Brother Against Brother -- Ultimate General: Civil War(Interactive)

[Coffee Warlord]

Army Org.

[Brian Swartz]

Army Organization it is. Division Commanders will need to consider now what to do with the new brigade.

[Brian Swartz]

Weapons Reference Updated. Most interesting is probably that we have almost 800 of the Palmetto M1842s and one brigade will probably get upgraded to those at relatively minimal cost given the lack of other decent stockpiled weapons. I'll also be looking to reinforce with the captured Napoleons and there are still some 12-pd Howitzers to find a home for.

Weapons Distribution

Infantry

** Re-bored Farmer(None, but we'll definitely be adding some here)
** Springfield M1842(12 brigades, 16471 total, 10 * and 2 green)
** Lorenz(1 brigade, 877 total, 1 **)
** Springfield M1855(6 brigades, 5305 total, 5 ** and 1 *)
** Harpers Ferry M1855(1 brigade, 1209 total, 1 **)

Skirmishers

** Hunter(1 brigade, 318 total, 1 green)
** Sharps Model 1855(2 brigades, 561 total, 1 * and 1 green)

Cavalry

** Cook & Brother(1 brigade, 300 total, 1 green)
** Palmetto M1842(2 brigades, 647 total, 2 green)
** Colt M1855(1 brigade, 329 total, 1 *)
** Smith(1 brigade, 590 total, 1 *)

Artillery

** 6pdr Field(3 brigades, 47 total, 2 * and 1 green)
** 10pdr Ordnance(1 brigade, 10 total, 1 **)
** 12pdr Howitzer(1 brigade, 12 total, 1 green)
** 12pdr Napoleon(2 brigades, 33 total, 2 **)
** 20pdr Parrot(1 brigade, 12 total, 1 *)

[Brian Swartz]

Army-Level Choices

1. Emphasis. We've maintained a lean towards veterans over weapon upgrades or increasing numbers for some time now. The general meaning of that has become that any brigade above 50% xp or well over half-strength will go for veterans. Brigades that are smaller and less than 50% to the their next perk will instead try to increase their numbers while maintaining something close to their current level.

2., Reputation Investment

We are at 44 Reputation, which confers a +2 boost to morale.

** $120k(18 Rep.)
** 5k recruits(18 Rep.)
** 4k Springfield M1855(15 Rep.)
** 3.5k Harpers Ferry M1855(15 Rep.)
** 500 Burnside(7 Rep.)
** 6 20pdr Parrot(6 Rep.)
** BG John Reynolds(6 Rep.)
** BG Winfield Hancock(4 Rep.)

Commanders are advised that, even with the new brigades, we are not in need of any new generals or recruits. The others would all be useful if deemed worth the price.

3. Weapon Sales

Due to the need to outfit several new brigades, we won't be selling anything.

[Brian Swartz]

** Note that I Corps will be handling the action at Thoroughfare Gap; II Corps went out last time, and III Corps is still going to be the weakest.

Command Briefings

Army Structure

I Corps(BG James Stewart, 90%ish)
** Wagner
---- Race(Infantry, Springfield M1855)**
---- Scales(Artillery, 10pdr Ordnance)**
** Durrell
---- Kemper(Infantry, Lorenz)**
---- Hoke(Infantry, Springfield M1842)
---- Birney(Carbine Cavalry, Smith)*
---- Seymour(Artillery, 12pdr Napoleon)**
** Loomis
---- Moody(Infantry, Springfield M1842)*
---- York(Infantry, Harpers Ferry M1855)**
---- Pease(Infantry, Springfield M1842)*
---- Wright(Artillery, 12pdr Napoleon)*
II Corps(BG S. Heintzelman, 60%ish)
** McCook
** Liddell
** Church
III Corps(MG Ulysses Grant, 15% or so)
** Lawton
** Ferrero
----- Baldwin(Shock Cavalry, Palmetto M1842)
** McClellan

I Corps

Wagner's Division

Race's Brigade

Col. Gregory Race is at 81% and returns to action.

Alter Ego: Coffee Warlord

Men: 814
Experience: **, 0% to ***
Perks: Endurance Course, Marksman Training

Efficiency: 50
Morale: 65
Stamina: 57
Firearms: 70
Melee: 25

Weapon: Springfield M1855

$36-37 per veteran, not including the weapon. There aren't many in the armory right now so after the first 25-30 you'll be paying almost double that. No room for rookies so there really isn't anything to decide here; as many vets as I can manage.

Scales's Brigade

Lt. Col. Wade Scales is also back, still at 93% to promotion.

Alter Ego: Qwikshot

Gun Crews: 14
Experience: **, 20% to ***
Perks: Physical Training, Tactical Training

Efficiency: 57
Morale: 88
Stamina: 61
Firearms: 80
Melee: 14

Weapon: 10pdr Ordnance

5k per veteran crew, $1.7k(weapon price) for rookies. Two more to max out at 16 for the current experience level.


Durrell's Division

Col. Rafael Durrell appears to be roughly 80-85% of the way to getting his general's star. It shouldn't be long now.

Alter Ego: ntndeacon

Col. Kemper -- 877 infantry(Lorenz, **, 0%)
Maj. Hoke -- 1625 infantry(Springfield M1842, green, 51%)
Col. Birney -- 590 carbine cavalry(Smith, *, 74%)

Hoke is maxed out and Kemper is locked in to all veterans to maintain perks, Birney as well to stay reasonably close to the next level. I don't see any real choices on these three, unless you want to hold Birney where he is and use the money on other units(750 is the cavalry max, so he's not far away).

You'll be getting a new infantry brigade, but there aren't any real decisions to make there either until they and Hoke get some experience.

Seymour's Brigade

Lt. Col. Walter Seymour is a lot closer now, 80% of the way to full Colonel.

Alter Ego: DavidCorperial

Gun Crews: 15
Experience: **, 3% to ***
Perks: Logistics, Gunnery Training

Efficiency: 44
Morale: 81
Stamina: 50
Firearms: 86
Melee: 16

Weapon: 12pdr Napoleon

Most accurate artillery in the army and best defensive unit for sure. One more crew will be added unless you request otherwhise. Since we captured Napoleons in the last battle, the price is down to a little under $3k.


Loomis's Division

Col. Adam Loomis continues to progress slowly; he's halfway there now, perhaps just a hair over. One wonders if the war will end before he gets his star.

Alter Ego: chesapeake

** Col. Moody -- 1449 Infantry(Springfield M1842, *, 63%). Still looking for that weapon upgrade but with the new units coming in he'll probably have to keep waiting. There are nine other brigades in the army with similar experience and outfitting. It's a long queue, though you are at least near the top of it here.
** Gen. York -- 1209 Infantry(Harpers Ferry M1855, **, 0%). Still the only unit with this weapon, and rebuilding continues.
** Lt. Col. Pease -- 2000 Infantry(Springfield M1842, *, 0%). Maxed-out, and the only way they will improve from here is by increasing their abilities. Not good enough to justify a weapon improvement.
** Gen. Wright -- 18 Artillery(12pdr Napoleon, *, 82%). New crews are $2200 each(veteran). One more will be added with a captured gun from the last battle, barring objections.

You are already at the minimum for infantry, so you can choose any brigade type for your new unit; make it more well-rounded with cavalry or skirmishers, or hit harder with another one of the other kinds. Up to you.


II Corps

Nobody left here right now. One brigade did get a promotion from the last battle.

III Corps

Baldwin's Brigade

Lt. Col. Bryan Baldwin is wounded; Wade Siegfried is the caretaker.

