Tutorial Six Cavalry

[gwgardner]

Having been soundly defeated about 6 times now in the Cavalry tutorial six, I think I need some advice.

So far, I've tried advancing towards the objective mounted, then forming line, dismounting, and advancing from there on foot. The enemy artillery scoots away and their cavalry rarely dismounts, and usually ends up charging and routing me.

So I tried much the same, but then holding a couple of regiments mounted on the flank. Not a lot better, if at all.

My dismounted regiment, the 5th Virginia I believe, usually gets trounced from a cavalry charge too.

Once I tried sending my regiments mounted frontally and on wide movements around the enemy, towards where the artillery usually scoots to. This did better, slightly.

So how does one handle cavalry, in a cavalry vs cavalry engagement? thanks for any help.

[Marching Thru Georgia]

Cavalry is the weakest part of the game. It relies on the infantry AI which is not appropriate. As a result it must be heavily micro-managed. The best place for such advice is the KriegSpiel forum: KreigSpielForum Link. There are some real cavalry experts over there and can give you advice on how to use them. They fight napoleonic battles, where cavalry is very much an offensive weapon. That is quite different from ACW cavalry. But the way they handle the mechanics of moving them into position and fighting enemy cavalry will be the same.

[Jim]

Other factors to consider are that (1) cavalry is pretty much a single shot weapon on the time scale of GB battles and (2) the more unfair you can be in settin up your attacks, the better you will be.

Stonewall Jackson's great talent was not in being a battlefield commander, he was quite ordinary there. His talent was in operational moves that resulted in unfair battles. The more unfair you can make your cavalry attacks the more success you will have.

-Jim