(This battle is a report from one of the "Anaconda" sessions at The Soldiery's Kettering, OH, location. There were three Union and two Confederate players present.)

The Union squadron (Commodore Matt Davidson commanding), was ordered to attack Confederate defenses at Helena, Arkansas. Matt choose to "run the guns" and attempt to isolate the Confederates, hopefully forcing a surrender. Johnny Reb, had little say with their plan, as the CSN Western Headquarters, withheld the three ships Confederate squadron from combat, relying on the power of 28 guns and assorted minefields to halt to the Union advance.

The Union sailed at night, down the center of the river. From upriver, the regular "crump" of a heavy mortar marked time like the reapers bell. Benton led Pittsburgh down the middle, with Cincinnati and Cairo (appropriately with Joe Cairo commanding) on the left, Andy York in the refitted Monitor covered the right.

Unfortunately, the ships were detected by rebel outposts, which launched illumination rockets, revealing the lead ships in the column. Mark Swihart engaged with the east bank batteries, pounding the Pittsburgh and Benton with shells, most of which bounced, but causing a small fire on each ship. (The light howitzers earned their pay this night, dropping round after round on the unarmored decks on the Union ships).

John Martin picked up from the West bank, hammering at Piitsburgh and Benton with assorted heavy guns. Bad luck plagued the rebels as their best guns missed many times, with the lighter guns bouncing off repeatedly. Pittsburgh was taking a bit of heat, but Benton shrugged off the worst of the damage.

"Crippling of the Cairo"

The Union's luck changed as the Cairo entered a minefield. The sharp-eyed rebel torpedo crew on the shore whooped in glee, shoving the circuit closed on a heavy electrical torpedo. WHUMP! The massive explosion lifted Cairo's front end out of the Water and shattered the forward hull (9 HDP, 5 flooding points). The repair crew, working below decks stemmed the worst of the damage rapidly, but the captain realized she was doomed and ordered abandon ship (failed morale check the following turn). The boiler valves were thrown open and the black gang raced for the hatches.

The Union, close to achieving their objective of passing the batteries witnessed Cairo's whale-like descent into the black river with horror. Twenty percent of the squadron had just sank. The reaction on Pittsburgh and Cincinnati was identical -- each ship's captain flew into a rage, madly searching for some rebel ship to exact revenge upon. (Each ship rolled 12 for the "sunk ship" morale test, going, as Squad Leader used to put it, "berserk").

Meanwhile, the reaction to Cairo's loss on the Benton was not well received. Having witnessed the slow loss of ships for the past six months, Commodore Davidson finally cracked. Sure that additional exposure to the rebel batteries and their protective torpedoes meant certain ruin, Davidson ordered Benton down river away from the accursed batteries as fast as possible (roll = 2, failed morale, ship must retreat). I ruled that a retreat would not force the ship back at the batteries toward the Union baseline -- as the rules state -- but forced Benton away from the batteries. The failure would impact the Union later. As the Union steamed away from the forts, the batteries parting shots did little to impede their ships.

So endeth the game.

Anaconda turn 8 results

The Union ran the guns at Helena, forcing a post battle test to the Confederate garrison. Could the garrison hold, or would a combination of Union army pressure and isolation, force the rebs out? (Normally the Rebs flee on a 1- 7. As the Union "failed morale" at the end, I reduced the chance of success to 1-3, indicating the reluctance of the Union to act following the flagships morale failure).

Matt chucked a die and rolled 3 -- successl Old Bill Sherman must have stopped by and kicked his butt into gear. On to Vicksburg! The Confederate batteries spiked their guns and withdrew.

Meanwhile the Union's "support squadron" was hard at work. Pump vessels Champion No. 5 and "Old Wheezy" soon had Cairo off the bottom. She was towed back to Cairo to be dried, aired out, cleaned and recrewed. (Ship enters at Cairo turn 9).

The Union's prospects are looking up. The small -- but aggressive -- Mississippi squadron has pushed on past Memphis, even as it shrinks due to losses. In the south, the arrival of New Ironsides as the new flagship WGBS, bode a more aggressive Union offensive against the forts, especially following Lt. William Cushing's successful torpedo boat attack against CSS Virginia. Cushing's success was a great morale blow to the Confederacy -we all look forward to his recovery from malaria contracted while returned to Union lines after the loss of his boat near Ft. Jackson.

Meanwhile the CSN, deriding the efforts of the pygmy torpedo boats, is nearing completion of two new powerful ironclads -- Atlanta and Richmond. The merchants of New Orleans are agitating for action, in the hope that the addition of these vessels will allow the perfidious "blockade" to be lifted. Near the Arkansas River's junction with the Mississippi, the Confederate River Defense Fleet awaits the arrival of additional rams to boost the small squadron headed by Tennessee, sister of the ill-fated Arkansas lost at Memphis. Battle in the north and south seems likely with the onset of December. And 1863 awaits!

(Note: Turn 9 marks the mid-point of Anaconda. The campaign -- as currently written -- will end in late 1999 to early 2000, unless the players wish to pursue it to the bloody end.)