TSOG Longstreet Grand Campaign #2 - Game 1 AAR

Last Monday we started a Longstreet Grand Campaign! I'm figuring if we play one game every third or forth session we should be finished by the end of NEXT year! We are just playing one 'Brigade' and one set of cards per side this time and the Leaders (Players) can rotate depending on who is available on the night (therefore negating the issue we had with the last Grand Campaign when we had as very had a Brigade per Player and organising everyone on specific nights was painful). Our core Yankee Players are Al and George and the core Reb Players are Dave and Maurice, I'll Umpire but can act as a floater (that doesn't sound good!) and fill in as a Player if required on occasions!

Rebel gunners toil fining at Col Zook's advancing Zouaves during the Battle For Jedd's Farm

Onto Game 1...

Scenario; The Walled Farm

The USA Won the Scouting Roll and elected to defend, their 8 Bases Cavalry Unit was held of board as a reinforcement.

Extra CSA Terrain 1 x Hill, 1 x Rough Ground, 1 x Wood

Extra USA Terrain 2 x Crops

Attackers Dave and Maurice

Driftwood Character Trait: Fire & Brimstone Preacher

Defenders George and Pete

Spalding Character Trait: Friend in the State House

The AAR - The Battle For Jedd's Fam

The Reb's plan of attack was to advance with all their infantry on their left while placing their battery on their left on a hilltop supported by cavalry.

The Yankees deployed across the entire breadth of their position ready to redeploy at a moments notice.

The Armies opening deployment....

Led on by Brigadier General Driftwood the Southerners advance went to plan...for moments...much to the Rebs amazement the Yankees went over to the attack! Seeing the Rebel artillery separating from their cavalry escort Col Zook led his Zouaves forward to defeat them! Which he promptly did with little loss in a magnificent charge (earning the first Epic Point of the Campaign!). Anderson's Kentucky horse meanwhile advanced recklessly (actually trying to capture the objective location near the farmstead) and were halted by swampy ground which allowed the Union cavalry to ride forth and meet them, these two units commenced to play cat and mouse with each other for the rest of the battle!

The rest of the battle was more interesting and turned into a huge revolving door as the three regiments of Rebels advanced on the Yankee right while the two Union regiments from their centre and left swung around to engage the Rebel attack in its rear and flank!

Col Penruthen's mighty 69th Kentucky Regiment led the southern attack pinning the Union infantry while the 25th Kentucky under Col Leghorn and Clampett's Kentuckians (know also as Clampett's Foot Horse or Clampett's legion in dispatches) moved around their flank in what looked like a massacre as three regiments descended on one. Col Opdycke's facing this onslaught ordered his famous 'Tigers' to redeploy which they did in the nick of time as two of the three Southern Units attacked (Col Clampett arguing about tactics failed to advance)! In the ensuing melee the Yankees maintained their composure despite facing the infamous Rebel Yell. The Boys in Blue who took a few casualties and were pushed back held the long enough for help arrive!

Colonel Parmenter's Pennsylvanians now arrived at behind the Rebel attackers and faced off against Clampett's Legion! After some desultory fire between the sides the Yankees saw off a charge by Clampett's Kentucky lads who failed to drive home the attack acting like 'fresh fish'! The musketry duel recommenced and the action moved to the cornfields near the farm.

The Confederates 25th Kentucky Regiment covered the withdrawing Yankees of Col Opdycke while the 69th Kentucky overrun the Union artillery deployed to face them in turn to be broken by a well coordinated attack from Zook's Zouaves in the cornfields! Seeing this result the Confederate Leaders realised they had shot their bolt and retired from the battlefield!

A Yankee victory! Union Brigadier General Spalding roused his men and they pursued their enemies and the daylight faded!

Final positions...

Some pictures of the action!

The battlefield, the at the end of the first turn, the Yankees are to the right and the Rebels to the left...

Rebel Col Anderson leads his cavalry forward only to find boggy ground blocking their planned route...

Zook's Zouaves advance on Clampett's Artillery...

A magnificent site! Three Regiments of Confederates advance...

Col Opdycke's Tigers ready themselves to 'receive' the Confederates!

Overall view of the table after three turns...

The Rebels prepare to attack the Union right while Col Parmenter's Pennsylvanians can be seen deploying into column and commencing their march into the Rebel's rear!

Close up of the Rebel Grand Charge developing!

Col Clampett's infantry hold while the other Rebels screaming at the tops of their voices charge the Northerners!

The regiments of Col Parmenter and Col Clampett face off in the open fields while a melee develops in the cornfields

The destruction of the 69th Kentucky Infantry Regiment the point of the game where the Rebels lose 4 bases taking them to 17 lost in total which proved enough for the Yankees to seize victory at the end of their Player Turn...

Its been a while since we played Longstreet and during the game there was some discussion of the Action Phase and not being allowed to move and charge at the same time, we will later this year trial my alternate rules version where this is allowed but we will play this Grand Campaign with rules as written! To the game and the Union snatched a good early campaign victory in this game destroying 17 Confederate bases while only losing 6 (a die roll took the Rebs over their Breaking Point). The victory was close as the Yankees had burnt through their cards at an extreme rate and their deck was down to only ten cards so they were close losing by running out as the game ended! The Confederates meanwhile had only reshuffled once showing they were much more conservative in their card play (that was telling in my point of view). This game featured grand sweeping manoeuvres the like of which I have rarely seen in a Longstreet obviously these units Colonels had drilled their men well as they effortlessly changed from columns to lines and marched in great coordination! We're all looking forward to the next scenario (not sure Maurice is sold on the rules)!

Post Game process was completed and the below resulted.

USA Epic Points 5

CSA Epic Points 4

BG Spalding Promoted

New OOBs for Game Two