Invasion Maryland - Turn 62

10:20 am: It has become clear that I have been seriously outmanoeuvred by McClellan - instead of attacking Lee's main position he has pinned it and bypassed it to encircle D.H.Hill at Williamsport. Although this has failed to yield a decisive VP total at the moment, it certainly will in the long term. I am pushing out Lee's left wing in reponse but it is too little, too late I think.

Pleasonton has crossed the Potomac and closed the trap on Hill.

Jones' Division pushes hard towards the banks of the Potomac below Williamsport, but the Yankees are moving to block the manoeuvre. Behind Jones, Anderson's Division (rushed from the eastern flank) assembles at Downsville.

Jones' Division move northwest out of Downsville,
but it looks like McClellan anticipated this.

A tactical view of Jones' brigades as they deploy to attack.

Invasion Maryland - Turn 58

The strategic situation at 9:00 am. Three things to note : there is a build up of Union forces to dislodge D.H.Hill from Williamsport : McClellan is refusing the left flank of the Army of the Potomac in response to the hammering it took in Longstreet's dawn assault : and in the bizarre absence of any Yankee troopers, Stuart has made a beeline for Funkstown.

Williamsport is under immense pressure. It is unlikely that we can hold it, but we can certainly make the Yankees pay for every street and building - and of course one Reb DIVISION is tying up two Union CORPS !! In truth, my opponent is reckoning on surrounding and eliminating D.H.Hill for a massive VP reward, and I have stupidly allowed it to happen by being too cocky.

Routed units can be shuffled to safety across the river at the moment - but
Union cavalry may be prowling there soon

Stuart's men have been feinting and manoeuvring behind Union lines to cause maximum anxiety. I expected huge numbers of Pleasonton's troopers to show up and put a stop to it - but they never did! So now the Reb cavalry is off to Funkstown.

Fitzhugh Lee's brigade is one hex away from securing 50 VPs for Funkstown.
Where the hell is the enemy cavalry ? It's making me slightly nervous ....

I don't want McClellan to have it all his own way at Williamsport so I am pushing Lee's reserve
division ( Jones/Longstreet's wing) out from Downsville on our left flank, in as threatening a manner as I can muster.

Jones may or may not mount a serious attack, I haven't decided yet.
Just the threat may be enough to throw McClellan into a muddle and stretch his resources.

I feel that the whole weight of the engagement may be shifting west. As there is a handy east/west road from Tilghmanton through Mount Moriah to Downsville, I am rushing Anderson's division across to the other flank. This can be easily and swiftly done without disturbing the main front we are presenting to the enemy, but the downside is that Anderson's division is weakened and fatigued by the morning's combat.

Anderson's battered brigades are marching to the opposite flank.
 Fair bit of grumbling in the ranks I would think.

Here is a tactical overview of the bulk of the Army of Northern Virginia.

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Invasion Maryland - Turn 51

Overview of the strategic situation at 6:40 am.

Note Stuart's troopers moving up from Boonsborough into the Union rear.

Overview of the main tactical situation. Another disastrous round of routing has forced the Union player to disengage several divisions north and east of Tilghmanton. I am going to use the lull to start withdrawing my own forces. The original Rebel dawn attack has shaken McClellan's nerves and caused a lot of casualties but I can't achieve any more here and we probably need to cautiously extricate ourselves.

Batteries withdraw just north of Fairplay as exhausted brigades
 start to pull out of Tilghmanton.

Robertson's cavalry brigade is shown here approaching the Union rear from the east of Antietam creek as Stuart attempts to add to McClellan's headaches. That's what he's paid for.

Trying to stay unpredictable - Rebel cavalry head west into the
Union rear rather than strike out north for the Funkstown VPs.

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Invasion Maryland- Turn 49

The dawn attack on the extreme Union left has led to a blistering firefight with big losses on both sides. The Yankees counterattacked from the east, probing for Anderson's flank, and a handful of Reb units skedaddled - but the main line held and continued to slug it out. Eventually we were rewarded by a massive number of Union routs, but it barely impacted the effectiveness of their front line as there are always more soldiers in blue to plug the gaps.

Longstreet is a little uneasy about the Yankee line curling around
Tilghmanton to the south east.

Here are the in game statistics as of Turn 49, which is 6:00 am on Sept the 13th. I am particularly pleased to be winning the artillery combat, as the massive superiority in Union guns is usually my downfall. Confederate cavalry losses relate to much earlier in the game when Stuart was a little er,...reckless !

VPs are expressed for the Union side. Minus 72 may not seem like much of an
achievment for the Rebs, but the Union started the game with plus 250.

And speaking of Stuart, he is once again making a nuisance of himself far in the Union rear having gathered the VPs for Boonsborough (near South Mountain) during the night.

At Williamsport, D.H. Hill has gone on the defensive as McClellan orders Burnside's Corps to attack and remove the strategic threat he represents.

Overview of the main Confederate position with all the Union forces that are currently visible to us.

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