NationStates Jolt Archive

This the main thread for the Confederate Army. As stated in the OOC thread, the RP will begin on Wednesday. The time at that point will be July 22nd 1861. You will recieve your commands, the troops under your command, and a rough guage of their strength, and effectiveness of their commanding generals. General Lee (whoever he is at that point) and the commander of the Army of the Mississippi (whoever that winds up being) will recieve goals from me (Jefferson Davis). After that, you're on your own.

Good luck.

Braxton Bragg at the outbreak of the war was Major General of the militia in Louisiana. His commision was changed and he was given the rank of Brigadier General.

Organization of Confederate Forces: (Hopefully final!)

General of the Army:
General Joe Johnston - Whyzardia

Army of Northern Virginia:

Theater Commander:
General Joe Johnston - Whyzardia

Corps Commanders:
Maj. General T.J. "Stonewall" Jackson - Van Normandy
Maj. General A.P. Hill - Mini Miehm
Maj. General J.E.B. Stuart - Philanchez

Army of Tennessee:

Theater Commander:
Lt. General Sindney Albert Johnston - Safehaven2

Corps Commander:
Maj. General Nathan Bedford Forrest - Tetris L-Shaped Block
Bvt. Lt. General (Maj. Gen.)Robert E. Lee - Gintonpar

Army of Mississippi:

Theater Commander:
Lt. General Pierre Tussant Beauregard - Reagonica

Corps Commander:
Maj. General Braxton Bragg - Danard

*Edits: Hopefully for the last time, again if you see a problem with where you're starting, say something.

OOC: Like the historical Davis, I'm going to be doing a lot of discussions with Gen. Lee reguarding the nature of the war. Unlike the historical Davis, I'm not going to promote him from Col. directly to General. He hasn't had a combat command yet (historically) and I want to see what he's made of.

IC:
Orders to the Armies of the Confederate States of America,

Dear Sirs,

Both I and the Secretary of War have come up with an order of battle that should serve to defend the Confederacy in her infancy from the ravages of the Union Amry, in the days following our initial success at Manassass. I do not believe that this is the last we will see of our neighbors to the North, and we must be ready for more aggression from that direction.

I have made several executive decisions that my confuse you at this time. I hope to have explained them in full below.

I have placed Gen. S. A. Johnston in direct command of the Army of Tennessee. I'm sure this will come as a suprise to some of you, however I am confident that this is the best choice for our defenses at this point in time. I'm suggesting very strongly to Gen. S. A. Johnston that Gen. Lee should have a major role in the combat opperations in Western Virginia. The time I spent with him during the Mexican War suggest to me that he is a very competant soldier, and should do incredibly well.

Due to my movement of S. A. Johnston from Mississippi to Tennessee, I've taken the liberty of placing Lt. General Pierre Tussant Beauregard in charge of the defense of Missouri. I trust he will perform admirably in this reguard.

I welcome the criticism of my generals, and if you have any questions reguarding the nature of my orders I ask only that you telegram my offices, or send a post.

Instruction to the common soldier, to be read to all rank and file.

1. All provisions taken by soldiers will be paid for in full. Receipts will be issued if neccesary.

2. All soldiers will remind themselves of the need to respect civilians private property. Looting will only be allowed on enemy dead. So kill em good.

3. The Confederacy wishes to let it be known that we are grateful for the presence of the ordinary fighting man in what we hope will be a short war. Remember, you are fighting for your homelands.



Instruction for brigade commanders

I will allow you the freedom of billeting your own troops but I must insist again that every provison taken from the populace is paid for properly. We do not want our own populace turning against us.

Although I leave you with freedom to billet, I would be most pleased if you would remain within a days march of my position so that we will be able to march directly to spots of trouble.

I ask that you keep light cavalry screens on the borders but not to engage civilian targets in the states border states that have chosen neither to secede nor to join the union. These states will be crucial to victory and we should not jeapordise our cause by causing unneccesary destruction there.

The corps will billet around Charleston, West Virginia, on the South bank of the river.I myself shall take post in the city of Charleston but I inform you both that I will be inspecting both of your corps in two weeks. Be ready. I request that our troops are exercised and in the countryside around Charleston but on the South bank, with emphasis upon cavalry and infantry co-ordination, rifle drill, and skirmishing.

That is all for now. Thank you very much for your time gentlemen. And please, feel free to let me know of any problems you have with these orders. Other than that, set to it, gentlemen.

Woah. I thought I was theater commander?

Woah. I thought I was theater commander?

You were, but I screwed up in placing you there. Just change that to your orders for your Corps and I think you'll be good. The problem, (and Danard pointed out) I had the wrong person in charge at the moment. Don't worry I'm sure you'll get promoted soonish.

And the Army of Tennessee is currently fighting in Western Virginia, as Kentucky is neutral at the moment.

Changed it to 'brigade commanders' and I'm ready to fight when orders are given. Has the campaign started yet? And do we have any knowledge of the whereabouts of the nearest federal trooops?

Like it says in the main post, we're starting on 12:01pm EST on Wednesday. I'll have your actual troops by then, and some intel on the possition of your opposition.

Dear Sir,


I would request orders from General Johnston concerning general deployment of the army. It is my considered opinion that we would be best served by holding the South bank of the Kanawha River with special attention being given to the defence of Charleston. However, we should be flexible and ready to abandon positions in the face of overwhelming force. Our main aim must still be to keep an army in the field and not commit to battle against odds or circumstances that we cannot, or there is a high risk of, not gaining victory. We are better served by having an army in the field and leaving federal advance unchecked for a time than by trying to salvage pride and waste our army against a force we cannot defeat.

Yours,
Major General R.E Lee.

CS Army: 75,000 men, all vollenteers.

