[Consim-l] Lee's Greatest Gamble/AOR replay part 4

[Markus Stumptner]

The end of the last part had the Confederates thrown off Cemetery Hill by 
the afternoon of the second day and Ewell stopped in the east...

In the meantime, Lee has realised that the departure of XI Corps from
Culp's Hill has opened another route into the rear of the Union
position. Stuart and his cavalry have just turned up at his HQ and are
immediately sent off to take Culp's Hill and prevent closing of that
gap.  While Stuart is moving, another aide gallops off to prod Ewell,
in no unclear terms, to resume the offensive in the new direction.

By 1700 the Confederate cavalry has taken Culp's Hill, but advances
very slowly in the woods (being unable to use the clear ground near
Cemetery Ridge that is now controlled by the II Corps guns). An
initial skirmish with Sickles' corps leads to no outcome. However,
Ewell has taken Lee's new orders to heart and is following them. His
troops are now breaking through the woods around Culp's Hill just as
the Union VI Corps is coming in view of Meade's HQ.

At 1800, reports of Stuart's point brigades indicate that they can see
the Union HQ to the south in front of Powers Hill, the Union army
train behind it to the southeast, and the II Corps train behind a
patch of woods to the southwest. The small plain between Powers Hill
and Cemetery Ridge is filled with the remains of various III Corps
units streaming southeastwards, but the only formed unit remaining is
an artillery battery with Sickles himself in the vicinity. The
question is what the spearheads of VI Corps will do, but ironically
they have orders to turn off to bolster the position of XI Corps! A
phenomenal opportunity arises for the Confederates.

Stuart decides on the aggressive approach. F.Lee's and Hampton's
cavalry brigades race past the artillery, going full tilt towards the
Union HQ, while the last brigade will go for the artillery
directly. The cavalry gallops across the open ground, crushes the
weakened brigade guarding the Union HQ, and overruns the HQ itself,
with Meade and his staff narrowly escaping. (First photo below shows
the moment before the attack.) However, the price paid is
high. Hampton's brigade, running on the right flank, is shot to pieces
out in the open. F.Lee's brigade is distracted by the remains of I
Corps and attacks, but the Union fire forces holds it at bay (a step
loss after the Union rolled a 12). The third brigade, charging the
artillery, falls back after some skirmishing.

Behind the cavalry II Corps follows through the woods. Walker's
brigade takes some losses but Sickles' last battery is overrun and
McIntosh's Union cavalry brigade is taken in the flanks in the woods
and crushed. (Sickles is transferred to his closest unit on the map,
ironically that places him with his units in... the Peach Orchard. We
had a good laugh about that.) The army train, in the meantime, crawls
away, barely making it out of the vicinity and back into the safer
Union rear.

Around 1900, Ewell continues his forward march towards Powers
Hill. His men do not quite make it to the hill, but instead clash with
the van of VI Corps, which has changed course again, this time to
clear the plain behind Cemetery Ridge, with commendable alacrity. Both
sides have a brigade wrecked in a short but sharp fight before night
falls.

At night, not having achieved their objective of Powers Hill, Ewell's
men fall back into the woods around Culp's Hill. Everywhere, some
feverish reorganisation takes place. In the end, Longstreet fails to
rally four brigades and his corps remains demoralised. A.P.Hill loses
two brigades but looks much better. Three Union brigades are not
reformed; both sides have lost a few batteries.  Losses favour the
Union but except for V and VI Corps and one division of III Corps, the
army has still suffered grievously.

The morning of the third day dawns over a much more pronounced
fishhook than usual. The Union front stretches from II Corps on
Cemetery Hill over the Angle to III Corps' new arrivals in the Peach
Orchard, with Pleasonton's cavalry filling the gap in between. This
line is backstopped by a second Union line that runs from V Corps on
the Round Tops over I and XII Corps to VI Corps near Powers Hill and
XI Corps at Wolf Hill on the far right flank. The key question for the
3rd day is who will get his troops up and into formation more quickly
since pretty much everyone is currently on Reserve status.



Markus

Last 3 games played: Red Steel, AOR/7 Days Battles, Blood & Iron
--------------- http://www.dbai.tuwien.ac.at/user/mst/games/ ---------------
"Bakayaro! Bakayaro!"  ("Stupid Bastards!  Stupid Bastards!") -- Admiral 
Aritomo Goto's last words to his staff, October 11, 1942