BLUE VS. GRAY

Turn 1.  The CSA began with John Bankhead Magruder in command of a corps
consisting of Heth's Division and the Tidewater Militia. The Union's
David Porter took to the North Atlantic, establishing a partial blockade
on the South.  The Department of Washington was reinforced with the X
Corps.  The North chose to stockpile supplies.  Fightin' Joe Hooker took
command of the Army of the Potomac, which was built around the XIII
Corps. Hooker decided to attack Manassas, in order to remove the threat
against Washington, as a prelude to attacking Richmond from the
Peninsula.  Davis directed Hindman's Division to intercept the Yankees,
rather than risking Magruder's larger command.  (The logic was that the
CSA currently had no commander who could prevail against Hooker in a
Generals' Battle, and Hooker automatically loses a Soldiers' Battle...so
intercept with the smallest possible force.)  The CSA gambled that
Hooker did not have a eserve to throw into the battle.  But they were
wrong.  Hooker added the VI Corps to the fight, giving the Federals a +1
advantage.  Good decision on Hooker's part [4+1/2].  The battle ended in
a defeat of Hindman's Division, and the Federals captured Manassas.
Hindman's Division is depleted, and Hooker's Army is unscathed. Due to
the partial blockade, the CSA restores Hindman's Division.  William
Joseph Hardee arrived in the east, taking over a Corps that absorbed
Hindman's Division, along with A.P. Stewart's and Ransom's Divisions.
Magruder was reinforced with D.H. Hill's Division.  Lack of supply
prevented any attacks.

Turn 2.  The Union deployed William Starke Rosecrans into the eastern
theater, in command of the XVI Corps.  Hooker decided to attack the
Valley, in order to draw Hardee away from Richmond.  He reasoned that if
Hardee intercepted him in the Valley, then Rosecrans could thrust toward
Richmond, facing only Magruder.  Davis instead chose to intercept with
Hood's Division, this time not having to worry too much about Union
reinforcements, due to the Confederate pesthole.  But Hooker deployed no
further reserves and the attack went in.  Hood repulsed Hooker [2/3],
depleting the XIII Corps, and the Valley was saved.  With Hardee still
free to defend Richmond, Lincoln called off the attack in the Peninsula.
The Union decided to bide their time. Gathering enough supplies to
attack, Hardee launched an offensive to regain Manassas.  Hooker
detached the VI Corps to defend, knowing that he could win neither a
Soldiers' Battle nor a Generals' Battle.  (With just one corps, the
Union can stalemate a Soldiers' Battle.)  Hardee attacked with just two
divisions [2/2], but was repulsed with light losses (Ransom's Division
depleted).  Hardee was sacked as a result of his failure.

Turn 3.  With Hardee out of the way, Lincoln saw his chance to take
Richmond.  Lacking confidence in Hooker's inability to win a Soldiers'
Battle, and realizing that Rosecrans was good enough to beat Magruder in
a Generals' Battle, Lincoln ordered Rosecrans up the Peninsula to attack
Richmond.  He flirted with the idea of building a new army around
General Ambrose Burnside, but he judged there wasn't time to reorganize.
Rosecrans received the VI and XII Corps, in addition to his own XVI
Corps for the attac k.  Magruder was reinforced with A.P. Hill's Light
Division, against the chance that a Soldiers' Battle might ensue.
Rosecrans could not handle any more reinforcements (and there were none
to be had...), so Rosecrans put the XVI Corps in reserve at Fortress
Monroe. Magruder repulsed the Federals with the help of the
fortifications around Richmond [3-1/4].  The VI and XII Corps were
depleted, as was Heth's Division.  Rosecrans was wounded, and Burnside
took over the Army of the Peninsula. Hooker attacked down the Valley.
A.P. Stewart's Division defended.  Hooker routed Stewart [6/1],
destroying the Confederate Division and seizing control of the Valley.
(+1 VP) Supplies and replacements were rushed to Burnside's Army,
restoring it. Kentucky joined the Confederacy! Joseph Eggleston Johnston
formed an Army in the West with Bowen's Division.  Davis ordered Hood's
Division to join Johnston as well.  In the east, J.E.B. Stuart arrived
with his cavalry and promptly conducted a raid on Union supplies,
bringing their level to zero.  Ransom's Division was restored.  Braxton
Bragg assumed command of an army in the east, absorbing Ransom's
Division, Hindman's Division, and Heth's depleted Division.

