B & O WINTER Command Simulation - Next Steps

The contact made north of Unger's Store at 9:00 a.m. on January 5th is of sufficient scope to launch the simulation into tactical mode. The simulation will now freeze at 9:00 a.m. the continue in 20 minute intervals. Players will not know what is happening in other parts of the campaign theater until the tactical engagement is completed.

I didn't expect this level of contact to come so soon! I will be preparing a map for the engagement. Players can "stand down" until I send out the map and their opening positions, hopefully by early this weekend.

CONTACT!!! January 5th 1862 - 9:00 a.m.

Opposing forces have made contact on the Unger's Store Road, about 3 miles north of Unger's Store. A Federal column had been bivouacked near the confluence of the Middle and South Forks of Sleepy Creek since getting stuck in the poor weather on January 3rd. At down on January 5th, it struck camp and began advancing southward towards Unger's Store from 7:30 a.m.  A company Confederate cavalry that had been observing the Federals from a distance deployed across the road, forcing the Federals to halt and deploy skirmishers to drive them off.

Before shots could even be fired, additional Confederate cavalry has arrived, bringing the southern horsemen to at least a battalion in strength. As light skirmishing is beginning and the Federals begin to unlimber a battery, a column of Confederate infantry can be seen in the distance advancing northward from Unger's Store.....

Field Hospitals - What's next?

Each player has just received returns for men present and absent as of Sunday morning (January 5th). Those absent are all currently in field hospitals being tended by regimental surgeons, hospital stewards and local volunteers.  Over the next week, some of those men will be returned to their regiments, some may die, some may be discharged from service and some may be transferred to a district hospital. This is all determined by random rolls for each regiment, influenced by where the regiment has been encamped and the weather.

By the next Sunday of the campaign, additional men will have fallen sick and entered the field hospitals, as well as any wounded men if there is fighting. By the following week, men will also start returning to the regiments from district hospitals. The strength of each regiment shall fluctuate throughout the campaign, even if it is never engaged.

Sickness and casualties are recorded down to company level. Although this may not affect game play, if a company or battalion is detached, it will reflect the actual strength at the time of detachment.

Blue Skies

For the first day since the campaign started, the men see blue skies as the day dawns. There is still snow on the ground along the Upper Potomac, but the skies are have cleared across the campaign theater. But... it is cold, with temperatures starting to dip below freezing.

Sick Call...

The B & O WINTER Command Simulation has reached Sunday, January 5th - the first Sunday in the campaign. The Medical Directors of each headquarters will prepare a report of men who have answered sick call and are in various hospitals around the campaign theater under the care of regimental surgeons and field staff. Over the next week (in the campaign), district hospitals will be set up and sick and wounded (if any) will start being transferred there for improved care.

Those who are sick will be deducted from the effective strength present of a unit prior to movement on Sunday. With the rains from New Year's Day into January 4th*, the number of men who have gone into the hospitals is expected to be high. 

Day 4 - Snow in the north

On day four of the campaign, any troops north of the B & O experienced the first snow fall of 1862* as snow fell along the Upper Potomac. Although temperatures dropped, the Valley experienced some light rain, with skies clearing by the evening.

A Federal column just southeast of the confluence of the Middle Fork and South Fork of Sleepy Creek was stalled in the mud on January 2nd and 3rd and was under observation by Confederate cavalry to the south throughout January 4th.

*Command Simulation weather model, not historical weather.

Contact on January 2nd and 3rd

A small force of Confederates appeared on the south bank of the Potomac at Dam No. 5 and fired some shells at Federals encamped on the north side of the river during a lull in the rains. The Federals pulled out a battery and returned fire. The Confederates withdrew to places unknown. No casualties reported.

A Federal infantry battalion and Confederate cavalry company have been observing each other around Hainesville. The Federal unit slowly slogged its way through the mud to Hainesville, arriving on the 3rd and bivouacking there. 

Regional Weather on January 3rd and into January 4th

The B & O WINTER has a weather simulation that splits the campaign theater into three sections: The Highlands, the Valley and the Upper Potomac.  On January 1st there were rains throughout the campaign theater. On January 2nd, these turned into heavy rains, storms and floods across the entire area, which was sufficient to paralyze any troop movement. On January 3rd, the regional nature of the weather model became more evident. Although the Valley and Upper Potomac continued to experience significant rainfall, the Highlands reportedly had very little rain (west of Great North Mountain and Sandy Ridge). 

Pre-dawn on the morning of January 4th, commanders are now observing the skies and noticing a chill as the temperature throughout the campaign theater drops towards freezing.

Caught in the Mud - Simulation draws near to History

The weather model for the B & O WINTER command simulation is based on a randomly selected year. (I had no idea there would be so much rain until we got started.)  Although there hasn't been the snow, hail, and extreme temperatures that plagued the Bath-Romney Expedition in January 1862 (temperatures in the simulation have been in the 40s), there has been a lot of rain. This has created almost impassable conditions on roads categorized as "tertiary" or "other." The conditions are different, but the effect is similar.