Army of Northern Virginia: - 32,500 men

Infantry
1st Virginia
2nd Virginia
3rd Virginia
4th Virginia
5th Virginia
6th Virginia
1st Free Maryland
1st North Carolina
2nd North Carolina
3rd North Carolina
4th North Carolina
5th North Carolina
1st South Carolina
2nd South Carolina
3rd South Carolina
4th South Carolina
1st Georgia
2nd Georgia
6th South Carolina
5th Georgia
6th North Carolina
7th North Carolina
8th North Carolina
7th South Carolina
6th Georgia
3rd Alabama
10th Virginia
2nd Free Maryland
9th North Carolina
7th Georgia
8th South Carolina
4th Florida
12th Virginia
6th Alabama
8th Georgia

Cavalry
3rd Virginia Cavalry
4th Virginia Cavalry
5th Virginia Cavalry
1st South Carolina Cavalry
2nd South Carolina Cavalry
4th North Carolina Cavalry
2nd North Carolina Cavalry
2nd Virginia Cavalry
1st Georgia Cavalry

Army of Tennessee: 22,500 men

Infantry
7th Virginia
8th Virginia
9th Virginia
8th Tennessee
11th Virginia
1st Tennessee
2nd Tennessee
3rd Tennessee
4th Tennessee
5th Tennessee
6th Tennesssee
1st Kentucky
7th Tennessee
1st Florida
2nd Florida
3rd Florida
4th Alabama
5th Alabama
5th South Carolina
3rd Georgia
4th Georgia

Cavalry
1st Virginia Cavalry
2nd Tennessee Cavalry
1st North Carolina Cavalry
1st Tennessee Cavalry
3rd North Carolina Cavalry

Army of Mississippi: 15,000 men

Infantry
1st Missouri
2nd Missouri
3rd Missouri
1st Arkansas
2nd Arkansas
1st Texas
2nd Texas
3rd Texas
1st Louisiana
2nd Louisana
3rd Louisana
1st Mississippi
2nd Mississippi
1st Alabama
2nd Alabama

Cavalry
1st Texas Cavalry
2nd Alabama Cavalry
1st Arkansas Cavalry

If by some miracle you actually read all that, expect more detail on how your forces are equipped, and what their moral is. All units are given by Brigade. More units will be created once the draft takes effect, so you can expect more raw recruits very soon.

Then the Army of Mississippi (based on the units you have listed) Has Hood's Texans. Oh, by the way Manarth, I sent you a TG.

OOC: Oh and Gintonpar. There is no "West Virginia", that is an unlawful cessession, of counties from the soverign state of Virginia. And it may not have even happened yet (I've got to check the date on it). So, you're camped near Charleston, Virginia.

From what I know Albert S. Johnston is in command of the army of Mississippi while Robert E. Lee is in command of the West Virginia situation(Don't know what his command was called.) From what I've read at the beggining of the war Johnston and his men were stationed in Tennesse.

Lt. Gen. Johnston,

I request your permission to set the 2nd Virginia and 1st Georgia Cavalry on weekly raiding missions into Maryland and the heart of the Union. i assure you that they will behave in a civilised manor and will only cause general havoc, mischief, and sabotage in military areas. The longer we can keep the Union Army in Maryland the longer we have to train and equip new troops. All loot will be brought to your command with the utmost speed and any intelligence gained while on these missions will be transfered to your command within three days of their return.

On another note, I wish to set coordinated training and excersises with the Cavalry and Infantry. It is my belief that the better the Infantry understand the Cavalry and the better the Cavalry understand the Infantry then the better and more coordinated the men will fight together.

Sincerely,
Major General J.E.B. Stuart, Army of North Virginia

From what I know Albert S. Johnston is in command of the army of Mississippi while Robert E. Lee is in command of the West Virginia situation(Don't know what his command was called.) From what I've read at the beggining of the war Johnston and his men were stationed in Tennesse.

Okay, thanks for the clarification. I appreciate all the feedback, as I'm currently having one hell of a time figuring out where everyone is. As for the troop possitions, I admit, I fudged it. I don't have the time to look up every brigade and figure out where they are or what front they served on.

If you want a specific brigade at a specific front, I suggest you ask General Joe Johnston - Whyzardia for its transfer.

Theater Commanders, be sure to post or TG strategic movements, and assign troops to the direct command of your Corps Commanders. Also, be sure to assign troops to "NPC Corps Commanders". Essentially, anything that you aren't personally commading is going to be NPC'd. Tell them what to do, and they'll do it. If you want to put a name on the NPC, put a name on 'em.

Again, we are starting on Wednesday, so I'd appreciate if troop assignments are concluded by then. If not, then concluded ASAP.

Also, rational and IC post has been updated with the "Order of Battle"

From what I know Albert S. Johnston is in command of the army of Mississippi while Robert E. Lee is in command of the West Virginia situation(Don't know what his command was called.) From what I've read at the beggining of the war Johnston and his men were stationed in Tennesse.

You are correct. Technically Lee should actually be a semi-independent commander in western Virginia, nominally under Joe Johnston's command but really answering directly to Jefferson Davis. However for simplicity's sake I suggest we just redraw the department lines a bit and make everything from say 10 miles west of the Shenandoah Valley all the way to the Mississippi Sydney Johnston's department. We don't need a whole lot of generals here in the east and Sydney is going to have his hands full defending the western theater.

You are correct. Technically Lee should actually be a semi-independent commander in western Virginia, nominally under Joe Johnston's command but really answering directly to Jefferson Davis. However for simplicity's sake I suggest we just redraw the department lines a bit and make everything from say 10 miles west of the Shenandoah Valley all the way to the Mississippi Sydney Johnston's department. We don't need a whole lot of generals here in the east and Sydney is going to have his hands full defending the western theater.

Okay, that's why your Commander of the Army. Back to the drawing board again I suppose. (I'll do it tomorrow some time)

Lt. Gen. Johnston,

I request your permission to set the 2nd Virginia and 1st Georgia Cavalry on weekly raiding missions into Maryland and the heart of the Union. i assure you that they will behave in a civilised manor and will only cause general havoc, mischief, and sabotage in military areas. The longer we can keep the Union Army in Maryland the longer we have to train and equip new troops. All loot will be brought to your command with the utmost speed and any intelligence gained while on these missions will be transfered to your command within three days of their return.

On another note, I wish to set coordinated training and excersises with the Cavalry and Infantry. It is my belief that the better the Infantry understand the Cavalry and the better the Cavalry understand the Infantry then the better and more coordinated the men will fight together.

Sincerely,
Major General J.E.B. Stuart, Army of North Virginia

General Stuart,

Your suggestions have been noted. For the time being I am assigning you ALL the cavalry regiments/brigades in the eastern theater, with the exception of the Second Virgina Cavalry, under command of Turner Ashby. You will have complete latitude to train them as you see fit, keeping in mind the following:

Your men will be the eyes and ears of the army of the east. Therefore you should keep a substantial number of them available for reconaissance at all times.
It is my wish that you also train your men to operate as a corps, as well as individual divisions, brigades, and regiments. A single organized mass of mounted troops will be very useful in the upcoming campaigns.
In light of the above I also wish for you to organize and train several batteries of light horse artillery, preferably at least one per brigade. This will depend on the availability of ordinance however so for now concentrate on getting your men organized and fit for battle


Further orders will be forthcoming shortly.

