LAVA

My interpretation is that OP was actually trying to provide folks with some good reading material concerning Civil War tactics. His lead-in, however, was a bit confusing. Jomini is historically credited as the most influential tactical/strategic "philosopher" during the period of the American Civil War. Personally, I find Jomini's work to be uninspiring though I'm sure at the time having someone actually put pen to paper and explain basic concepts on war was actually quite enlightening. Having said that, Jomini's approach to warfare calling for empirically based immutable laws is IMO badly flawed. In regards to discussion concerning Sun Tzu, Clausewitz and Liddel Hart, I believe that their importance lies in their attempts to instruct us on the conceptual environment we call war. Their writings are more psychologically based than empirically based. For example, it is quite easy to say one should concentrate one's forces on the critical point of the battlefield (Jomini), it is quite another to actually do it. I believe that where folks go wrong with these writers is that they are searching for empirical "immutable laws" that can be summarized in a single sentence or phrase. These folks are actually dealing with complex concepts which pervade the battlefield in which war is actually fought. Therefore, ALL of them contribute to not only understanding military theory, but practice and execution. As such, we should heed folks like Sun Tzu who remind us that... "War is a matter of vital importance to the State; the province of life or death; the road to survival or ruin. It is mandatory that it be thoroughly studied." For those so inclined I would recommend Stratagem: Deception and Surprise in War by Barton Whaley

The problem is in today's Strategic/Tactic games the mechanics allow, for example, the creation of mega armies placed in provinces which realistically could not sustain them. The actual result of such moves would result in shortages of every kind and a spike in death due to disease. In actuality, armies only concentrated for battle and then only after a period of logistical buildup. Even then, most efforts, fell short. This is why the "province" based Strategy/Tactical games are so gamey. I believe there is a way to overcome the problem, but so far I haven't seen any games company crack it.

Each era has it's own challenges. Napoleonic wise, armies were drawn to large open areas where cavalry could operate effectively. That is, of course, not to say that terrain was not important, because armies always sought the high ground. Think most folks are aware, for example, of the British deployment at Waterloo on the Mount-Saint-Jean escarpment. So terrain wise, a Napoleonic game will play far differently, than a Civil War game. And there are tons of other differences as well. As a miniatures player long ago, I found the to-and-fro dynamic found in the Civil War far more entertaining than the set piece bludgeoning of Napoleonic warfare. So making a Napoleonic game which is not only true to history but actually fun to play is going to be a real challenge.

I think if they go with a Napoleonic themed game I would like to see some sort of allied organization incorporated as well. So, for example, if you start with the French, at some time or another you get an allied Corps, which must be used during the campaign. You could have some small battles in which only the allied Corps could participate and major battles where you have to fill both French and allied Corps to be able to play. Units seem fairly straightforward: Line Infantry, Light Infantry, Artillery, Horse Artillery, Heavy Cavalry, Light Cavalry. Now here is a question.... how do you handle "Guard or Elite Units"? Perhaps you could have an option to upgrade a unit to a 3 star elite unit (or a single gold star), but I'm not sure if this should be done with money. Perhaps prestige?

The other day, I was playing as the Union on Distress Call legendary skill level with 3 brigades of infantry and 2 batteries of artillery. 2 brigades of infantry started the game and I was reinforced by an infantry brigade and the 2 batteries. Just as one of the artillery batteries was entering the battle (I could see the unit tab but not all of the battery) I clicked on it and tried to give it a direction arrow to move along. The arrow that appeared was straight up a short way along the side of the battlefield and it duly marched off the battlefield.

Interesting screen. Was your Corps commander killed?

