond and is sent up to join the men at Alexandria.

Spring movements will be ready soon. Considering either a move up into Pennsylvania for a flank march around Washington, or maybe a march on the U.S. capitol itself.

 

[Wyatt_Derp]

Turn 47 -
Every minute we delay, the enemy only makes his position stronger. The spring thaw is upon us. Mud clutters the roads and bogs down our feet. Cold rain pelts our heads as we gather our rifles.

And yet we march. On to Washington!

Spoiler

This is probably a foolish decision on my part, but the longer the war goes, the more difficult it becomes. If we are to be victorious, we must force the action on our own terms. Better a chance of success now than a guarantee of failure later.

Up, men! Up and to your posts!

 

[Wyatt_Derp]

Turn 48 -
Success! Jackson is given overall field command. General Butler tries to intercept the CSA outside of fortifications. Two brutal battles end well for the South.

Spoiler

But the numbers inside D.C. are staggering. I'm facing a combined Union force of 130k men. I'm outnumbered 2 to 1, but they're bottled up now. Instead of a Richmond siege, we've got Lincoln cowering in the White House.

Explosion accident on Brown's island costs me -10 production. The Chapman plot fails.

Hollins' fleet tangles with another Union fleet south of Cairo and sinks another 5 transports. The Union is obviously attempting large naval operations for attacks on my recent northern conquests.

Ed Johnson's corps reaches Mercer KY and a chain of corps now reaches from Louisville to Lexington. Support between the corps there is now available.

Sibley's nearly ready to retake Galveston.

Epidemics strike nearly all of my departments. Bad tidings for an otherwise good Spring start.

 

[Wyatt_Derp]

Turn 49 -
Food riots in Richmond. -10 supply -15 loyalty -3 WS -1 morale.

Siege in Washington continues. Union unwilling to offer battle.

AP Hill's new division joins Jackson and they begin a march on Baltimore.

Winchester taken by Union troops. Bonham blocks further incursions. Georgia brigade is on its way to support him from Atlanta. For now, it's all I can spare.

Galveston attack will have to wait, as the Union force there has been reinforced. Their toehold in Texas has become a foot.

Army of Tennessee is on the march again. Cincinnati is once again its goal.

Grant is perched north of St. Louis with a large force. J. Johnson sits tight there, unwilling to contest an offensive.

 

[Wyatt_Derp]

Turn 50 -
Jackson encounters Warrens' corps at Baltimore and defeats him. Warren retreats north as Jackson surrounds Baltimore and gets orders to storm the city. Baltimore and Washington are the only two VP cities left to the Union. If we take those, the war's over. Big IF.

Mosby goes around the Union troops in Winchester and captures Harper's Ferry. That should stymie their Valley progress.

Army of Tennessee is on the move towards Cincinnati. Union militia retakes Mercer. Ed Johnson's corps dispatched to push them out. Supply line in KY must be held open.

Fremont is spotted again south of Lexington MO. Holmes heads after him.

 

[Wyatt_Derp]

Turn 51 -
Jackson's men have been weakened by the attack on Warren and fallen back to the recently captured Annapolis. Baltimore will have to wait.

Bonham marches on Winchester. Cavalry under Crittendon captures Leesburg for the Union. Mosby stays in Harper's Ferry to rip up rail yards and blow up ammunition stores.

Butler makes for another attempt to break the siege of Washington, but fails. He retreat back into the fortifications, leaving behind 18k dead and wounded to my 11k.

Polk and Forney's corps are besieging Cincinnati. Not far to the west Richard Taylor's division captures Posey IN, but he's now surrounded by Union detachments.

Another trade concession option used for foreign support. Current foreign support is at 45.

Gardner's new Mississippi division will make for the Valley, far to the east. It's a long trip, but we need every man for the eastern campaign.

 

[Wyatt_Derp]

Turn 52 -
Bonham loses a battle at Winchester and is forced to fall back to Warren. The loss cost him 2k soldiers. Jackson is ready to make another attempt at Baltimore.

Union General Buell tries to break my siege of Cincinnati with an army of 40k but is repulsed for 9k casualties to my 4k.

Hollins destroys or captures another 5 transports, but is now low on ammo and has to retreat downriver.

Holmes catches Grant out in the open and defeats him in battle. Grant is now isolated in the middle of Missouri.

National call for increased food production to switch cotton farms to food in order to feed the people and armies. -10 WS +5 morale +5 money

Partial draft declared again.

Foreign trade option bumped support up to 49.