Lieut. General Joe Johnston

Okay, that's why your Commander of the Army. Back to the drawing board again I suppose. (I'll do it tomorrow some time)

No need to change anything, by redoing it this way we achieve what you had already done... Lee is still in the mountains but under Sydney Johnston's command instead of directly under me (or you.)

Gentlemen,

Let me first extend my congratulations to General Beauregard for his brilliant victory at Manassas. You have done well General and you have the thanks of the entire country for your rout of our foes. And congratulations as well for your well-deserved promotion and assignment to command the Department of Trans-Mississippi. You will have your work cut out for you there, as will we all.

Gentlemen, we are all professional soldiers and know what needs to be done to secure our independence. Therefore I will give you all the greatest possible lattitude in the organization and command of your respective departments, subject to only general guidance from myself and the President.

General Albert Sydney Johnston, you are charged with the defense of everything from a line 10 miles west of the Shenandoah Valley to the Mississippi River. Currently most of your department is shielded from invasion by the state of Kentucky, which has declared itself neutral in the coming conflict. My own view however is that this condition cannot last and they will sooner or later have to decide which side they will join. It is imperative that that side is ours! Therefore you should ensure that none of your troops violate the state's neutrality without specific authorization from myself or the President. In the meantime do what you can to hold on to western Virginia, and do your best to fortify the Mississippi River, especially Memphis and New Orleans, against the time when the enemy invades our western lands.

General PGT Beauregard your task will be a difficult one as Missouri is in turmoil right now. The enemy has a very strong presence in St Louis and appears to be trying to subjugate the state in preparation for an eventual move down the Mississippi. Your main objective will be to prevent this, with a view towards eventually bringing the state firmly into our control. It need not be said that you are also charged with ensuring that the enemy does not invade Arkansas.

As mentioned above, other than these general guidelines you are free to command your respective departments as you see fit. Further objectives and guidelines will be forthcoming as the situation changes. For now focus on training your men and carrying out the objectives set forth in this letter.

Lieut. General Joe Johnston

General-in-Chief

I have given almost all of our cavalry assets over to General Stuart to train as a solid fighting unit. The rest of our deployments will have to wait until I can do a bit of research... for instance I can't remember if we have taken the navy yard at Norfolk yet or if I need to send someone down there to do it.

But I can give some general guidelines to Jackson and Hill. Jackson will be deployed to the Shenandoah Valley (no surprise there) and will have Turner Ashby's 2nd Virginia Cavalry assigned to him in addition to whatever infantry brigades I can spare him. Hill will be staying in the vicinity of Manassas for the moment, drilling his men and constructing fortifications. I would love to just go ahead and invade the north or something but we don't have the resources to do much right now. And I, or rather Johnston, am not a particularly aggressive General anyway.

ATTN: Army of Tennessee

Dear sirs,

I have granted to Gen. Lee the rank of Bvt. Lt. General, giving him seniority over all generals in the Army of Tennessee aside from Lt. Gen. Johnston. Again, I advise Lt. Gen. Johnston to ensure that he has a major role in the defence of our fair land.

Jefferson Davis

Message to Divisional and Brigade commanders:

You are all to drill the men vigorusly. There will be many hard fights ahead of us, and we will stand a better chance if are men are well trained (ooc: Bragg was historically pessamistic at times). This command will be the best fighting force in the west if the right actions are taken.

Signed,

Major General Braxton Bragg

(ooc: Manarth, I have a quetion for you in Chatzy.)

If by some miracle you actually read all that, expect more detail on how your forces are equipped, and what their moral is. All units are given by Brigade. More units will be created once the draft takes effect, so you can expect more raw recruits very soon.

I was working on the deployments for the eastern theater forces and something stuck me as odd. I think maybe you meant all units are given by regiment? If not then we have some mighty small brigades... only about 750 men each.

Brigade Commanders
Within one week all your men should be trained in the general ideas of Cavalry warfare and the use of Cavalry in todays army. we will then begin orchestrateing tactics and tsrategys for them to practice and perfect. I want our men in top fighting condition for whenevr we will be deployed. The 2nd Virginia will not be staying with us as they have been assigned to General Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley so I will need the 1st Georgia and 3rd Virginia to begin reconasence missions into Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Ohio once they have recieved an entire weeks training in reconasence and sabotage missions.

Godspeed,
J.E.B. Stuart, Commander of the Cavalry of Northern Virginia

I was working on the deployments for the eastern theater forces and something stuck me as odd. I think maybe you meant all units are given by regiment? If not then we have some mighty small brigades... only about 750 men each.

OOC: If it makes you feel any better, the Union Army is going to be stuck with the exact same structure. I'm not quite sure about the reasoning I took, comming up with the number of Brigades. Well, I had to go through the list anyway, so I'll do some editing.

Edit: Yes the Brigades are a tad understrength, no we can't call them Regements because then the'd be a tad overstrenghtened (typical size was 200ish-400ish). I seem to have successfully hit right about 1/2 standard Brigade strength, which infuriates me to no end. That's what I get from listening to CoC when he tells me how many Corps I have. In order to solve this, I'm just going to erase the number of men in each brigade. You just have that many brigades. How many men in each one? I don't know, that's why it's roleplaying. Besides the super-double-secret behind the scenes system I'm going to be using for the battles doesn't require the number of men in a brigade anyway. So, that's just how it is. That's what you've got to work with, and frankly I'm way too lazy to do it all over again. (Though not as lazy as our friend in Washington, he hasn't even come up with his troop numbers yet)

Besides, just looking at the troop numbers that were moving around during the battles, I think I was a good 1/2 strenght of what we should have had anyway.

I have given almost all of our cavalry assets over to General Stuart to train as a solid fighting unit. The rest of our deployments will have to wait until I can do a bit of research... for instance I can't remember if we have taken the navy yard at Norfolk yet or if I need to send someone down there to do it.

But I can give some general guidelines to Jackson and Hill. Jackson will be deployed to the Shenandoah Valley (no surprise there) and will have Turner Ashby's 2nd Virginia Cavalry assigned to him in addition to whatever infantry brigades I can spare him. Hill will be staying in the vicinity of Manassas for the moment, drilling his men and constructing fortifications. I would love to just go ahead and invade the north or something but we don't have the resources to do much right now. And I, or rather Johnston, am not a particularly aggressive General anyway.


OOC: I pity the Union soldiers that have to face me on the defensive... I need to check, but I'm relatively sure that I can russle up a few extremely primitive landmines, even this early in the war... I know they had landmines in the war, I just need to find out when they were used...

