RTG#1: July 5th to July 9th
| Date | Random Event | Losses CS:US | VP |
| July 5 | 5=US CP | 20:21 | +23 |
| July 6 | 9=NE | 22:25 | +25 |
On July 5th, the Union suffers command paralysis. Lee wins the first three initiatives and stabilizes his line with the I Corps on the Confederate right, the II Corps in the center and the III Corps on the left. The Union advances on the Confederate center and left with the I, VI and XII Corps. The V and XI Corps screen the Confederate right as Hancock's recovered corps moves to Confederate left flank. Lee decides fight from his current posistions and waits for the Federal assaults. However, as the sluggish AoP is getting into position, Ewell attempts a pre-emptive assault on the XII Corps but blows the command roll. His second attempt succeeds, but the grand assault die roll fails (Lee meant it when he wanted to defend!) two of Ewell's divisions make a 13:30 attack that fails (-1/-1 F/1D).
This attack inflicts the third ammo loss on Johnson and second on Early. Lee was concerned in the campaign about ammo and the game models this very well. In hindsight this pre-emptive attack was a bad idea since even if the grand assault would have succeeded, the Rebs would still be low on ammo.
Reynolds leads a massive grand assault against Heth on the Confederate left. Seven divisions from the I, II and VI Corps and one artillery reserve make a 42:10 attack that shreds Heth's division (+5/+9 4DR*/a). Slocum follows up with a second grand assault, leading Geary (XII Corps), Gibbon (II Corps), Robinson (I Corps) and an artillery reserve against Ewell (Early and Johnson; +0/+2 1Dr/1Da). The assault carries the Rebel position and more importantly puts Johnson out of ammo (negating his 7 artillery points). Lee realizes that he has lost the Battle of Pigeon Hills and begins to retreat towards York.
Buford and Kilpatrick attempt to cut-off Hill (Pender's division) from York near Glatfellers Station. Hood is sent from the Rebel right to clear out the Yank cavalry. The Union V Corps fills the void left by Hood and flanks Rodes position in Spring Forge (see July 5th picture) from the north and south. Hood counter-marches and routs Barnes (+3/+5 2DR/Ea) to save Rodes. The remainder of the AoP is too tired to pursue. Sickles' III Corps is still marching to the front (which keeps moving away from him).
The battle of Pigeon Hills is over and the race (make that crawl given the disorganization, exhaustion and fatigue of both sides) to York begins. At this point, Lee is hoping to hold on and run out the clock. With the +30 VP for controlling York at the end of the game, the Confederates are almost guaranteed a marginal win. However, the ANV is rapidly beginning to deteriorate. McLaws has recovered from demoralization but Heth is now shattered and Johnson is out of ammo. The momentum is definitely with the Union.
On the 6th, the Confederates continue to pull back to York. The Union VI Corps is exhausted but not disorganized and is sent in pursuit. Newton makes a normal attack against McLaws and is rebuffed (+1/+1 D/1D). Sykes then assaults Ewell but only Crawford carries through with the attack thanks to poor command rolling. He makes up for it and pushes Ewell back behind Codorus Creek (-1/+3 1Dr/Fa, Early out of Ammo!).
Lee orders the rest of his army to retreat to the north side of Codorus Creek. Almost the entire Union army advances (all but I Corps which is recovering). Howard pushes back Jenkins' cavalry brigade and Slocum launches the second Union attack on McLaws of the day. Meade comes through with the grand assault and McLaws is routed (+5/+4 1DR/1fa). Hancock then grand assaults Ewell who voluntarily retreats towards York (+3/+0 D/1D). The turn ends with Rebs behind the creek and both sides exhausted and disorganized. The Union cavalry sweeps around the Confederate right and harasses a substitute brigade. Stuart is unable to offer much opposition after having taken losses a few days prior.
