Petersburg III, Bloody Big Battles

After two games as R.E. Lee, I finally got to try out Grant’s shoes. I had a plan to run through the first two strategic phases in short order, using as few activations (of the 30 allowed) as possible and then go to town on the third and last strategic phase, when Sheridan and his veteran cavalry were available. Bill and his son Mathew conspired against me. Mathew did bring a heavily laden box of goodies from Cousin John’s Café and Bakery in Brooklyn, a good thing.

 

First strategic phase, Turn 1

The first two turns went well enough despite Wright’s beating by Johnson. Two turns, four activations, two objectives (the Weldon RR) and the plan was going well. That would be the last of that.

 

First the Rebels pushed their works aggressively into the gap left by Wright’s defeat. Then they noted how I had weighted my left flank to go after their railroads, and how my right flank was held by the raw troops from deep in the US rear. They didn’t man the new works, instead massing the aggressive, veteran divisions of Mahon and Johnson against my extreme right. I had hoped that artillery support from the nearby troops might stop or slow down some of the attackers.

Second strategic phase, turn 3

Nope. I finally opted to stop the strategic phase, figuring the raiding Rebels would be isolated at the start of the 3^rd and last phase. Ending it on the 5^th turn would have left me some more activations and 1 objective, since the enemy sitting on my LOC ate one objective each turn.

I started the last strategic phase with 10 activations and zero objectives. By now I could only get 2 or 3 objectives on the enemy supply lines, needing 5. I had to take Petersburg itself for a win. I didn’t mention this but the Secesh figured it out. Heads down and charge was the only option. Sheridan and his boys were not of much use making frontal attacks on forts, except as big targets.

Third and last strategic phase, turn 7, ~10 activations left

We played 9 turns and two inter-phases in 3 hours and 21 minutes. The taste of defeat was ameliorated by the pastry from Cousin John.

 

I made two rules errors during the game. I had a raw unit that snuck into a CSA fort. It began the 3^rd phase in the ZOCs of three CSA units. I wheeled it left and attacked anther fort, only to be repulsed by Heth’s heroes. Checking the rules later, I found that it could only have attacked the enemy within ZOC and the front arc, and then the closest. I plead ignorance due to the length of time between our games lately.

 

The second error: I ruled units that had their retreat blocked by impassable terrain/table edge/enemy troops stopped that turn. If they are disrupted (as all units losing assaults are) then they also lose a base. Each side would have lost at least two more bases, which might have made some difference but not a game-changer. Still, something to keep in mind next time.

 

This scenario fascinates me. There’s the incredible scope, 8 months played in an evening. And the trench lines snaking across the table between each strategic phase, unlike anything I’ve played before.

 

Won't play it again this year. We’re heading north in a week and will ring in the new year there.