Alter Ego: tarcone

Horsemen: 264
Experience: Green, 66% to *
Perks: None

Efficiency: 11)
Morale: 30
Stamina: 15
Firearms: 17
Melee: 20

Weapon: Palmetto M1842

No spare weapons, and the III Corps continues to rebuild. $53 each for veterans, $40 of which is the weapon and the horse. Rookies wouldn't save much money anyway.

Thoroughfare Gap is up next; make your choices. 10 brigades here, so at most two divisions will be going in from I Corps. Always a guessing-game who fights and who doesn't in these situations. Once again, our two active division COs(Durrell and Loomis) are reminded to note the situation with the new brigade that will be added to your commands.

[Coffee Warlord]

Heh. CO already made my choice.

[ntndeacon]

Let's get as many infantry as we can in the new brigade and whatever gun we have enough of.. We can go to a better gun after they get a little seasoned.

[chesapeake]

I think it may be worth using the rep points to "buy" the 4k Springfields and give them to the top 2 brigades that have earned an upgrade. That will free up roughly 4k older muskets for the new brigades you're bringing on. If you've already got the weapons in hand, a new infantry brigade's only cost is bringing on a CO if you don't have one already waiting in the barracks.

Does I Corps already have a cavalry unit and a dedicated brigade of sharpshooters/skirmishers? If so you can give me another infantry brigade. If you don't have a skirmisher brigade with weapons that can fire at long range (400+), I'll take one of those. Those can be very useful blunting charges while standing safely behind a green unit with high melee 1842 weapons.

[Brian Swartz]

Yes and sort of. First off, let me invite others to chime on the weapons investment idea. We have one ** brigade that would benefit from the new weapons and could spread the others out among existing units(a lot of the '55 Springfield brigades are smallish) or I'd pick a * to add the others off to.

I Corps has the biggest and best cavalry brigade in the army, almost 600 of them, * experience, with decent Smith weapons. That's in Durrell's Division. Wagner's Division(1st in the Corps) do also have a skirmisher brigade, but it sucks(third iteration of it as the previous two were destroyed in battles). So green as green can be and they have the Sharps Model 1855(230 range). The slower-firing Hunter is used in another brigade(III Corps), which fits that bill(450 range). We don't have enough to equip another and can't buy them.

The only option for that kind of range is the standard Sharps rifle, which is considered the 'standard weapon of choice for sharpshooter regiments' according to the game. 450 range, decent firing rate, good accuracy. It also costs an arm and a leg($100 each). We've got 38 of these captured during the course of the war so far, and 324 more in the armory, so it's enough to outfit a decent-sized skirmisher unit. New brigade with the minimum size(100 men) would cost a little over $6k, but that kind of investment in a green unit is not something I'm really excited about doing. The usual Sharps Model 1855(a third the price) would make more sense for now if you want a skirmisher unit, and then investing the more expensive, longer-range gun once they get a little experience.

[DavidCorperial]

Yes I'll take another crew.

[collegesportsfanms]

I'm fine with the weapons investment idea

[chesapeake]

If it was financially feasible, I'd ask for a skirmisher unit with the Sharps rifles, but it appears it is not. So, send me a 1500-2000 greenhorns to whip into shape as an infantry regiment.

[Brian Swartz]

Originally Posted by collegesportsfanms

I'm fine with the weapons investment idea

Yeah, but you're dead. Twice, and stayed dead the last time.

Anyway, there being no opposition this approach was approved. 15 Reputation invested for the 4k Springfield M1855s. One brigade at least will be upgraded, the several low-on-numbers units carrying them will also get more relatively reasonably priced additions, and we'll see where that leaves us. 29 Reputation remains, which is a 'neutral' state; no morale effect one way or the other.

[Brian Swartz]

Camp Results

A bit more wordy on the explanation here, but things got a little complex.

Col. Stephen Carruth's brigade, first in the 2nd Division of II Corps, was deemed the most worthy of getting first crack at the new Springfield M1855s. They're 83% of the way to their second star, the most capable unit still carrying the 1842s by a modest distance. That still left almost 2600 additional weapons to be divided between the now-seven brigades that carry them, while freeing up over 1500 of the 42 version as well.

I started with the new brigades; 8 of the 9 are infantry, with II Corps getting one cavalry unit. It soon became clear we'd need more guns than we have; about enough to equip six, not eight, infantry brigades were on hand. So I threw in a couple more upgrades; left less to be divided between existing units but that couldn't be helped. A small brigade in III Corps got the Springfield 1855, as did Moody finally(Loomis's Divison). Good things come to those who wait :P. These choices were all made by virtue of the next-most-deserving unit(in terms of skill), as I continue to aim to give weapons to those who know how to handle them(and are less likely to shatter in combat and waste the investment). It was more than I would have preferred spending, but one unit in II Corps gets an upgrade from the Springfield 42 to the Palmetto 42; we already had over half the guns they needed in the Armory but it still cost over $9k.

Once that was done there were over 5k Springfield 42s to go with the 7k+ Re-Bored Farmers. That figured to be enough to outfit 5 Farmers' brigades, 3 of the Springfields. The choice of who gets what was determined purely by random, as always -- I do the same thing for the officers.

** Pease(3rd brigade) is maxed; Moody +104 to 1553. York +132 men to 1341. Wright adds a 19th crew.

** Hagoods spent, Hunt spent, Devin's spent, Root spent also.
** Stuart(4th brigade) maxed, Sinclair(new 4th) exceeded max. spending on creation. Carruth, Rains, Tannatt, last two at about $2.5k.
** Truex(3rd brigade) and Cutshaw(4th brigade) maxed; Grose already upgraded, Appler spent,

I Corps

Race's Brigade -- +105, up to 919 men.

Scales' Brigade -- added a 15th crew, there's room for more but not the funding this time around.

Durrell's Divison

Kemper -- +86, now at 963.
Hoke -- Maxed out numbers-wise, so they just need more experience.
Lt. Col. Douglas Pease -- Unknown if he's related to the guy from Loomis's command one division further down. Debuts with 1494 infantry, Re-Bored Farmers.
Birney -- +33 to 623

Seymour's Brigade -- Adds the 16th gun crew.

Loomis's Division

** Moody -- Gets the upgrade to the 1855 Springfield, and adds 104 men to 1553 now.
** York -- +132, at 1341 men. Still haven't reached the goal of 1500 but we're getting there.
** Pease -- Maxed at 2k and nowhere to go yet.
** Lt. Col. Glen Gary debuts with 1786 men, drawing the good straw with Springfield 1842s.
** Wright -- Adds a 19th crew.

III Corps

Baldwin's Brigade

Siegfried still in command, and still efficiency-limited at 409.

Summary

Still some stuff in the armory but not enough to do anything with; it's pretty empty. Treasury is gone again($18) and we're down to 9,716 recruits. Used up about 60% of the pool we had. I Corps is up to 15k, 13k for II Corps, 14k for III Corps. So in terms of soldiers the army has been considerably expanded, and we've got relatively healthy balance across the different Corps. I don't think we could have done much better.

[Brian Swartz]

Whether we have enough to stop Longstreet remains to be seen; last time we faced him things didn't go too well. Depends largely on which units get to deploy here.







We really ought to be able to hold almost anything for three hours. Right??

[Brian Swartz]

** August 28, 1862, 9:30 AM -- I think we want to use the trees as much as possible here. Depends on how far they've advanced when we run into them. Wagner and Durell, the first two divisions, are here. Loomis has the day off or whatever, which is unfortunate -- he might have the strongest of the three divisions right now.

We've got to hold until about 12:30 it says.

Ellis's green skirmishers and Birney's cavalry head across the stream, still making no contact.

Initially I was thinking I'd much rather force them to cross and fight on more favorable ground over here, but want to just scout them out. Right now they've got just over 2k nearby with two dozen guns; a quarter of our number say the recon parties. We should be able to cross in force then into the trees, forcing them to advance across the open fields. That might be better.