EDIT: I guess a little IC would be helpful...

IC:

To General Johnston, Commander, Army of Northern Virginia:

As per your orders I have begun the construction of breastworks, trenches, and other defensive emplacements in and about the Manassas Junction, and in the vicinity of Bull Run and the Stone Bridge, however, I would prefer to be in the field, engaging the enemy. Also, I have heard rumor of a device that explodes when stepped upon, if there is any way for these items to be delivered here, I feel they would be most useful in the defense of the area.

Yours,
Maj General A.P. Hill

ooc: two questions.

Do I have the whole Army of Tennessee?

And secondly, are the '5th Virginians' for example, a brigade or a regiment?

IC:

Orders to all brigade commanders:


More detailed orders to follow shortly (ooc: tomorrow) but for now, 4 regiments will be detailed to fortify Charleston and the rest of the corps (ooc: or army if I have command), will dig in on the South side of the Kawalha River and then complete exercises combining all arms of the force i.e. infantry, cavalry and artillery but to be ready for movement at short notice. Cavalry patrols will be permitted to cross over to the North side of the river but NO OTHER UNITS. We will not jeapordise sovereignty of the border states as we still hope that they will soon seccede. Cavalry will confine themselves to recoinaissance only. That is all.

Signed,

Lt. General R.E Lee, Officer Commanding.



Note added to the letter: More detailed dispositions will follow (ooc: tomorrow).

AS Johnston is in command of the army of Tennesee and you are still under his command. Your men are gaurding Northwestern Virginia (aka West Virginia) while the rest of Johnston is in Tennesee.

OOC: Ya, R. E. Lee is under my command for now, although I won't interfere much if at all with you.

IC:

Letter to General R. E. Lee:

From what I have seen your deployments seem to be fine. I only wish to request that you cut the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and if possible the CHesapeake and Ohio Canal. These are key links that connect the East coast to the West and they run through these rebeliouss counties. Now, this is only a request, if it is not possible to do without major losses then of course it should not be attempted. As long as Kentucky remains neutral and the front remains quiet I will see what I can do in regards to sending reinforcements.

{Signed}

General Albert S. Johnston

Orders to rest of corps and divisional commanders:

You are to focus on training and manuevers for now. We are safe from the war as long as Kentucky remains neatral, and while I do not expect that to last, it does give us some time. In this time, other than training, the defenses of Tennessee are to be looked over and increased. The defenses around Memphis and the forts along the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers are to be bolstered and prepared as much as possible. Most importantly no one, under any circmunstances, is to cross over the border into Kentucky withou direct orders from me under pain of death.

Greetings,

It is my understanding that I am in command of the 2nd, 4th, 5th, 27th, and 33rd Virginia Infantry Regiments, along with Mr. Ashby's calvary. If this is not so please correct me.

T. J. Jackson

Major General Bragg,

The situation The Army of the Mississipi faces is dire. We face a great task with relatively little support or manpower, but I am confident we will triumph in the name of the Confederacy. With this is mind I order you to the town of Walnut Ridge, bordering the White River. You will take with you the Missouri, Arkansas and Alabama brigades, along with the 1st Arkansas and 2nd Alabama calvary support. I shall remain in Jonesboro, only a few miles down the road, in order to gather supplies and intelligence. Keep in contact and report any news as it comes in; should you face a Yankee force outstripping yours in any regard retreat to Jonesboro and we shall take the situation in hand from there.
Put your faith in God and keep your powder dry (ooc: i know this is a Cromwell quote, but it's awesome).

Signed
Lt. General Pierre Toussant Beauregard

Less than 10 hours before the clock begins. I need my Lt. Generals to TG or post who has what forces. Consider all Confederate forces at this point (pre-draft) to be filled with dedicated individuals who are committed to the fight for liberty. And who also tend to have problems aquireing matching uniforms and rifles. But at least they know how to shoot.

Greetings,

It is my understanding that I am in command of the 2nd, 4th, 5th, 27th, and 33rd Virginia Infantry Regiments, along with Mr. Ashby's calvary. If this is not so please correct me.

T. J. Jackson

OOC: There is no 27th & 33rd Virginia in the OOB we are using.

General Jackson,

You are hereby assigned command of the 1st Corps, consisting of the 1st (The Stonewall Brigade), 2nd, 3rd & 5th Virginia and the 3rd and 6th Alabama Infantry Brigades, as well as Turner Ashby's 2nd Virginia Cavalry Brigade. You are to proceed with your command at once to Winchester Va, in the lower Shenandoah valley. The situation at the moment is too fluid for me to give you any detailed instructions so I will rely on your discretion in carrying out the following guidelines:

Defend the Valley against enemy incursion as far as practicable.
If possible attempt the disruption of the Chesapeake and Ohio canal and the line of the Baltimore and Ohio railway.
Keep your command in readiness to effect a junction with General Hill's troops around Manassas within one week should the need arise.


Should the opportunity arise to strike at an exposed enemy force you are free to do so, under the condition that it does not create undue risk to a substantial portion of your available force. I suggest that you form your troops into two divisions of three brigades each but you are free to organize them and appoint their officers as you see fit, subject to approval by myself and President Davis.

You demonstrated your ability to hold a position in the face of overwhelming opposition in yesterday's battle General, for which you have earned both my and the whole nation's gratitude and respect. Show the same courage and dedication in your new post and we cannot fail.

Lieut. General Joseph Johnston
Commander, Army of Northern Virginia

General Hill,

First let me say that I understand your eagerness to march against the enemy forthwith. That would be my desire as well if it were at all possible for us to launch a successful attack. Unfortunately the defenses surrounding Washington are just too strong for us to attack with our present manpower. So we will have to wait for them to come to us.

I am assigning the bulk of our available forces to your command General as it is the one most vulnerable to attack at present. Therefore your Second Corps will have the following brigades assigned: 1st & 2nd Free Maryland, 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th North Carolina, 1st, 2nd, 5th, 6th, 7th, & 8th Georgia. I am also detaching the 5th Virginia Cavalry from General Stuart and assigning it to you.

It is my recommendation that you organize your men into three or four divisions but you are free to organize them and appoint their officers as you see fit.

Detailed instructions will have to wait until we see what the enemy's plans are. But you are to keep the following guidelines in mind:

First and foremost is to prepare positions that can be defended against enemy attack should they attempt to invade again.
You should also be prepared to abandon your position with a week's notice should the need arise. If the enemy makes a concentrated attack elsewhere it will be of the utmost importance that we concentrate as rapidly as possible to repel him.
You should also prepare all bridges in the area for demolition. Should I need you to move elsewhere I do not want them left for the enemy to use.
I would also like you to begin developing an intelligence network in the area between you and the Potomac River. If the enemy begins a movement it will be necessary for us to discover whether it is a feint or a major effort as soon as possible.


