Confederate Army of the Potomac?

[Zoetermeer]

I'm doing the July 1861 campaign, and I've gotten to somewhere around late March 1862. Lee has just been released so I have him on his way up to command my main Confederate army camped at Manassas Junction, which is named...the Army of the Potomac??

Is it just me or is this historical blasphemy? My campaign started with the army named this way...is there a way to change the name? I was thinking maybe there's an event or something that triggers the name change, but it should have happened well before now (or at least the Union should now be running their own Army of the Potomac).

[runyan99]

It's a little known fact that the Confederate Army was called the Army of the Potomac (among a few other things by Joe Johnston) until Lee took command, when he formally and forever changed the name to the Army of Northern Virginia.

[rickd79]

See the "origin" section in the wikipedia entry for more information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_of_Northern_Virginia

[gbs]

You have to disband the Army of the Potomac in order to combine the Army HQ with Lee to reform it. When you do this, it is formed as the Army of Northern Virginia.

[Johnny Canuck]

I have a related question - how does the game 'know' that a reformed Army of the Potomac should be renamed Army of Northern Virginia? Are certain army names linked to states, or is there a list of army names, with ANV at the top?

[Spruce]

I think it has more to do with the start location where you create your army.

With Lee I created an army of Potomac when I was at Alexandria. Then I lost the HQ ... and had to build a new one - in Richmond it was the ANV.

With the same HQ that formed the army of Potomac I created the ANV in other games. So imho it's the location where you found your army.

[Zoetermeer]

I knew I should have looked this one up before I posted...

If you break up the Army of the Potomac, does it cost you any VP's/morale points because you are removing Beauregard from command?

[Spruce]

I knew I should have looked this one up before I posted...

If you break up the Army of the Potomac, does it cost you any VP's/morale points because you are removing Beauregard from command?

depends on the seniority of Lee - one time I didn't get any penalty (if Lee has better seniority) - another time Beauregard was better in seniority and had to pay for it. But seniority is a confusing item - the higher the number the worser...

[Adam the VIth]

You have to disband the Army of the Potomac in order to combine the Army HQ with Lee to reform it. When you do this, it is formed as the Army of Northern Virginia.

I formed Lee with a new army HQ and it was named ANV. Johnston's army kept the name AoP. He is now really the Army of the Coast commander....I move that HQ and a small division to any threatened ports....seems to work out well.

Other CSA army names have been in order (Ao the Tennessee, A o the Mississippi, and army of the West).

If Lee is used to form ANV from AoP, what is the possible fifth army name for CSA? anyone ever get to that? Not meaningful, just curious.

[Zoetermeer]

SO, I tried reforming the army with Lee as you said and the army retained the name 'Army of the Potomac'. Then I tried creating a new army HQ from scratch and reforming the army around that one - and it's STILL named the Army of the Potomac!

BTW the original army HQ, which is now sitting idle in Richmond, still is named 'Army of the Potomac HQ', even though the active HQ unit that is the HQ for Lee's army has the same name. I'm worried that if I ever use this idle HQ in creating a new army, I'll have two Armies of the Potomac running around...

How do I get this to stop?? Is there no way to rename your armies? This is a real buzz kill.

[Adam the VIth]

SO, I tried reforming the army with Lee as you said and the army retained the name 'Army of the Potomac'. Then I tried creating a new army HQ from scratch and reforming the army around that one - and it's STILL named the Army of the Potomac!

BTW the original army HQ, which is now sitting idle in Richmond, still is named 'Army of the Potomac HQ', even though the active HQ unit that is the HQ for Lee's army has the same name. I'm worried that if I ever use this idle HQ in creating a new army, I'll have two Armies of the Potomac running around...

How do I get this to stop?? Is there no way to rename your armies? This is a real buzz kill.

I'm gone into the saves and renamed the armies using a "replace all." However, Army of the Potomac is hard coded as one of the army names for CSA, so if you use all of the available army HQs, I think you will eventually have it again.....sort of goes to the question I asked above.....

[Zoetermeer]

I'm wondering why I didn't trigger whatever is supposed to happen for the army to be renamed to the ANV...

[tc237]

The file 1Confederate.fac seems to contain a list of Army HQ's, don't know if this will help but you can try deleting the AotP from there.

By the way, although it may be a buzz kill the Army of the Potomac was the historical name of the Confederate main Eastern Army untill March 1862.
It's just a little known fact and most assume that the HQ was named ANV.
There is really no reason to change the name.