Seymour's Napoleons will advance as well, while Scales and his rifled 10-pounders hold back. The skirmishers reach the edge of the trees, and keep going a bit, while the rest of the divisions cross the stream and get into position.

** 9:41 AM -- Birney spots elements of Gen. Hood's Division before we can do that. He's ordered to dismount and look to slow them down.

** 9:44 AM -- Another division is now incoming. Up to more than six thousand rebels now approach, and their artillery is coming up through the woods. Birney withdraws, while Ellis looks for a suitable position to harass their southern flank.




** 9:47 AM -- We could have a bit of a problem here. The main attack was expected to come a bit further south, the fields you can see by Hood's brigade here. But it's shifted to the north, and they are already getting into the trees more than I'd like. Wagner's Division will have to shift up that way, but two of his infantry brigades are totally green. Ellis has drawn off their skirmishers but that's all.

** 9:52 AM -- Kemper's Division has arrived on the other side, towards the south. Ok then. 12k on the field for the confederates, and we have about 8.5k to stop them. This is looking less encouraging, and it's basically three divisions to two here.




** 10:21 AM -- It didn't look great for us in initially, as Hoke(Durrell's Division) got flanked in the forest and routed. Eventually they retreated across the stream, and stayed there to stop Anderson's flanking effort to the north. At least they didn't give up entirely. Here, in what has become the center of the battlefield, we have recently pushed them back with the help of Seymour's guns. Kemper's sharpshooters are being pressed by superior numbers to the north, while Wagner's Division has troubles of it's own holding off the rebels to the south. We're doing ok for now. How long it lasts? that's another question.

** 10:53 AM -- Trimble has taken a lot of punishment on the south, and breaks ... they try to flank around us there and I'm not sure we can hold them, but what's left of Ellis's skirmishers will support. We're giving better than we're receiving overall, so if time really is on our side I think it's going to be a decent day.




** 11:35 AM -- This could be a problem. Somehow these bastards managed to get behind us. The cavalry will come around to try to help, but we only have so many men ...

** 12:00 noon -- Chaos all over the field. Anderson charges Hoke in the north, but is repulsed. Birney's cavalry is barely enough along with Trimble and some guns I sighted in that direction to hold our rear position, but things aren't looking great there. Ellis' skirmishers are no more, yet another such unit that has collapsed, while Kemper's guys are holding off more than two brigades by themselves but I don't know how long that can last. .

** 12:22 AM -- Lt. Col. Javier Stone, who received his command less than a week ago, is killed in the south. It does not look like a sacrifice that will be wasted, as the rebel momentum has been halted and they are running out of ammunition. Our supply situation is just fine, thank you very much.

Battle Statistics

Strength

Infantry: 8,305 Union; 13,297 Confederate
Cavalry: 0 Union; 0 Confederate
Artillery: 31(775) Union; 46(1130) Confederate

Umm ... we brought 600 cavalry here. Go home game, you're drunk.

Total: 9,080 Union; 14,427 Confederate

Not the best odds here. But it was enough

Losses

Infantry: 3,068 Union; 5,753 Confederate
Cavalry: None(again incorrect)
Artillery: 0(13) Union; 0(3) Confederate

Total: 3,081 Union; 5,756 Confederate

It was not an easy victory, but most importantly it was one.

Brigade Performance

** Race: 1173 kills, 153 losses. Positioned in the center-south, these boys were pretty much killing machines, almost single-handedly responsible for holding off Kemper's Divison.

** Pease: 863 kills, 556 losses. They're new.

** Kemper: 840 kills, 507 losses. Good work, but I seem incapable of not getting this brigade devastated. Every. Freaking. Time.

** Stone: 623 kills, 674 losses. And got their CO killed. Their job was to get shot at on the south with Race.

** Trimble: 605 kills, 497 losses. Another elite unit that really took a pounding.

** Seymour: 416 kills, 13 losses.

** Hoke: 564 kills, 306 losses. After the nasty surprise in the early going, they acquitted themselves quite well holding the northern flank.

** Scales: 299 kills, 0 losses. Both artillery brigades definitely contributed.

** Ellis: 254 kills, 167 losses. Not a good debut, and I think they're gone.

** Birney: 163 kills, 208 losses. Wouldn't have gotten it done without them, but a third of our best cavalry is left on the field.

Officers

Stone is the one casualty, and he'll need to be replaced. Definitely had a short go of it, approximately two hours after a few days' prep.

** Maj. Jason Hoke is promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. I approve.

** Lt Col. Wade Scales is promoted to full Colonel. What took you so long?? :P

** Col. Luis Wagner, commander of 1st Division, is now our latest Brigadier General. Also well-deserved.

Weapons

** Springfield M1842 -- 147 rescued, 347 captured
** Palmetto M1842 -- 0 rescued, 87 captured
** Re-Bored Farmer -- 591 rescued, 410 captured
** Sharps Model 1855 -- 123 rescued, 109 captured
** Smith -- 100 rescued
** Lorenz -- 244 rescued
** Springfield M1855 -- 312 rescued
** M1841 Mississippi -- 172 captured

Rewards

** Career Point -- +1
** Reputation -- +4
** Funding -- $135k
** Recruits -- 7.9k




Successes in these last two battles will result in a 5% reduction in the rebel force. So that's something at least.

[Brian Swartz]

Career Points Briefing

** Politics(4) -- Increase gold and recruits from + 10% to 12.5%.

** Economy(0) -- Increase weapon discount from 0 to 2.5%%.

** Medicine(2) -- Increase casualty recovery rate from 4 to 6%.

** Training(6) -- Increase the discount on veteran recruits from 15% to 17.5%.

** Army Organization(5) -- Increase the maximum size of the army. We currently have a max of 3 Corps, 3 Divisions, 5 Brigades, and 2000/Brigade. This would give us a 4th Division in each Corps. That would give us 60 of the maximum 80 brigades for the next fight -- we're presently at 45. We have the men for it, but not the guns, and don't have enough Reputation to get any the cheap way. If we go for the new Divisions, most of the money will go to purchasing weapons for them and we won't be able to do much for the existing units. If we don't, we'll have less manpower but I'll be able to do more in terms of bolstering the brigades we have. I think it's a tough choice and something of a Catch-22 -- but I don't have to make it.

** Logistics(1) -- Increase starting ammunition from +5% to +10% for all brigades.

** Reconnaissance(4) -- Currently we know the enemy army size going in real-time, and what Corps/Division/Brigade we are facing. The next level will give us more detail on the individual units they are fielding, described the game only as 'partial info', whatever that means.

Another big fight is on the horizon -- what say you?

[Coffee Warlord]

I almost thinkg we need more Army Org, and just get as many warm bodies as possible out there.

[DavidCorperial]

Army Org for many more bodies.

[chesapeake]

In my opinion, we need to get all available recruits into the field. If that requires us to take Army Org and spend the money we have on weapons for the new recruits, so be it. If we can get most of the recruits into the field in another way, then I'd support taking the point in politics.

[collegesportsfanms]

I say Army Org is the way to go

[ntndeacon]

Army Org

[Brian Swartz]

It would appear that the Army Orgs have it. To Chesapeake's point, the only way to make that happen would be to devalue the experience of current units and downgrade their weapons. And in any case it's a clear decision here. We'll have a lot of greenhorns going into 2nd Bull Run, and will hope that numbers matter enough to bring us victory(or at least, non-disaster).

[Brian Swartz]

Weapons Reference updated. Here's what we are currently using.

