Gettysburg in 11 hours - just wow!

[jozk]

oops my bad could mod move to SoW Gettysburg mods forum please?

I really want to say 'Thanks' for this mod and it has been a real pleasure to play it. Like someone else said it really is how the game should be played and I hope future development of SoW incorporates more of this longer and more strategic style of game play.

This was my experience (so far)...

After reading 'Last Chance for Victory' and Coddington's 'Gettysburg - a Study in Command' and tucking into Pfanz's 'The First Day' I couldnt resist starting up this mod with the additional (11 total) hours battlescript I found on the forum.

My first attempt ended badly after a good first day I ended up wasting almost all of the 2nd day in a huge fight on my left flank with 12th corps and frittered away too much of my time trying to get Longstreet into position on the right flank. As Day 2 ended I realized that I had squandered my chances for victory but decided to launch my attack at dawn on the 3rd day.

My middle and left flank were demolished almost completely, I'm not quite sure what happened here as I was so busy micro managing my right flank but it appears that with the appearance of the union cavalry the feds advanced and swept me away! By the time I found out something was amiss the federals were swarming through the town!

I had been so absorbed in my stacked up right flank which included Andersons Division as well as Longstreet's 1st corps. I had originally intended to attempt the original 'echelon attack' of Lee while also trying out Longstreets idea of flanking the union left. However I bumped up against the edge of the map near the round tops and ended up with a seriously overstacked right flank.

This is where I fell into micromanaging this muddle not knowing the union had advanced off Cemetery Hill to demolish my center and left!

Longstreet took the round tops and thus began the most epic fightback. With Anderson's division in support Longstreet fought all the way back to the Cemetery hill. The fighting power of 1st Corps was incredible!

For a brief moment as I fought my way onto the hill I thought perhaps I could win. Alas very quickly the union returned in force and Longstreet and Anderson were all fought out and melted away.

So... back to the drawing board, well back to a previous save on Day 1...

Once again after defeating 11th and 1st Corps and feeling the time pressure which even with the additional hours in the battlescript seemed to be breathing down my neck all the time (perhaps because I am not yet fully skilled in SoW)...

This time the plan is to take Cemetery Hill 'as soon as practicable' as Lee would say.
Ewell goes to the left of town and Hill to the right of town (after a quick resupply). I know 12th Corps is out there on the left flank but pretty much ignore them unless they initiate contact.

By the end of day 1 we have driven the union in and we are on the slopes just below the crest of the Cemetery gates and hill.

Day 2 dawns and we all push and take the hill! It very soon becomes a gigantic artillery park with infantry perimeter. My left extends along to the base of Benner's hill and includes a reserve to deal with 12th corps. My right doesn't extend very far at all and includes a small reserve in case of a flank attack.

Then all hell breaks loose. The union push comes from pretty much all directions except my right rear. The pressure builds up very fast and 12th corps attack me from my left rear even getting into the town itself. By now we are a pocket on the hill with left flank extended to Benner's hill. The fighting is furious and I can see at least 3 union arty parks in the distance.

As Anderson's division arrives they are immediately fed into the perimeter and I am literally just watching with jaw dropped at the scale and intensity of it all. Longstreet arrives next and I just let him do his thing and oh my, their fighting power once again is magnificent. All I did was free up the brigade commanders to 'attack' and just let them get to it. Commanders like Wofford and Barksdale just swept the union forces away and literally chased them into the distance! Even one of the union arty parks got chewed up and destroyed. However once again I was sensing the time pressure and feeling that the 1st Corps divisions were 'out in the wind' I recalled them to the perimeter and they marched back, some not arriving back until after dark.

Having literally chased the Union away into the distance on Day 2 I really didn't know what to expect for Day 3....

Day 3 Dawns and I extend the perimeter a little to include more of the ridge. As I position Longstreet's 1st corps I realize yesterdays fight had been costly and there would be no chasing today. My only fresh troops would be Pickett and Stuart whenever they arrive...

