Union AAR for scenario 74 "No half measures"

[Vangse]

Okay this will be my first attempt to do an AAR. I hope you will enjoy it and you are more than welcome to comment on my battlefield decisions and put forward suggestion on how to improve my tactics and this AAR.

I am playing scenario no. 74 "No half measures" against Cele manka. This is our third encouter and so far I am 2-0 up. Plan to make that 3-0.

My space bar is a pain in the ass, so thats why that there sometimes will be to much space between the words. Hope it is not to bothersome.

Turn 1:
My objective early is to try and take Taneytown and Littlestown. Hopefully enabling me to control the major roads leading North West towards Gettysburg.

McIntosh’s brigade is advancing north along Frederick Pike towards Taneytown. Reb cavalry on the outskirts of Taneytown has started to move south to meet him. I think it is only a brigade, but I am not sure, so I will probably advance slowly.

Kilpatrick’s division is advancing north along the Baltimore Pike towards Littletown. No rebs insight.

Turn 2:
Gregg’s brigade has arrived and moved to support McIntosh. I only advanced McIntosh a couple of hexes. The last game we played I probed aggressively with my cavalry and paid the price and quickly found myself almost 6000 points down. I guess I am a cautious commander.

Kilpatrick’s division advanced further forward along Baltimore Pike without encountering Rebs.

Turn 3:
Rebel cavalry arrived at Taneytown from the east and continued south of town. The Rebel cavalry most likely already south of town did not advance as expected, so he must be setting up a line south of Taneytown.

Advanced Kilpatrick’s division up the Baltimore Pike. Still no rebels in sight.

 

[Alex Krolikowsk]

Would be fine if we could see some maps from time to time

 

[Vangse]

Turn 4:
Only movement.

Turn 5:
As expected I ran into some rebel cavalry south of Taneytown. So far two regiments from W.H.F. Lee’s brigade. Managed to successfully melee one of them and place some arty in firing range of the other regiment. If he does not retreat on his next turn he will have to take some casualties. He did retreat some cavalry south of Taneytown towards north east. So I might be able to take Taneytown without to much fighting.

View attachment 17424

 

[Vangse]

Still not much happening really. Anyway here a turn 6 & 7.

Turn 6:
Took Taneytown and moved regiments north and east of town to set up defences. Decided not to advance Kilpatrick’s division up the Baltimore Pike. Better wait for my supply wagon.

Turn 7:
Finished off the last remaining rebel cavalry regiment south of Taneytown. Gregg’s brigade is now starting to move north east towards the Monocacy River, intending to cross at Bridgeport.
Custer’s men are moving north up the Turkeyfoot Road approaching the Mason-Dixon Line. They have detected 2 rebel cavalry regiments moving on the Hanover Road.
Davis’s brigade has just arrived west of Owens Creek and is moving north towards Emmitsburg.

View attachment 17446

 

[Vangse]

Turn 8:
A full brigade of rebel cavalry showed up on the Hanover Road moving south. However they did not seem to take up offensive positions. Placed Custer’s men in that direction ready to counter his movements.
Davis’s brigade advanced further north towards Emmitsburg without encountering rebel forces. I presume that my opponent has some cavalry in this area, so I am advancing slowly. I guess it will take me 5-6 turns to get Davis there. Buford has arrived together with Devin’s brigade. They will move north to support Davis.
Had a change of mind and moved Gregg north up the Taneytown Road. Ran into a regiment from W.H.F Lee’s brigade just north of town. If he does not retreat they will suffer the same fate as his regiments south of town did. McIntosh will leave a couple of regiments supported by arty to guard the approach to Taneytown from Frederick Pike. The rest of the brigade will move north east towards Bridgeport instead of Gregg.

Reynolds and Sickles corps’s are expected to arrive within a couple of turns. Hopefully we will see some real action soon.

Turn 9:
Davis’s brigade advanced further north towards Emmitsburg. Still no sight of rebels in the area.
The regiment of W.H.F Lee’s brigade did not retreat as expected, but was instead reinforced by a couple of regiments. It looks as though that I however will be able to turn both of his flanks. So should have them out of the way pretty soon.
Rebel infantry has started to move south down the Baltimore Pike from Littlestown. So far one brigade. Famsworth’s men have taken up positions north of Silver Run to meet his advance. Custer is positioned to the east along Turkeyfoot Road to cover Famsworth right flank.