Weapons Distribution

Infantry

** Re-bored Farmer(5 brigades, 6289 total, all green)
** Springfield M1842(11 brigades, 17407 total, 6 * and 5 green)
** Palmetto M1842(1 brigade, 1501 total, 1 *)
** Lorenz(1 brigade, 476 total, 1 **)
** Springfield M1855(9 brigades, 9286 total, 5 ** and 4 *)
** Harpers Ferry M1855(1 brigade, 1341 total, 1 **)

Skirmishers

** Hunter(1 brigade, 318 total, green)
** Sharps Model 1855(1 brigade, 315 total, 1 *)

Cavalry

** Cook & Brother(1 brigade, 300 total, all green)
** Palmetto M1842(3 brigades, 841 total, all green)
** Colt M1855(1 brigade, 391 total, 1*)
** Smith(1 brigade, 423 total, 1*)

Artillery

** 6pdr Field(3 brigades, 47 total, 2 * and 1 green)
** 10pdr Ordnance(1 brigade, 15 total, 1 **)
** 12pdr Howitzer(1 brigade, 12 total, green)
** 12pdr Napoleon(2 brigades, 35 total, 1 ** and 1 *)
** 20pdr Parrot(1 brigade, 13 total, 1 *)

[Brian Swartz]

Army-Level Choices

1. Emphasis. Choosing Army Org basically made this choice for us; we'll be getting numbers out there above all else. This will be revisited after the next battle.

2. Reputation Investment.

We're at 33, a neutral amount with no impact.

** Burnside(x500): 7 Rep.
** 20pdr Parrot(x6): 6 Rep.
** BG John Reynolds: 6 Rep.
** BG Winfield Hancock: 6 Rep.

As always we don't need the generals; if either one of the weapons is chosen they'll go to a relatively more experienced brigade, with the cheaper weapons transferred to some of the newbies.

[Brian Swartz]

** Note: Out of necessity things are going to work a little differently this time. To get the numbers out there, we won't have any funds available for a lot of brigades. Unless you are particularly low on manpower or in one of the new units, you're going to be pretty much stuck with what you have. If you're looking for something expensive, feel free to use this opportunity to keep it to yourself .

Command Briefings

Army Structure

I Corps(BG James Stewart, 95%ish)
** Wagner
---- Race(Infantry, Springfield M1855)**
---- Scales(Artillery, 10pdr Ordnance)**
** Durrell
---- Kemper(Infantry, Lorenz)**
---- Hoke(Infantry, Springfield M1842)
---- Pease(Infantry, Re-Bored Farmer)
---- Birney(Carbine Cavalry, Smith)*
---- Seymour(Artillery, 12pdr Napoleon)**
** Loomis
---- Moody(Infantry, Springfield M1855)*
---- York(Infantry, Harpers Ferry M1855)**
---- Pease(Infantry, Springfield M1842)*
---- Gary(Infantry, Springfield M1842)
---- Wright(Artillery, 12pdr Napoleon)*
II Corps(BG S. Heintzelman, 60%ish)
** McCook
** Liddell
** Church
III Corps(MG Ulysses Grant, 15% or so)
** Lawton
** Ferrero
----- Baldwin(Shock Cavalry, Palmetto M1842)
** McClellan

I Corps

Wagner's Division

Race's Brigade

Col. Gregory Race is at 99%. A hair away from his promotion.

Alter Ego: Coffee Warlord

Men: 772
Experience: **, 14% to ***
Perks: Endurance Course, Marksman Training

Efficiency: 57(+7)
Morale: 68(+3)
Stamina: 59(+2)
Firearms: 75(+5)
Melee: 25

Weapon: Springfield M1855

You may be eligible for a fairly small amount of rookies: we've got a few hundred M1855s to spread throughout the army, and you can take on up to 92 and still retain your ** status. Numbers are low but others are worse off; division-mate Trimble is at less than 500 right now for example.


Scales's Brigade

Col. Wade Scales has a shiny new rank, and is 7% of the way to getting his General's star.

Alter Ego: Qwikshot

Gun Crews: 15
Experience: **, 29% to ***
Perks: Physical Training, Tactical Training

Efficiency: 58(+1)
Morale: 91(+3)
Stamina: 62(+1)
Firearms: 84(+4)
Melee: 14

Weapon: 10pdr Ordnance

Pretty simple here. You don't need any reinforcements, and a new crew would cost over $5k what with us not having any spare guns of your type. That won't be forthcoming. So sit back and enjoy the show. Oh, and congrats on making full Colonel!


Durrell's Division

Col. Rafael Durrell appears to be roughly 90% of the way to getting his general's star. That could happen as we return to Bull Run.

Alter Ego: ntndeacon

Col. Kemper -- 476 infantry(Lorenz, **, 15%)
Maj. Hoke -- 1331 infantry(Springfield M1842, green, 85%)
Lt. Col. Pease -- 960 infantry(Re-Bored Farmer, green, 92%)
Col. Birney -- 423 carbine cavalry(Smith, *, 83%)

We've got 200+ Lorenz and 100 Smith weapons available. Nobody else uses those, so you should see some growth in those units(vets for Birney, rookies for Kemper). Go ahead and up in your two cents here, but that's likely to be the extent of it. We won't have any spare guns for the others, and they're sitting better in terms of men than some units.

Seymour's Brigade

Lt. Col. Walter Seymour, like Race, just narrowly didn't get promoted. 98% of the way to full Colonel.

Alter Ego: DavidCorperial

Gun Crews: 16
Experience: **, 14% to ***
Perks: Logistics, Gunnery Training

Efficiency: 47(+3)
Morale: 84(+3)
Stamina: 52(+2)
Firearms: 91(+5)
Melee: 16

Weapon: 12pdr Napoleon

Continues to be the most accurate artillery in the Army. A dozen replacement men are needed. Since we still have a few spare Napoleons, you can add one more(rookie crew) while still retaining the second star, 1or stand pat, as you prefer.

Loomis's Division

Col. Adam Loomis was tending the supply lines or somesuch nonsense and hasn't been in a battle in quite some time. Still roughly halfway to his star.

Alter Ego: chesapeake

** Col. Moody -- 1553 Infantry(Springfield M1855, *, 63%). Finally got the requested weapon upgrade last time. And then didn't get to use it. Yet.
** Gen. York -- 1341 Infantry(Harpers Ferry M1855, **, 0%).
** Lt. Col. Pease -- 2000 Infantry(Springfield M1842, *, 0%).
** Lt. Col. Gary -- 1786 Infantry(Springfield M1842, green, 58%).
** Gen. Wright -- 19 Artillery(12pdr Napoleon, *, 82%)

At least relatively speaking, this division is looking about as good as any in the Army. With resources needed more elsewhere, I don't expect anything to be available here.


II Corps

Nobody left here right now.

III Corps

Baldwin's Brigade

Lt. Col. Bryan Baldwin is wounded; Wade Siegfried is the caretaker.

Alter Ego: tarcone

Horsemen: 409
Experience: Green, 66% to *
Perks: None

Efficiency: 11
Morale: 28
Stamina: 15
Firearms: 17
Melee: 20

Weapon: Palmetto M1842

Maxed-out until something changes.

Present now your orders for 2nd Bull Run. Comparatively there won't be a lot to do but all feedback and suggestions are always welcome. There are only 4 ablebodied officers in the Barracks; we'll need 18, not counting one replacement so we'll be using them all and generating a bunch of new ones. I'll let you know who that affects when I get to it. We'll have a bunch healing up after this though, so we should be ok if we don't get a bunch more shot up.

[DavidCorperial]

I'll take the extra crew of rookies.

[chesapeake]

If you feel you have to do something to the strongest division in the Army, you can add 1 gun to our artillery brigade. General Wright likes even numbers.