 

[Wyatt_Derp]

Turn 53 -
Butler tries AGAIN to dislodge the CSA forces from Washington to another loss. Butler loses 17k to my 5k. The Union is bleeding out its numerical advantage trying to kick me out of their capitol. Jackson loses a battle for Baltimore. The back and forth there continues.

Union General Corcoran attacks Bonham at Warren but is pushed back. Gardner is a few days away from joining Bonham.

General Lyon appears at St. Louis to lay siege against J. Johnston, but his force has been weakened by disease and forced marches.

Unfortunately, McDowell attack Jefferson City MO with a 20k man army and defeats Breckinridge. Breckinridge retreats south, aiming for Springfield, but Grant is still nearby. Jefferson City is lost. CSA morale in Missouri suffers.

Assault ordered for the Army of Tennessee in Cincinnati. They can't stay there for long, and Union troops are starting to close in. The decision there must be made soon.

The Stainless Banner (Southern battle flag) becomes the second national flag, replacing the Stars and Bars. +3 national morale

Draft brought in +200 new recruits, but I'm broke.

 

[Wyatt_Derp]

Turn 54 -
Gardner arrives to reinforce Bonham at Warren. Bonham has assault orders to knock Corcoran out of the Valley.

Jackson wins another battle at Baltimore, but the recent battles have him with less than 12k men. He's on trains to rejoin Lee's army at Washington. As he marches towards the train yards, he's attacked by General Slocum, but wins the battle. The Union loses 6k to Jackson's 2k. +1 morale

Mosby continues up into Pennsylvania, ripping up rail lines as he goes.

Bad turn out west. Army of Tennessee's assault on Cincinnati is a dismal failure. 9k of our men are lost compared to 2k for the Union. -3 morale hit as well. Generals Polk and Bushrod Johnson are killed in action, and Forrest is injured. Polk's weakened units are given to Ed Johnson to command. Tennessee army is down to 45k total men. The Ohio Valley gamble has failed, but Kentucky remains in our hands. Forney and Johnson will pull back to Louisville before more Union troops arrive.

Spoiler

Breckinridge (now low on supplies) is on his way south to Springfield, but Grant has captured it. He turns to the east, hoping to get around Grant and make for Fayetteville AR. I'll need at least one effective force in southern Missouri in case of my operations up north fail.

General Sherman is now in Rolla MO, only a short march away from reaching either Breckinridge or J. Johnston in St. Louis. Somehow the Union's position in the west has become far more tough than I had thought.

Union cavalry also captures Leavenworth KS. My western forces are now fragmented and weakened. Not looking good.

 

[Wyatt_Derp]

Turn 55 -
The last turn made it look like I was in for a long slog. Events weren't going my way at all, especially out west.

Then this happened.

Spoiler

The Union decided to make for Alexandria where Lee had his HQ, while overlooking the Washington siege. Unit poured in, one after another, and a general battle opened up. The Union's troops were disorganized but determined and wouldn't stop. Not unlike the historic battle of Fredricksburg, blue-coats were laying dead in the field 2 and 3 deep. By the time the order for retreat was given, nearly 27k Union men were torn to pieces by Lee's soldiers. Lee himself was wounded in the battle and taken to south to recover. His orderlies reported to his bedside the next day, informing him of the Union's offer to meet to discuss terms. Lee passed the report on to Richmond, and it would be another week or so before word got out west that a ceasefire had been issued.

Victory is ours.

Spoiler

Total casualty list for the war was 161 thousand for the CSA, 267 thousand for the USA.

Spoiler

Northern morale had collapsed after the battle. No one, north or south, wished to continue that sort of bloodshed. Lincoln was determined to fight on, but the United States Congress issued a formal offer of peace to the CSA late in July, 1863. Lincoln did not seek a second term, and word has it he retired back to his home of Kentucky, starting up a Patreon account to supplement his pension and spending his nights playing Call of Duty. The South got to enjoy victory, write the history books, and act snobbish and condescending to Northerners for the next 150 years. Northern 'revisionists' would go on to make wild suggestions that somehow the war was intended to be about slavery, despite the South disbanding forced human labor and declaring emancipation in 1880. President Jefferson Davis enjoyed seeing peace brought back to the land during his one term, and he spent his retirement playing Call of Duty against none other than Abraham Lincoln.

It was fun. I know a PBEM with a human player would have gone much different, but then again my so will my next game against the AI. Either way, it's not easy to win as the CSA. Less resources, less manpower, and tons of territory to have to defend. Very challenging. It's tough to win by VPs alone, and foreign support is nearly impossible. Best chance is what I got - collapse of Union morale.

Maybe I'll do another one as the USA later on. Hope you all enjoyed it.

Deo Vindice and Yee-haw.