Turn 4. (1 VP)  Now concerned that cavalry raids and an active western
theater might overtax the command structure, the Union hastened to get
more troops and commanders in the field instead of stockpiling supplies.
George Meade formed an army in the west, consisting of the II and XX
Corps.  The XXII Corps joined the Department of Washington. With
Kentucky in Confederate hands, the CSA has the opportunity to strike
into the guts of the west, threatening Cincinnati, Columbus, and
Indianapolis.  The current problem is that J.E. Johnston and Meade both
excel at defense.  The Confederates have little hope of prevailing in
either a Soldiers' or a Generals' Battle.  The only real offensive
potential is in Bragg, who can currently out-general any Union general
in the east.  The solutio n may be to recall Hardee and send him west.
Hardee was recalled and sent to serve under Johnston, taking command of
Bowen and Hood.  In the east, James Longstreet was promoted to corps
command, taking over Hindman's and Ransom's Division.  D.H. Hill was
also promoted under Bragg, taking over his old division plus Heth's
Division.  Bragg's Army of Northern Virginia was now a potent fighting
machine. Johnston protested that without more troops, any offensive
action would be impossible.  Bragg therefore conducted the only
offensive.  He moved his entire Army into the Valley and attacked.
Burnside's Army opposed him.  Bragg added the Rebel Yell.  Burnside
detached the XVI Corps.  Bragg withdrew D.H. Hill's Corps.  Bragg routed
Burnside [6/5].  (-1 VP)  The XII Corps was destroyed, and the VI Corps
was depleted.  The CSA regained control of the Valley.

Turn 5.  The Union underwent a major reorganization with the arrival of
U.S. Grant in the east.  Grant formed an army group Hooker (XIII and
XVII Corps).  Burnside went west and commands X and XX Corps, while
Meade retains the II Corps.  Admiral Farragut arrived with the Gulf
Blockading Squadron in the west.  With the I Corps in reserve, the Union
is ready for major operations. The CSA braced for action.  Stonewall
Jackson arrived in the western theater, with M.L. Smith's Division and
R. H. Anderson's Division, to give Johnston's army some operational
maneuver capability.  Maury's Division is in reserve.

Turn 6.  Burnside attacked Island No. 10.  Jackson intercepted.
Farragut assisted the attack.  Davis committed Maury's Division to
prevent a Soldiers' Battle loss.  Jackson defeated Burnside, inflicting
heavy losses [2/6].  Burnside's X Corps was destroyed, and the XX Corps
depleted.  Smith's and Anderson's Divisions were also depleted. Meade
attacked Louisville, Kentucky, and Johnston (with Hardee's Corps)
defended.  Meade's II Corps was reinforced with the XXI Corps.  In the
ensuing Generals' Battle, Johnston out-maneuvered Meade, defeating him
with light losses [3/2].  The XXI Corps was depleted. Finally, Grant
attacked the Wilderness, but Bragg elected not to oppose him. In all a
disappointing turn for the Union.  Two solid defeats in the west,
followed by an anticlimactic advance in the east. The Confederates
restore Anderson's Division for free, due to the partial blockade.  The
South began to use slaves for the war effort, resulting in Smith's
Division receiving replacements. Jackson attacked Indianapolis.  Meade
defended and was reinforced with the XIV Corps.  Jackson was defeated
with light losses [2/1].  Smith's and Maury's Divisions were depleted.
Johnston attacked Cincinnati.  Burnside defended, along with Farragut's
gunboats.  Johnston beat Burnside, capturing the city [5/4].  The XX
Corps was destroyed, and Lincoln sacked Burnside.  (-1 VP)