[Brian Swartz]

Camp Results

First up was the officer reassignments. For the new divisions, I Corps lost Julian York from Loomis' Division, and John Hagood takes the job in II Corps. At that point I couldn't 'promote' anyone for III Corps, since we were out of officers. So Felix Toon is our new auto-generated Colonel for that spot. Loomis' 2nd Brigade is now led by Col. Pedro Finegan, who is plenty capable.

It also seemed wise to max out on supply. We were mostly there, so it was a small expense. Then I did some experimentation to see how to do the outfitting to accomplish the stated goal that was pretty much unanimous from the voting; get as many boots on the ground as possible, by whatever means. That turned out to be a dicey proposition, even more expensive than I'd hoped.

The new brigades were all formed at default strength; simply all we could afford. That means 1000 men for infantry, 150 for skirmishers, 4 guns(a couple got 5 here simply because we had extra in storage) for artillery, 250 for cavalry. That took all but literally a few thousand bucks.

Wagner's Division

Race's Brigade -- 92 added, up to 864 men.

Durrell's Division

** Kemper gets 103, now at 579 for one of our smallest infantry brigades.

** Seymour adds the 17th crew(rookies).


Altogether we added over 10k men, for a total of a bit over 49 thousand. There are still 7,089 in the recruit pool, but we took a nice good chunk out of it.

[Brian Swartz]

And now -- which spots to fill here and which one to leave empty? I don't really know what to do here for sure, but it seemed most likely that the Rear Guard wouldn't see as much action, so I left that alone. If it becomes a problem I'll have to try and send some troops for the other spots out that way. It seemed II Corps was most prepared to take the Vanguard spot though you could honestly argue in favor of any of them. Regardless, Heintzelman was deployed there, with Stewart and Grant taking the other two 'main army' locations.

I don't know at all how the numbers will work out; as the description shows, we are pursuing a smaller force at first.










Battle pretends to start, but before I can do anything ...








I'm sure it will be as easy as all that.

[Brian Swartz]

Battle of 2nd Bull Run: Part I

** August 28, 1862, 6:30 PM -- Getting ourselves a late start here. Regardless, that last location is Brawner's Farm. Heintzelman has one division and approaches it from across a stream to the southwest:




Doesn't look like an inviting location. Probably best to head east and get across the stream first, then advance into the trees. Deadline here is just before 8PM, almost an hour and a half. With less than 5k on the field, and scouts reporting 7k for the rebels, the odds don't look great initially.

Riding north to the top of a nearby hill, Devin's cavalry spotted the artillery which had already opened up on our men crossing the stream. 14 guns there; Root's 13 20-pound Parrots were ordered up to those heights, where they could pound that position. Meanwhile Heintzelman led the infantry into the trees, where they met their first resistance before 7pm:




It was slow going, and we bogged down in the forest. We drove off their skirmishers and took out a few of the cannon, but they had enough numbers to make the casualties pretty much even as night fell. About 700 on each side.

[Brian Swartz]

2nd Bull Run: Part II




Nobody's going anywhere: it appears the work here has just begun.

"The incident at Brawner's Farm revealed Stonewall Jackson's positions. He is isolated, and is trying to march south towards Richmond."







Hope springs eternal.







Text briefing here indicates we should send one division to the other end of the line, guarding our own left. There might be an opportunity to attack from there.



Ok then.

[Brian Swartz]

Just south of the ridge here there are more troops. We need to push roughly from east to west, cautiously, looking for opportunities on Jackson's flanks as described. BG S. Heintzelman now has another division and a half, 2nd and part of the third having joined him overnight along with the 1st that took part in yesterday's action. His supply wagon has also arrived, which is good because a couple of units are low on ammunition.

Lacking any compelling reason to do otherwhise, I'll keep the roughly 50-50 split and move the units along towards both flanks. Stony Ridge, which lies behind the rebel's expected defensive line, is our eventual objective. One thing is certain; this will be a long, bloody day.

** August 29, 1862, 8:00 AM. Initial troop estimates are 11k for us, over 18k for the rebels. I'll definiely be taking the proferred advice, and exercising caution, maximizing cover, etc.




** 8:26 AM. We encounter some infantry at the railroad in the north, somewhat east of where we expected to find them. We'll hold in the trees and see if we can push them back. It's a longer distance to march in the south as the ridge winds to the west more in that direction; they have still reported no contact.

A small cluster of buildings a bit further to the north, proved the best way to approach. There was another brigade there, but we concentrated fire and quickly routed them. Pushing forward on that flank, we were able to threaten the next brigade over and fire from superior position. It was not as rosy in the south.




Crossing that open space would not be healthy. I attempted to set up our artillery in range, but that's about it.




After we'd softened them up for a while, I risked what ended up being one of the most effective cavalry charges we've yet had. We lost a few dozen horsemen, but smashed another brigade. This let us broaden the hole we'd made in the north flank. A pretty successful morning overall.

[Brian Swartz]

2nd Bull Run Part 3: Attack Jackson Again

Briefing Text: "Jackson as expected is a tough nut to crack ... we have to rest while waiting for reinforcements."




There's Stewart with I Corps arriving! Had the camera at a weird angle when this came up, and you can't change it afterwards.




This is the situation in the south. Right now, I'd say no.

** 2:30PM -- We've fast-forwarded basically four hours here. Two divisions from I Corps have arrived. They'll press forwards toward the rebel center -- they are already trying to counter-attack a bit, and we can't have that.

We now have 16.5k men on the field, just over 17k for the Confederates. If we see an opportunity, we'll press this harder. It's not enough to bloody them; we have to capture Stony Ridge for victory here. The rebel position in the south has weakened. What the heck; I tell the men down there to attack. Fortune favors the bold, right?? They get more men in position before we can get far though. I decide to wait and just keep firing the artillery until we are presented with another opportunity.

** 3:04 PM -- The brief rebel counter-attack has failed, and the new divisions are reaching the battle. Those trees right in the middle, just west of the railroad track, look to be an important foothold. I send some of our best sharpshooters there with other brigades ready close-by to move in if there's a weak spot. Race and Kemper are among them. They should have good cover in there and be able to do some damage to the rebel's fortified positions.

Turns out it isn't close enough, we're still out of range. We need a concentrated push somewhere to dislodge them; there's just no cover close enough. I go back to the southern plan. I think we've got the numbers there, and if we can force their men further north to shift, we might create an opening for the bulk of the Army. It's as good a plan as any.

** 3:30 PM -- Just as they are charging in, for better of worse, the rest of II Corps arrives along with Loomis' men from I Corps. A few minutes later, a good portion of III Corps is also on the field and marching towards the front lines. We're pretty much all here now.




As it turns out, this was as lightly defended as I hoped. Just the one brigade, and we quickly drive them off, gaining a foothold in the forest here on the south end of the ridge. With the latest reinforcements, we appear to have the advantage; 36k for us, 24k for the rebels. It's time to push harder; we'll form up in the south and push a flanking maneuver as hard as we can.




We push partway up the ridge, then they manage to form an organized resistance. These brigades have had a hard last hour or so and are getting tired -- and there are reports of rebel reinforcements arriving behind them to the west. It could get very bad if they are sandwiched.


** 3:49 PM -- As the new Corps continued to, too-slowly, work their way westwards towards the fighting, it looked like the rebels were re-deploying away from their prepared fortifications. I didn't know where they were going for sure. Didn't care either. Wherever it was, I didn't want to give them the opportunity to get a secure position there and set up ready for us. Even without our full strength yet gathered, it seemed the moment was ripe for a general advance.

By 4, the south was looking a little wobbly as one brigade's impetous charge had turned disastrous. Ammunition was starting become an issue there as well with no fresh supply yet in the area. In the center though, it looked like we would have a good chance to push them back.

