American Civil War Game Club (ACWGC)

I have not had a chance to play HPS "CAMPAIGN PENINSULA" but if that game is historically accurate in it's Order of Battle, unit deployments, reinforcements, etc... then there really is no way for the Confederates to win. The _only_ reason that the superior Union army failed on the Peninsula in 1862 is because of the abominable timid leadership of George McClellan. The badly outnumbered Condeferates would certainly not have been able to stop a more aggressive, fearless Union commander using his superior numbers. I'm curious what the "CAMPAIGN PENINSULA" results have been for Club gamers here.

Bob in Fla

I don't know what the actual results have been for others, but I have found the Peninsula to be a hard game, due to the terrain. I am playing a campaign, but it is very early in the game.

If you only play vs the computer, I would guess that the Union would win, but when you play against a human person (even if a Reb human)the results will not be the same.

If you are an HPS game player, you should join up (or if you want to be on the REB side, you can jine up). You can join on either side, play a short training game and be playing very soon.

Either side would be a good choice!

<b><font color="gold">Ernie Sands
General, Commanding, Army of Ohio

ACWGC Cabinet member
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I have just completed the long single battle version of the campaign and it ended early with a Confederate victory. Both armies are very fragile due to low morale so either side has the opportunity of victory. I found that it was very hard to win melees and with increased frequency of disruption and routing the action seemed more fluid. Overall I think it is a good game.


Brgd General Jon Thayer
Old North State Divison
3/III
Army of Northern Virginia

jonathanthayer@bellsouth.net

Actually, the Peninsula battles (at least the 7 Days), didn't have as big a numerical disparity as many people think. Anyway, the campaign options seem to do a good job of keeping the Union Player from just "leaning into" his foe and destroying him too easily.

Major General Gary McClellan
1st Division, XXIII Corps
AoO,USA

I have found some of the battles of the campaign series are unbalanced to the extent that one side tends to win. This is the nature of the campaign. Gaines Mill will tend to be a Rebel Major Victory unless the Union runs really fast. Some of the small battles depend on your grand tactical choices.

However, the final battle in the series usually is well balanced and both sides whether the Union having won its intermediate battles leading to the "On to Richmond" battle or the Rebel pursuit are hard pressed to come up with a winning strategy. The armies are still so large that the slight advantage in numbers one side or the other has is more than canceled by the terrain advantages the defender has.

I am having problems coming up with "winning" offensive strategies in these final battles. Usually attacking is the path to defeat since the attacking army just doesn't have the force advantage necessary but the alternative is a draw. Oddly enought it looks like the best strategy for the Union is to lose Gaines Mill so the Rebel army will have to fight outside their fortifications in the battles that follow. For the Rebel losing Gaines Mill may be the best course to force the Union to have to assault your army behind fortifications. This could lead to some very pecular battles of Gaines Mill.[:D]

BG. Kennon Whitehead
Chatham Grays
III Corps, AoM (CSA)

<font face="Andale Mono"><font color="pink">Bob in Flordia,

Hi, I sent you a welcoming email yesterday and today would again welcome you to the ACWGC. But, get off of the sidelines and join up. A good Rebel from Flordia should of course join the CSA. We can get you some quick training, make sure your PBEM skills are up to par, patches are in place for your gaming titles and maybe show you some gaming tactics and strategies. The point is, the best of the ACW gaming is right here. Look forward to getting your training started! (wink, wink)

Regards,

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<font color="pink">Nick Kunz
[img]C:\FrontPage%20Webs\Content\library\vol_1\v1p2_files\CsaGenStaffB.gif[/img]
Major General
Commandant, VMI
Confederate States of America</font id="pink">
[img]C:\FrontPage%20Webs\Content\AoA\Images\Flags\starsnbars_clr.gif[/img]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>I have just completed the long single battle version of the campaign and it ended early with a Confederate victory. Both armies are very fragile due to low morale so either side has the opportunity of victory. I found that it was very hard to win melees and with increased frequency of disruption and routing the action seemed more fluid. Overall I think it is a good game.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote"></i>

Hi, General Thayer,

I fought the long scenario and was whipped early as the Rebel! My opponent placed his artillery in the woods and they were almost as well protected as my men behind entrenchments(-50 entrenchment vs -40 woods). They were able to blast my men and guns out of the entrenchments and overwhelm them, since Stonewall doesn't start arriving until the next day. You ought to refer your opponent to General Kelly Ross. If he can beat Kelly in the full Peninsula battle, I will doff my hat to him and give him my Jeff Davis medal. What's more, I will even buy him a drink.

MG Mike Mihalik
1/III/AoMiss/CSA

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Gary McClellan</i>
<br />Actually, the Peninsula battles (at least the 7 Days), didn't have as big a numerical disparity as many people think. Anyway, the campaign options seem to do a good job of keeping the Union Player from just "leaning into" his foe and destroying him too easily.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

My understanding is that Magruder's charade along the Warwick River fooled and scared McClellan and gave the Confederates time to gather all available manpower - including Stonewall Jackson - for the defense of Richmond. An aggressive Union commander could have easily brushed Magruder aside and cleared the way to Richmond instead of wasting a month besieging Yorktown while the Rebs amassed troops to counter McClellan. It's good to know that in your words "the campaign options seem to do a good job of keeping the Union Player.. from destroying him too easily".

