The Confederacy had two advantages at the beginning of the war. One was tenacity, while the other was its large territory. However, the importance of its large territory was also a problem in deciding defensive positions. Most boardgames have set objectives to decide the victor. The same holds true for real military objectives. After all, why begin a campaign without set objectives. The strategic objectives delineated here go beyond finding the enemy and destroying him. Capturing and holding large territory presents too many problems in itself. Therefore, these strategic military objectives offer an alternative in denying the CSA much needed manufacturing centers and supply bases, thereby reducing its ability to sustain itself against the Union armies.
The following is a short discussion of five major southern areas and their importance to the Confederacy. These areas and the individually important cities within them make excellent strategic objectives for campaigns.
Control of the Mississippi River would cut off Confederate access to four states. More importantly the CSA would lose control of the Mississippi River, which was then the greatest transportation route in North America. Control of the Mississippi River by Union forces splits the Confederacy from its single largest producers of cattle and corn, Texas and Missouri, respectively.
This posed a problem for A. S. Johnston: where to defend. His solution was to construct forts at Memphis, Island No. 10, and Columbus, Kentucky. Between Columbus and Mobile ran the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. If the Union advances and captures it, it puts them in an excellent position to capture New Orleans. This area is difficult to defend because it is topographically flat. Loss of the river could also mean the loss of Vicksburg and Memphis. Although New Orleans was an important port of entry and departure, Memphis was more important.
Memphis was a large manufacturing complex that produced medicines, small arms, and camp supplies. Between 1861 and 1865, the complex was forced to move south, away from the river because of Union gunboats and major control of large portions of the river and adjacent states by the Union. More important than Memphis was Nashville.
Nashville was the most vital city in the south and was the headquarters of operations for the Western Command. Nashville manufactured swords, artillery, and arms. It served as the storehouse for the Western Department for food and powder. When it was lost in 1862 the Western Command lost 75% of its supplies for the Western theater. The CSA never recovered from its loss.
The Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers were also important objectives. The Cumberland is navigable to Nashville, while the Tennessee is navigable by gunboats to Florence, Alabama. The CSA never really constructed good defenses for the Tennessee River. Fort Henry was a start, but every spring it was mostly underwater.
Other southern manufacturing centers were concentrated in Alabama and Georgia. Selma, Alabama was the south's naval foundry, manufacturing armor, shells and guns. Rome, Georgia also manufactured armor, while Montgomery, Alabama produced tents and camp supplies. Rome, Georgia and Birmingham, Alabama both produced the iron necessary for further manufacturing of war goods. Augusta, Georgia was a large manufacturer of gunpowder and a shipper of cotton. Atlanta, Georgia was the main railroad hub for points north, south, and west. Without Atlanta, the manufacturing centers were unable to ship finished goods to where they were desperately needed.
To the immediate north of this general area, in middle Tennessee, was the south's largest livestock producer of sheep, swine, cattle, mules, horses, and corn to feed them. Livestock was raised throughout the south, but this area was the best suited for their commercial breeding. From the Tennessee River to the Cumberland Mountains is a limestone based, bowl shaped region that is the remains of an ancient sea. This area was one of the richest agricultural areas in the south. From the caves of the Western Cumberland Mountains came saltpeter for gunpowder. On the southern edge of the area is the Great Western Iron Belt that fed the foundries of Selma, Rome, and Birmingham.
The Eastern Tennessee area was of strategic value for its copper, wheat, and salt. Chattanooga was a major railroad hub, where the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad met the Western Atlantic Railroad, which crossed the Appalachian Mountains to Atlanta. The Wilderness Road through the Cumberland Gap leads into the great Shenandoah Valley of the Appalachian Range with another railroad running through it from Chattanooga to Richmond. The cities of Cleveland and Ducktown, in Tennessee, supplied 90% of the CSA copper for percussion caps. When they were lost in 1863 the CSA resorted to confiscating stills to obtain copper. Chattanooga and the Cumberland Gap are major gateways through the Appalachian Mountains.
Another objective was the Shenandoah Valley. This was one of two major agricultural producing valleys in the south. It was also a small but active manufacturing area because of its water power. Iron, flour, and wagons were all produced in the valley. Harper's Valley, at the head of the valley, was the location of the second largest armory in the United States. It is here that the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad crosses the Potomac. It was also the southernmost line that connected the Eastern and Western Union commands. It was also the best route of invasion from the north to the south or vice versa.
The final objective is Richmond, because of its manufacturing capabilities instead of the fact that it was the CSA capitol. As with most manufacturing cities in east and Gulf Coast southern states, Richmond is located between the coastal plain and the piedmont on the fall line. It is here that rivers flowing from the mountains and piedmont regions have their greatest potential for water power. This is why Richmond was important, it was the south's largest flour milling center. It was also the location of the largest single iron works in the south. Petersburg was also an important industrial and flour milling center. Both of these cities were important railroad junctions.
These objectives can provide strategic campaign planners with all sorts of objectives. A major campaign can be plotted on a master map with major objectives and assigning minor objectives to subordinate commanders. These situations can be used successfully with the ON TO RICHMOND rules. However, I prefer my own version in which there are only campaign and skirmish level rules. I solo game and plot both sides' corps and/or brigade positions on the master map with small flags, and change to the table top only when they get close enough for contact. One side follows historical orders while the other follows mine, with both sides having clearcut major objectives.
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