Here is an interesting article about how Napoleon reconstituted his army's horses following the campaign of 1812: https://www.napoleon-series.org/military/organization/France/Cavalry/Remounts/c_remounts1813.html Notice, the article is concerned mostly with numbers and types of horses. There are only a couple vague remarks made concerning experience in battle (by both horse and rider). A horse needs a lot of training for combat as it generally is very skittish animal. The novice troopers not only lacked combat experience but also tactical training. We therefore see, in 1813, at the Battle of Leipzig that Marshal Murat used his cavalry in a huge column, which ultimately was defeated. I don't have a reference but I do believe this tactic was used because of the poor state of the French cavalry. French cavalry were the best on the battlefield not because they were the best cavalrymen but because of their tactical discipline and usage. Stripped of battle hardened mounts and men, the losses of 1812 were never recuperated, even though in sheer numbers they were reconstituted. I would imagine the same applied to the French artillery, but whereas I have read many accounts of the effects on the cavalry arm following 1812, I don't remember any analysis concerning the artillery arm. A good link to a general overview concerning that situation would be appreciated.

The Peninsular Campaign would indeed be interesting. I think you could abstract the guerilla campaign by using the Army Organization feature. The British spend points to gain more guerilla activity which counters in a small way Politics (money and reserves) while the French spend points to protect their reinforcements. Guerilla activity could also have an effect on Logistics if you want to give it an even bigger impact. Horses could very well be a pivotal point in the Napoleonic Wars. Perhaps including them as reinforcements like men and money would be interesting. In the Civil War, towards the mid to late war, the availability of horses negatively impacted the South. The Russian invasion by the French devastated the best Cavalry in Europe. I think folks don't realize just how important replacement of horses were in both of these wars. Over a million horses were killed in the Civil War.

Great Battle with very nice execution! Your frontal attack was very well coordinated and your constant movement of artillery in support paid dividends. In hindsight we can always pick up things which in the heat of the moment we miss, but I believe if you go back to around time 8:50 it looks pretty clear his left flank is fairly open. I think if you had stabilized your line and not continued pressing for the objective and used the 4 brigades you had in the rear in open ground to flank, it may have been much easier to take the objective and inflict lots of casualties at the same time. But like I say, hindsight is 20/20. Well done!

Yep, Seven Pines is a real fine battle. Very enjoyable. I played it twice actually. Both went the same way as I reported, but in the first one I tried to annihilate the reb forces. End result was I had 11,000 losses to his 17,000 as I pursued the Confederates into the woods. Unfortunately, those were too high to allow me a proper buildup for the major battle at Gaines Mill. I'm really scavenging for men and weapons, to be quite honest.

Seven Pines Here is my Corps for the Battle: Here is the set-up to the battle: When I look at the battlefield the inner Clausewitz in me says "Keep the forces concentrated." Both wings are really out in the air, especially the right. So the first thing I must do is pull my right wing quickly back towards to the main line and try to move my left back as well but not as much. The right wing is the problem. I will detach skirmishers and try to fill the gaps and give support, while my main body will advance straight forward and try to setup a proper battle line. But the Rebs immediately attack and the farthest right brigade gets routed though my left fairs better. The line begins to shape up as I notice lots of active on my left flank. I refuse my left flank to keep them from getting heavily engaged and stabilize the situation in the center and right. My left continues to fall back, giving me the initiative and I attack on the center and right flank, taking the objective at the same time. Now... I could have stopped here and probably should have to conserve forces, but I see an opportunity to inflict casualties on my foe, so I will press forward with the attack. My poor skirmishers are taking a beating but I believe I have the opportunity to envelop his position so I continue the attack. Three on 1... my kinda odds. At the far left of the screen I have an isolated brigade and keep routing him backwards. I finally trap him in the corner and he surrenders. I believe surrenders occur when both condition and morale hit zero. I keep my distance from the woods and the game ends. With the Battles of Gaines Mill and Malvern Hill coming ... I probably should have conserved my forces. My Corps after the battle: Rendezous My Corps for the battle: Edit: need to find it and repost. 6 Infantry Brigades of 2,500 men and 2 batteries of artillery. Battle set-up: My reinforcements will be coming from the east, so I get ready to form a battle line which they can form on quickly. My battle line formed flanked by 2 skirmishers and the Rebs taking the objective. Am attacked from the rear by skirmishers and then the left flank. Reinforcements arrive from the east and I detach more skirmishers to deal with the problem in my backfield and send the 2 brigades to my right flank. I dispose of the skirmishers and the Confederate brigade retreats to the bottom left. I am confronted on the right and enter a fire fight. The are both repulsed and I hold my ground for the victory. Pretty boring, but I minimize casualties on this one. My Corps after the battle: Here is where I stand with my Organization before Gaines Mill: Two quick battles with not a lot of meat. I'm juggling force building and trying to be ready for 2 major battles in succession. Though I have already won Gaines Mill, it was a bit gamey (will post it later)... the real test will be Mulvern Hill. We'll see how that goes... it took be 4 tries at Gaines Mill to win that battle... so... the force may have run its course. Cheers!

