Day 5 Over - No Engagement

Day 5 of THE OZARKS CAMPAIGN is over with no engagement during the day. Maj. Gen. Edward Stanley's I Corps (AOA) withdrew from Big Flat towards Big Flat, accompanied by Kraft's Cavalry Brigade. The II Corps of each army was under observation by cavalry, II Corps AOA at Lebanon and II Corps DEF at Locust Grove.

Orders for Day 5 (October 21st) are due on Friday December 5th.  The is no infantry facing infantry at the start of Day 5. The turn is in strategic mode. No division orders are needed. No deployment orders are given. Only the strategic mode template information is needed from Corps Commanders and Army Commanders.

Rising out of Fulton County

A prototype Pilot Knob begins to take shape....

Photo of Pilot (Salem) Knob

Now known as Salem Knob, Pilot Knob (Pilot Hill) has an elevation of about 1080 feet. It stands out above the landscape of that area of Fulton County. The one photo below is most likely looking across the Spring River. When making maps, I usually don't mix deciduous and coniferous trees in the same forest, but based on the photographs, I may mix them on this map.

Next Map

The final map for THE OZARKS CAMPAIGN will be Pilot Hill. Pilot Hill was the county seat of Fulton County before the war. There was a small engagement there and the town was burned during the war. After the war, it was renamed Salem. The hill in the topographic map below is most certainly Pilot Hill, which was sometimes referred to as Pilot Knob before the war.

The Pilot Hill map will be a little different from others. Most of the later maps in the series used almost exclusively wooden buildings and cabins, reflective of the construction of the period and region. For a little variety, Pilot Hill in WIA will reflect a town that is slightly more developed than it may have been at the time, with more brick and stone buildings than would have existed during the war.

Although not finalized, the road network on the Pilot Hill map will probably be similar to what is shown in red below. Two roads going west / south west leave the campaign theatre and will not be used. The road to St. Leger is not in THE OZARKS CAMPAIGN, but will be added in WIA5.

Delay on turn....

With the holidays in the US, I only have about 1/2 the orders in from the corps. I will run the turn on Sunday or Monday, depending on when all orders are in.

Bennett's Bayou Map Released

The Bennett's Bayou map is now available at the usual places. Pilot Hill will be next, and should be available by mid-December.

Bennett's Bayou to be Released Tomorrow

Happy Thanksgiving to all of those in the USA!

The Bennett's Bayou map has reached an advanced stage and should be released tomorrow. Here are some previews:

Next from the Map Factory...

As the two armies consider the implications of up to two corps (six divisions) per map, work has begun on the next map. Bennett's Bayou is now under construction. This is not the final minimap, but it will be very similar to this.

WIA5 Draft Manual Released

The WIA5 Manual (Draft One) is now available.

WIA5 Manual Draft One

Rule Change Implications for Big Flat

The rule change allowing two corps on the same map has some implications for the Gowan vs. Stanley standoff at Big Flat. Another corps can come to join them, deploy at Big Flat and maintain a Defend Stance.

A corps that joins no longer needs to come only from the adjacent map and does not need an engagement to arrive.

The two sides may give deployment orders within the red and blue shaded map that was posted on the blog earlier.

Any Corps that are deploying at Big Flat may give orders from division commanders. Other corps still only need strategic movement templates and do not need division orders.

Again: If you division is at, or will be at Big Flat, Division Commanders should give their deployment orders for their divisions within the areas delineated. You are in the face of the enemy. Moving across the demarcated lines at Big Flat will only be allowed with an engagement.

Ozarks Campaign Rule Change: Corps per map

In consultation with the Army Commanders, there has been a slight change in rules going forward in THE OZARKS CAMPAIGN. Up to two corps (and any amount of cavalry) can now be on the same map and move together on the same maps during strategic mode.

If two corps are moving together from one map to another, indicate which corps is in the lead and which is in the rear of the marching column. Corps commanders will still indicated their marching order by division the strategic template.