The Union cavalry division leaders definitely make the Yankee cavalry a force to be reckoned with. Stuart has to be careful not to take losses since his only major advantage is his tactical rating. Each Union cavalry division is almost as big as Stuart's entire corps. Keep in mind that Jenkins is independent and can't activate with Stuart in this game.
| Date | Random Event | Losses CS:US | VP |
| July 7 | 6=CS Reinf. | 27:26 | +21 |
| July 8 | 10=CS CP | 30:36 | +28 |
| July 9 | 6=CS Reinf. | 54:37 | +6 |
The Battle of York begins just north of Keystone's Mill early on the 7th. A Union initiative streak sets-up a huge grand assault led by Slocum against Rodes' division (Ewell in the picture to the right). Eight Union divisions make a 48:6 attack and shatter Rodes (+8/+9 3DR*/a). Hancock follows up with a grand assault by the entire Union II Corps and an artillery reserve against Hood and McLaws. The attack was intended to fatigue/disorganize the two Reb divisions but the boys in blue are inspired by Slocum's success and rout Longstreet's force (+1/+5 3DR/Ea)
The Union has benefited from several +4 combat die differentials and at this point the Reb line is falling apart. Lee is running out of units to scrape together a defense and with his demoralization and ammo situation, a counterattack is not even considered.
Hancock then turns and makes a grand assault against Pickett, pushing him back to York (+2/+2 1Dr/1Da). Howard and Reynolds move on the Confederate right, held now by Johnson and Early's out of ammo divisions. In desperation, Ewell makes a pre-emptive assault on Howard that succeeds in preventing Howard from attacking (-1/+0 D/1D). Sickles corps finally arrives on the field and faces off against Pender south of York.
Lee's army is whipped. Two divisions are demoralized-1, two are demoralized-2, two are out of ammo, one is disorganized (Pickett) and one is in good order (Pender). For the Union, 13 of 19 divisions are disorganized, with the rest in good order. Ammo is not a problem as they are provisioned every four turns. Still there is no guarantee that the Union will win the game...Lee just has to hold on for two more turns.
Lee orders a retreat to York and joins all his divisions there except for Pender who holds the southern approaches to the town and McLaws who is still demoralized north of the town. As the AoP closes on York, Pender digs up to a breastwork. (I was using the optional 1863 entrenchment rules. This move takes 4 fatigues so Pender is immobile for the remainder of the turn.) Stuart slips through the Union line to attack a PA Militia brigade that is marching south from Harrisburg to be "drafted" by AoP divisions. Stuart routs the green unit (+4/+4 1DR/Ea) effectively taking it out of the game. North of York, Howard assaults a weakened McLaws but is given a bloody nose (+3/-1 F/1D). McLaws takes a retreat loss and voluntarily retreats to York.
At this point, the Confederates are concentrated in York and the hex to the south of York (Powder Magazine). To deny control, the Union has to clear the Rebs from York or occupy/project ZoC into all the hexes adjacent to York without a Confederate unit in the hex. To attack York, the Union has to make a frontal assault across a bridge. Thus, Meade concentrates on Hill's position south of York which can be attacked without having to go across a river.
Sickles corps is fresh and is ordered to lead the attack against Hill. His corps moves east of Codorus Creek. Sickles leads a grand assault against Hill at 17:33 odds and is stopped (+0/+1 1D/1D). Sickles leads a second grand assault with his other division later in the day. This is the big attack that includes nine Union divisions from 5 different corps and goes off at 50:24 odds. Hill is pushed back (+2/+2 1Dr/4Da) through York to Prospect Cemetery Hill (one mile north of York).
The Union plan works perfectly. The first attack was intended to disorganize Pender and Heth in order to set-up the 2:1 attack. By making two attacks the Union also had a better chance at getting a retreat.
Reynolds makes two attacks on Hills position and Sedgwick makes one. The grand assault roll fails in each case and the Union are repulsed. Lee reinforces Hill's position with Early and Johnson (both still out of ammo).
On July 9th, the Rebs are out of options and can only hope for poor rolls by the Union. Sedgwick opens the attack on Hill with a 9:18 assault that does not carry the position but Hill's force runs out of ammo (+0/+0 D/1D). Reynolds launches the final grand assault carries the field (+2/+5 3DR/Ea). Hill is forced to retreat to the north, through the Union cavalry and suffer 21 manpower of retreat losses. Johnson's division is eliminated. At this point the Confederates do not have 70 manpower in York county so county control is not even possible so the game is called with a Substantive Union Victory, +6 VP.