So are you saying if you want to get the Training bonus, for example, you should do this first before reequipping your troops?

I think it depends a whole lot on what side you are fighting, force levels, the map terrain and the objective locations. In general I would say, try to force the enemy to come to you in the open while you are in cover. Use your strengths against his weaknesses. So, for example, as the Union I like to set-up good close support artillery close to my line. If the Confederates charge, I will have the unit fallback and lure him into a killing zone which easily could include 3 brigades of infantry and an artillery brigade or two. You will be taking fire as you fallback, but the moment his charge comes to an end, or you are in a position in which multiple units can fire on him, have the brigade stand its ground. You can also do this by counter charging and sometimes if you are defending an objective there is no other choice. Wait until he is right on top of you and then charge. You're unit goes into melee but all surrounding friendlies can pour fire into him. I'm always looking to get 3 units firing on one, whether that is brigades or a mix of brigades, skirmishers or cavalry. Also remember that sometimes the best attack isn't on the flank. Try to extend your battle line using skirmishers which he has to respond to. If you can get him overextended, a good punch in the center will open up both his flanks to attack. By putting yourself in a position where you can engage his units with at least 2 preferably 3 units on one, you will not only break your opponent quickly, but reduce your casualties as well. If money is a problem, remember you can always add at least some recruits to the brigade, if nothing else to pump up the numbers. Yep, your individual qualities will go down, but you will keep the perks you have gained via experience. I think with the Union folks I'm happy with a few 3 star units in 1864. They are too expensive to maintain and it hurts your army's overall quality. This borders on the extreme, but depending on the situation is useful: Cheers!

I notice you refit your army before allotting your Career Points. Obviously, Army Management is immediately applied and can be used before enlarging your army. Can it be assumed that ALL other categories apply to the next battle's results? I tried to test this, BTW, but it appeared that no appreciable difference was gained if I upped Training, for example, before I began refitting my army. So I assumed it would not take effect until after the next battle.

Just a quick question. In the icons at the bottom of the screen for each of your brigades there is a green line and a small white line. I believe the green line indicates morale. Is the white line supply?

Thanks for the compliment. Yep, on BG level I also held my ground. However, at this level when you can see, as I saw, on my left flank, at least 6 Reb brigades of close to 3,000 men and ranging from 2 to 3 stars in quality, I decided discretion was the better part of valour.

Yep... I do enjoy the game. But it was more fun at Brigadier General level. This Legendary level isn't so easy and it has now turned into a challenge that I'm hoping I can meet. It's kinda late here right now, but tomorrow I may take you up on your offer. I'm an old dog, so it might not be so easy for me.

Thanks mate! Perhaps I explained it poorly, but yes indeed, Buell's forces were placed along the entire front and took the brunt of the fighting in the counterattack especially in turning their flank. The priority, of course, was to preserve my own forces. Even after I was able to get free and move on the victory objectives, by that time the Rebs flank was buckling badly so though I did use my own Corps to surround their forces, it was Buell's troops who did all the heavy lifting.

