GTC #2 Replay
May 24th & 25th
The first initiative roll is a double-1. Grant rolls a 5 and Lee ends the turn!
Ouch! Both armies end up resting and digging and the clock starts to wind down for the Yanks.
On the 25th, the Federal II and V corps reinforce the battle line in front of Longstreet's corps (see Force 5 and 7 in the below picture). Ewell's II corps contemplates a flank attack on Birney's division (which holds the Union right flank) but rolls a 1 for movement. Instead, the Rebel II corps retires to take up the Confederate left flank. Unable to attack the Union right, Lee shifts his attention to the Union left held by Getty's division of the VI corps. Heth's division is sent on a flank march and hits Getty hard with a +6 assault resulting in 4DR*/-. The VI corps reacts by sending Ricketts, Wright and the artillery reserve into battle. Heth beats back Ricketts on a +3 attack (1Dr/1Da result). Sedgwick dodges a bullet (literally) as the combat rolls are double-1 and his leader loss roll is a 5.
As the fighting rages on the northern end of the battlefield, Longstreet's I corps pulls back from its trenches to behind a creek line in an effort to make the Confederate left more secure. Ewell's II corps is ordered north to the aid of Lee and Early. Ewell rolls a 1 and 2 and doesn't make much progress. The Union II and V corps pull out of line and get on the road heading north.
Stuart's cavalry corps moves from Spotsylvania County to Hanover Junction and is joined by Butler's brigade from Richmond. Sheridan's cavalry hears the guns of the battle near Newfound River. He first gets orders to probe the Confederate flanks but suggests that a raid towards Richmond while Stuart's cavalry are unprepared would be a better course of action. Meade disagrees but Grant over-rules him and Sheridan sets off. Stuart reacts but can get no further than defending the Ashland RR station before his horses are exhausted (F3). Sheridan continues on to Richmond and sets up a defensive perimeter between the Richmond and Stuart's forces to the north. Sheridan then leads three brigades on attacks against the Richmond forts. The first two assaults (+2,+3 attacks) go better than expected (+4, +5 results) and the Richmond defenses are breached.
The action for the day concludes as the Union forces in Spotsylvania and Caroline County begin to move south. The IX corps concentrates in Milford.
May 26th & 27th
On the 26th, Hoke arrives in Richmond (his division left PWJ by rail on the 25th). In the first initiative, Hoke moves forward to make contact with Sheridan's cavalry and drives off one brigade (cavalry retreat). The next initiative is a double-1 and Grant fails the continuation roll.
The next day doesn't go much better for the Boys in Blue. The Confederates win the first several initiatives and send Ewell and two of his divisions north of the Newfound River to support Heth. Johnson's division is sent south of the South Anna to defend against any Union moves around the Confederate left. Sheridan's cavalry withdraw from Richmond into Hanover County. The next initiative was a double-1 followed by a failed continuation roll.
Union luck really went south (no pun intended) this strategic segment. In three of the four turns, the Union had all of one initiative. The segment ends with lots of trenches in western Hanover County.
May 27th Strategic Cycle
Hill remains sick. The Strategic Event is "Johnston Wins Big." The Confederates receive 1 replacement which is sent to the Valley. Four Union replacements join Sigel's command; six join the VI corps. So far the Union unreplaced losses are: 46 losses - 26 replaced = 20 unreplaced. The Union rolls a 4 (x1 for 4 replacements). Two are designated for the Valley and two for the AoP. The Confederates decide to bring on the voluntary Valley reinforcements. The Union roll a 2, releasing Averell's and Crook's units. The Confederates will receive their reinforcements May 31st; the Union June 4th.
Late in the game, it is worth it for the Confederates to take their Valley reinforcements. Depending on the game end roll, the Union reinforcements may only be in the game one or two cycles.
Despite being removed in a few days, Sigel moves south and is joined by a 2-MP Substitute from Charlottesville, to attack Staunton at 18:9. The attack is +1ratio -2tactical = -1 attack. The Union win the die roll by 1 for a +0 result and a second round. The attack goes in at -2 (the ratio is now 17:9) but Sigel wins the die roll by 5 and takes Staunton!. In the Bermuda Hundred, Butler sends the X corps to attack Petersburg and the cavalry from City Point to the Bermuda Hundred. The Petersburg attack is 33:24 (12 MP doubled). The -1 attack results in a -2 outcome with the Union high-tailing it back to City Point (a major defeat). Overall, the Union take 5 casualties to 1 for the Confederates in the off-map battles.
The Union doesn't build a depot and flips the Union Navy marker to Transport Troops. The Confederate depot in Hanover Junction is removed. All forces are in supply (except for Getty's division in Louisa County). The Union fail to generate a command point in both theaters and will be passive in both next cycle.
Historically, Grant's army was near Haw's Shop which is 12 miles (as the crow flies) from Richmond at this point in the campaign. Currently the AoP is 25 miles from Richmond and somewhat boxed in by a strong Confederate line and the South Anna river. Given that the historical outcome of the campaign was on the cusp of a Marginal/Substantive Confederate victory (in game terms), the Union almost has to start playing to get a Marginal defeat as opposed to going for victory. Union luck from the beginning has been poor. The overland supply line debacle and the failure to fully utilize Burnside's corps have contributed to a very tough end game position for the Union. So far this game is really turning into an example of how not to play the Union.
At the end of the cycle, the victory point situation is as follows:
| Victory Points | |
| Reason | VP |
| Control of Caroline County, 2 cycles | +6 |
| Control of Staunton, 1 cycle | +3 |
| Destruction of dismantled depot | +10 |
| Confederate losses, 26 MP | +78 |
| Union losses, 51 MP | -102 |
| Total | -5 |
And the off-map situation is as follows:
| Bermuda Hundred Theater | |
| Location | Forces |
| Bermuda Hundred | Union; Butler, 35 MP |
| City Point | Union; 30 MP |
| Petersburg | Confederate; Beauregard, 12 MP |
| PWJ | Confederate; BR Johnson, 8 MP |
| Burkeville | Confederate; 4 MP |
Valley Theater | |
| Location | Forces |
| Staunton | Union; Sigel, 16 MP |
| Charlottesville | Union; 5 MP |
| Lexington | Confederate; Breckinridge, 10 MP |