SIM Game Fictional After-Action Report: McClellan's Overland Campaign (Game: TC2M)

SITUATION: 11:00 AM


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- With Richardson's Division engaged, Sedgwick has send Burns and Dana to help him. His remaining brigade under Gorman will stay near the McCoull House and cover the right flank of the IV Corps.

- Baldy Smith's men are ready to fight again, however I don't want things too crowded and chaotic in the center. If they re-enter the battle, I want it done in a nice orderly fashion.

- Couch's Division is probably going to have to fall back to that road Casey's Division is on.

- D.R. Jones is making his way back to safety, and unless he gets some reinforcements I don't think he'll be trying to take the Beverly House anytime soon.
 
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11:05 AM
Gorman's Brigade of Sedgwick's Division will stay near the Shelton Farm and help out the IV Corps if needed. That doesn't mean they're in reserve though. Soon after Burns and Dana are sent to the right flank, Gorman's two lead regiments (the 15th Massachusetts and the 1st Minnesota) discover some rebel artillery. Is there a surprise attack coming to the Shelton Farm? Did the rebels just get lost? I'm not sure yet.


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11:07 AM
On the right, The Irish Brigade is having a tough time getting rid of the 10th Georgia. Somehow they've slipped behind a bunch of our men, and the 69th New York, who were supposed to be in the rear, are now just over 50 yards away from McLaws' front.



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11:12 AM
The Irish Brigade starts to fall back. Bad timing, because Meagher was about to encircle the 10th Georgia. Now they're no longer trapped, and inexplicably don't seem to care about Meagher's men firing at them from two different directions. This is very frustrating.



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11:16 AM
Bad news on Couch's front. General John Peck has just been killed trying to get the exposed 62nd New York back to safety. Things are very messy in this area of the battlefield, and it takes Peck's men a little while to realize what's going on. Once they do however, the loss of their leader proves to be too much for them to handle. One by one, Peck's regiments start to break.


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11:18 AM
Back on the right, Howard's Brigade is in full retreat, on their way to the Alsop Farm.



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11:19 AM
Quickly noting what happened to Howard, General Meagher decides the pesky 10th GA is more trouble than they're worth and orders his men to the rear as well. General Richardson is waiting for them at the Alsop Farm along with French's Brigade and most of his artillery.



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11:20 AM
Adams' Brigade, mostly reformed by now, are very angry and ready to avenge John Peck. The 31st PA saw it all happen, and the rest probably heard the news from Peck's broken-hearted men as they ran past. Peck's Brigade saved their hides at just the right moment, and now it's time to return the favor. Some of the more inexperienced men are pretty jumpy and disoriented, but Adams himself leads the advance. The promise of vengeance is too tempting and chases away the hesitation.


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11:21 AM
Happier news on Gorman's front. He's riding past the 15th MA, offering words of encouragement to a regiment that desperately needed it. The last time these poor guys were engaged, it was October 21, 1861 and they were running/jumping off a bluff into the Potomac River. Some of their (very limited) boats capsized and many drowned. Those that didn't get swept away by the current had to deal with ecstatic rebels shooting at them from the top of a cliff. It was an absolute nightmare, and the killed/wounded ratio was almost 1:1. For this war, that's unheard of. That just doesn't happen, not on that scale. (The normal ratio seems to be around 4:1, getting to about 3:1 after the mortally wounded are added.)



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11:23 AM
Dana's Brigade, on their way to deal with McLaws, have gotten lost. They think they're only halfway there when the 20th Massachusetts (AKA The Harvard Regiment in case you forgot they went to Harvard), in a skirmish line, are startled by some men from Semmes' Brigade. The rebels seem a bit surprised too, so the 20th MA uses that quick thinking you can't find at Yale to run a bit past the rebels. Hopefully they can flank Semmes while the rest of Dana's Brigade comes up behind them. (Fun fact: Pretty much none of Semmes' men went to Harvard. But the 20th MA did. They went to Harvard.)



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11:25 AM
Burns' Philadelphia Brigade is to Dana's right. They were moving much slower, but they didn't get lost so I guess Burns had the right idea. They're forming a line in very good order, so now Semmes suddenly has to deal with two new brigades.