 

This could eventually present logistical challenges. Any units moving on "other" category roads on Day 1 (I cannot confirm or deny such movement) would have had severely impeded progress. On Day 2, there was virtually no movement at all as storms, heavy rain and flooding swept the campaign theatre. At the start of Day 3, it is still raining.

 

What does this mean? If columns are on the march, they are likely to be stuck outside of major towns. If supply trains are moving on tertiary or "other" quality roads, they are probably also stuck. The men are still eating rations and have consumed two days of rations already and are starting on a third. If there are marching columns out there, continued rain could pose a threat in terms of keeping the men fed, which would lead to a collapse of morale.

 

As a note, the turnpikes have been passable, even in the heavy rains. Thus their strategic importance.

 

Let's hope the rain goes away soon....

 

History - A rough start to the Romney Expedition

Jackson's Bath-Romney Expedition of January 1862 got off to a bad start due to a sudden change in the weather:

"The weather when the expedition started was bright and pleasant, so much so that the troops, with the improvidence of young soldiers, left their coats and blankets in the baggage waggons. That very afternoon, however, the temperature underwent a sudden change. Under cold grey skies the column scaled the mountain ridges, and on the winter wind came a fierce storm of snow and hail. In order to conceal the march as far as possible from the enemy's observation, the brigades had marched by country roads, and delayed by steep gradients with slipper tracks, it was not until the next morning that the supply wagons came up."(1)

"The sleet beat down fiercely upon the crawling column. The men stumbled on the slipper tracks; many wagons were overturned, and the bloody knees and muzzles of the horses bore painful witness to the severity of the march. The bivouacs were more comfortless than before. The provision train lagged far in the rear." (2)

Mort Kuisler painting of the Romney Expedition of January 1862

"Jackson's hope of now reaching Romney seemed to die with the anguish of the next days. Beneath dark, somber skies the temperature plunged below zero; one estimate claimed twenty degrees below. Pulling his overcoat tighter, Lieutenant Henry Douglas saw ice frozen into the matted beards of his comrades. he made these observations in glances, because the road was caked with an unbroken sheet of ice and it was dangerous to take eyes off it for long. Despite careful stepping, Douglas sat down three times 'with emphasis.' John Lyle remembered the roar of men's rumps 'hitting the road with a thud like that of a pile driver.' Legs were broken as men went down and bowled over those around them. 'Loring's attitude was not improved when his horse fell and rolled over him.'

"The plight of the supply train was appalling. Overturned wagons littered the road. The horse had not been roughshod prior to leaving Winchester and could barely stand, so four infantrymen were detailed to assist each wagon. John Casler of the 33d Virginia toiled in one of these fatigue parties. Every time his vehicle rounded a curve, Casler and friends strained mightily to keep the horses upright and the wheels on the road. Casler once glanced up to see Old Jack throw his shoulder into a stalled wagon as hard as any private."

"Ahead lay a hillock that tore Casler's attention from the general. Slight inclines were tedious work, and this knoll proved an agony. Casler's animals repeatedly smashed to the ground. At least one horse was on its side or belly throughout the upward shove. No sooner could that one be coaxed up than another slammed down, and sometimes all four collapsed at once.Not far away, Private Clem Fishbourne of the Rockbridge Artillery was struggling with his gun. Descents were Fishbourne's greatest trial. Brakes were useless on the icy slopes, and the heavy cannon behind the team often lurches out of control and rammed the horses into a thrashing heap. Icicles of blood dangling from their knees almost to the ground bore silent testimony of the torment of these animals." (3)

(1) Henderson, Lieut. Col. G.C.R.(reprint - date unknown), Stonewall Jackson and the American Civil War: New York, Barnes and Noble. p. 144

(2) Henderson, p. 146.

(3) Tanner, Robert, G. (1996). Stonewall in the Valley: Jackson's Shenandoah Valley Campaign, Spring 1862. Mechanicburg, PA: Stackpole Books. pp. 73-74

B.O.W. Simulation - Pre-Dawn Hours January 3rd

It is still raining through most of the campaign theatre, but the rain has eased up significantly. There is the hope of some troop movement.

On July 2nd, there was some light artillery fire across the Potomac at Dam No. 5, which shells being exchanged during lulls in the storm. No losses were reported and the Confederate Battery on the south side of the river withdrew southward out of sight.

Heavy Rains on Day 2 of the Campaign

Rain that fell across the campaign theater on Day One of the campaign slowed friend and foe alike. Only couriers, cavalry companies and units moving on turnpikes made good time. As day two of the campaign dawns, the rain has not ceased. The roads that were difficult on January 1st are no impassable as torrential downpours are causing flooding in the hollows and valleys. 

Regiment baggage reached units, so men are in their sibley and wedge tents trying to stay dry. Movement is not only impractical, but dangerous. Only couriers and staff, scouts, and units on turnpikes will attempt to move.

*This refers to the weather model of the command simulation, not the historic weather for Jan. 2 1862, 

B.O.W. Simulation - Weather: January 1

As morning is breaking on January 1st 1862, the temperature across the campaign theater is in the low to mid 40s. It looks like rain.

*Note: This is from the command simulation weather model, not the historical weather for that date.