Turn 7. (-1 VP)  Lincoln canned Rosecrans, who had refused to serve
under Grant.  He was replaced by Irvin McDowell, who now came under
Grant's command.  The XXI Corps was restored.  John Pope took command of
an army in the west with the I Corps.  Still, neither Meade nor Pope had
bright prospects against Johnston's well-led army, so the Union
initiative still lay in the east.  Grant decided to make a push for the
Valley. Hoping to be able to provide Lincoln the big victory he needed
for the Emancipation Proclamation, Grant attacked with McDowell and
Hooker and their five corps.  Bragg had a tough decision to make.  On
the one hand, he calculated that a big win against the Union might cause
draft riots in the North.  On the other hand, Grant might inflict a
defeat on the ANV that they may never recover from.  Because the Valley
is a pesthole, Grant would not receive a bonus for mass, but he would
win a Soldie rs' Batt to 17).  A Generals' Battle would result in a
stalemate.  He decided to go for it. The result [4/3] was a Soldiers'
Battle with a Union leader casualty.  Bragg retreated to Lynchburg.
Hindman's and Heth's Divisions were depleted.  Grant took the Valley (+1
VP), and XVI and XII Corps were depleted.  McDowell was sacked after the
battle.  Grant retained the VI Corps as his army group reserve, and the
depleted XVI Corps went to Hooker. Lincoln issued the Emancipation
Proclamation.  This was an important battle for many reasons.  Among
others, the Valley is finally relatively secure, because the Union
controls the Wilderness, cutting off CSA access to the Valley. Pope,
realizing that the Confederates could not defend Island No. 10 without
risking getting cut off, attacked.  Johnston chose not to defend, and
Pope took the island unopposed.  Things are looking grim for the Rebels.
The Confederates desperately tried to hold on.  They garnered enough
supplies and replacements to restore all their depleted divisions.
Davis then sacked the lackadaisical Magruder and replaced him with
Sterling Price.  He also detached A.P. Hill's Division and attached it
to D.H. Hill.

Turn 8.   George Stoneman's cavalry began to operate in the east to
counter Stuart.  In an effort to overcome the lack of good generals in
the west, Lincoln recalled Rosecrans and gave him an independent army.
The thought was that if Rosecrans, Meade, and Pope can at least operate
simultaneously, they might be able to make some headway against
Johnston. Nathan Bedford Forrest began to operate in the west.  The CSA
may not be in bad shape after all.  This late in the war, the Union has
not really made much progress.

Turn 9.  Lincoln suspends habeas corpus.  Under the direction of
Winfield Scott, operations began in earnest in the west.  First, Don
Carlos Buell was assigned to Grant's command, and he took over XII and
XVI Corps from Hooker.  Buell then moved out on an amphibious invasion
of New Orleans, with Porter's help.  Davis deployed Pemberton with
Walker's and Cleburne's Divisions.  Buell played the Swamp Angel as a
reserve.  Buell routed Pemberton! [5+1/4]  Walker's Division was
destroyed, and Cleburne's was depl eted. Next, Rosecrans attacked
Cincinnati.  Johnston detached Jackson to defend the city.  Jackson
withdrew Smith's Division.  Rosecrans was reinforced with III Corps.
Jackson received Lovell's Division to prevent a loss in case of a
Soldiers' Battle.  Rosecrans withdrew III Corps, and Jackson withdrew
Lovell's Division.  Jackson defeated Rosecrans [2/1], and depleted the X
Corps. Finally, Meade attacked overland against Corinth.  Johnston
opposed him.  Meade defeated Johnston [5/5], and Hardee was almost
killed, but miraculously saved.  Hood's and Bowen's Divisions were
depleted, as was the XXI Corps. A good turn for the Union! Despite
Rosecrans' failure, the Federals made progress in isolating Memphis, and
they took New Orleans.  Now the Federals must keep constant pressure
upon the CSA, to keep the Rebels from counterattacking. The Confederates
formed a corps around Kirby Smith and Pickett's Division and held it in
reserve against future invasions.  Hood's Division was restored for free
due to partial blockade.  The Rebels garnered supplies and bided their
time.