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11:28 AM
The 7th Michigan of Dana's Brigade forms a line, then immediately surges forward and charges the 10th Louisiana. Both of these regiments are about 1,000 miles away from home, and here they are killing and maiming each other in a random forest in Virginia. Life just really really sucks sometimes.



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11:29 AM
Back at the Shelton Farm, the 1st Minnesota is tired of waiting. They decide to charge at the rebels to their front. The poor 41st VA has been fighting all morning, and they've had enough. Which means those guns are pretty much up for grabs. Now the 1st Minnesota's biggest "problem" is the 82nd New York creeping up behind them. They want in on the action, now it's a bit of a race to see if Minnesota or New York is better at capturing artillery.



CASUALTIES (11:00 - 11:30):
USA: 1,775
CSA: 1,878

CASUALTIES (Total):
USA: 3,102
CSA: 5,409
 
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11:34 AM
Adams' Brigade are doing a whole bunch of damage to R.H. Anderson's men, but again they're forced to fall back after the pressure to their front becomes overwhelming.



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11:35 AM
To their right, the brigade of Charles Devens arrives quickly, with the 10th Massachusetts in the lead. Devens is stuck in the leg by a minie ball, but decides to keep leading the 10th MA forward and sends an aide to the rear to get a tourniquet. That decision would cost him his life, as he continues to bleed out during the charge. The 10th eventually captures the entire 8th Alabama, and during their celebration Devens falls from the saddle, later dying of blood loss.



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11:38 AM
With two of Couch's brigade commanders dead and his troops starting to retreat, Casey's Division is sent to support. Naglee's Brigade is in the middle and is the first to engage. Palmer is to the right and forms his lines within minutes.


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11:39 AM
Keim's Brigade is on the left, and is immediately sent to protect Couch's guns, who simply can't withdraw fast enough in the face of this relentless rebel attack. Noticing the terrain, Keim discreetly moves his troops farther and farther south while the rebels are occupied with the sudden arrival of Naglee and Palmer. If he can work fast, he could potentially outflank them and roll up their lines, ending R.H. Anderson's assault.



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11:45 AM
Naglee begins to fall back to a safer position, but Innis N. Palmer is having none of that. The rebels are surprised when they discover this new brigade refuses to budge. Palmer's lead regiment is about 30 yards away from the rebel line but don't seem phased by the chaos going on around them. Finally the advance is starting to slow down.



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11:47 AM
Keim's gamble is starting to pay off. The rebels aren't prepared for this extra pressure on their right and start to retreat. Thanks to Keim, not only is the advance falling back but Couch didn't lose a single gun! Given how scary things were looking just 15 minutes ago, Keim deserves a lot of credit for his quick thinking and bravery.



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10:55 AM
The 103rd Pennsylvania got a little too greedy though, and now Keim is trying to get them back up the hill. And oh jesus christ are you kidding me it's that **** South Carolina brigade that destroyed the III Corps just three days ago. I don't know what they're feeding kids down in South Carolina but these guys are obviously radioactive superheroes and I hate them so much.



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11:56 AM
The Vermont Brigade has gotten a much-needed rest and are ready to get back in there. They quickly form to the right of Palmer's Brigade. That's the 5th Vermont in the front there, and they way they're fighting you'd think it was a brand-new regiment of fresh troops.



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11:59 AM
Meanwhile on the right, Howard and Meagher have fallen back to the Alsop Farm, and now Richardson has send the brigade of William French to stop McLaws from getting too close. These kids are almost exclusively from NYC and they've been the absolute rear of the army for the entire campaign. They probably weren't expecting to see action so quick, so this is a great confidence booster to them. The rest of the division is stacked with famous, high-quality units, and these guys seem to be the "little brother" that's been kind of neglected this whole time. A lot of that is due to General French (his ratings are terrible), but now they get a chance to prove themselves to their more famous peers.



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12:00 PM
Back in the center, things are starting to even out a bit. For the past ten minutes, the lines have hardly changed. I think everyone's getting too worn out and they're just firing out of anger and spite at this point. I don't want a stalemate so I'm either going to have to send in fresh troops or withdraw to a better position. We're simply losing too many men too fast for this to be sustainable.