The day is here...

The B & O WINTER Campaign simulation is now starting. All orders are in from the players and calculations are being made on marching times and distances, etc. Reports for January 1st may start coming out tonight. Players are cautioned not to over-react to reports. There is no need to re-issue orders unless a subordinate command reports that they have accomplished their orders or are unable to do so. Units will keep moving.

No news is also good news. Units may not report and just keep marching to their objective over several days. If they do not encounter the enemy, officers are unlikely to send back a report until they come across something noteworthy.

And the simulation starts: Jackson vs. Lander.....

Major General Thomas J. Jackson, Commander, Valley District
Player in B & O WINTER: Chase

Brigadier General Frederick W. Lander, Commander, Lander's Division
Player in B & O WINTER: Andres

What we know.... Dec. 31 1861

As the simulation prepares to start, the players have very limited intelligence. Jackson's Headquarters has been and is presumed still be in Winchester. The nature of any garrison there is unknown. To the north, intelligence indicates that Brigadier General Lander is to arrive from Washington and is rumored to be preparing to establish his headquarters at Hancock, Maryland. It is unknown if his newly forming division is in place there.

What is known to both sides is that there is a Federal force at Dam No. 5 which has been observed from time to time by elements of Ashby's cavalry.  

Each army is yet to discover the position and intentions of the enemy.

The only direct sighting of enemy troops in the days immediately preceding the campaign have been at Dam No. 5. A Union force there has been under periodic observation by Confederate cavalry, but there have not been any engagements. 

The column as a unit in the B & O WINTER Simulation

Movement speeds and distance covered is not calculated by individual units, but by marching column. The column could be cavalry, infantry or a supply train. Column size may vary from a single company under a captain or lieutenant, or a division-sized column.  Movement speeds can vary over the course of a single day of the campaign, as a column moves through different types of roads or moves into a different weather zone. Important factors for each column are the senior officer leading the column and the experience (quality) level of the units in the column.

The column may have an increased speed modifier if there is a senior commander leading the column (Lander or Jackson) or a brigade level commander with a high loyalty command attribute. This increase the morale of the column, which increases its speed on the march. The initiative rating of the column commander also affects the column. Higher initiative ratings make it more likely that the column will start off at 7:30 a.m.   Lower initiative ratings make it more likely for the column to get a late start.

Experience of units also affects the column. The column will move at the speed of the lowest unit. 

Column size also effects speed. A very large marching column tends to move like an accordion with significant confusion during stops and starts. Smaller columns are more efficient, but end up dispersing units which may need to be concentrated at a later time. 

Among the myriad of templates used to run the simulation, movement speed is calculated per column. Each column is given a unique identity and listed with its senior officer, member units and destination. Columns are likely to be disbanded, split up and reformed during the campaign. 

When a detached unit is given marching orders, an officer is assigned to the unit and is entered into the simulation's "officer roster" template. Command attributes are randomly assigned to the officer through the role of a die and recorded for use through the rest of the simulation. Wherever possible, a historic commander will be used. For example, if the 2nd Battalion of a regiment is ordered to move to destroy some railroad tracks or garrison a town, an effort will be made to find the name of the major or lieutenant colonel of the regiment during the winter of 1861-1862.

Supply trains are formed as separate columns, led by a commissary or ordinance officer (or NCO), who also is given command attributes. The supply train is composed of a designated number of wagons and any unit attached to guard it. Most likely, a supply train will trail behind the marching column it supports, but in theory and given the right combination of random rolls of the die, a supply train could possibly outpace an infantry column. 

One of the challenges for a player will be to determine whether to replace an officer. Caution is advised. The players will not know the initiative, quality and other command attributes applied to each commander. A column leader may get his column off to a slow start, but it is possible that the commander actually has excellent initiative and quality ratings, but through the luck of the roll got the 1/20 chance of the latest start time possible - which even the best commander can get.  A "slow" commander is best judged over a few weeks of the campaign, rather than one or two days.

Getting Started

Landers' Division orders are in. Plotting out movement of couriers, scouts, units, etc. is fascinating, starting with morale and all the conditions affecting it, followed by marching speeds and the conditions affecting that. Between different unit qualities and commander qualities and random variables, it the difference in speeds between different units and officers is sometimes significant. Add in some columns that may start late or receive orders from a courier late and the distance covered per day becomes completely unpredictable.

It has taken do the basic calculations for Lander's Division, without doing the plotting on the map and taking road quality and conditions into account. The work will speed up with practice.

I can't plot too far ahead, because it is possible that units may intersect once Jackson's men are on the move.

Of course, players could also opt for going into winter quarters....

Waiting....

Most of the communication in the B & O WINTER command simulation will be through couriers and staff officers who will be moving around the campaign theater.

Couriers are enlisted men, who must carry written orders or reports. They move under order and will leave at 7:30 a.m. if dispatched in the morning. Couriers reporting on an action or sighting of the enemy will also move through the evening hours and into the night. Couriers only bring what is written in their report or orders.

