Resting Artillery and Holding Position

[Euriska22]

What is the best way to rest artillery with low morale and condition.  So far I've been moving them back from the line into cover, but is there a better way?

 

Put them on 'canister' ammo so they recoup condition?

 

 

 

Does the 'hold position' command have any benefit?  It seems like units will not move anyway.  I'm thinking maybe 'hold position' gives a morale boost perhaps?  If this is the case I want everyone to hold their position!

[Husserl]

The best way is to prevent the artillery exhaustion as longer as possible. Artillery is a strategic unit and should be used under a specific plan according the wished objectives. Do not let them fire generally wherever they like. In contrast select a short range ammo to prevent unwanted long shots -and a condition leak-, move them in strategic positions and control their firing by selecting ammo type and targets. To take the most from your arty units, use them to defend positions or your attacking infantry units and avoid to assign them offensive actions for long like softening the enemy's positions.

 

"Hold" order will make your unit stay longer in its current position, however, it won't fall back or waver while being attacked and will remain there until its morale is drained (or until you re-assign orders). Then it will enter in retreat state and will be uncontrollable for longer time. Generally, Hold should be used for shaping the battlefront line (especially corners and flanks), a "hold position at all cost" defense of strategic points or for sacrificial tactics like gaining time for other units to reform/fall back/redeploy, expecting imminent reinforcement arrival etc.   

[David Fair]

Euriska22,

In my experience there are three factors to preserving artillery.

First, as Husserl points out set the ammunition to canister so they don't rout themselves.

Second, is to get them on a reverse slope where they are protected from enemy fire.

Third, keep them stationary. You don't need to put them on hold - just don't move them.

I watch my artillery condition and moral closely and rotate batteries out of the line to recover. I also try to put my recovering batteries in heavy cover. That way if your artillery is surprised while they are recovering they are loaded with canister on superior defensive ground.

Once you lose a battery it is gone for good - so it is much better to keep the guns out of action over multiple phases if necessary to recover their condition and morale.

Note:

I'm not a fan of the artillery implementation in UGG. I'm not aware of any batteries north or south during the entire war that could fire continuously and rout themselves. Generally, a battery held its fire until ordered on a specific fire mission. This helped preserve ammunition that was bulky and difficult to transport by horse and wagon.

A battery limber carried a single ammunition chest. A caisson carried an additional two chests. Ammunition chests were of a standard uniform size. Each chest carried between 30 and 50 rounds; depending on the caliber of the ammunition. The small bore of the 3" ordnance rifle and 10" Parrott allowed more ammunition to be carried in each chest. Ammunition chests for the Napoleons were limited to just over 30 rounds due to the larger size of each projectile (over 4" in diameter).

In action when a battery exhausted its ammunition supply it would be pulled out of the firing line to return to the supply train and replenish its ammunition. Batteries in reserve with fresh ammunition supplies were rotated into the line. Once batteries had been resupplied they were sent to reserve position. As batteries on the firing line also exhausted their ammunition supply they were then available to be rotated back into the firing line.

It was unusual for artillery to suffer more than about 10% overall casualties in a battle. Generally artillery was the combat arm that was in the best shape to protect the army in the event of disaster. For example at Gettysburg the artillery was in tact on July 4 after the battle and in position in front of both armies.

The UGG artillery mechanics, and thus the tactics, substantially deviate from the ACW.

Perhaps the Antietam implementation of artillery will include some course corrections.