CASUALTIES (11:30 AM - 12:00 PM):
USA: 1,357
CSA: 1,854 (at least 300 of those were from the captured 8th AL)

CASUALTIES (Total):
USA: 4,459
CSA: 7,263
 
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12:08 PM
Casey's Division begins to withdraw, starting with Naglee's Brigade. They are quickly being overrun by this relentless rebel assault, and morale is dropping fast. To their left, Keim's Brigade is also having a rough time but Palmer's Brigade to Naglee's right is doing a bit better.



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12:20 PM
Meanwhile on the left, the 16th New York of Slocum's Brigade has been watching the area east of the (former) salient and have just spotted that same SC Brigade that's been impossible to get rid of. The rest of Slocum's Brigade is in their rear, ready to form a line around this spot. Newton is to his right but hasn't seen any rebels yet. Franklin's last brigade (Col George Taylor's) is hurrying from their positions in the reserve to come support.


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12:23 PM
McClellan has ordered the IV Corps guns to withdraw to this road on the north end of the line. They've been doing a whole bunch of damage to the advancing rebs, but the enemy just kept getting closer and closer. Our guns couldn't stay where they were in the front, for risk of being captured. This exact spot is approximately where Couch and Casey will link their divisions once they get out of danger.



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12:27 PM
With Casey and Couch now re-forming around the Landram House, McClellan has ordered the brigades of Hancock and Davidson to the rear where our new defensive line is quickly being constructed. That leaves just Brooks' Vermont Brigade in the woods near the bloody angle, trying to delay the advance as long as they can.


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12:29 PM
Brooks can't take any more, and his brigade is now retreating as well. That leaves our original line in the hands of the enemy, but our new defensive line should give the tired IV Corps a chance to rest and recover. It probably won't be a very long rest, but they'll take it at this point. It's already been a very long day.



CASUALTIES (12:00-12:30):
USA: 506
CSA: 466

CASUALTIES (Total):
USA: 4,965
CSA: 7,729
 
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12:31 PM
On Slocum's front, the 16th New York is still hanging tough against the rebels in front of them. Slocum himself is almost to their line with the rest of the brigade right behind him, so Col Joseph Howland quickly orders the 16th into a battle line.



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12:33 PM
Just south of the Shelton Farm, Gorman's Brigade is under attack again. Looks like Huger's men again, hoping to finally break our lines in the center. Here you can see the 15th MA pouring a surprise volley on the 9th VA who are trying to form their lines quickly.




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12:35 PM
As promised, here's the rest of Slocum's Brigade. The 16th NY finally gets a bit of a rest.



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12:48 PM
Slocum is handling things well on his front, but John Newton still hasn't managed to find the enemy. He was under the impression that there was a rebel brigade right there in that clearing, but the bad intel Newton received means he's still waiting to get into the fight.



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12:50 PM
Back near the Shelton Farm, one of Gorman's regiments is way too far south and is in danger of stumbling into the enemy line without support. Gorman quickly tries to warn them that they're heading the wrong way.



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12:53 PM
Gorman has finally got a hold of his wayward regiment, but now his brigade is all tangled up in the woods. They're supposed to be facing south, but they've gotten themselves turned in a NE direction, leaving their rear exposed. This isn't looking good.



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12:56 PM
Newton is still struggling to find the enemy, but Slocum is handling himself pretty well. The 5th Maine has just chased the last of that SC Brigade from the clearing.



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1:00 PM
Just as Slocum is finished driving away the enemy to his front, the 96th PA on his extreme left discovers a couple more regiments trying to turn their flank. There's only two regiments visible right now, but there's gotta be at least a full brigade back there somewhere. Slocum's job isn't finished yet.




CASUALTIES (12:30-1:00):
USA: 154
CSA: 221

CASUALTIES (TOTAL):
USA: 5,119
CSA: 7,950
 
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1:06 PM
Newton's Brigade has finally found the enemy lurking in those woods in front of them. Looks like Jubal Early's Brigade, which means there's now a third Confederate division in those woods. We knew about R.H. Anderson (that pesky SC brigade), and Law's Brigade of Whiting's Division are currently trying to turn Slocum's left. Now apparently D.H. Hill is in the mix.



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1:07 PM
Speaking of Slocum, he's in some serious trouble. His left is collapsing fast.