Staff Officers and Scouts are less likely to be captured or killed by the enemy, and are likely to more information. Staff Officers can bring assessments, scouts will bring reports of enemy positions and numbers. But it then becomes a waiting game. Having sent out a scout or staff officer, when will he arrive back at headquarters.  There is no way to predict this. 

Staff Officers and Scouts have randomly generated command attributes that include leadership, initiative, loyalty, ability and experience (quality). These influence how that staff officer or scout operates. 

The base movement speed for the individual scouts and staff officers in the simulation have already been calculated in a template to track their movement. It is a function of their base speed and experience and varies from 2.9 to 3.8 miles per hour. Some staff are much more likely to cover more

Jedediah Hotchkiss: One of Jackson's Staff  Officers

ground per day than others, but there are other factors as well.

Although couriers work under strict orders, staff and scouts are a bit more independent in undertaking their duties. The time that each staff officer or scout departs in the morning is randomly determined, but is influenced by the initiative attribute. A higher initiative rating makes it more likely to leave first thing in the morning. A lower rating makes it less likely. The time that an officer or scout departs affects how much time he has on the road and how far he will reach. A late start and slow movement speed may mean that one staff officer spends the night on the road, while another reaches headquarters.  

Each day's movement is also affected by a random modifier as well. It will probably take longer for scouts to return than a commander (player) expects.  And there is always the possibility that the scout or staff was killed or captured. 

A command simulation recreates the command experience. Much of that was waiting. Waiting for orders. Waiting for reports. Waiting for intelligence. Waiting for reinforcements. Waiting for supplies. This is likely to be part of the B & O WINTER experience. 

History - Lieut Fitz-James O'Brien

One of Lander's Aide's-de-Camp (who is represented in the simulation) is Lieutenant Fitz-James O'Brien. Born in Ireland, O'Brien was reportedly a heavy drinker. He was a poet, a contributor to Harper's Weekly and Monthly,  and wrote some burlesque works. He was assigned to Brigadier General Frederick W. Lander's staff during the Winter of 1861-1862.

Fitz-James O'Brien, writer, poet, and officer on Lander's Staff

Lander mentioned O'Brien (as well as Major Frothingham and Lieutenant Armstrong, also represented in the simulation) in his February 14th report of actions around Bloomery Gap:

No. 8. Report of Brig. Gen. Frederick W. Lander, U. S. Army, of affair at Bloomery Gap, West Virginia. 

Paw Paw, February 14, 1862 8 p. m.

The railroad was opened to Hancock this morning. Telegraph the same. Had an important forced reconnaissance last night completed to-day. Broke up the rebel nest at Bloomery Gap. Ran down and caught 17 commissioned officers, among them colonels, lieutenant-colonels, captains, & c. Will forward a descriptive list. Engaged them with 400 cavalry. Infantry not near enough to support, and enemy re- tiring. In all, 65 prisoners; killed 13. Lost 2 men and 6 horses at their first fire. Led the charge in person. It was a complete surprise. Colonel Carroll, commanding Fifth or Eighth Ohio, made a very daring and successful reconnaissance immediately afterwards to Ungers Store.

Major Frothingham is entitled to credit for building, under my direction, in 4 hours, in the dead of night, a complete bridge of wagons across the Great Cacapon, at an unfrequented road. Two columns of 2,000 men each marched 32, one column 43, miles since 4 p. m. yesterday, besides bridging the river. Papers taken and my own reconnaissance south prove the country clear and Jackson and Loring in Winchester. Made the move and occupied Bloomery Gap and Points Mill east on belief by deserters that General Carsons brigade was there.

General Dunning has just arrived at New Creek from Moorefield, 40 miles south of Romney. Captured 225 beef cattle and broke up the guerrilla haunt there. Two of his men badly wounded. Killed several of the rebels.the work intrusted to me may be regarded done and the enemy out of this department, I most earnestly request to be relieved. If not relieved, must resign. My health is too much broken to do any severe work. 

F. W. LANDER, 

Brigadier-General.

Major-General McCLELLAN. Note.

General Williams can move over the river without risk. I respectfully commend Colonel Carroll to your notice. He is a most efficient and gallant officer.. Lieut. H. G. Armstrong, acting assistant adjutant-general, and Fitz-James O'Brien joined me in a charge by which rebel officers were captured and confidence restored after cavalry had been checked.

(From official records of the war of the rebellion - Vol. 5, Chap. XIV, pp. 404-505)

O'Brien was leading a company of cavalry near Bloomery Gap on February 16th 1862. It was a foraging parting on a mission to capture some cattle. They encountered and enemy force and charged it, but were outnumbered. O'Brien reportedly engaged with a Confederate officer in a sort of pistol duel in the midst of the action and was wounded in the arm. He fired back and knocked the enemy officer off his horse. 

O'Brien was taken to Cumberland for treatment, but infection set in and he died of his wound in April 1862. 

Ready for Orders

The preparations for the B & O WINTER command simulation have reached an advanced enough state that the players have been invited to issue orders when ready. The simulation is officially set to begin during the first weekend of October, but may start sooner if all orders are in. 