Bob in Fla

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by warbison</i>
<br /><font face="Andale Mono"><font color="pink">
Hi, I sent you a welcoming email yesterday..get off of the sidelines and join up. A good Rebel from Flordia should of course join the CSA. (wink, wink)
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<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Hi Nick,

thanks for the warm welcome but must inform you that I'm not really a native "Rebel from Florida" but a transplanted Yankee from "Nu Yawk" {grin}. As a proud German-American, my loyalties are with the much maligned Union XI Corps and its unsung heroes like Generals Franz Sigel, Robert C. Schenck, Adolph von Steinwehr, Carl Schurz and Alexander Schimmelfennig just to name a few. However, I do like many Southern things such as country blues, classic rockabilly (Johnny Horton) & bluegrass music (guitarist Doc Watson - yeah!), fried chicken and of course - Dolly Parton! {grin} I've been out of gaming for a while, it'll take me a bit to "get back into the saddle" for the proverbial whiff of grapeshot but thanks again for the friendly invite.

Bob "I fights mit Sigel" Heinz

Ah, you see, the game doesn't cover that era. There is a scenario for Seven Pines, but otherwise, the game focuses on the Seven Days Battle, by which point both sides have pretty much amassed their forces.


<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by rjh57</i>


My understanding is that Magruder's charade along the Warwick River fooled and scared McClellan and gave the Confederates time to gather all available manpower - including Stonewall Jackson - for the defense of Richmond. An aggressive Union commander could have easily brushed Magruder aside and cleared the way to Richmond instead of wasting a month besieging Yorktown while the Rebs amassed troops to counter McClellan. It's good to know that in your words "the campaign options seem to do a good job of keeping the Union Player.. from destroying him too easily".

Bob in Fla
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Major General Gary McClellan
1st Division, XXIII Corps
AoO,USA

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by rjh57</i> As a proud German-American ...
Bob "I fights mit Sigel" Heinz <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Hertzlich wilkommen Bruder. You vill find zat in the ACWCG vee ist gathered in the 3/VIII Freiheit Division [:D]. Vunce you haf passed though Vestpoint you must come to the only division that has a decent lager (und schnitzel, when we can get it)!

Lt Gen Mike Kaulbars
3rd "Freiheit" Division
VIII/AoS

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Gary McClellan</i>
<br />Ah, you see, the game doesn't cover that era.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Yes, it's a misnomer. It should be called "Campaign The Seven Days".

Gen. Walter, USA
<i>The Blue Blitz</i>
Reserve Artillery, AoS

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by greenFyre</i>
<br /><blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by rjh57</i> As a proud German-American ...
Bob "I fights mit Sigel" Heinz <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Hertzlich wilkommen Bruder. You vill find zat in the ACWCG vee ist gathered in the 3/VIII Freiheit Division [:D]. Vunce you haf passed though Vestpoint you must come to the only division that has a decent lager (und schnitzel, when we can get it)!

Lt Gen Mike Kaulbars [
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Servus Mike!

Verry interrrestink! The 3/VIII Freiheit Division sounds like my kind of unit: Lager und schnitzel are certainly worth fighting for. Prosit! Is it OK if I bring my accordion for der musikal akompaniment and machen impression on der Frauleins? "Ahh one and ahh two.... Roll out der barrel..." {grin}

Schuss!

Bob "I fights mit Schnitzel.. I mean... Sigel!" Heinz

I'm playing 8a - 7 Days (407 turns) for the second time and find CPP a very good historical model - i particularly like that the forces have a good mix of quality, even it it tends to the lower morale as seems historically appropriate. The first game ended quite prematurely on the afternoon of Day 1, after some fearsome fighting along the outer fortifications between the Charles City & Darbytown road. I too thought it would cake walk to turn Reb's right flank and storm through Richmond's undermanned defenses. But, that was not the case. The road network is like the spokes of a wheel with the hub at Richmond and moving corps formations from spoke to spoke gives the Reb's (with the advantage of interior lines) plenty of time to counter any Union attack - as McClellan probably realized there is simply no way to make a quick strike and take Richmond by maneuver. I'll never know how that battle would have played out due to the sad death of Capt. Tom Barber. But, in playing the campaign scenario for the second time, i've gained a lot more respect for the constraints that McClellan faced and indeed the battle strategy he employed historically. Needless, to say i'm playing this one somewhat different the second time around. CPP in my opinion is the best of the HPS CW games (from the standpoint of historical modeling) and probably my favorite.

Col Ed Lytwak
2/2/XV/AoT/USA

Here I get all excited to find possibly another Floridian to jine the ranks of the brave and underappreciated Floridians who defended our Confederacy only to find he's a snowbird!

I shouldn't be too surprised though - counting myself, there are only about 7 native Floridians left in the world. I'm not sure how they do it, but even pregnant couples who currently live in Florida find ways to have their babies in other states so as to keep the number down. [:D]

Either way, Bob, if you join up, I'd be happy to welcome you to the club by engaging you on the Peninsula (the James peninsula, not the Florida peninsula - I don't see Campaign Olustee ever becoming available. [;)])

Regards,

Col. Alan Lynn
2nd Div, II Corps, AoA

Signal Corps, Assistant Editor

"The only accurate news is well researched history."

God Bless <><