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Lost the Battle, Won the Game, and oh what fun it was.
I just concluded all 158 turns of Scenario 007 in the Gettysburg game with my opponent UpQuark. If anyone ever likes to theorize about how the ANV could have won at Gettysburg if they had just pushed on and secured Cemetery Hill in the fading light of July 1st, I'm here to tell you that it probably wouldn't have mattered. I did just that, in fact the ANV (Heth's Division) secured Cemetery Hill early on July 1st, taking advantage of Buford's cavalry playing a soft defense. Knowing that Heth would get there relatively fresh I gambled and sent Pender's division to try and block the Union I and XI corps approaching along the Emmitsburg road. It was successful and I think only about 2 Brigades of the I Corps made it past the road block, which although they briefly tried to take Cemetery Hill they lacked the strength against Heth's whole division. Meanwhile, brave Dorsey Pender received the full might and fury of the balance of the I Corps, and all of XI Corps. Pender gave ground grudgingly and managed to extricate themselves, at roughly 50% strength, on a line that stretched from Black Horse Tavern and then NE along Seminary and Herr Ridges, as Rodes' Division from Ewell's came up and checked the exhausted Union I and XI Corps. Meanwhile back on Cemetery Hill, the Union XII Corps was coming hard up Taneytown road and launched a desperate twilight assault on Culp's Hill, trying to push the saddle between it and Cemetery Hill. It was prevented by the timely arrival of Anderson's Division of Hill's Corps, and the failing light.
On July 2nd the Confederate Lines were in a line running from in front of the Black Horse Tavern (Rodes), along Willoughby Run (Early) up Cemetery Hill (Johnson and Heth) across Culps (Anderson) with Pender's battered division resting on Benner Hill. Jenkins Cavalry was posted on Oak Hill, as I knew once my opponent figured out Oak Hill could over look the Culp and Cemetery Hill position and neutralize much of the height advantage the beginning of the end would come for that position. The early morning hours were largely filled with minor skirmishes and positioning of forces. The first available Confederate forces (McLaws of Longstreet's Corps) raced to extend Lee's left, while Jenkin's outnumbered Irregular Cavalry ws slowly pushed off Oak Hill by superior Union Cavalry forces. Fresh Union troops pushed in Rodes division on Lee's right and forced the diversion of Hood's Division to that area, as opposed to their intended role in acting as a reserve for the Cemetery Hill position. Slowly and steadily Union Artillery rolled into position, a lot of it was in the valley behind Cemetery Ridge and of marginal effectiveness, but ever increasing numbers of guns started to occupy Oak Hill, and others found defiilade positions at the base of the Hill to fire at close ranges (albeit upwards). Confederate Counter Battery fire made things hot, but eventually weight of iron began to tell and as Confederate gun positions slackened their fire, Union artillery began to grind away at Southern infantry. The decision was already made that this position could not be held on the 3rd of July due to dwindling artillery ammunition when the storm broke about 3PM on the second. Union assault waves began to climb the slopes of Cemetery Hill, with just enough probe on Culp's Hill to my left and along Willoughby Run on my right to keep forces being easily shifted from either area. The early waves were easily repulsed as relatively fresh Southern Infantry, well positioned, inflicted carnage amongst the attacking Union Regiments. Front regiments would break and run, and disrupt entire brigades behind them. An attritional game began, the Union forces committing ever growing numbers of reserves from the I, III, VI and XII Corps, while the V Corps tied down my left and the II and XI Corps my right. A plan to have Stuart with 3 brigades of cavalry smash into the rear of Syke's V Corps misfired when they ran into Union Cavalry, and although they completely destroyed a Union brigade (McIntosh) and captured the Union Corps Commander (Pleasanton) the Union V Corps escaped untouched, the end result being that McLaw's division could not be freed up to help the beleaguered defenders in the center. By 5PM Lee told the gallant AP Hill, that the ridge crests had to be held until dusk to allow the limbers and wagons to withdraw unhindered by artillery fire the Union. Brave Little Powell, whose troops in he form of Pender's division had been the heroes of of Day 1, one again became the heroes of Day 2. Heth's and Anderson's divisions, supported by Johnson's Divsiion from Ewell's Corps bled themselves white holding the crests by the merest of margins. The crest of Clup's Hill fell at 640PM and Cemetery Hill at 7PM, and the great retreat began.
The Union pursuit ended at Sunset on the edge of Gettysburg proper. The Confederate retreat by exhausted forces continued throughout the night, as almost the entirety of Ewell's and Hill's Corps, or what remained of them, all hit high and maximum fatigue as the night penalty of 50 points per turn were repeatedly added to the exhausted formations.