 

[Vangse]

Turn 10 – 03.00 PM June 30th.
Buford’s division is approaching Emmitsburg. Still no rebels insight. A rebel cavalry brigade moved to support W.H.F Lee north of Taneytown. So I will not be able to turn his flank and get them out of the way as easy as I expected. Custer continued to move south and east scouting for rebel cavalry on the Hanover Road.
First Corps led by Reynolds arrived south of Taneytown and will move up the Frederick Pike towards Taneytown. Sickles’s third corps has also arrived and will move north towards Emmitsburg. I will not have more infantry arriving before 06.00 PM.

 

[Vangse]

Turn11:
Buford’s division is now crossing Tom’s Creek west and south of Emmitsburg.
A regiment of Custer brigade got ambushed on the Hanover Road. If I manage to get them to safety not many of the men will be left to fight on.

The fighting north of Taneytown intensified as my opponent sent in the reinforcements he moved up on his last turn. His attack forced me on the defensive and I have retreated a couple of hexes. Rebel infantry is moving south down the Taneytown Road. They should be able to join the fighting within 3-4 turns. Accompanied to the sound of fighting north of town Reynolds and the First corps are approaching Taneytown. Hopefully they will get there in time to relieve Gregg’s division.

 

[Vangse]

Turn 12:
Well I did not manage to cross Tom’s Creek. A regiment of Jones’s brigade arrived just in time to block the way across the creek. Davis is instead moving further north and will try to cross where Tom’s Creek is joined by the Friends Creek. From there Davis will move south-east on Emmitsburg. Devin’s advance was also halted by parts of Jenkins’s brigade and is now engaged along Tom’s Creek.
North of Taneytown my opponent continued his attack, but Gregg’s boys held the line and retreated in good order. McIntosh is placed a couple of hexes to the left. Hopefully they will be able to surprise him and melee him from the rear.

Turn 13:
The fighting north of Taneytown rages on as W.H.F. Lee and Hampton continued their advance. He meleed me twice, each of us winning one. Most importantly, my men, who lost the melee did not rout. Once my turn I decided to stand my ground. Gregg’s boys are really giving a great account of themselves. As hoped for McIntosh was able to move in from the left and melee from the rear winning 2 out of 3 melees. That should slow down his attack. Reynolds in now only a couple of hexes south of Taneytown and should be able to join the fight in about 3 turns.
To the west Devin is still fighting along Tom’s Creek. I moved up 6 guns in support, so I should be able to do some real damage on my next turn. Davis has now crossed Tom’s Creek and is advancing on Emmitsburg from North West.

 

[Vangse]

Turn 14:
W.H.F. Lee and Hampton continued to press forward and brooked through Gregg’s line forcing Gregg and McIntosh to flee the field. The good news is that Doubleday is positioning his men south of town ready to counterattack. The rest off 1 Corps is following close behind, getting a bit slowed down by the supply wagons.

Attached picture shows our positions north of Taneytown. The highligthed men are Gregg's brigade. On turn 10 they were placed in the woods to the north.

 

[Vangse]

Turn 15:
To the west Devin has successfully fought his way across Tom’s Creek and is continuing his advance on Emmitsburg. Davis is also advancing North West of town and has managed to destroy some rebel arty. Emmitsburg will hopefully fall to the Union cavalry soon.
Rebel cavalry, now supported by parts of Mahone’s brigade continued there attack north of Taneytown. Gregg and McIntosh are retreating as quickly as possible. About 500 men of Gregg’s brigade did not manage to get to safety and is now isolated. A further 250 men are still in danger of being isolated as well. Rebel infantry are also approaching along the Frederick Pike from the North East. Things are not going according to plan here. Unfortunately it will take one or two turns more to get the 1st Corps in position as I have to get them in line and move them south of town. I had hoped that I could march them through Taneytown and form a line north of town. But that is not possible anymore.