** 4:04 PM -- A band of less than 100 skirmishers surrenders to us on the north flank. Meanwhile Hood was was starting to cause our brigades in the south some serious trouble. I did everything I could to relieve the pressure, but our reinforcements might not get there in time to save them ...

** 4:20 PM -- Col. Clayton Peabody, one of our new skirmisher captains, is wounded as his fledgling brigade is overrun.

** 4:27 PM -- Col. Ken Stuart, commanding the artillery in the south, is wounded. Our position there is collapsing; we've drawn off some of the rebel attention, but not enough of it. On the other hand, they're not looking so hot in the north as their main artillery position has been taken.

[Brian Swartz]

2nd Bull Run, Conclusion: Continuing to Attack
Jackson

I detecting a pattern in the instructions we get in this battle ...




Rather obvious that it already is.




I think we've got him on the run. Recon parties agree, reporting that we have about 35k strength in the area, with 25k for the rebels. Unless that swings against us, we keep going. Much of the ground, as you can see here, favors them. Organization and coherency of their men does not. We're pushing them back, and once we take the ridge I don't forsee good things for the Confederates here. I will not run at the mere thought of a threat.

The south flank is basically surrounded, but if they can hold out a while longer ...

Terrain, cover are virtual non-issues here. This has degenerated into little more than a general free-for-all, and that's much to our benefit it seems as we're definitely giving better than we are receiving. While some are still coming up, most of the Army is now in the fight. At the moment we estimate about 2700 losses on our side, nearly 5k for the enemy. Why would we stop now??

We've taken the north end of the ridge, and begun the process of wheeling south. We will crush Jackson, Hood, and any other rebel SCUM who stand in our way!!

** 4:34 PM -- Cpt. Alvin Ransom, another new skirmisher commander, is killed. This is a heavy-handed slugfest, and the newer, flimsy skirmisher units have their place. This isn't really it. They've served as little more than a useful distraction.

** 5pm -- We have some late arrivals, giving us almost a 2:1 edge in manpower here. At this point though it could be basically over by the time we get them in action. We've relieved the pressure on one side in the south. While half of our men down there have been crushed, the other half are heroes, and will soon get some rest I think.

Soon one of our biggest problems is the need to constantly reposition the artillery due to how quickly we are pushing them. A good problem to have.

** 5:19 PM -- Another rebel division, under Gen. Jones, has been spotted. We'll take them out too.




** 5:30 PM -- Shumaker here, on the west of the ridge, is the first of their main artillery emplacements to be reached. It is the end for our enemy.

They had their moments, catching us off-guard in isolated ambushes here and there, but the overall trend for the rest of the evening was that the Confederates were swept from the field.

[Brian Swartz]

Battle Statistics


Strength

Infantry: 41,863 Union; 29,299 Confederacy
Cavalry: 2,205 Union; 784 Confederacy
Artillery: 116 guns(2900) Union; 80 guns(1934) Confederacy

Total: 46,968 Union; 32,017 Confederacy

The new men we threw into action were enough to give us a significant edge.

Casualties

Infantry: 7,959 Union; 11,874 Confederacy
Cavalry: 333 Union; 140 Confederacy
Artillery: 12 guns(367) Union; 36 guns(885) Confederacy
Missing: 91 Confederacy

Total: 8,750 Union; 12,899 Confederacy

We took more punishment than I had thought, but it was still a clear Victory. The latest arrivals never got involved at all, which skews the numbers a bit here.


Brigade Performance

So many units involved it's hard to see who is who. That'll be easier when I get to camp briefings and can look up how each brigade did.

Officers

Col. Rafael Durrell has been promoted to Brigadier General. Finally.

BG James Stewart gets his second star, and is now a Major General. We'll have a decision to make collectively on him.

Col. Gregory Race is also promoted to General, as are four others.

Lt. Col. Walter Seymour is promoted to full Colonel.

Says we had nobody wounded or deceased even though there were two reports of it happening during the action. It appears that happens when the entire brigade is shattered.

Weapons

** Re-Bored Farmer: 607 rescued, 650 captured
** Sharps Model 1855: 152 rescued, 199 captured
** Springfield M1842: 1385 rescued, 1272 captured
** Springfield M1855: 1271 rescued, none captured. That's actually probably a good thing, indicated we didn't have to face any and that the rebels aren't using them.
** M1841 Mississippi: 85 captured. We may eventually get enough to use, but we'll need more than this.
** Palmetto M1842: 346 rescued, 319 captured
** Harpers Ferry M1855: 217 rescued, 0 captured
** Smith: 47 rescued
** Lorenz: 12 rescued
** 6pdr Field: 9 rescued, 3 captured
** Palmetto M1842(cav. version): 90 rescued
** Colt M1855: 34 rescued
** 12pdr Napoleon: 8 captured
** Sawed-off: 28 captured

That's, uh, a long list.

Rewards

** Career Points: +2
** Reputation: +20
** Funding: $277k
** Recruits: 16.6k. Plus another 91 in exchange for the men we captured.

First 'Grand Battle' we've won in a while. It remains to be seen whether it ushers in a new era of momentum. In the actual events, the Union lost 16k and the Confederacy 7k here as the rebel reinforcements turned the tide, so it's nice that we fared better than that.

[Brian Swartz]

We are now in the 1862 Maryland Campaign, in which we are in general on the defensive. Two smaller battles(on the same day), require 9 and 20 brigades. This will be followed up by Antietam, which has a higher brigade limit than 2nd Bull Run(which we had more than enough more men for) at 100(we have 60 right now). III Corps is by far the strongest right now, and will take at least one of these battles on if not both. It's been an extremely busy, and up-and-down year, in the war. That's now drawing to a close, one way or the other.

Career Points Briefing

** Politics(4) -- Increase gold and recruits from + 10% to 12.5% or 15%.

** Economy(0) -- Increase weapon discount from 0 to 2.5% or 5%

** Medicine(2) -- Increase casualty recovery rate from 4 to 6% or 8%.

** Training(6) -- Increase the discount on veteran recruits from 15% to 17.5% or 20%.

** Army Organization(6) -- Increase the maximum size of the army. We currently have a max of 3 Corps, 4 Divisions, 5 Brigades, and 2000/Brigade. The first point would upgrade to 2500/Brigade; the second would add a 4th Corps. So we definitely have the option to keep growing -- or to improve what we already have.

** Logistics(1) -- Increase starting ammunition from +5% to +10% or 15% for all brigades.

** Reconnaissance(4) -- Currently we know the enemy army size going in real-time, and what Corps/Division/Brigade we are facing. The next level will give us more detail on the individual units they are fielding, described the game only as 'partial info', whatever that means.

First Two-Pointer to decide on in a while -- enter your votes!. For anyone who's curious, we sit at $277k funding, almost 24k in recruits. That's enough to handle another Corps if we decide to go that route.

[DavidCorperial]

I'd say one Politics and one Training.

[Coffee Warlord]

I'm down with that.

Excuse me.

GENERAL Coffee is down with that.

[chesapeake]

1 in politics and 1 in economy.

[collegesportsfanms]

politics and training looks good to me

[ntndeacon]

Medicine and training for me

[Brian Swartz]

Politics and Training win the vote. We move up to 5 and 7 points invested there respectively.

[Brian Swartz]

Weapons Reference updated in the OP. There's really nothing exciting to mention there; modest increases in availability at best.

Barracks Report

The 10 wounded officers are now available, and 14 more are available to recruit. We do need to replace five, the number of brigades that shattered at 2nd Bull Run, but that will still leave us looking very good indeed. In fact, there will now only be one division left that isn't commanded by a General, with enough left over for a few of them to be brigade commanders. Qualified leadership has never been less of an issue.