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1:09 PM
Franklin's right is in much better shape. George Taylor's Jersey Brigade is quickly forming on Newton's right. But if Slocum collapses, then Newton probably won't be too far behind and then that'll leave only 3,000 men between three Confederate divisions and McCall's position at the Beverly House. Too bad Irvin McDowell is busy sulking in the rear when he should be telling McCall to brace for a potential massive assault.

(Seriously. The guy's been in the back near the Harris Farm hanging out with the guys from the ammo wagons. He's barely moved a muscle. His only real order of the day was to tell Franklin to find the enemy and then just play it by ear.)



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1:11 PM
Things are looking grim at the Shelton Farm. Gorman has been wounded and the 15th MA is missing. The 1st MN and the 82nd NY are trying to get things sorted out but nobody knows what the hell is going on. Alfred Sully of the 1st MN is going to replace Gorman for now.



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1:13 PM
Dana's brigade, to the right, is doing much better. The 19th MA got to the top of a little ridge, discovered the 15th VA again trying to rally, and charged pretty much instantly.



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1:14 PM
Burns' Philadelphia Brigade hears this and starts to move towards Dana's right.



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1:18 PM
Oh thank god! The 15th MA made it out of there. They're making their way north to the safety of the Landram House, stumbling over the corpses of their fellow Bay-Staters in the process. (Specifically, the 2nd MA Sharpshooters). A pretty morbid scene, but remember these guys were at Ball's Bluff. Nobody will be drowning in the Potomac today.



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1:20 PM
Luckily, Davidson's Brigade has been detached from Smith's Division and is now running to the Shelton Farm to help out. The 49th NY ran into some bad luck this morning and got routed, but his other three regiments are in great shape.



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1:23 PM
Uh oh. Slocum has gotten himself captured (along with about 50 men from the 16th NY) and now his men are in almost total chaos. That leaves Newton & Taylor, and if they break then my left wing is toast.



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1:27 PM
I'm not 100% sure who is the ranking Colonel of Slocum's Brigade, but Joseph Bartlett is doing a pretty good job of rallying his men quick. So I guess he's in charge for the time being.



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BRIEF INTERLUDE:
This is Simon Cameron, Secretary of War until January 1862. He's famous for being corrupt, and was also a member of the "Know-Nothing Party" which was basically the KKK except they were slightly less cruel to black people than they were to the Irish. Think "Bill the Butcher" from Gangs of New York.

When Lincoln called for volunteers to end the rebellion, Governor Curtin of Pennsylvania offered 25 regiments instead of the 14 that was asked. Cameron hated Curtin, so out of spite he refused to accept these "surplus" regiments. Governor Curtin decided to keep these units trained and ready for action at the state's expense. You know...just in case this war lasts longer than 3 months. Can't be too careful.



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1:30 PM
Go **** yourself, Cameron. Those "unnecessary" Pennsylvania boys are now heading west from the Beverly Farm to restore Franklin's line.*


*(Colonel James T. Kirk?! Are you kidding me that is awesome)



CASUALTIES (1:00 - 1:30 PM):
USA: 712
CSA: 711

CASUALTIES (Total):
USA: 5,831
CSA: 8,661

(Note: at 14,492 total casualties, this battle is about to surpass Gaines' Mill. Up next would be 2nd Petersburg (June 15-18) at just over 15,000 and Cold Harbor at around 17,000. I suppose I should name the battle at this point. I've chosen The Battle of Brock Road since that's the one thing connecting the fighting from the Alsop Farm to the Beverly House)
 
SITUATION:
1:30 PM

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- The IV Corps has finished forming their defensive line up north around the Landram Farm. Apart from Davidson (detatched), not much is going on with these guys. They've had a very hard day and are still recovering.

- On the eastern end of the fighting, Franklin's Division is trying to hold their position while they wait for McCall to arrive. You can see Seymour's Brigade is first in line and is heading west currently. Reynolds is starting to move as well, leaving Meade guarding the Beverly House.

- The main Confederate attack has shifted to face east. It appears to be D.H. Hill on the left, Anderson in the center, and Whiting on the right. Hill and Anderson aren't doing very well against Franklin, but Law and Hood of Whiting's Division are still threatening Newton's left. They're doing quite well.

- Near the Shelton Farm, Dana and Burns are facing McLaws' Division, with some of Huger's regiments still hanging in there in support.
 