Gowan and Stanley..... again....

Gowan and Stanley are in a stand off again, this time at Big Flat. Both sides took a defend stance, so there was not engagement. Kraft's Brigade (3/Cav/AOA) was also present, but the stances were such that there was no engagement.

The simulation is still in strategic mode. Here are the options for each army for Day 5:

1. I Corps Withdraws: It pulls back off the map and Day 5 runs as a normal strategic turn.

2. I Corps Defends: I Corps division may be deployed at Big Flat within the zone indicated (blue for AOA and red for DEF), but the corps is not set to engage. All other corps and cavalry run as a normal strategic turn.

3. I Corps Engages: I Corps Declares it is engaging and immediately moves against the enemy. It must engage (assuming the enemy does not withdraw). Another  corps may be brought onto the map from Buffalo City or Locust Grove if available. Otherwise other corps are given normal strategic orders that will be run until the engagement starts. The turn will stop when the first shots are fired and  tactical mode will be declared.

Day 4 Over.... Reports Out Soon

Day 4 is over without any fighting. Reports will be out within the next hours.  I will be sending a single summary report out to the entire army for each side.

Day 4 Orders In....

All orders for Day 4 have been received in good time. Results will be reported later tonight (Friday night in the USA), or on Saturday.

Day 4 Approaching....

Day for is approaching.  DEF has two corps and its cavalry orders in already. The remaining orders due Friday.

Regimental Commanders in WIA5

WIA5 will apply command attributes (initiative, leadership, loyalty, ability, style, quality) to regimental commanders and field officers. This serves several purposes:

1. Selection of Regimental Commanders to replace Brigade Commanders: When a brigade commander becomes a casualty, the player will assign a regimental commander to replace him. The command attributes affect behavior in the game and may help the player in making the decision.

2. Selection of Regimental Commanders to command ad hoc brigades: Players in WIA5 will have the objective of taking and occupying territory and will most likely want to divide up there command, detaching units for occupation duties. Two or more regiments could be formed into an ad hoc brigade for an assignment and

3. Command of a detached regiment: When a regiment is detached to a different map from its commander, the regiment is essentially set up as a single-regiment brigade in-game and is influenced by the commander's command attributes.


When a regiment's experience/quality increases, it will also increase the command attributes associated with the regiment's commander, field officers, and senior captains.

Draft WIA5 Campaign Map

WIA5 is all about the campaign and will be fought almost entirely at the strategic level. The campaign map is essentially THE OZARKS CAMPAIGN map with a slightly improved road network.

WIA_Franklin Released

WIA_Franklin is now released. Remember, this is Franklin, Izard County, Arkansas, not Franklin Tennessee. The original settlers in Franklin and Wild Haws did, however, come from the area around Franklin Tennessee area. Their plantation (Watkins Family) is located on the Wild Haws map, because apparently there was a mix-up when the post offices were named before the war, or so the story goes.

Here are some screenshots of the Franklin map. It has a sort of Antietam feel to it in some areas. There are gentle, rolling hills that are just high enough to conceal what is on the other side.

All Quiet on the Ozarks Front....

So far no orders for Day 4 of THE OZARKS CAMPAIGN. There's no rush though. Orders are due on Friday.  In the mean time, work continues on both the WIA5 command simulation concept (for 2015) and the WIA_Franklin Map. 

Franklin is just about done and has all of the buildings, outbuildings, and ambient sounds in place.  I am deciding whether or not to put in a cemetery. I may also add some trees inside Franklin town and perhaps a stand of pine trees or cedars somewhere. (It is just down to some finishing touches.) The map should be out tonight or tomorrow. Then.... on to Bennett's Bayou.