As dawn broke the exhausted formations were trudging up the Chambersburg Pike. Over the course of the morning the battered remnants of Hill's Corps would file into Hill Town, the similarly exhausted formations form Ewell's Corps would climb the forward slopes of Rock Top west of Cash Town, and McLaw's division from Longstreet's Corps would come to rest in woods around the Deardorff Crossroads SE of Hill Town. The entire army was screened by Stuart's Cavalry from Mummasburg down to the Chambersburg Pike, while Hood's Division provided the rear guard on the Pike. With less than 100 rounds of artillery ammo available to us, we fought a constant delaying action up the Chambersburg Pike. We were banking on any serious effort against us coming up the Pike since the ability to move supply and support along the back roads would prevent any efforts north or south of the pike. Ultimately that was the case. Some small amount of Union force tried the Northern route but sufficiently small that Pender's battered division was able to keep them at bay. The last of the rear guards came into the "fortress" of Rock Top about 3PM and we settled down for the final assaults. Throughout the day Confederate Infantry had shuffled into positions, and rested. As fatigue was recovered they began the work of building breast works. By the time Union Guns and Infantry began to take up positions at the base of the hill, almost all of our lines were in forest, at elevation levels of 2 or more above the Union positions, and protected by Breast works almost everywhere. Unions artillery fire was ineffective against any positions other than the few without breast works and even there losses were minimal. The afternoon was not without it's scares, as a failed morale roll could still take 5 or 6 regiments on a rout to the rear, but Union infantry, way down at the base of the Hill, was never able to take advantage, and being in a position to take advantage would have exposed them to murderous small arms fire. With the evening heading towards night the Union guns finally exhausted their ammunition supply and any hopes of crushing the ANV faded. Southern Artillery Limbers began to exit via the hex on Chambersburg Pike and in the end amassed enough VPs to win a Major Victory 3 times over (without the exit point the score was 6142, just enough to push it above a Major Victory on it's own merits).
The game was fun for a couple of reasons. 1) First and foremost neither side quit and we played all 158 turns, which is very rare. Of course we had reason to continue, when I was on Cemetery Hill the score was north of 10,000 VPs and yet it ended up at 6100 VPs (not counting exit points) so my opponent had every reason to believe he could knock that VP level down because he was doing so by leaps and bounds. And 2) The game had it all, from assaults against a fixed position, to great cavalry actions on the flanks, to pursuit and chase of a beaten force, and rear guard actions of the first order.
Complaints? Yes I have a couple. The biggest is the now well known (as still unaddressed) night fatigue glitch which effects only the Confederate player. It pissed me off so much on the first dawn turn on July 2nd it was the only time I considered seriously quitting the game. We addressed it by the Union player graciously agreeing that neither of us would move anything but supply wagons on the first dawn turn of July 3rd to "level the field". The other is OOB issues. Both sides are surprisingly hard pressed for supply, that's OKAY, and I rather like it. However Hood's division never receives a wagon, and that makes a hard situation unnecessarily harder. It should have it's wagon. The Union OOB has Battery B and M of the 1st Connecticut Artillery of the Artillery Reserve, and Company C 32nd Mass Infantry and 7 Company's of the 4th NJ Infantry (both assigned to the artillery reserve) in Taneytown that never release. Also 1 regiment (84th PA of Carr's Brigade of the III Corps) that never releases from its camp at Bridgeport. Although my opponent may disagree with this one, I think the Southern Artillery Ammo allotment is way too low. I mean I was effectively out of ammo by the early hours of Day 2. I begin to limit my artillery fire before the Union assault and once the assault began I dwindled down to essentially nothing a few hours before dusk. It's safe t say that historically the South should be the attacker here, and yet I ran out of ammo as the defender (at least the defender after the early part of July 1st). The Union on the other hand fired freely and heavily all day every day and only ran out of ammo on the last few turns of the game. I don't believe the south should have an advantage or even parity, but still they shouldn't run out that quickly.
My respect and admiration to UpQuark on an excellent, enjoyable and well fought battle. I may have won the "game" by the terms of the score, but make no mistake, Bobby Lee went to PA and got whipped. Which brings me back to my opening sentence. To all the what if types out there, I maintain my opinion that the only way the ANV ever was going to win at Gettysburg was if Meade decided to quit on Day 1. Whether the ANV takes the heights or not, once Meade decides he's willing to get in the mud and wrestle with the pig on days 2 and 3, he can't lose, he can only take more or less losses in the process.
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Lost the Battle, Won the Game, and oh what fun it was.
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