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1:31 PM
Newton's left has been driven back. We need to do something about this right now, otherwise the entire I Corps is going to be routed. Hill, Anderson, and Whiting just aren't stopping. They know they have the upper hand now and a whole bunch of their reserves come pouring out of the woods. They're looking to make us pay for what we've been doing to them all morning.



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1:35 PM
Things are looking better on my left though. Dana's Brigade is still holding back McLaws' entire division by itself. Dana and Burns had a whole bunch of trouble coordinating in these woods, but apparently McLaws had an even harder time. Every time they come at us, it's in a very unorganized and half-hearted way. The terrain around here is heavily wooded and filled with irregular dips and bumps. Nobody can seem to find each other, and everyone is getting lost. This part of the battlefield just plain sucks as far as navigation goes. But we don't need to be good at navigation right now; we just need to be slightly better than the rebels. Here you can see the 7th MI and the 20th MA taking advantage of some high ground in front of Kershaw's Brigade.



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1:40 PM
OK, time to throw out the old gameplan cause Newton's left has basically ceased to exist. It would be very easy right now to just say "screw it" and try to rally at the Beverly House, but instead Franklin, Newton, and Taylor decide to improvise. They're going to try and pivot 90 degrees and face south instead of west. Taylor's Brigade is still virtually untouched, so they'll enter that clearing and face the rebels from the north. Meanwhile, Newton will try and hold the rebels on the left for as long as possible while slowly rotating counter-clockwise as Taylor gets into position.



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1:40 PM
The Pennsylvania Reserves have finally arrived! So there is hope for the I Corps, as Truman Seymour's Brigade begins to get into line.



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This shockingly-modern-looking guy is Truman Seymour. He graduated in that famous 1846 class...a class that included McClellan, Stonewall Jackson, Darius Couch, Jesse Reno, George Stoneman, D.R. Jones, and of course George Pickett bringing up the rear with the worst grades in the class. Insane...there needs to be a TV show about these guys some day.

Seymour's fellow brigade commanders are John Reynolds and George Meade, which is so incredibly unfair. Nevertheless, Seymour is a very very interesting guy:

- He was an assistant professor of drawing at West Point.

- He was one of only two officers present at both Fort Sumter and Lee's surrender at Appomattox. Not even Wilmer McLean can match that. (The other guy was Samuel Crawford, the surgeon on duty at Sumter who would later become the commander of the Pennsylvania Reserves. One of the many reasons why the PA Reserves are one of my favorite units of the entire war.)

- He was eventually transferred to South Carolina where he chose the 54th MA to spearhead the assault on Fort Wagner. Of course that was the regiment from the film Glory. Seymour led the charge himself and was severely wounded in the process.

- After the war, he became a pretty successful watercolor painter in Europe. Here's my favorite of his:

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So yes, things are definitely looking up for the Army of the Potomac today. Franklin is holding his line way better than anticipated, his left flank is about to be saved by an awesome division filled with awesome officers, the rebels are looking like they're finally gonna lose steam...I mean what could possibly go wrong?!


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LITERALLY THREE-AND-A-HALF MINUTES LATER:
ok so the rebels snuck up on us and then seymour got shot in the face and then he fell off his horse and then his horse ran away and then the rebels snatched him up and then the rebels escaped and then colonel jackson took command and then he was immediately shot in the head and killed


Everything sucks and god hates me. I'm done for the night. I'll post the rest of this half-hour tomorrow but this is where I call it a night. I hate everybody.
 
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1:45 PM
McCall is delayed on Franklin's left after the wounding and capture of Seymour.
(Note: He'll survive the wound but he'll be out of action for a while. He and Slocum are gonna join Patterson and Osborne as prisoners, but physically they're all gonna be fine.)
So Newton and Taylor continue with the "pivot" plan. The 32nd NY is currently in the clearing, acting as sort of a fulcrum for the line to rotate.



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A better view of the 32nd NY and what they're dealing with.



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1:49 PM
Seymour's Brigade has recovered from the shock, but they're spread a bit thin. The 9th PA Res is on the far left as Law's Brigade continues its attack.



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1:50 PM
On the II Corps front, Meagher's Irish Brigade is arriving to help out Burns. Poor McLaws is really having a bad time trying to get rid of Sedgwick, and now Richardson is here too.