Commissary

Each player has now received a report from his Chief Commissary Officer, outlining the amount of Commissary Stores available and their locations, as well as the number of commissary wagons.

Final Version of Manual Out

The final version of the B & O WINTER simulation manual is now available.

What Day is It?

For players who want to know the current date and time in the simulation, all they need to do is check the bottom right footer. It will have the current time in-game.

The simulation is currently "pre-campaign."  Players have received some correspondence from staff and others date December 31st 1861.

Pre-Campaign Weather

The weather data for the B & O WINTER Command Simulation has been set. It comes from a weather model that takes the weather for each day from the same date in a corresponding year for which records are available. If the players are trying to predict the weather conditions for their winter campaign, here is the (simulated) weather for the week leading up to the start of the campaign.

It was a white Christmas, with snow falling across the campaign theater on the 25th and in the Valley and Upper Potomac on the 26th as well.  The heaviest snow along the B & O. The snow has melted off by New Year's Eve in the Valley and Highlands, but there is still a little left in the Upper Potomac zone. Temperatures were warmer along the river on the 31st though, so the snow is sure to be gone by Day 1 of the campaign. The Valley tended to be a bit warmer and have less precipitation than the other two weather zones. 

Courier vs. Aide-de-Camp: Communications in the B & O WINTER Simulation

Couriers in the B & O Simulation are in endless supply and serve a specific function; they deliver a written correspondence from location to another. If they come across the enemy on the road while delivering orders or reports, a random roll of a die with determine whether the courier gets through, turns around, or is captured or killed. There is a possibility that the correspondence may fall into the hands of the enemy. The defense and/or disruption of communication lines could be part of a player's strategy during the simulation.

Whereas couriers are numerous and expendable, Aide-de-Camps are less so. An Aide-de-Camp is a trusted staff member who is able to deliver communications and make basic assessments of the military situation at a given location on behalf of the Division / District Commander. Each Aide-de-Camp is given randomly generated ability attributes that will be used throughout the simulation and will not be known to the players. The ability attributes will influence the Aide-de-Camp's ability to provide accurate troop estimates and to evade the enemy on the road.

Advantages sending an Aide-de-Camp instead of a courier include:

1. He can provide more information on his return than a courier would and can give basic assessments of enemy units sighted. 
2. He can be given verbal instructions and return with a verbal report. If killed or captured, the information will not fall into the hands of the enemy.
3. At worst, his ability to evade enemy troops on the road is the same as a courier. He may, however, have a higher ability and be able to go around the enemy.

The disadvantages of sending an Aide-de-Camp instead of a courier:

1. Each commander only has two Aides-de-Camp. If lost in action, they cannot be replaced during the course of the campaign.

The following table will be used if an ADC encounters the enemy:

Command Simulation - Casualties by Company

It was not uncommon for regiments to be detached from their brigades or companies detached from their regiments during the Civil War.  Units were detailed to guard supply trains, depots or points along a supply line. This reduced the number of men available for engagements, but helped ensure the ability to keep the army in the field.

In the B & O WINTER command simulation, strategic victory will be based on an army's ability to occupy towns in the campaign theater, damage the enemy's railroad, and defend its own railroad. The orders of battle used in the simulation include cavalry companies that can operate independently to threaten supply lines and depots and damage rail lines. Detaching units to guard supply trains and vulnerable locations can deter marauding cavalry. 

The ability to detach companies affects how unit strength is calculated compared to previous simulations. Spreadsheets used to run the simulation break down regimental strength by company. At the beginning of the simulation, company strength will be calculated at 1/10 of regimental strength. A formula will be used for distributed losses down to company level, including men entering the hospital and losses in action.  A detached company that misses an engagement while on guard duty is likely to have a higher strength than the companies that were engaged.

The historical company commanders for the Federal side of the order of battle have been identified for the winter of 1861-1862 period. (In most cases it is the original Captain.) I am just starting to see if their are sufficient records to do the same for the Confederates.

Scouts in the B & O WINTER Command simulation

Each player will have access to two scouts. Scouts detached from local cavalry units have just arrived at each headquarters (December 31st) for assignment. An additional civilian scout (spy) will arrive at headquarters sometime later in the simulation. 

Scouts move fairly quickly and are able to get closer to enemy troops for observation than a full cavalry unit. The scouts will only report in person,  when they return again to headquarters. This may be after several days or more in the field collecting information. 

Scouts have randomly assigned attributes. These are used in tables with random rolls of die to determine how accurate their troop estimates will be, whether they will be captured by the enemy, and other random behavior in the field. 

Once a scout is sent out, players shouldn't hold their breathe waiting for the scout's return. It could take a while, or he might never return. 

The civilian scouts (spies) are already located in the field and will start moving to headquarters to report on January 1st.

Preparing for the Campaign

In the background, I have plotted the December 31st 1861 positions of each unit on the large campaign map, and also put in pins that indicate the status of each objective (both town occupation and railroad repair/damage). I am still working on the spreadsheets that will be used to keep track of unit losses, changes in unit quality, daily morale and marching speeds, the weather, movement of couriers, scouts and staff, etc.  

