Due to real life issues and commitments, the TWWII Simulation is closing early. At the end of Day One, victory is awarded to the Federals as follows:
Clearly, the main factor leading to Lander's (Greg's) victory was the ability to take and hold the town of Romney. This provided 3 Victory Points, but also earned him a large number of points for artillery and small arms ammunition captured when his men moved into town.
It was kind of a rough day of campaigning. Ashby's cavalry easily broke into the rear of Federal lines on Day One, moving through Springfield and Frankfort and destroying some Federal supplies. (The Federals managed to remove some supplies before he arrived, but did not destroy those left over. Ashby clearly was about to reach Burlington first thing on the morning of Day 2, where he would have captured or destroyed 3,000 rations, 60,000 small arms rounds, and 300 artillery rounds. From the orders given on Day One, the Federals had not found a solution to Ashby. If Ashby moved east again, there was a vulnerable supply train at Mechanicsburg Gap.
The Federals also did not occupy their objectives on Day One. Ashby had cleared out Lander and his headquarters guard from Springfield and Frankfort and there was no one posted at Green Spring Depot. That was a loss of three points.
The Confederates also struggled with supplies. A large surplus had been discharged from supply trains at Romney in the morning of Day One, only to be captured by the enemy. Taliaferro's supply train was also almost lost at Three Churches, and Ashby's train was briefly in a very precarious position between Three Churches and Romney. I am sure that if the sim were run again, both sides might re-think their supply management strategies.
Infantry casualties were heaviest among the Federals at Romney, where Tyler's (3rd Brigade) lost 1,054 men, which amounts to 34% of the command. Taking Romney was critical, but came at a price. The defending force at Romney also lost heavily. Garnett's Brigade lost 897 men, being 44% of its total strength. Although a smaller force than the Federals at Romney, Garnett's men were of much higher quality. The best Federal unit there was captured at the end of Day One, which means that Romney would have been another hard-fought fight if there had been a Day Two and certainly was within the Confederate reach.
Kimball's and Dunning's Brigades faired better than Tyler's. Kimball faced a smaller force when it attacked Three Churches in the morning phase, and puller out before losses were too heavy in the afternoon. Dunning had a superior position at Lowell's Cross Roads, making Anderson's and Burks' Brigades pay a heavy price for taking the town. Anderson declined to assault the second Union position north of town, avoid heavier loss right before dark.
Artillery losses and cavalry losses were about the same on either side, resulting in the same amount of points. Although the fight near Clasor's Ford resulted in the rout of the Charlotte Cavalry, one of the most significant fights was between Company "A" of the 1st Ohio Cavalry and the Pittsylvania Cavalry at Tate's Store. The fight went on all day and neither side was able to push the other out of the way. This prevented the Confederates from moving to the railroad at Little Cacapon Depot and the Federals from raiding the Confederate supply lines to the rear. One Federal unit, however, managed to get to the Confederate rear lines. The Washington Cavalry went around Glebe Ford and ended up in Frenchburg. It did not move on to Barne's Mill, where there was a Confederate supply depot at Risk. Just as the Federals were unprepared for Ashby, it is likely that Capt. Greenfield's Washington Cavalry would have taken supplies on Day Two, having exploited the undefended southern area of the campaign theatre.
I hope the short sim was enjoyable for the three players: Greg (Lander), Iain (Jackson) and Chase (Loring). The Federals won the day, but the Confederates were in a strong position at the start of Day Two. Had the sim continued, it was still anybody's game.
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