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1:51 PM
Back to the I Corps...the maneuver is a little too complex to go perfectly, but Newton and Taylor are really getting the job done as best as they can. The 3rd NJ has found a great position and they are stopping the rebels dead in their tracks. Finally some stability is returning to my left wing.



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1:52 PM
Reynolds' Brigade is arriving now. They're positioned between Seymour and Newton, who left a perfectly-sized gap for Reynolds. Meade is still to the east at the Beverly Farm...he'll stay there unless it's an emergency.



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1:57 PM
The last of Dana's Brigade makes their way to the rear, but by this point Burns is in position and ready to take over the second Dana gets out of the way.




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1:58 PM
The 1st and 2nd PA Res surge forward, ready to plug that gap between Seymour and Newton. Reynolds' other three regiments will be behind them and will help out Seymour's old brigade strengthen their very thin lines.



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1:59 PM
Another view of the 32nd NY, who are doing a great job in a sea of chaos and confusion. Behind them wayyy off in the distance you can see the IV Corps line at the Landram House. I believe that's Brooks on the left and Palmer on the right (you can barely make out the red zouave uniforms of one of Palmer's regiments)



CASUALTIES (1:30 - 2:00 PM):
USA: 684
CSA: 1,114

CASUALTIES (Total):
USA: 6,512
CSA: 9,775

 
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2:03 PM
John Reynolds hit his target exactly and is now perfectly squeezed in-between Seymour and Newton. The I Corps line seems to be out of danger.



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2:04 PM
The poor 3rd NJ finds themselves in a little dip on the edge of the treeline (is it called a "dell"?) and start taking fire from three very angry rebel units. They quickly retreat as the rest of Taylor's Brigade braces for action.



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2:06 PM
South of the Shelton Farm, Burns' Philadelphia Brigade is driven back by the Mississippi brigade of McLaws' Division.



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2:07 PM
Noticing the trouble on their left, the 69th New York of Meagher's Irish Brigade heroically charges at the enemy in front of them. The intention is to distract McLaws from destroying Sedgwick's Division entirely.



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2:09 PM
The 69th is quickly driven back with heavy losses, so the 29th MA decides to continue terrorizing McLaws, hopefully making him forget about the Shelton Farm. They too suddenly charge without orders.



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2:11 PM
John Davidson sees the remnants of Sedgwick's Division come streaming out of the woods and quickly moves forward to stop McLaws, only to find some of Huger's men still somehow willing to put up a fight. This is becoming almost comically annoying, but Davidson has no choice but to hold back Huger now as McLaws slowly inches his way north.



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2:17 PM
With the help of Reynolds, the majority of Seymour's Brigade is doing a fine job of handling the rebels to their front. The 9th and 10th PA Reserves are in the process of routing the 6th NC as the assault on the I Corps finally begins to get pushed back.



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2:18 PM
Dana's Brigade has rallied and is heading to support Davidson.



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2:21 PM
On Davidson's left, Hancock's Brigade is starting to stir. They've been beaten up, but have gotten a nice rest and are ready to get back into action. They too will head towards the Shelton Farm and try to stop Huger and McLaws from destroying our right wing.



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2:24 PM
Taylor's Jersey Brigade has been driven back, but are quickly reforming and heading back in there.



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2:25 PM
Without Taylor by their side however, Newton's Brigade begins to crumble The 18th NY tries to come assist the 32nd NY but is quickly routed by more of R.H. Anderson's men popping out of the woods. The 32nd is still holding strong, but this superhuman defense of theirs can only last for so long. They are losing men fast and it's only a matter of time before they simply have to retreat, or face annihilation.



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2:30 PM
Burns' Philadelphia Brigade has also reformed and is trying to restore some order to the area around the Shelton Farm. They all got pretty separated from each other, and are much farther north than they'd like to be. Time is running out, but they'll get back down there as soon as they can. Dana, Davidson, and Hancock just need to hold on.



