Readers –

Thank you for checking out this extended After Action Report. It began in early June 2021 and concluded on August 15, 2021. The two sides were led by DW Mallory and Will Stewart for the Federals and Paul Swanson and John Brogden for the Confederates. The battle was fought using the HPS Peninsula game and the large Peninsula map contained in that game. The general Order of Battle was imported from the Battle of Fredericksburg (HPS Chancellorsville) and modified to fit the outlines of this fictional Second Peninsular Campaign.

 

This game was conducted as a double-blind scenario. What is that? I created this scenario for this one game only. Neither side was able to see the entire setup at any time from the start of the game until its finish. I took precautions to keep both sides from knowing the arrival times, locations, and numbers of the enemy forces. At no point was anyone privy to any of the usual information we take for granted when beginning a normal game. This type of setup is incredibly challenging as it is as close as you can be to actually experiencing a Civil War battle as an Army Commander would have in 1862 – assuming they were using PCs and digital armies. A double-blind game is the hardest battle to fight in the Club.

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Why was this written? I love a good After Action Report. I do these for fun and to also learn new things about the game by watching others play it. This battle taught me a very lasting lesson which I will never forget moving forward (and which I will share with you at the end). I can take what I learned here and apply it to my own future games. 

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Do you quote the participants? Yes, and no. The quotes by General X or General Y are taken directly from emails between the participants once you get past the Introductory chapter. In some cases I fixed punctuation or added a word here or there to make them complete sentences or to finish a thought. I do not attribute the quotes to Mallory, or any other participant, but rather make each quote come from the perspective of the person they were then writing as. Don't worry - it is easy to follow along. I don't like to attribute specific quotes to the participants but should they ever choose to claim authorship of any specific quote or idea they may. 

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How does a Second Peninsular Campaign occur? The general scenario description is displayed on the very first page once you click on the "Introduction" below. You can also skip directly to different chapters of the After Action Report by clicking on the various links. 

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