Weapons Distribution

Infantry

** Re-bored Farmer(6 brigades, 6076 total, 3 * and 3 green)
** Springfield M1842(19 brigades, 22543 total, 7 * and 12 green)
** Palmetto M1842(1 brigade, 832 total, 1 *)
** Lorenz(1 brigade, 554 total, 1 **)
** Springfield M1855(8 brigades, 7059 total, 6 ** and 2 *)
** Harpers Ferry M1855(1 brigade, 907 total, 1 **)

One obvious change that we will look into here is outfitting the promoted brigades with Farmers with something better -- and using the freed-up weapons for a couple new brigades, and reinforcing the remaining green ones.

Skirmishers

** Hunter(1 brigade, 318 total, 1 green)
** Sharps Model 1855(2 brigades, 465 total, 1 * and 1 green)

Cavalry

** Cook & Brother(1 brigade, 300 total, 1 green)
** Palmetto M1842(3 brigades, 910 total, 3 green)
** Colt M1855(1 brigade, 323 total, 1 *)
** Smith(1 brigade, 329 total, 1 *)

Artillery

** 6pdr Field(3 brigades, 33 total, 2 * and 1 green)
** 10pdr Ordnance(1 brigade, 15 total, 1 **)
** 12pdr Howitzer(3 brigades, 22 total, 3 green)
** 12pdr Napoleon(2 brigades, 36 total, 1 ** and 1 *)
** 20pdr Parrot(1 brigade, 13 total, 1 *)

[Brian Swartz]

Army-Level Choices

1. Emphasis. Although we definitely went for numbers last time, our long-term outlook continues to be a slight lean to veterans over weapon upgrades and recruit numbers.

2. Reputation Investment

We're at 53 right now. That confers a +4 morale bonus on all units.

** $125k cash(22 Rep.)
** 5k recruits(22 Rep.)
** 7.5k Springfield M1855(18 Rep.)
** 12 12pdr Napoleon(7 Rep.)
** 12 10pdr Ordnance(7 Rep.)
** 12 10pdr Parrot(7 Rep.)
** BG George Meade(6 Rep.)
** BG Ambrose Burnside(4 Rep.)

As before, all Commanders are advised that we are not in need of men or generals; we have plenty of both, at least for the current state of things with the choices that have been made. Cash or weapons will always be useful in upgrading our capabilties however. Useful enough to warrant the investment? As always, that choice is in your hands.

3. Weapon Sales

There are a few that we have enough to raise a bit of money with, those we've captured, can't buy, and don't have enough to outfit a brigade. With the big 'payday' we got though it's not enough to be more than a drop in the bucket. We'll revisit this in the future.

Command briefing hopefully later tonight. With Christmas weekend coming up though, I'm likely to delay the next battle until afterwards, to ensure everyone has a chance to look things over.

[Brian Swartz]

Command Briefings

I've thought about how to approach the next couple of battles. Since they are both on the same day, I don't think it's reasonable to send III Corps out for both. Their strength in numbers would be most useful in the larger skirmish, so we'll switch gears and head to South Mountain first. Current estimates are that they will outnumber the enemy a bit even before considering reinforcements(though artillery is another matter, favoring the rebels currently). It's still a quite inexperienced Corps but we'll rely on numbers to carry the day. This will both allow the other two Corps to recover their strength more before going out again, and also give them the advantadge of weakening/diverting the force they'll eventually face at Crampton's Gap. I think this gives us the best reasonable approach to the next couple of battles ahead of Antietam.

Army Structure

I Corps(MG James Stewart, 5%ish)
** Wagner
---- Race(Infantry, Springfield M1855)**
---- Scales(Artillery, 10pdr Ordnance)**
** Durrell
---- Kemper(Infantry, Lorenz)**
---- Hoke(Infantry, Springfield M1842)*
---- Pease(Infantry, Re-Bored Farmer)*
---- Birney(Carbine Cavalry, Smith)*
---- Seymour(Artillery, 12pdr Napoleon)**
** Loomis
---- Moody(Infantry, Springfield M1842)*
---- Finegan(Infantry, Harpers Ferry M1855)**
---- Pease(Infantry, Springfield M1842)*
---- Gary(Infantry, Springfield M1842)
---- Wright(Artillery, 12pdr Napoleon)*
** York

II Corps(BG S. Heintzelman, 80%ish)
** McCook
** Liddell
** Church
** Hagood
III Corps(MG Ulysses Grant, 15% or so)
** Lawton
** Ferrero
----- Baldwin(Shock Cavalry, Palmetto M1842)
** McClellan
** Toon

I Corps

James Stewart has been promoted to Major General! All I Corps officers, which is most of you, are directed to put in your two cents on what perk he should choose. Note that division COs will have their opinions be given somewhat greater weight. Stewart's first perk was pre-selected as Tactics(+5% speed) when we started the game. The new options are:

** Artillery Specialization(+5 Firearms/+5% Accuracy/-5% Reloading Time)
** Infantry Specialization(+5 Melee/+5 Firearms/-5% Reloading Time)
** Cavalry Specialization(+5 Melee/+5 Firearms/+10% Charge Damage)

Each applies only to units of that specific type(Artillery/Infantry/Cavalry).

Wagner's Division

Race's Brigade

BG Gregory Race is at 19%. Next step for him really is getting his own division; he's fairly close to the top of the list in terms of that happening, but there are still a few ahead of him due to 'general glut'.

Alter Ego: Coffee Warlord

Men: 589
Experience: **, 16% to ***
Perks: Endurance Course, Marksman Training
Last Battle: 2nd Bull Run(287 losses, 614 kills. Not bad)

Efficiency: 57
Morale: 73(+5)
Stamina: 60(+1)
Firearms: 74(-1)
Melee: 25

Weapon: Springfield M1855

$39 each for veterans(not counting the weapon, you'll at least get some of those for free). Can take on up to 81 rookies while maintaining second star; That would reduce the price to $34-35 each. Not a big difference at this point; of course you are the one who chooses whether it is worth it.


Scales's Brigade

Col. Wade Scales progresses to 20%.

Alter Ego: Qwikshot

Gun Crews: 15
Experience: **, 39% to ***
Perks: Physical Training, Tactical Training
Last Battle: 2nd Bull Run(0 losses, 223 kills. Actually one of the lower kill numbers for them in the war).

Efficiency: 60(+2)
Morale: 99(+8)
Stamina: 66(+4)
Firearms: 89(+5)
Melee: 14

Weapon: 10pdr Ordnance

$5250 for veteran crews. You can take on up to two more under the command-efficiency limit; the money's likely to be available for one if you choose it. No reinforcements are needed since there were no casualties. Also worth noting that you've maxed-out morale; fighting efficiency and stamina are the only things that are really going to get much better. Could also campaign for a different weapon.


Durrell's Division

BG Rafael Durrell has received his general's star, and is a percent or two towards the next one, not much progress there yet.

Alter Ego: ntndeacon

Col. Kemper -- 554 infantry(Lorenz, **, 12%). 26 losses, 157 kills in limited action at 2nd Bull Run. Small size of the brigade contributed; have to be more careful without there being enough men.
Lt. Col. Hoke -- 960 infantry(Springfield M1842, *, 10%). 387 losses, 252 kills at 2nd Bull run. Promoted to * status!
Lt. Col. Pease -- 715 infantry(Re-Bored Farmer, *, 15%). 255 losses, 228 kills at 2nd Bull Run.
BG Birney -- 329 carbine cavalry(Smith, *, 91%). 98 losses, 77 kills at 2nd Bull Run.