I also need to work on some TC2M modifications so that any tactical simulations have an appropriate winter feel to them. I am making preparations to be able to take a proxy map  (e.g. the TC2M map for Jackson might be used to represent Bath) and convert it to a winter map with men wearing great coats. I am putting together the tools so that I can do a conversion relatively quickly and reflect the current weather conditions (e.g. snow on the ground if it snowed according to the weather model).

As this is going on, the players are already starting to receive information on their commands. So far they have received:

1. Their orders of battle and where each unit is deployed as of December 31st.

2. Ordnance reports indicating the armament of each unit, how much ammunition has been issued by caliber, and how much ammunition remains in ordnance stores.

3. Returns showing the number of men present in each unit on December 31st.

4. Staff communication concerning the assignment of a scout to headquarters.

5. Communication with other relevant figures outside of their commands.

By next week, they should receive a report from the Chief of Commissary indicating the commissary supplies and wagons available.

The target date for the official start of B & O WINTER (when units and officers start moving) is the first weekend in October.

Less Push Pins - Intelligence Spoiler

As it turns out, it is really not necessary to get lots of different kinds of push pins. A few different kinds and a piece of post-it paper is fine for differentiation of units. To demonstrate, the positions of Captain John Keys' Ringgold Cavalry and Captain George Sheetz's Company F, (Ashby's Cavalry) are now identified....

The Ringgold Cavalry sighted at Haines' Mills on December 31st.

Sheetz's Company "F" screening at Bloomery Gap.

Let's Talk About the Weather...

In the B & O WINTER command simulation, extreme cold negatively impacts morale, which then reduces marching speeds and combat effectiveness. Visibility determines whether it is possible to see an enemy force on the other side of a creek or a few miles away. Precipitation also slows down marching speeds. These the three factors (temperature, visibility and precipitation) are part of the simulations weather model.

In draft one of the simulation manual, I wanted to use weather indicators specific to each county. This was going to prove time consuming and challenging, especially given that I would have to determine which county a unit was in on a map that does not have the counties demarcated.

In draft two of the manual, I experimented with using one set of weather indicators for the entire campaign theater, using data from Romney. This is much simpler, but seemed too simplistic.

In draft three, I have divided the weather into three weather zones. Here is the excerpt from the manual (draft 3, pp. 9-10)

Weather: The Romney Expedition of January 1862 was marred by poor weather that affected the performance and morale of the troops under Jackson. It aggravated conditions that led to men under Brigadier General William W. Loring lodging official complaints against Jackson with the Confederate War Department. In B & O WINTER, weather will affect visibility, morale, health, and marching distances by matching conditions for the day against modifier tables.  Weather conditions are often very local in West Virginia, but they will be applied across three weather zones to simplify the simulation.

Conditions will be based on historical records for the corresponding date in a random year that records were kept in Cumberland, Romney and Winchester. For example, if the year 1978 is chosen, the weather for January 7^th 1862 will not be the historical weather conditions for that date, but the recorded weather conditions for January 7^th 1978 in each of the counties of the campaign theatre. Weather conditions will include temperature, precipitation and visibility.

The Weather Zones that will be used in the simulation as are follows:

1. Upper Potomac (Cumberland): The area north or west of the B & O Railroad, inclusive of railroad depots.  
2. Highlands (Romney): The area south and east of the B & O Railroad and west of Great North Mountain, Bear Garden Ridge and Sandy Ridge
3. The Valley (Winchester): The area east of Great North Mountain, Bear Garden Ridge and Sandy Ridge  and the area south of the B & O Railroad.

Need More Map Pins...

This evening I started placing troops in their opening positions on the large campaign map that I will use to track movements during the simulation. I realize that I need to get some more map pins (different colors and types). I different pins to represent these, with different colors for each army:

• Infantry Brigade
• Infantry Regiment
• Infantry Battalion
• Infantry Company (detached)
• Cavalry Regiment
• Cavalry Battalion
• Cavalry Company (detached or independent)
• Artillery Battery
• Artillery Section or Gun (detached)
• Militia Brigade
• Militia Regiment
• Courier
• Aide-de-camp / Staff Officer
• Scout (Spy)
• Objective Status (Occupation)
• Objective Status (Railroad / Canal)

Fortunately, I see that there also push pins with pennants on them, which I will probably use for the objectives.

I have place  pins for all of the units currently in the campaign theatre at their starting locations, but would prefer a little more precision. All in all, it is pretty cool and should be interesting to track to movement on the big map.

Almost Called Kanawha - The Creation of West Virginia

While looking for other information related to a change in B & O WINTER's weather model, I came across this article on West Virginia - Virginia Boundary. Although West Virginia did not become a state well after the period covered in the simulation, the machinations of statehood were already in motion in by January 1862. The proposed state was almost called Kanawha.

The B & O WINTER command simulation takes place in the "green zone" of this map found in the above article. It was not part of the original proposed state.

Map Source: Newberry Library, Virginia Historical Counties

Troop Placements and Other Preparations for the simulation

Both players have now received their orders of battle, based on historical orders of battle for the period of January 1862, with some minor variations where information was conflicting or missing. As much as possible, historical strengths, types of small arms and commanders have been used.