As for your inquiry about buried explosive devices I must say that I am against their use unless the situation become dire and we have no other choice. It is not an honorable means of fighting and without our honor we are nothing.

Lieut. General Joseph Johnston
Commander, Army of Northern Virginia

Your Excellency,

I have the honor to report the final dispositions of our troops in the Eastern Theater:

Major General Jackson has been assigned command of I Corps, consisting of six infantry and one cavalry brigades, and ordered to the lower Shenandoah Valley.
Major General Hill has been assigned the II Corps, consisting of twelve infantry and one cavalry brigades. He has been ordered to prepare defenses in the neighborhood of Manassas.
Major General Stuart has been given all of the cavalry brigades with the exception of the two detached to the I and II corps. He has orders to train them to operate as a cohesive unit, the I Cavalry Corps, as well as our screening and intelligence gathering force. He is also located in the vicinity of Manassas.
Major General James Longstreet has been assigned the III Corps, consisting of six infantry brigades organized into three divisions. He has been ordered to deploy his troops in the vicinity of Richmond and Norfolk and is charged with constructing defenses to cover them from assault by sea. He has also been asked to report on the feasability of launching an attack on Fortress Monroe.
Major General Kershaw has been given the IV Corps, consisting of 6 brigades. These have not been organized into divisions but have rather been deployed to various posts in the Carolinas to defend against invasion. One each has been sent to the cities of Wilmington, Charleston, Savannah, Beaufort SC and New Bern. The other has been posted in the town of Weldon NC, where it can be quickly moved by rail to reinforce any of the other cities.
An independent brigade, the 4th Florida has been sent to defend the port of Jacksonville.
The remaining brigade, the 8th SC, has been sent to the area around Aquia Landing on the Potomac, near Fredricksburg. There it has been instructed to begin construction of a major fortification with emplacements for heavy guns.


I hope these dispositions receive the approval of yourself and the Secretary of War.

I remain your obedient servant,

Lieut. General Joseph Johnston
Commander, Army of Northern Virginia

Lt. General Johnston,

I am humbled by the commendations bestowed upon me from many. I would ask though that all further commendations be first directed to my men.

I submit to you a proposed plan for my forces. I would request that Richard Garnett be placed in charge of the 1st. 2nd, 3rd & 5th Virginia. I would ask that Turner Ashby's 2nd Virginia Calvary and the 3rd and 6th Alabama be allowed to perform reconnaissance until contact, as far north as Harper's Ferry, west as Moorefield, and south as Staunton. The rest of the infantry will train in Winchester. We will maintain contact from Winchester to Front Royal to receive orders and supplies.

Maj. General Jackson,
Commander, I Corps, Army of Northern Virginia

Orders recieved. Though can I just ask which units of the army of Tennessee are under my direct command?

Lee.

The war department confirms the plans of Lt. Gen. Joe Johnston, and suggests they be carried out with some haste. While it is regretable that no offensive work will be undertaken at this time apart from raids into Maryland and Ohio, both the War Department and President Davis understand the need for a solid defence, and regret the lack of troops to spare.

Army of Northern Virginia: 5 Corps, 2 detatched Brigades, 3 unassigned Brigades

Jackson's I Corps

"Stonewall's" 1st Virginia
2nd Virginia
3rd Virginia
5th Virginia
3rd Alabama
6th Alabama
Turner Ashsby's 2nd Virginia Cavalry

Hill's II Corps

1st Free Maryland
2nd Free Maryland
1st North Carolina
2nd North Carolina
3rd North Carolina
4th North Carolina
1st Georgia
2nd Georgia
5th Georgia
6th Georgia
7th Georgia
8th Georgia
5th Virginia Cavalry

Stuart's I Cavarly Corps

3rd Virginia Cavalry
4th Virginia Cavalry
1st South Carolina Cavalry
2nd South Carolina Cavalry
4th North Carolina Cavalry
2nd North Carolina Cavalry
1st Georgia Cavalry

Longstreet's III Corps

Division
4th Virginia
6th Virginia
10th Virginia

Division
12th Virginia
5th North Carolina
1st South Carolina

Genereal Kershaw's IV Corps

Coastal Defence
2nd South Carolina - Beaufort SC
3rd South Carolina - New Bern
4th South Carolina - Wilmington
6th South Carolina - Charleston
6th North Carolina - Savannah

Reserve
7th North Carolina - Weldon NC

Detatched - Defending Jacksonville

4th Florida

Detatched - Defending Aquia Landing

8th South Carolina

Unassigned -

8th North Carolina
7th South Carolina
9th North Carolina

OOC; I have posted my possible deployment at walnut ridge in Chatzy.

Your Excellency,

It has come to my attention that an inadvertant omission was made regarding the troop deployments in my previous telegram. The 7th South Carolina and 8th and 9th North Carolina brigades have been organized as a single detached division under my direct control. I have given overall command to Brigadier General Jubal Early and have ordered him to deploy his men in the vicinity of Leesburg and Ball's Bluff. He has orders to defend the line of the Potomac and to be prepared to move to reinforce either General Jackson or General Hill if needed.

The clerk responsible for the omission has been assigned to permanent duty with the wagon trains... collecting mule droppings to be rendered down into saltpeter.

I remain your obedient servant,

Lieut. General Joseph Johnston
Commander, Army of Northern Virginia

OOC: So, did you have me defend Manassa because that's wherre I'm from? Just curious...

IC:

Reply to General Johnston:

I understand sir, I was merely expressing my desire to take quick action to put them back on their heels, and leave us with the initiative.

I am honored at your trust in my abilities, and greatly appreciate your willingness to leave such a large portion of our forces under my command.

I had intended to organize them into 3 divisions, one for defense, one at rest or in training, and a third as a reaction force, my intent was to be overstrength in each, allowing me to hit with a heavier hand when the time arises.

In refernce to your directives, I have already begun the building of entrenchments, and a pallisade wall about the Junction itself, I will only be able to complete approximately 2\3rds of the wall, but it will enable me to concentrate the bulk of my forces in other areas. Second, the Stone Bridge over Bull Run is already prepared for destruction, and the other major bridges are being worked on at this point in time, I fear I will not be able to prepare all of the bridges for demolition without greater stores of explosives however. Third, there are many individuals, sympathetic to our cause, or our money, that have approached myself and my staff at present in refernce to providing us with information.