Aside from the usual vets/rookies call, there's also the matter of what perks to get for Hoke & Pease's brigades. It's the usual choices: Discipline Training gives morale, Endurance Course gives Stamina and Speed, both increase efficiency. Also, Pease at least is in line for a new weapon; any * brigade is good enough to be given something better than a Farmer. There are enough Lorenz's available that we can go for two brigades with them again, but not three. At least one of the units will need to make do with something else long-term. Either way, I'd say 2nd Bull Run was a good one for your division overall, though Birney has really taken a hit the last couple times out.

Seymour's Brigade

Col. Walter Seymour is a full Colonel, and stands at 18% towards General rank.

Alter Ego: DavidCorperial

Gun Crews: 17
Experience: **, 13% to ***
Perks: Logistics, Gunnery Training
Last Battle: 0 losses, 112 kills at 2nd Bull Run. Only at one of the minor skirmishers did they record a lower total, but of course they were late arrivals.

Efficiency: 45(-2)
Morale: 87(+3)
Stamina: 52
Firearms: 91
Melee: 16

Weapon: 12pdr Napoleon

Gained enough skill to make up for the rookie additions, more or less. We currently have 10 Napoleons in the armory, and will be looking to use them either here or in equipping a third brigade with them. However, you are maxed-out in terms of the command limit so there doesn't appear to be much unless you want a different gun or something.


Loomis's Division

Col. Adam Loomis is the only division commander who hasn't been made a General. About 70% now. I think he'll get there eventually. I hope.

Alter Ego: chesapeake

** Col. Moody -- 1547 Infantry(Springfield M1855, *, 77%). 6 losses, 501 kills at 2nd Bull Run. Was positioned well in mop-up duty, but that's still darned impressive.
** Gen. Finegan -- 907 Infantry(Harpers Ferry M1855, **, 8%). 452 losses, 363 kills at 2nd Bull Run. Not real impressive for one of the elite brigades, and they didn't improve a whole lot.
** Col. Pease -- 2000 Infantry(Springfield M1842, *, 25%). 458 losses, 683 kills. They were involved in some pretty heavy fighting, improved in all categories, most notably morale(up to 47, basically doubled).
** Lt. Col. Gary -- 1262 Infantry(Springfield M1842, green, 78%). 546 losses, 232 kills. Eeek. Those who survived are now just half as incompetent as they were before.
** Gen. Wright -- 19 Artillery(12pdr Napoleon, *, 93%). 22 losses, 259 kills. Wright was caught in one of the surprise rebel ambushes near the southern flank. Got out of trouble reasonably quickly, but almost $2k will need to be spent on reinforcements. Can increase up to the max, and given the extras, this is a good candidate for an additional gun on top of the replacement men if desired.

II Corps

A few brigades to promote, and 2nd Division was among the hardest-hit by 2nd Bull Run. They, uh, have only two brigades left. Who recorded almost 1300 enemy casualties between them. Heroes, every last man.

III Corps

Baldwin's Brigade

Lt. Col. Bryan Baldwin is back in action. 24% to promotion.

Alter Ego: tarcone

Horsemen: 328
Experience: Green, 86% to *
Perks: None
Last Battle: 84 losses, 8 kills at 2nd Bull Run. That's, uh, really bad. Can't sugarcoat it really.

Efficiency: 12(+1)
Morale: 40(+12)
Stamina: 17(+2)
Firearms: 17
Melee: 20(+1)

Weapon: Palmetto M1842

Didn't learn anything skill-wise, but they are more seasoned. Vets are $27 here(without the weapon cost), rookies $10. Still the same story; this brigade needs to push for a promotion perk before much can be changed.

Lots of resources, so this is an important set of orders. We're back into the 'normal' vein of investing some resources in most brigades and going for a broad, gradual improvement here. I Corps officers are reminded to vote on their Corps Commander's perk; everyone is reminded to consider emphasis and reputation options. I think Wednesday evening the 27th would be a good time to resume here. Enjoy Christmas ... but don't forget to put in your two cents here. We've got the initiative back, perhaps, but will need to fight hard to retain it.

[Brian Swartz]

Just a reminder that I plan to proceed later tonight; hope everyone had a great Christmas. It's a busy time of year for everyone, so no harm no foul if anyone doesn't have to time to chime in, but I also don't want to overly drag this out without advancing.

[ntndeacon]

Let's get as many men in Durrell's units without lowering stars....the exception being Birneys unit. Veterans only there. And get Pease the Springfield M1855 if we can get them. Lets give Home Discipline and give Pease endurance.

[chesapeake]

Recommend that the CO select the infantry specialization.

Give Wright's unit an extra gun. We like even numbers.

Disappointing performance from Finegan's brigade, but they're the unit that needs the investment from my division. Build them up with veterans, if you please.

[Brian Swartz]

Camp Results

Every infantry brigade that has reached * status was upgraded to the Springfield M1842 if they didn't have them already. This was given priority, as it seems best to me to have a halfway-serviceable weapon for men who have proven themselves capable of using it. There were three of them, taking up almost all of the applicable weapons in the Armory.

I Corps

MG James Stewart takes the Infantry Specialization. I was debating between that and RNG-decision there, but chesapeake's vote pushed it over the edge.

Race's Brigade -- 81 rookies for free took you down to the ** experience minimum again. 157 vets as well, a total of +238, now at 827 men. Still small, but recovering.

Scales' Brigade -- Given the lack of instructions here, the fact that another veteran crew would put him just over the brigade allotment in terms of funding, and the relative need for more bodies elsewhere, Scales holds at 15 crews with no changes this time around.

Durrell's Divison

Kemper -- 55 rookies, 143 veterans. +198 to 752 strength.
Hoke -- 277 rookies, 142 veterans. +419 to 1379 men.
Pease -- Not experienced enough to justify the expense of the Springfield M1855. They do get a shipment of M1842s though. 365 rookies, 107 veterans. +472, now at 1187. The requested weapon is noted for future reference though, and may come in time.
Birney -- +82 veterans, back up to a credible 411 horsemen.

Seymour's Brigade -- Holds at max of 17.

Loomis's Division

** Moody -- No change.
** Finegan -- 417 vets to 1324. This took a truly ridiculous amount of money, siphoning from the other brigades in the division as part of it. Approached $20k spent on the one unit ... so I hope they perform now as a result .
** Pease -- Adds 11 rookies as part of a general disbursement of the Springfield M1842.
** Gary -- Same 11 for him, and 227 vets to get him up to the 1500 mark.
** Wright -- Up to 20 guns now.


III Corps

Baldwin's Brigade

155 reinforcements, up to 483. Good-sized cavalry now, but they still pretty much suck in the skill department.

Summary

We just spent over a quarter-million warbucks(TM). There is a whopping $25 left, and 8,414 recruits; we put about 70% of the available manpower in the field as well. We now have a third Napoleon-firing artillery brigade, but the biggest change was in the lower-level infantry. Several thousand new Springfield M1842s are now out there. In fact, we raided over half of the available stock. Once as high as 20k, it's now at just over 4500 remaining. If things go well, we'll probably have to upgrade more units out of necessity; but that would be a really good problem to have. A lot of green/1-star brigades that were at about 1000 moved up to close to the 1500 range. This was made possible by our biggest warchest yet to spend, continuing training improvements, and also the increased experience of our top commanders, which has a trickle-down effect on the brigades. The command-efficiency limit is becoming less of an issue.

Of course, the more experienced units, and those with more advanced weapons, remain much more difficult to increase the numbers in.

Here's how the total manpower stands:

I Corps -- 16.9k
II Corps -- 18.1k
III Corps -- 20.6k

Over 55,000 now under our command. Which is still just half of the size of the total rebel force, so we oughtn't get cocky, but we've never gotten much above 40k before.