American Civil War Game Club (ACWGC)

Guys, I have a question about the Vicksburg campaign game and stratgic decisions.

In playing the confederates I have arrived at the Vicksburg battlefield. When it came time to make our strategic decisions prior to battle, I thought the game would give me the option of holding out for a seige. It did not. It only gave me (the confederates) two options. Spike all guns and breakout to the north or break out to the south. I had been conserving most of my army while falling back from Jackson, Champion Hill etc and was suffering only minor losses nad draws.

Anybody have any idea why the game did not give me the historical option of trying to hold Vicksburg in a seige?

Thx

BG Boyd Denner,
2nd Division Commanding
II Corps
ANV
"God Bless the Alabamians" Gen. Robert E. Lee - The Wilderness 1864

Hi,

My guess is that the designer felt that choosing a siege option was tantamount to conceding a major defeat, as happened historically. I don't think there was any practical way the South could have mustered enough forces to break the siege once the Yankees established themselves before Vicksburg. Just my humble opinion.

MG Mike Mihalik
1/III/AoMiss/CSA

. . . also, think about it: a seige has got to be the gamer's version of kissing your sister. Who wants to "play" a seige? What play?

Sincerely,
Brig Gen Dwight McBride
2nd Brigade/2nd Division
I Corps/AOP/USA

Since I'm involed the the game Boyd is talking about, I've been giving those choices some thought. I agree that a seige would not be a game per se, but Grant did in fact hit the defenses twice before settling on a seige. Perhaps then a series of engagements to see if Grant could 'shorten the war'? And it occurs to me as well, that Johnston could have lunged at Vicksburg hoping to coordinate another type of breakout. Risky indeed, but not impossible. Actually, this now leads me to another thought. Would it not be possible to have a strategic major victory, a minor one, and a draw, much like the individual scenarios. Thus attacking with Johnston, the stakes could be raised. Or passiveness on the part of Grant could result in a loss of strategic points. At any rate, the two scenarios Boyd had to choose from are tough fights since he must exit large numbers of confederates over tough ground just to break even! The fights that we've engaged in so far don't necessarily make me think that the rebs were put in such a bad position. Perhaps even a spoiling attack against Grants advance??...

Would be nice to see some campaign tree expansion packs down the road. Things like Grant trying to come in from the north (which he did try), or linking up with Banks farther south (which was considered) would really add some flavor.


BG Ron Virts
2nd Division, 4th Brigade
VI Corps, AofS

I just completed a campaign of four battles at Vicksburg with a major victory and it appears to me that if the Reb doesn't do well in the first three, he always ends up in that situation where "he" (the computer) has destroyed most of his guns and his choice is to simply breakout. The problem is that there is really only one narrow corridor for escape which is easily defended by the Yank...to the north anyway. My guess is that if the Reb is in that predicament, escaping might reduce his defeat to a Union minor campaign victory or maybe even a campaign draw. I hadn't thought about it until now but I wonder if the Confederate <b>was </b>to successfully escape...if he hustled....if a seige would result?

It sounds though like a siege of Vicksburg per se doesn't exist as a choice or a battle (variant)...again..not that I have found on the list. When General McBride says a siege would be like kissing your sister he is probably right, and particularly after the South would have been stripped of many of its guns. My guess is that is that the playtesters and Mr. Tiller decided as has Dwight...that it would be pretty dull...then again...maybe not. If one has ever played one of the historical boardgame sieges then they know that some of them can be interesting. But they are different..that's for sure. Perhaps some one will make up a siege of Vicksburg with the editor...actually I am surprised that General Peters has not yet done so.

Brig. General Tom Ciampa

Commanding Officer
1st Cav Division
XIV Corps, AoC
Games: TS/BG: AN, BR, CH, GB, SH - HPS: AT, CTH, GB, OZK, SH, VK