Each player has also received a message from his chief of staff outlining the positions of each unit in his command. These positions are not exact to the historical January 1st, 1862, but represent the general situation faced by each commander during the period around New Year's.

The simulation rules are still being finalized and the players will continue to receive information from their staff in a piecemeal fashion until the simulation begins. The objective points (scores) will not change, so players can begin to ruminate on an appropriate strategy for a relatively long winter campaign. Historically, both Jackson and Lander were anxious to fight a winter campaign in January and February 1862. Lander, however, was tempered by his commander, Major General George B. McClellan, who was less enthusiastic about Lander's plans to take the fight to Jackson.

Unlike previous simulations, players will not see the unit quality and commander attributes for each unit and commander that will used in the TC2M game components. Let's face it, if commander's had that kind of information, it would have made unit and commander placements a lot easier. They only truly get a sense of those things over time and combat experience. That said, players can guess at approximate unit qualities:The best units in the field will be the Stonewall Brigade and Federal units that were engaged in multiple battles in the 1861 West Virginia campaign. This will be followed by the Army of the Northwest with combat experience in West Virginia, and then units with no combat experience. The highest unit quality rating at the start of the simulation will be "good."

The Staff Officers - B & O Winter Command Simulation

"Staff Officers" will help the players navigate the complexities of the campaign and simulation.  An abbreviated staff for each army will be used in the simulation.

Simon Forrester Barstow, 

Jackson's staff is well documented. Lander struggled to fill his staff and was under-staffed through , much of January 1862. For simulation purposes, Lander will start the simulation in the campaign theater on January 1st (he actually arrived in Hancock a few days later) and will have his staff in place. Lander's staff members are taken from information in Frederick W. Lander, The Great Natural Soldier, by Gary L. Ecelbarger.  Some officers are assigned positions that they may not have actually held. Maj. Dwight Bannister, for example, was a paymaster, but is assigned Chief Ordnance Officer for the simulation. Likewise, Capt. Ambrose Thompson was quartermaster, but is assigned the role of Chief Commissary.

Lieut. Alexander "Sandie" Pendleton

There is a slight difference in the players' staff compositions. Jackson will have access to higher quality maps through Captain Jedediah Hotchkiss, but Lander has an extra trusted staff officer who can be sent to the field and bring back reliable assessments of the military situation. (Capt. Frederick A. Barton, Jr. was the son of one of Lander's trusted colleagues from his trail blazing days in the west.)

The staff that will be used in the simulation will be as follows:

Staff Position	Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Jackson Valley District	Brig. Gen. Frederick W. Lander Lander’s Division
Adjutant General (Chief of Staff)	Lieut. Col. J. T. L. Preston
Assistant Adjutant General (Chief of Staff)		Capt. Simon Forrester Barstow
Chief Commissary	Maj. Wells J. Hawks	Capt. Ambrose Thompson
Chief Ordnance Officer	Lieut. Jas. M. Garnett	Maj. Dwight Bannister
Chief Engineer	Lieut. J. K. Boswell	Maj. John Frothingham
Medical Director	Dr. Hunter McGuire	Dr. George Suckley
Chief Topographic Engineer	Capt. Jed. Hotchkiss
Staff Officer		Capt. Frederick A. Barton
Aide-De-Camp	Lieut. A. S. Pendleton	Lieut. Henry G. Armstrong
Aide-De-Camp	Lieut. George Junkin	Lieut. Fitz-James O’Brien

Sunday Tables

I keep track of unit positions, losses, men in hospital, quality, etc. on spreadsheets. In the B & O WINTER command simulation, Sundays will be the most complicated days (in-game), because I will track weekly movement into, out of, and between field and district hospitals. The draft spreadsheets look like this, but are likely to include minor changes. Each row will be for an individual unit.

This is the beginning part of the table for the day, and it marks an opening position with the last town and unit passed through and how many miles. It also has morale and some other information related to the day's march. 

This part of the table tracks movement into and out of field hospitals. When a soldier is wounded or becomes ill, his first stop is to the regimental field hospital and the care of the regimental surgeon and hospital steward. This table adjusts those in the hospital the previous Sunday and wounded through the week with those who have left the hospital in one way or another and those that entered with an illness during the week. It gives the number of men in the field hospital on Sunday morning. 

Men can be transferred from a field hospital to a District Hospital, directly overseen by the Chief Medical Officer. This has slightly better care. Men only enter on transfer from a field hospital and regimental surgeon. In this case, the hospital was started on January 1st and there were no men to be discharged on January 5th. The hospital will start showing discharges, returned convalescents and deaths on the following Sunday. 

This section of the table concludes the data for the Sunday. It takes into account combat losses during the day and the regimental strength at the end of the day, as well as the total in the hospital system at the end of the day (inclusive of those wounded during the day). 

Draft Manual - 2nd Draft

The B & O WINTER manual 1st draft went out to the players. B & O WINTER Manual 2nd Draft Sept 8 2015 has several very minor corrections and changes following the 1st draft. After review by the players, an additional version may be released.