Turn 10.  The Union restored the XXI Corps and prepared for offensives
in the west.  Rosecrans attacked Cincinnati again.  Johnston and Hardee
moved to intercept.  Rosecrans withdrew the depleted X Corps.  In the
resulting Soldiers' Battle, it was a stalemate [4/3] with no losses to
either side, but Rosecrans was wounded for the second time in the war.
His army was split up among Meade, Pope, and Buell. Meade then attacked
Grenada.  Jackson defended.  Meade played "Old Abe".  Jackson withdrew
Smith's Division.  In the resulting battle [2+1/4], Jackson
out-generaled Meade, with Lovell's Division being depleted.  Meade's
entire army was depleted. Grant decided to make a move on Richmond.  He
attacked with Hooker's army (XIII and XVII Corps) plus his reserve of VI
Corps.  Bragg defended with Longstreet (Hindman and Ransom) and D.H.
Hill (Heth and A.P. Hill).  Grant was routed with light losses [2-1/3].
Heth and Hindman were depleted, along with Hooker's army.  But then the
Union played John Brown's Body, thus restoring all of Meade's and
Grant's troops! What a blow for the Confederacy! Lovell's Division was
restored for free due to partial blockade.  Earl Van Dorn joined
Johnston's army.  Jackson was reinforced with Hood's Division, and he
attacked Indianapolis.  Jackson withdrew the depleted Smith's Division.
Meade defended with his four fresh corps.  In the resulting battle,
[5/6] Jackson defeated Meade and inflicted heavy losses, capturing the
city (+1 VP for the city, +1 VP for severing the North's rail net).  All
of Meade's co rps were depleted, and Maury and Lovell's Divisio also
depleted. Draft riots broke out in the North.  The XXII Corps near
Washington was dispatched to put them down. Johnston next attacked
Columbus, Ohio, receiving Pickett's Division as reinforcement.  Pope
defended.  Hardee withdrew Bowen's depleted Division.  Johnston defeated
Pope with heavy losses! [5/6]  The I Corps was destroyed and the XX
depleted.  Pickett's Division was also depleted.  The North is brought
almost to its knees!

Turn 11.  (-3 VP) (Skipping the Union turn due to draft riots.)
Pickett's and Maury's Divisions are restored for free.  Confederate
ironclads are offset by the Monitor.  Jackson attacks Toledo.  Buell
detaches the III Corps to defend the city.  Jackson is routed with heavy
losses and loses Anderson's and Maury's Divisions! Undeterred, Johnston
attacks Toledo next and is defeated with light losses. Forrest then
attacks Toledo and wins the city in a Generals' Battle, thus winning the
Civil War!

In this war, R. E. Lee never showed up, and the Union were never able to
put together a complete blockade.  With Kentucky joining the
Confederacy, the Union's vulnerabilities were too much for their
marginal leaders (Pope, Meade, Rosecrans) to cover.  Grant never seemed
to be able to make his successes in the Valley and the Wilderness to
count for anything, because he couldn't take Richmond.

I misplayed one small thing.  When Buell took New Orleans, I mistakenly
put him in the west.  Actually, he should have stayed in the east.

Also, I played the Draft Riots card and interpreted the rules in favor
of the CSA.  The card states that when the riots occur (immediately
following a battle in which the Union suffers four or more losses), the
"Union turn ends immediately".  Since this happened during a CSA turn, I
allowed the Rebels to finish out their current turn, and then
immediately take another turn.  I'm not sure if that is the intent of
the card.  It was a war-winner for the CSA.

Bob Leonhard