WIA5 Still in Progress

As we wait for another day in THE OZARKS CAMPAIGN, the WIA5 campaign simulation is still under development. The draft manual should be out soon. A few new developments in the simulation include:

1. Change in Point System: The campaign is all about control of towns. Initially, I had all towns as one point per day for control. Under the revised point system, all towns are not created equal. The number of points per town is equal to the number of towns to which it is connected by road. For example: North Fork is connected to: 1) Rapp's Barren, 2) Buffalo City, 3) Benbrook Mills and 4) Cross Plains. This makes North Fork worth 4 points.
2. Two new towns: Flat Woods and Rocky Bayou will be added to the southeast corner of the campaign theatre.
3. Some New Roads: There will be some revision of existing Ozark Campaign maps in WIA5. Lead Hill and Talbot's Ferry will be connected by road. A road will connect Big Flat and Tomahawk. (Wouldn't that have been useful recently!) Wiley's Cove will connect to Richwoods and St. Leger will connect directly to Pilot Hill, as well as Bennett's Bayou.
4. Commander Attributes: Regimental Field Staff's command attributes will start with random roles, but will increase as their regimental quality increases. Today Regimental colonel is tomorrow's brigade commander.

More on that later....

Franklin coming soon....

The map for Franklin (Izard County) has reached advanced stages and should be out later this week. The main buildings are in, the elevations are done, the water and road systems are done. It just needs some outbuildings, barns, ambient sounds and finishing touches on the terrain.

Day 3 Over - No Fighting

Day 3 of THE OZARKS CAMPAIGN is over without fighting.

DEF Cavalry observed the AOA I Corps at Buffalo City and the AOA II Corps at Lebanon.

AOA Cavalry has the DEF II Corps under observation at Locust Grove.

No other contact was made. Summary reports for each army were sent out. All players received the summarized report for their army.

The simulation remains in strategic mode. Day 4 orders are only needed from Army Commanders and Corps Commanders using the strategic mode templates. Orders are due by Friday next week, but if all orders are in earlier, I will run the turn.

Day 3 Ready to Start

Most orders are in for Day 3 of THE OZARKS CAMPAIGN.  The simulation is in strategic movement, so the orders are only for the movement of Corps and Cavalry Brigades. No division orders are needed this week.

Knowing that Day 3 is starting in strategic mode, I have been a little slow on revising the order of battle following the fighting at Wilson's Junction and Baker's Spring Branch on Day 2. So far I have:

1. Replaced Brigade Commanders who were killed or wounded
2. Changed some regimental commanders where the regiments were routed (assuming some KIA or wounded regimental field officers)
3. Upgraded unit quality on all regiments and guns that qualified.
4. Adjusted unit strengths for losses on Day 2

All units will be resupplied with ammunition at the start of Day 3. I am still doing the calculations for how much ammo will be left in the ordnance trains. Once I finish that I will give the ordnance supply status to all Corps and Division Commanders and then send out the revised OOB.

I noted a few things:

1. Regimental Strengths:  Despite heavy fighting, no regiment fell below 100 men. The smallest regiments on the field is 103 men.

2. Green Brigades: The "Green Brigades" could be a force in the coming days. Stevenson's Division (3/II/DEF) and three green brigades in II/AOA all received an upgrade from green to trained without losing a single man. (Well.... in truth one of the green regiments in II/AOA lost one guy to shelling.) This means that the brigades have 3,200 men at "trained" level. A lot of regiments on the field are still at "fair," which is only one quality level higher, but with much fewer men.

3. Nixon's Battery: The unit that probably had the greatest quality increase at Baker's Spring Branch is Nixon's Georgia Battery. The battery has been around since WIA2 and picked up an extra gun that had been captured from Hudson's 6th Iowa Battery by the 29th South Carolina at Tulip Creek. It has engaged on the field a lot, but it has never been a very exceptional performer. After unloading all of its canister onto 2/III/AOA's center, however, Nixon's guns all have at least a "good" rating, with one gun at "veteran" status. This now makes Nixon's Battery a force with which to be reckoned on the field.

Day Two Closing Positions (Corps Positions)