Hi, sorry it has been so long, but the new patch definitely altered the play of the AI and I had to fight quite a few battles to get used to it. In general, to me, the AI (at least in Legendary) is more methodical and less likely to make charges out of no where. It tries to grind you down and then when you are showing a weakness... it attacks. It also covers it flanks rather well, but in so doing can be less aggressive. I ended going back and replaying River Crossing before I decided I was ready to proceed. Shiloh Shiloh is a 2 day battle in which you will be on defense the first day and counter-attacking on the second. Because of this I loaded up on artillery and put as much as I could afford into supplies. Here is my Corps before the battle: I dropped Rodes skirmishers into the 3rd Division before actually starting the battle. Once the battle begins you will be fighting on the center-right and then the center-left of the battlefield. Here is my defense on the center-right: It was a good fight there and I was holding my own, but the Confederates were intent on taking the center of the Union line (the right side of the map). I placed Palmer's brigade in reserve behind the front line with my 12pdr Ordnance and 24pdr Howitzer batteries. I moved him to where ever he was needed to keep things under control.They finally pushed me out of the woods, however, I was still confident of maintaining the position. At this point we moved to the Center-Left of our line... which was lightly defended. My defensive line: The Rebs seemed cautious here and not much action occurred until after they took the far right objective and then began advancing in force on my position. At about this point the whole map opened up and I was told the Chapel was a good place to defend, however, with the massive amount of forces bearing down on my left flank, I immediately began to retreat. Clausewitz or perhaps Napoleon (don't remember really) once wrote that a retreat is the most difficult operation in warfare because if it is mishandled it can turn into a rout. So, I first sent my artillery to the rear and then began to fall back units who were able to do so without suffering casualties. I then used my skirmishers as a screen and though I lost a couple of these, I was able to extricate my forces intact. Once my forces were rejoined, I began sending my skirmishers back to their parent brigade. At his point I also received some reinforcements including my supply wagon. I turned off infantry resupply and made sure all my artillery batteries were at full. I was able to maintain an intact line and continue to fall back until the Pittsburgh Landing defensive position became available. Normally you can expect attacks on your right flank and center, but attacks on the left flank are not uncommon. Notice I have place my 6prders and Napoleons close to the front line. I did this so that if the Rebs attacked my center they would receive a face full of canister. And they attacked me repeatedly there, which actually surprised me as I was expecting them to push my right flank. Nevertheless, it required me to micromanage the 2 batteries fire such that they only fired when the center was attacked due to supply. In the end, I was not able to hold the central fortification, however, I did hold the center objective... thanks in large part to my artillery. Boy! Look at all those 3 star Reb brigades! Here is the reset for Day 2. Buell reinforces me with 7 infantry brigades, 2 artillery batteries, a cavalry regiment and some supplies (Ziegler with his 24pdr Howitzer was my best battery): I sent the nearest 3 regiments to my right flank and made a line in front of the fortifications with the other 4. Buell's other regiments which were still supplied were sent to the left flank. My own Corps was completely out of supply and once Buell's forces were ready I pushed forward with the intent to attack the Rebs left flank. I think pretty much this is how it plays out at any level of difficulty. Using my own Corps I was able to break through, march around the Confederate army, take the objectives and then encircle what was left of the rebs. Regiments began surrendering and I played until I had eliminated all I could find... though one pesky cavalry unit held out for 10 minutes as I chased him about and finally forced him to surrender. And here is what was left of my Corps after the battle (though I was also awarded General Grant to led 2nd Corps): My artillery took a beating... but saved me from multiple attacks that routed my front line defenses. So now I am headed for Gaines Mill with 3 small battles before hand. Gaines Mill will be immediately followed by Malvern Hill, so I have got to get my army in order and ready for some very difficult battles ahead. And to be honest, I'm not sure if I can actually do it, so there is a great sense of anticipation on my part. To the designers I would like to complement them on the 2 recent patches. The days of a docile enemy letting you run around his flank are over. You will need to pin his forces before you can make this kind of move. And on defense, the AI will put you under constant pressure until it sees an opening and then CHARGE... game over. Cheers!