Turn 16:
Forgot to do it.
Turn 17:
Buford’s division is still fighting on the outskirts of Emmitsburg. The lead part of 3rd corps is crossing Tom’s Creek. They need to cross quickly as rebel infantry is approaching to the east.

At the first exchange of fire two regiments from Rowley’s brigade routed and disrupted Stone’s brigade at the same time. Furthermore the position of Doubleday’s division is rather exposed so I have decided to have them fall back. Wadsworth and Robinson’s division are almost in place and is well supported by arty. My plan was to go on the counter attack, but instead I will await his further advance. With rebel infantry also approaching along the Frederick Pike any advance from my side would leave my right flank vulnerable and easy to turn. Hopefully he will continue his advance and commit his men on a frontal assault on Robinson and Wadsworth’s men.

Far East along the Baltimore Pike not much has happened really. The rebel cavalry detected by Custer is still out there, most likely on the Hanover Road. The rebel infantry that was starting to move south on turn 9 is now is now continuing south along the Arter’s Mill Road and not the Baltimore Pike as expected. I am not sure what to do here; I am kind of caught in no man’s land. My cavalry is unsupported so any contact with him will result in heavy casualties.

 

[Vangse]

Turn 18:
Birney’s division has crossed Tom’s Creek and is forming a line ready to advance. Humphreys’s division will start to cross further to the right on the next turn. His infantry is still a couple of turns away so I should have enough time to cross and get my men ready for battle. Only problem is that my arty and supply wagons are some way behind.

South of Taneytown the situation is not looking to good at the moment. Doubleday’s division is struggling badly to take up a position on my right flank. The Iron brigade is switching from my left to the right flank to relieve him.
I am pretty dissatisfied with how I placed my men. I did the classic mistake of advancing them too far before I formed my line, giving my opponent the opportunity to target his fire on a small part of my men without being able to fire back at full strength.
Hopefully I am able to clear up this mess. Otherwise I fear for the consequences.

 

[Vangse]

Turn 19:
Situation unchanged.

Turn 20:
The situation is rather alarming for the Union forces on the battlefield.

Kilpatrick’s division was completely caught off guard by rebel cavalry and infantry along the Baltimore Pike. My opponent managed to move his cavalry, placed on the Hanover Road, around my flank and is now attacking from the south. Custer is among the fallen ones. In the mean time Kershaw’s brigade is approaching from the west. My only option is to save what can be saved. My men are fleeing North West along the Turkeyfoot Road.

South of Taneytown it is all doom and gloom. He continued his advance and attacked my centre. Meleeing parts of Paul’s brigade and winning two out of two. My men were outnumbered, but were supported by arty and placed in the woods. I have to admit, that I expected that my men would have held their ground, dear oh dear.
A rebel brigade is moving around my left flank. I only have parts of Cutler’s brigade there, so I will not be able to counter that move. I am severely outnumbered and with my centre broken the only option left is to retreat. So I am retreating and trying to save what can be saved. That must be motto for the time being. My biggest mistake / problem is that I have not managed to get the Iron brigade involved yet.

I should have the 11th Corps, led by Howard, arrive on the next turn. Hopefully they will be able to arrive in time.

 

[KG_RangerBooBoo]

Nice job on the AAR Vangse. I look forward to reading each update.:thumup:

 

[Vangse]

Turn 21:
Damn it. Howard has not arrived yet and it is now 06.40PM. He should have arrived at 06.00PM. You should have thought that the sound of fighting would have spurred his men on.

1st Corps is still retreating under heavy pressure. At least they are now out of his artillery firing range. My plan is to keep retreating. I presume that he will continue his advance. My hope is that I will be able to surprise him with Howard corps, once he arrives. As I cannot see any rebel supply wagons, I kind of hope that he will run low on ammo, once Howard arrives. Hopefully enabling me to halt his attack.

Out west Kilpatrick is still fleeing North West along the Turkeyfoot Road.

At Emmitsburg one rebel brigade has taken up positions on the outskirts of town facing Birney’s division. My arty far outnumber his; so I will let my guns do the damage, as my supply wagons are still 3-4 turns away. Just to the west Humphreys’s division has crossed Tom’s Creek and is forming a line ready to advance.