Sure enough the Union comes again in force and the pressure builds very quickly and our pocket is being driven in! Union cavalry appear while my own cavalry is still on its way. Desperate fighting ensues and we are driven off Benner's Hill.

Pickett routes into the battle not as I had thought but veered off to the right with his own artillery and a reserve artillery in tow. The artillery get bogged down in a duel with a hitherto unseen union arty park and Pickett's boys march on alone...He will come in on my far right flank just as it is collapsing. In a weird moment of alternate history Pickett's Charge becomes the critical moment and he saves the day which gave me a wry smile!

By the time his brigades arrive within the perimeter they are in tatters and although the pressure has eased the fighting is still hard.

Suddenly the game ends with a Victory and I am exhausted. Something like 45,000 federal losses to my own 37,000. I'm not sure I would call that a win but it was late and I was tired so there ended my 2nd attempt.

I hope to try out Lee's echelon attack in full on a future attempt and would love to hear from others if they had any success with tactics other than 'make a beeline for cemetery hill'. I'm thinking of maybe also trying to stack my left and trying to sweep the union that way...

But most of all I would like to say thanks so much to RebBugler for this mod, it has been one of the best gaming experiences I have ever had in any game!

[RebBugler]

This is a REALLY nice narrative, not to mention an entertaining writing style. Makes me feel proud that I was able to script an historical performance that resulted in such a positive review of events, whether losing or winning.

Definite credit should go to the modder who stretched my original 7 hours to 11, something to be considered if a future edition comes to pass, preferably on a ten mile map to get the East Cavalry Field episode located and corresponding correctly. Plus the additional pre-battle skirmishes that evolved leading up to THE BATTLE.

Much Appreciated!

[benway9]

Please excuse my ignorance, but where can this 11-hour Gettysburg scenario be located? I was unable to find it on a forum search.

Thank you

[Saddletank]

Great write-up Jozk.

[jozk]

Hi again sorry for the late reply...

The gettysburg 3 days in 7 hours scenario can be found in the Bugles & Flags XV mod

http://www.norbsoftdev.net/forum/modifi ... d-flags-xi

and the file to update to 11 hours is on the next link

http://www.norbsoftdev.net/forum/40-dis ... in-7-hours

hope this helps!

[RebBugler]

Thanks for the link, I barely remember editing that battlescript after 19 months. Appears 5 hours were added, so a little correction if I may, Gettysburg in 12 Hours, a hell of a long last day.

Thanks again for that terrific AAR, makes a scenario writer proud as can be to help provide for the immersion on this most epic level.

[jozk]

Hey no problem I guess I came to this a bit late! Yet it was one of the single best wargaming experiences I have ever had and will definitely return to it.

I wish there were more 'meta' level battles like this available with this game as i think the game really shines here in ways that just aren't seen or more importantly 'felt' in the smaller variety of sectioned off battles. Don't get me wrong they have great merit but the whole battle experience is another world of immersion and depth. I hope there are plans somewhere either with the devs or the modders to expand this type of 'whole battle experience' to others within the ACW and Napoleonic games as it really seems to be an evolution.

Of course Gettysburg is quite unique in its 3 day setting but it would be amazing to see other battles given similar treatment. I think to this day the only other option for this kind of thing has come out of the HPS and Tiller stable of games but of course that is all turn based.

I understand there is an Antietam full battle version also which I am also really looking forward to trying.

Even with the extended time it still felt very time limited to me I suppose that is partly due to my own limited experience but also the sheer scale. It was very easy at first to focus in one area that you miss what has been going on somewhere else.

One of the really fascinating elements is the ability to try out some of the different theories and strategies that have been written about and discussed for so long now. That would be great with any battle but Gettysburg especially due to the pivotal nature of it and it's unusual length makes it especially so.

I had to look quite hard to find any battles in history that went on for 3 days like Gettysburg did and couldn't really find more than a dozen.

[mike1984]

If you like SOWGB, you should try multiplayer. It's an excellent experience to play against other human generals. check out:

www.sowmp.com