2nd Battle of Bull Run

Yes it would be nice if they offered options and if they go Napoleonic, you're going to need them. But how? Choose brigades with left mouse button either by "roping" of using the ctrl key. Choose location to move with right mouse button which causes a pop-up at the point of movement giving options (single line, double line, etc). Choose option with left mouse button, then by rotating mouse give it the direction you want it to face.

Why should winning Gettysburg on the first day end the war?

Exactly. A lot more too it though, but I really shouldn't get into details on a public forum.

This is where the designer (Adam Bryant) of MadMinute Games which created Take Command - 2nd Manassas wanted to go. We chatted about it quite a lot. Unlike the Total War Series, however, we were thinking about placing an Operational Level in between the Strategic and Tactical level. At the strategic level you would be allocating resources, for example. At the operational level you would be dealing with armies. At the tactical level you would be fighting battles. The problem though was... how do you do that?

After Crossroads comes River Crossing. Bumped politics again: And I had to increase the size of my Corps to 12 Brigades: Battle at River Crossing In River Crossing you must advance across a River and take 2 objectives. The obvious route of attack is to take the right objective (Crossroads Hill) first and then to flank the Confederates and take the other. This was probably my most fun battle to date on Legendary. It reminded me of Sun Tzu when he explained that an army is divided into 2 forces: the "ordinary" which attack his front and the "extraordinary" which attack his flank. Pretty simple, but he goes on to say that the combination of these forces are endless like interlocked rings. What he means here is that due to the situation in the battle, the roles of forces can change and for example your original ordinary and extraordinary forces swap roles. This is what happens at the Battle at River Crossing. Here is how I set-up my forces to begin the battle. I have 3 brigades which will serve as my left wing supported by 2 batteries. The first 3 brigades on the right will assume duties as my center and the next 3 brigades will assault the right most objective, crossroads hill. Once I start I immediately break off skirmishers from all regiments. Three go to my front where my medium to long range batteries will be placed and the rest will provide covering fire for my advance on the Crossroads Hill. I then began the advance and almost immediately enter into a skirmish battle on my left flank. I push these fellas back and he then attempts to attack me in my center... where he is outflanked and runs into my 6pdr guns. I push him back across the river, solidify my center and continue to advance moving well right of the Crossroads Hill so that I am not completely in the open for the assault. His forces are separated and I plug the hole with skirmishers to be able to attack him from all sides. Notice I now have 5 brigades in line and good order with artillery support at his front facing the River Hill. Under this pressure his units break and I take the Crossroads Hill. As he retreats I re-establish my right flank to the center and carry out a maneuver to swing into a flanking attack on the River Hill with my skirmishers in his rear. This maneuver causes his defensive forces at River Hill to change front. Once he changes front, my initial flanking attack has done its job. Now it is time for my forces to change roles. My center and right flank are now the normal forces and will attempt to keep his army faced in their direction. My left flank now becomes my extraordinary forces and will attack his flank. They push up the hill, flanking the forces there and take River Hill. Notice how my right flank has barely moved, but my left flank now firmly holds River Hill and the confederates are almost surrounded and facing defeat. Oddly enough, once the timer finishes the game immediately finishes. The game ends in victory though the casualty ratio isn't as high as I would have like. Still, attacking an enemy in good cover and coming out on top is a most satisfying result. Here are my forces after the battle: I must now prepare for the battle of Shiloh. With only 9,000 replacements I will only be able to fully reinforce 1 Corps and create 1 full division under 2nd Corps. So hope ya'll liked that AAR, it certainly was a really fun battle to play. I think, however, I might give this thread a rest though as it doesn't appear to be of much interest to the general community. Screenshots just really can't compete with videos nowadays. Cheers and enjoy the game... I certainly do.