 

[Vangse]

Turn 22:
Okay I need help here. When I choose unit and then scheduled from the menu bar there is a small star by the name of Howard and Slocum. Both of them have not arrived yet, but were scheduled to arrive at 06.00 PM.

Well back to the fighting. Dusk has fallen to my big surprise. I am not used to AM and PM time so I kind of thought that we started the game at dawn. I guess it is both positive and negative that dawn has fallen. Hopefully this will be my break and lady luck will allow me to sneak out 1st Corps in cover of darkness. He is still pushing forward applying pressure on my line. My right flank is pretty stabile and should be okay. My left flank is another matter though. Hopefully it will hold on the next turn and then I should have two regiments from Cutler’s brigade ready to join the fighting again. I have retreated my arty some way behind my infantry. Hopefully they will be well placed and ready to support my infantry. Not utilizing my arty properly has been a big mistake.

At Emmitsburg dawn came at bad time. I had finally got my infantry and arty in position to advance on his positions south of town. His outnumbered forces would have been as easy prey. Now I have to wait and see what dawn brings.

 

[KG_RangerBooBoo]

The star means that you have variable reinforcements and though Howard and Slocum were scheduled to arrive they haven't hit a good enough die roll to actually arrive. There is a % chance that they will arrive each turn. You need to be sure that you are paying attention to the night turns as your units will disrupt when moving in line at night and unlimbering artillery at night automatically disrupts them also.

 

[Vangse]

Thanks to RangerBooBoo for clearing that up. Here is turn 23.

Turn 23:
12th Corps commanded by Slocum arrived on the field just west of Beaver Branch. Unfortunately they will not be able to move and support 1st corps as the distance is to long. Instead 12th Corps will move north to join 3rd Corps.

1st Corps is still under heavy pressure as he continued to press forward. On my right flank he advanced to within one hex but was met by the Iron Brigade, who returned fire and managed to disrupt some on his units. To assist his attack he is positioning a lot of arty on my right flank. I sent in the remains of Gregg’s brigade to charge at them. Luckily night will fall before he will be able to unlimber and do any real damage. On my left flank I have managed to place 8 guns to in support of my infantry and with Cutler’s two regiments on hand to offer further support, I hope that I am able to hang on. Howard still has not arrived. The failure to support 1st Corps must surely have serious consequences for his command.

 

[Vangse]

Turn 24:
As the last ray of light is disappearing over the horizon the fight continues to rage on south of Taneytown. The men of 1st Corps have fought excellent, but as the rebels continue to push forward, they are barely able to hold their own. Once Daniel gave the order to charge with bayonets it looked as though the Union line would be broken, but Rowley’s men stood firm and held their ground.

Thanks to Rowley’s men I am still able to retreat in good order. Had I lost that melee my line would have been broken in two and I would not had been able to retreat in good order. But it is still far from over and the situation is getting worse by the minute. A rebel brigade is moving around my right flank trying to cut off my route of retreat. I have no men left to try and counter his move. Again Howard excelled by not arriving on the battlefield.

Out west at Emmitsburg parts of rebel infantry south of town advanced only to be met by Union artillery fire causing heavy casualties. West of town Union cavalry detected a rebel brigade moving south along Flat run. It is Perrin’s brigade. On my next turn I have to shift my line and facing otherwise Perrin will be able to attack my flank.

Attached are pictures showing the situation south of Taneytown on turn 20 and 24.

 

[Vangse]

Turn 25:
With night upon us the rebels used the last daylight to continue their advance. Again moving to within one hex and charging at my men. This time it was The Iron Brigade who repulsed the charge and saved my line. But the heavy fighting is taking its toll on my men; 3 regiments from Baxter’s brigade routed.

Once darkness fell and the sound of fighting ebbed out in the distance Reynolds ordered his men to retreat as much as possible. His hope is that his tired men will be able to escape under the cover of darkness.

 

[Vangse]

Turn 26:
Night has fallen but it is far from over for the 1st Corps, as the rebels’ continues their pursuit. I have to try and see how many men I can get to safety.