They've Met Before...

The two opponents in B & O WINTER have opposed each other before.  In the coming campaign simulation, Chase will commanding the Valley District as Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Jackson and Andres will command the Union forces under Brig. Gen. Frederick W. Lander.

In THE WAR IN ARKANSAS IV simulation, these two players met at the Battle of Sylamore Bottom, part of the WIA4 campaign. Chase was commanding a Union Corps and division there and Andres commanded a Confederate Division with temporary command of the Confederate Corps. They have switched sides for B & O WINTER, but we can expect a tough campaign.

Battle of Sylamore Bottom

Campaign Period: January 1 - February 20, 1862

The campaign simulation will cover the period from January 1st - February 20th 1862.

Turnpikes and Roads in B & O WINTER - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Moving units and supplies to where they need to be at the right time is a critical aspect of campaign simulation. Railroads are a major asset in accomplishing this, which is why destroying the enemy's railroad network always has a high priority. Roads are also important, but they are often subject to weather conditions.

Roads in the simulation are given one of four classes:

• Primary
• Secondary
• Tertiary
• Other

The "Other" class is highly unpredictable, but usually very poor.

The roads used in the simulation can be viewed on the campaign map for the simulation and are as follows:

Road Class	Road Name	Terminus	Towns on Road
Primary	Valley Turnpike “The Pike”	Williamsport (MD) – Mt. Jackson	Williamsport (Md), Hainville, Martinsburg, Darksville, Bunker Hill, Winchester, Kernstown, Newtown, Middletown, Strasburg, Woodstock, Edinburg, Mt. Jackson
Primary	National Road	Cumberland – Dam No. 5 Turnoff	Cumberland, Hancock
Primary	Northwest Turnpike	Winchester - Greenland	Winchester, Petticoat Gap, Cacapon Bridge (Bridge), Pleasant Dale, Frenchburg, Romney, Burlington, Williamsport (VA), Greenland
Secondary	Romney-Petersburg Rd.	Romney (junction with NW Turnpike) - Petersburg	Romney, Mooresfield, Petersburg (via Bald Hill and Trough Mountain)
Secondary	Cacapon and North Branch Turnpike	National Road Junction – Cacapon Bridge	Springfield, Clasor’s Ford (ford on South Branch), Slainesville, Clayont Cacapon Bridge (via road north of Grape Ridge, Candy Ridge and Parker Mt.)
Secondary	Martinsburg Turnpike	Frenchburg - Martinsburg	Frenchburg, Slanesville, Sherrard, Bloomery Gap (gap), Gano Town, Shanghai, Boyd’s Gap, Martinsburg
Secondary	Old Town-Romney Road	Old Town - Romney	Old Town, Springfield, Hanging Rock, Romney
Tertiary	Old Town Road	Martinsburg Turnpike Junction – Potomac Turnpike Junction	None – passes through Spring Gap Mountain and fords Cacapon River
Tertiary	Potomac Turnpike	Cumberland – Cacapon and North Branch Turnpike Junction	Cumberland – Old Town (fords Potomac and crosses B & O)
Tertiary	Hampshire and Morgan Turnpike	Paw Paw Tunnel – Martinsburg Turnpike Junction	None – only road access to Paw Paw Tunnel
Tertiary	Parker Road	Springfield Junction – Cacapon North Branch Turnpike Junction	None - Fords South Fork
Tertiary	Old Romney Road	Clayton – Suspension Brigade	Clayton, Three Churches, Suspension Bridge (bridge)
Tertiary	Pugh’s Road	Junction near Clayton – Pleasant Dale	None
Other	All other roads

Primary Roads (such as the macadamized Valley Turnpike) greatly enhance the speed of march and thus the distance covered during the day. Base marching speeds are affected by the road class they are on as follows:

Road Modifier: Roads are divided into four classes, with a marching speed modifier for each class. Marching speed changes at the time a unit enters a different class of road.

Road Class	Modifier
Primary Road	+ 1.0 miles per hour
Secondary Road	+0.4 miles per hour
Tertiary Road	+0 miles per hour
Other Road (unreliable, usually poor conditions)	Random modifier from – 0.5 miles per hour to -1.0

Precipitation affects marching speeds and the modifier is applied differently across road classes:

Precipitation Modifier: Rain or snow really messes up the road and slows down the march. The precipitation modifier is applied daily based on road class. “Other” roads are unpredictable. A four-sided die is rolled to determine the modifier for each “Other” class road in the event of precipitation.

Road Class	Modifier
Primary	-0.04 miles per hour  per 0.1 inch of precipitation
Secondary	-0.1 miles per hour per 0.1 inch of precipitation
Tertiary	-0.14 miles per hour per 0.1 inch of precipitation
Other (Roll 1)	-0.2 miles per hour per 0.1 inch of precipitation
Other (Roll 2)	0.24  miles per hour per 0.1 inch of precipitation
Other (Roll 3)	0.3 miles per hour per 0.1 inch of precipitation
Other (Roll 4)	0.4 miles per hour per 0.1 inch of precipitation

Control of roads will make a difference during the simulation.