Finally, while I disagree with your feelings on this matter, I will abide your decision not to employ buried explosives at this time. It was in my mind that if I were forced to abandon my positions I could place them in such a manner as to cause the enemy much damage and inconvenience should they try to take the Junction in my absence.

OOC: So, did you have me defend Manassa because that's wherre I'm from? Just curious...

OOC: Nope, didn't even realize you were until you mentioned it. But you should do an especially good job then eh? And the thing about the land mines/booby traps. What you propose was actually done when the army abandonded it's trenches and marched back to defend Richmond. It was also very much frowned upon, at least this early in the war, as it was considered cowardly to kill men who were not actually involved in combat in such a fashion. Later in the war it became more common, usually by placing a trip wire attached to an artillery shell.

IC: General Hill,

Your organization and disposition of your troops meet with my approval. And I am pleased to see you have anticipated my wishes by already preparing the Stone Bridge for demolition. We will try to get what explosives we can to you so you may prepare as many other bridges as possible but unfortunately our supplies of gunpowder are very low and must be carefully rationed to ensure we have enough to engage in battle. I would like to point out though that any wooden bridges in the area need not be blown up... simply smearing the pilings with pitch so that they may be easily set afire will be adequate.

Lieut. General Joseph Johnston
Commander, Army of Northern Virginia

OOC: Nope, didn't even realize you were until you mentioned it. But you should do an especially good job then eh? And the thing about the land mines/booby traps. What you propose was actually done when the army abandonded it's trenches and marched back to defend Richmond. It was also very much frowned upon, at least this early in the war, as it was considered cowardly to kill men who were not actually involved in combat in such a fashion. Later in the war it became more common, usually by placing a trip wire attached to an artillery shell.

IC: General Hill,

Your organization and disposition of your troops meet with my approval. And I am pleased to see you have anticipated my wishes by already preparing the Stone Bridge for demolition. We will try to get what explosives we can to you so you may prepare as many other bridges as possible but unfortunately our supplies of gunpowder are very low and must be carefully rationed to ensure we have enough to engage in battle. I would like to point out though that any wooden bridges in the area need not be blown up... simply smearing the pilings with pitch so that they may be easily set afire will be adequate.

Lieut. General Joseph Johnston
Commander, Army of Northern Virginia


OOC: Yep, it's conveniently stated in my Location thing over at the left...

IC:

Reply to General Johnston

I am glad that my dispositions have your approval sir. My original plan intended four Divisions, but with my numbers I decided against it, preferring to strike harder if I were forced to strike. In refernce to your statement involving the explosives, I had not realised that our supply was so critical as that, and, in fact, I had considered simply burning all of the wooden bridges to the north, to reduce the enemies lines of approach, and reduce my defensive burden, however, on second thought I discarded that plan, since it would also limit our routes of advancement if we should attack the Yankees.

Orders recieved. Though can I just ask which units of the army of Tennessee are under my direct command?

Lee.



Infantry
7th Virginia
8th Virginia
9th Virginia
8th Tennessee
4th Alabama
5th Alabama
5th South Carolina
3rd Georgia
4th Georgia

1st North Carolina Cavalry
3rd North Carolina Cavalry

Infantry
7th Virginia
8th Virginia
9th Virginia
8th Tennessee
4th Alabama
5th Alabama
5th South Carolina
3rd Georgia
4th Georgia

1st North Carolina Cavalry
3rd North Carolina Cavalry


Much obliged. Orders will follow for the troops under my command. How many artillery pieces do I have?

Troop Movement:
The troops of mine (specifically under Brig. General Hood) will move from the former location to Osceola.
Didn't mean to be so cryptic, and I'm not accusing the North of spying, just . . . to be safe.

Our corps has begun to recruit horsemen of local descent with knowledge of the geography of the area. One group has been assembled and these rough riders will move at once to cut the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. They are ordered not to engage directly any enemy forces in numbers but they are to send back reports of whereabouts of Federal dispositions. The rest of my corps I will keep together.

These rough riders so far number around 300 strong and have their own mounts, remounts and equipment. They have been supplied with pitch to burn a vital railbridge on the Baltimore and Ohio railroad and though it soon may be prepared, if we can cut the line for only a few weeks it could well be vital. Once these orders are completed, the men will return (to a generous bounty), and will form an irregular cavalry unit, the 1st Patriotic Regiment, and will draw recruits mainly from Copperhead (South aligned Northerners) volunteers who will have an in depth knowledge of the Northern country. It will also then raise troops from the border states, providing they volunteer. I hope you approve of my actions in this area.



I have thus organised the troops at my disposition:

1st Division

7th Virginia
8th Virginia
9th Virginia
8th Tennessee
1st North Carolina Cavalry

2nd Division

4th Alabama
5th Alabama
3rd Georgia
4th Georgia
3rd North Carolina Cavalry

Charleston Town Defences

5th South Carolina
Charleston Garrison Regiment



The first and second divisions will take post on the Southern bank of the Kwalha river and will begin to make fluid defensive arrangements and participate in training exercises. The town of Charleston is being fortified and, in addition to its regular garrison of some 300 troops, the 5th South Carolina will billet there and fortify the city.

I myself will take post there and it will also be the centre of the corps' supplies, though in an emergency the supplies will be able to be moved fully with two days notice that will easily be given by scouting patrols, informers, and irregular cavalry. I hope these preparations and dispositions meet with your satisfaction sir. I will not fail in my duty.

Signed,

Lt. General R.E Lee, Officer Commanding.

To: Lt. Gen. Johnston
Re: Order of Battle

I shall ammend my charts immediately, I had wondered where those brigades had wandered off to. As for the clerk, perhapse a few months of following the baggage trains will be good for him. I expect after his time there is over, he will double check his work more carfully.

To: Lt. Gen. Lee
Re: Irregular Troops

If anyone had suggested utilizing the Copperhead movement in Ohio, Maryland and Pennsylvania as a means of sabatoge besides you, I must say that I would not approve of it. Frankly, I'm not supprised that the number of irregulars you have recruited are so low, and I would, if I were you, refrain from openly revealing that we have begun to engage in such a dispicable practice as openly encouraging treason against one's home states.

However, I am willing to give you the benefit of doubt. Should your tactics work, the irregulars would be better suited to remain behind and continue their harrassment of union railway lines and the disimination of Copperhead ideas. Ohio has one of the largest numbers of Copperheads, and frankly the possibility that they may elect a Democrat govenor in late 1862 is too great a possiblity to let slide. It is possible we may be able to cut the union in two, if we convince Ohio of the futility of war.

