Erosion of Morale

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Ingles of the 57th
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Joined: Tue Mar 30, 2010 1:55 am

Erosion of Morale

Post by Ingles of the 57th »

One factor of Civil War life was the infectious jitteriness caused to a unit when a retreating or routed friendly unit passed near to or through their lines. My God, what's happening up front !

Would it not be possible to reproduce this phenomenon by subtracting a morale point from a unit when ever this happened. i.e. a retreating or routed unit from your Army passed within sight of (or perhaps so many yards radius from) any unit. Exclude, of course, planned retreats and withdrawals.

This could generate some spectacular cascades of routing amongst a near demoralised army as often happened in real life. (Italians, North Africa, 1942) This would be a great incentive to maintain the morale levels of your own troops as high as possible by keeping the officers close by.

Geoff Laver
Late of Her Majesty's 57th Regiment of Foot
"Die hard, my men. Die hard the 57th."
Last words of Col Ingles commanding His Majesty's 57th Regiment of Foot at Albuhera 1811

Marshal Beresford wrote in his despatch "Our dead, particularly the 57th Regiment,were lying as they fought in the ranks, every wound in front"
Shirkon
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Joined: Wed Jan 23, 2008 5:38 am

Re:Erosion of Morale

Post by Shirkon »

Ingles of the 57th wrote:
One factor of Civil War life was the infectious jitteriness caused to a unit when a retreating or routed friendly unit passed near to or through their lines. My God, what's happening up front !

Would it not be possible to reproduce this phenomenon by subtracting a morale point from a unit when ever this happened. i.e. a retreating or routed unit from your Army passed within sight of (or perhaps so many yards radius from) any unit. Exclude, of course, planned retreats and withdrawals.

This could generate some spectacular cascades of routing amongst a near demoralised army as often happened in real life. (Italians, North Africa, 1942) This would be a great incentive to maintain the morale levels of your own troops as high as possible by keeping the officers close by.

Geoff Laver
Late of Her Majesty's 57th Regiment of Foot
This is already in the game. It's especially evident when the troops are of poor quality and a routed/retreating unit passes by.
War is cruelty. There is no use trying to reform it. The crueler it is, the sooner it will be over.

Sherman, December 1863, remark to a Tennessee woman.
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