The Reserves

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mkeogh76
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Joined: Fri Aug 23, 2013 9:49 pm

The Reserves

Post by mkeogh76 »

With the impending release of SOW: Waterloo, it appears the Gettysburg forums will become even deader than usual. However, I can't help posting another overly long AAR that won't be of much interest to anyone but myself. I've owned SOW: Gettysburg since 2011, but only sparingly played it. It's a good game in its "standard" play mode, but I guess I'd played too many similar birds-eye view, godlike control tactical wargames for it to hold my interest. Yet, once I moved to playing HITS that's when SOW transformed from a good game into an absolutely brilliant one. It really is an amazing piece of work.

Anyway, "The Reserves...."

You're Samuel Crawford commanding a two brigade division of Pennsylvania Reserves with three attached artillery batteries consisting of fourteen guns total. Your two brigades consist of nearly 2,900 muskets. Your two brigadiers, Colonels McCandless and Fisher, are both novices. McCandless, though, is an effective leader. Fisher, on the other hand, is a mediocrity who will bear watching. Fortunately, your troops all have average to above average experience and skills with the 13th PA Reserves giving long-range punch with their sharpshooters' rifles.

You start on Little Round Top looking down across the Valley of Death at a massive advancing Rebel infantry force [strong elements of Hoods' [Law] and McLaws' Divisions]. You receive orders to immediately go on the offensive and drive the Rebels back to the Wheatfield. You do have support- Col. Nevin's VI Corps brigade is on your right. Unfortunately, your division is poorly deployed. McCandless' brigade is all on hand, but Fisher's has four of its five regiments detached and doing picket duty on Big Round Top. Further, two of your batteries are badly positioned- Btty C, Massachusetts Artillery under Lt. Walcott and Btty I, 5th US under Lt. Watson- are both too far forward and completely unsupported. Your other battery, Btty L, 1st OH under Cpt. Gibbs, is better protected, but half its guns are well in the rear.

The plan [this is all done with HITS and couriers]:

1) Since Nevin's brigade immediately goes on the attack, the Reserves must support it and protect its left flank. I'd prefer to wait until both Reserves' brigades are up and formed, but Nevin won't hold back. So, I order McCandless to attack towards the Wheatfield in conjunction with Nevin.

2) Fishers' brigade is ordered to reattach and concentrate on Little Round Top in preparation to support McCandless' and Nevins' attack. I do keep the 12th PA Reserves unattached to be the divisional reserve and order it to move to divisional HQ.

3) I attempt to pull back both Walcott's and Watson's batteries to a grassy hill north of Little Round Top. This also where I also order Gibbs' battery to reform and deploy. Watson and Gibbs are able to comply with this order, but Walcott's Massachusetts battery almost immediately falls under fire from Rebs in the woods north of the Wheatfield. Unable to withdraw under fire, Walcott's battery is quickly routed. Gibbs and Watson deploy on the grassy hill, but two of Barksdale's Mississippi regiments sweeping around my far right attack these two still unsupported batteries [additional VI Corps regiments are nearby, but don't lift a finger to help]. Eventually, repeated blasts of canister send the Mississippians packing, but not before they routed 5 of the 10 guns that hold that position.

4) McCandless and Nevin are actually doing terrific work. They advance across Plum Run and get into close range and intense fire fights with the Rebels. Some melees break-out with one Rebel regiment being captured, but for the most part it's just non-stop firing. [This is what really made this scenario stick-out: the intensity and longevity of the firing. Forty to fifty minutes of constant, close-range shooting. The good defensive terrain and the above average experience levels kept both sides blasting away.] Meanwhile, the 13th PA Reserves on the lower slope of Little Round Top is firing over the heads of its comrades and inflicting heavy damage.

5) Fisher's brigade finally reassembles on Little Round Top. It's initially ordered to drive off the Mississippians threatening Nevin's right. It does this handsomely. It is then ordered to attack towards the Wheatfield. Fisher is sluggish. He's no where near as active as McCandless. He has to be prompted several times to keep his attack going. However, once it gets going it works terrifically. He crosses Plum Run, drives the Rebels out of the woods north of the Wheatfield, makes a left turn towards the Wheatfield, and that brings him behind the left flank of Confederates.

6) The Rebs don't run easy. These are tough, experienced units and even tiny regiments don't go without a fight. By this time Nevins' brigade is exhausted and practically hors de combat. McCandless' brigade although stopped short of the Wheatfield has been dishing out heavy punishment for a long time. It has taken its licks too. The 2nd PA Reserves retreats without orders. Fortunately, the hole it left in the line is quickly plugged with the divisional reserve- the 12th PA Reserves. With McCandless and the remnants of Nevin pounding their front and Fisher's regiments advancing upon their flank and rear, the Reb line starts to be rolled-up.

7) The five remaining artillery pieces of Watson's and Gibbs' batteries have been banging away in support of these attacks the entire time from their grassy hill position. Both doing terrific work with shot and shell.

8) General Crawford rallies the 2nd PA Reserves and then advances forward the firing line. With roughly 10 minutes left in the scenario, his division takes control of the "Stone Wall" victory location. It's not a moment too soon as McCandless' brigade, which is facing Rebels coming out of the Devil's Den, starts to break down from exhaustion with two more of its regiments fleeing without orders.

9) A minor victory is achieved, but a major victory could have been achievable if Colonel Fisher hadn't required so much prompting to be more vigorous in his attack.

This was a really fun scenario due to how it involves constant, close-range combat almost from the get-go. One complaint- ammo expenditure is really slow in SOW. Despite the non-stop firing, only one of my regiments needed to resupply- the 13th PA Reserves. [One of my artillery pieces also ran out of ammo.] Granted many of my regiments fired off nearly half or more of their cartridges, but ammo wasn't a factor which I don't think is realistic.
Last edited by mkeogh76 on Sat May 23, 2015 6:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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