At any rate, I will not implicatly approve of your actions, but I will not forbide them either. Good luck Gen. Lee.

Jefferson Davis
President of the Confederacy

Our corps has begun to recruit horsemen of local descent with knowledge of the geography of the area. One group has been assembled and these rough riders will move at once to cut the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. They are ordered not to engage directly any enemy forces in numbers but they are to send back reports of whereabouts of Federal dispositions. The rest of my corps I will keep together.

These rough riders so far number around 300 strong and have their own mounts, remounts and equipment. They have been supplied with pitch to burn a vital railbridge on the Baltimore and Ohio railroad and though it soon may be prepared, if we can cut the line for only a few weeks it could well be vital. Once these orders are completed, the men will return (to a generous bounty), and will form an irregular cavalry unit, the 1st Patriotic Regiment, and will draw recruits mainly from Copperhead (South aligned Northerners) volunteers who will have an in depth knowledge of the Northern country. It will also then raise troops from the border states, providing they volunteer. I hope you approve of my actions in this area.



I have thus organised the troops at my disposition:

1st Division

7th Virginia
8th Virginia
9th Virginia
8th Tennessee
1st North Carolina Cavalry

2nd Division

4th Alabama
5th Alabama
3rd Georgia
4th Georgia
3rd North Carolina Cavalry

Charleston Town Defences

5th South Carolina
Charleston Garrison Regiment



The first and second divisions will take post on the Southern bank of the Kwalha river and will begin to make fluid defensive arrangements and participate in training exercises. The town of Charleston is being fortified and, in addition to its regular garrison of some 300 troops, the 5th South Carolina will billet there and fortify the city.

I myself will take post there and it will also be the centre of the corps' supplies, though in an emergency the supplies will be able to be moved fully with two days notice that will easily be given by scouting patrols, informers, and irregular cavalry. I hope these preparations and dispositions meet with your satisfaction sir. I will not fail in my duty.

Signed,

Lt. General R.E Lee, Officer Commanding.


Gintonpar, could you give me a link showing me where that river is, I can't seem to find it.

Gintonpar, could you give me a link showing me where that river is, I can't seem to find it.


Kanawha maybe?

Its on the following map, but I can't read it properly I'm afraid.

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/us_2001/west_virginia_ref_2001.jpg


AND BY THE WAY FELLOW CONFEDERATES



Grant upon receipt of orders gets his troops moving. Not willing to wait and figuring the railroads would bring the reinforcements to him soon enough, he ordered an advance. Moving out of Cambridge (Ohio), the II Corps moved quickly on Wheeling and then down to Morgontown, securing rail links west from Pittsburgh and the West Virginia panhandle (occ as it is known now).

As the 4th Division and cavalry arrived, Grant ordered the Cavalry south toward Charlestown and the infantry advanced to secure Fairmont/Grafton area. The Cavalry brigade had orders to push forward until the enemy was encountered, while the 1st, 2nd and 4th divisions followed behind and the 3rd division held the triangle and ensured the supply route to Pittsburgh remained secure.



Grant is invading West Virginia.

AND

Hancock had decided to move. I Corp, the Army of Ohio, began it's march from Colombus, heading towards the Virginian border. Hancock deployed the 1st Indiana cavalry ahead and to his flanks, searching out any enemy pickets.

By the time Grant was occupying Morgantown, the 2nd Division was moving into Gallipolis, preparing for the plunge into enemy territory. Behind them snaked the blue lines of the 1st Divsion, and 3rd Divison of the I Corp. Behind them was the rearguard, the 1st Pennsylvania Cavalry


Hancock is as well.

East or west of Charleston?

West.

OOC:

Sorry I haven't been around the past couple of days. We had a severe ice storm here and I was without power from 7:00 AM Thursday until about 15 minutes ago. I still don't have my cable modem back yet so am reduced to using dialup until they get it turned back on. But from the look of things I've returned just in time, the yanks are already on the move!

<sigh> Who would have thought the Confederate General-in-Chief would be rendered incommunicado by an ice storm in the middle of July?

Just to let you cornfeds know...

Reynold's Invades Virginia (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?p=10113890#post10113890)

i sent the telegram to the right people and posted the invasion plans on the Chatzy, and i can send to anyone who asks for it. Just on the safe side, Manarth and CoC post the threads, right? or should I post it here . . . not entirely sure.

OOC: Corps commanders in Virginia... I have posted general orders for you in Chatzy. I will also TG a copy to you each individually.

Are there any general orders for me? For example which towns must be defended and which can be given up? Also, I can't seem to find the Chatzy link at the moment so any messages for me should be sent to me personally.

1st Division
7th Virginia
8th Tennessee
4th Alabama
3rd Georgia

2nd Division
8th Virginia
5th Alabama
5th South Carolina

3rd Division
9th Virginia
5th South Carolina
4th Georgia

Cavalry

1st North Carolina Cavalry
3rd North Carolina Cavalry
Around 300 irregular horse, used at the moment as a scout troop along with other regular elements of cavalry.


and by the way, how much field artillery do I have at my disposal?

I beleive it is just understood that you have artillery.

CSA Chatzy link for you:

http://www.chatzy.com/337757484262

Are there any general orders for me? For example which towns must be defended and which can be given up? Also, I can't seem to find the Chatzy link at the moment so any messages for me should be sent to me personally.

General Lee I'm afraid not, you will have to ask Sidney Johnston. But if necessary you must fall back as far as you have to to preserve your army.

The two slightly over strength Divisions formed the first line of defense for The Manassas Railway Junction, the Light Division itself was held in reserve to provide both a fallback position and reserves to press a counterattack with. The Cavalry was deployed as a reconnaisance and screening force, to warn General Hill as to the enemies arrival, and to harry the enemy advance with slashing attacks with their motley assortment of carbines, pistols, and shotguns.

The two slightly over strength Divisions formed the first line of defense for The Manassas Railway Junction, the Light Division itself was held in reserve to provide both a fallback position and reserves to press a counterattack with. The Cavalry was deployed as a reconnaisance and screening force, to warn General Hill as to the enemies arrival, and to harry the enemy advance with slashing attacks with their motley assortment of carbines, pistols, and shotguns.

OOC: I think you need to be a bit more specific here about where your men are. If you have done as I asked you should have 2 divisions entrenched around Manassas with the third in reserve and your cavalry brigade deployed to the north of the town. You should probably post a message in the invasion thread giving your deployments ASAP.