CASUALTIES (2:00 - 2:30 PM):
USA: 1,180
CSA: 1,417

CASUALTIES (Total):
USA: 7,692
CSA: 11,192


List of Civil War Battles with more casualties than this one:

- Gettysburg
- Chickamauga
- Spotsylvania
- Chancellorsville
- The Wilderness
- Stones River
- Shiloh
- Antietam
 
I know it's inconveniently... inconvenient... and not within the scope of the game, but how's McClellan's army here planning on getting supplies? Historically speaking the rail lines south through Manassas had been buggered up by the repeating Confederates, and even after much repair work it only took Grant as far as Spotsylvania.

River supply to reduce the length of the rail route is an option, here (though not if the Confederates have batteries on the Rappahanock - which they might) but once you get as far as the North Anna you're basically stuck. That was the point when Grant (who, I reiterate, had a much better rail situation than McClellan does here) switched his supply to White House Landing, and that's just flat not an option in this timeline.

This is something McClellan would have been thinking of before he first set off, and it's why he supported an amphibious move of some sort. You need to open Yorktown to have good logistics routes to attack Richmond - and with the mess the rail lines were in historically it'd be a pretty good commander who could supply a big army as far as the Rappahanock. (IIRC what actually opened the Rappahanock historically in early 1862 was McClellan's Peninsular campaign kicking off and pulling most of Johnston's army south.)


Of course, if we assume what has happened is that Lincoln has ordered McClellan to take the northern route, rather than trying to persuade him, then it's explicable as McClellan is following Lincoln's orders.
 
Of course, if we assume what has happened is that Lincoln has ordered McClellan to take the northern route, rather than trying to persuade him, then it's explicable as McClellan is following Lincoln's orders.

This is probably the most realistic option. Unfortunately it looks like it's too late to edit the original post though.

And you're right, the game isn't designed to answer questions like that...this whole thing is very experimental since I'm just making all of this up on the fly. There's plenty of user-designed scenarios but I wanted to try a 100% open play campaign instead of something already built.
 
This is probably the most realistic option. Unfortunately it looks like it's too late to edit the original post though.

And you're right, the game isn't designed to answer questions like that...this whole thing is very experimental since I'm just making all of this up on the fly. There's plenty of user-designed scenarios but I wanted to try a 100% open play campaign instead of something already built.
That's fine (in the worst case you can say the history books didn't notice the order! It happens a lot), and I expected something like that might be the case.
Just wanted to raise that, pretty much no matter what happens in the game, it can't really serve as "proof" that the campaign this way could work. The logistical considerations are pretty bad for it.


With all that said, one entertaining way I could see this working out for the Union's benefit is if they keep raising troops (historically they shut down recruitment for several months in early 1862) and after months of what look like extremely bloody battles in northern Virginia they throw a force about 1/2 to 2/3 the size of Pope's Army of Virginia at the Urbanna or Mobjack Bay landing options. With McClellan's force in relatively close contact with the AoNV they can't actually react fast, and that way they can open the York and the James in a fait accomplit about when riverine supply via the Rappahanock stops being an option for McClellan's further advance....
 
Oh yeah, I'd consider this more of an experiment with the game itself rather than a straight "what if" scenario. Meaning the game ultimately calls the shots...if something doesn't work for the game engine, then in this universe it simply didn't happen.
 
That's entirely understandable - I'm mostly looking into how it could fit with the strategic considerations that applied in the real ACW.
 
Oh, something I wanted to quickly note because it has a bearing on the simulation - as per usual for Lost Cause Reasons, the ORBATs people give for periods like the Seven Days are sometimes badly normalized. In the Seven Days themselves there were about 67,000 Confederates north of the Chickahominy and 44,000 south, and that's after the casualties at Seven Pines and the Valley Campaign. (this is PFD - by the same metric McClellan in the Seven Days had 100,000.)

In addition to that there were troops moving up from the south which reached Richmond in early July.

The reason I bring this up is that it's not going to be evident from any one engagement but will seriously affect the aggregate outcome of the battle. (If the ORBAT is using the commonly used Confederate strength in the Seven Days of 92,000 PFD instead of 110,000 PFD, say, then this means on average CS units are 20% smaller than they should be - and a lot of small engagements which the Union just about wins instead they're just about losing.)

I know it's probably a bit of a pain to think about, I just thought I'd raise it because it seems relevant.
It's also the case that even if the ORBAT is 'wrong' now, it could be adjusted back up later on - historically the troops took a while to arrive in Richmond, after all.
 
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