IC: General Hill,

Since indications are that the enemy is sending a very large force toward your position I have ordered one of General Longstreet's divisions from the vicinity of Richmond to join you. I suggest you use this force as your reserve and deploy your remaining division in line and have them dig in as well. If you have deployed your first two divisions in line behind Bull Run Creek, as I suspect, the third should be used to refuse the line to the north, if possible along the high ground near where General Jackson made his gallant stand. Remember that is the route taken by the enemy when they struck us here before... I suspect they will try the same tactic again. Have your cavalry contest the fords as much as practicable.

Keep in mind General that these are the same troops we sent running headlong back into the Washington defenses just a couple of weeks ago. I doubt they will have much stomach for attacking entrenched infantry so beware of an attempted flanking move to the north. General Stuart's troopers have the fords to your east covered. Do your best to defend your position but you have my authorization to withdraw to a new line south of the Rappahonnock if necessary to preserve your force.

Good Luck General!

Lieut General Joe Johnston
Commander, Army of Northern Virginia

OOC: I think you need to be a bit more specific here about where your men are. If you have done as I asked you should have 2 divisions entrenched around Manassas with the third in reserve and your cavalry brigade deployed to the north of the town. You should probably post a message in the invasion thread giving your deployments ASAP.

IC: General Hill,

Since indications are that the enemy is sending a very large force toward your position I have ordered one of General Longstreet's divisions from the vicinity of Richmond to join you. I suggest you use this force as your reserve and deploy your remaining division in line and have them dig in as well. If you have deployed your first two divisions in line behind Bull Run Creek, as I suspect, the third should be used to refuse the line to the north, if possible along the high ground near where General Jackson made his gallant stand. Remember that is the route taken by the enemy when they struck us here before... I suspect they will try the same tactic again. Have your cavalry contest the fords as much as practicable.

Keep in mind General that these are the same troops we sent running headlong back into the Washington defenses just a couple of weeks ago. I doubt they will have much stomach for attacking entrenched infantry so beware of an attempted flanking move to the north. General Stuart's troopers have the fords to your east covered. Do your best to defend your position but you have my authorization to withdraw to a new line south of the Rappahonnock if necessary to preserve your force.

Good Luck General!

Lieut General Joe Johnston
Commander, Army of Northern Virginia


OOC: 3 things, 1: I'm not used to having a map to work with, so forgive my vagueness. 2: There was effectively no "town" of Manassas, there was the Manassas Railway Junction, and that was about it.... 3: I have no link to the invasion thread, please provide one.

IC:

General Johnston

I am ver appreciative of the extra division, but on the balance I would much prefer to have them deployed on the line, leaving the Light Division as my reserve. I feel that having the Light Division as the reserve would be the best way for me to exploit any weaknesses in the enemy line, or to reinforce any weak point in our line. I have deployed my forces dug in deep, at the area of the creek, and my reserve is in the vicinity of Henry Hill, able to support either force, should a break occur. The Cavalry has been instructed emphatically not to become engaged with Union forces, as their numbers are too few to survive anything more than swift hit-and-run strikes, this being the case, I have ordered them not to contest the fords, and instead to strike at the enemy as he advances upon my position, I feel that they will be better used in this role.

I believe that they will be shattered by my forces, as General Jackson and my fellow Virginians caused the enemy to break upon them like the tide upon the rocks.

OOC: 3 things, 1: I'm not used to having a map to work with, so forgive my vagueness. 2: There was effectively no "town" of Manassas, there was the Manassas Railway Junction, and that was about it.... 3: I have no link to the invasion thread, please provide one.

IC:

General Johnston

I am ver appreciative of the extra division, but on the balance I would much prefer to have them deployed on the line, leaving the Light Division as my reserve. I feel that having the Light Division as the reserve would be the best way for me to exploit any weaknesses in the enemy line, or to reinforce any weak point in our line. I have deployed my forces dug in deep, at the area of the creek, and my reserve is in the vicinity of Henry Hill, able to support either force, should a break occur. The Cavalry has been instructed emphatically not to become engaged with Union forces, as their numbers are too few to survive anything more than swift hit-and-run strikes, this being the case, I have ordered them not to contest the fords, and instead to strike at the enemy as he advances upon my position, I feel that they will be better used in this role.

I believe that they will be shattered by my forces, as General Jackson and my fellow Virginians caused the enemy to break upon them like the tide upon the rocks.

OOC: If you don't have a map, follow the link General Reynolds posted in the thread (post # 5) to show where he hopes to position his forces. The link to the invasion thread is here (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=459732). Or you can also use the map at http://www.civil-war.ws/images/map3.jpg or http://www.civil-war.ws/images/map12.jpg.

And yes, I know about Manassas only being a railroad crossroads at this time. But it is an important one as it gives our best rail connection to the Valley. Make sure to look at http://www.civil-war.ws/images/map2.jpg to see the rail network we will be dealing with.

Oh and one more thing... the division that is being sent to you only has 3 brigades. It will be under the command of Brigadier General Magruder.

IC:

General Hill,

You have the authority to use the troops placed under your command however you see fit. Keep in mind that you are also authorized to withdraw behind the Rappahannock River if it becomes necessary.

Lieut. General Joe Johnston
Commander, Army of Northern Virginia

OOC: If you don't have a map, follow the link General Reynolds posted in the thread (post # 5) to show where he hopes to position his forces. The link to the invasion thread is here (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=459732). Or you can also use the map at http://www.civil-war.ws/images/map3.jpg or http://www.civil-war.ws/images/map12.jpg.

And yes, I know about Manassas only being a railroad crossroads at this time. But it is an important one as it gives our best rail connection to the Valley. Make sure to look at http://www.civil-war.ws/images/map2.jpg to see the rail network we will be dealing with.

Oh and one more thing... the division that is being sent to you only has 3 brigades. It will be under the command of Brigadier General Magruder.

IC:

General Hill,

You have the authority to use the troops placed under your command however you see fit. Keep in mind that you are also authorized to withdraw behind the Rappahannock River if it becomes necessary.

Lieut. General Joe Johnston
Commander, Army of Northern Virginia


OOC: I have maps, plenty of them, I'm just not used to actually using them in combat or planning. I spend most of my time in FT, where there are literally 0 maps. The rest of my time is spent in PMT, where there almost 0 maps.

IC:

General Johnston:

I understand sir. They will not break my lines, but, if by some miracle we are forced to fall back, they will find no way to pursue us, for we shall blow or burn every bridge as we pass over it.

OOC: Again to reiterate, I'm back, and I'm on it. Just let me talk to CoC to get caught up.