Great Lakes scenario

[rasnell]

I've tried five times and I can't beat this new scenario. I kind of like the challenge. I'm at normal setting, playing as U.S.

Since you only have nine moves to complete the entire scenario, you've got to be on the offensive. But this AI seems so smart that if you amass in one place, it goes another.

How has anyone beat this?

I've tried cautious and staying defensive; I've tried middle-ground by sieging; and I've gone all-out with assaults.

[Rooster]

No joy here yet either. I'm trying to shove everything up to capture Montreal and bottle all the British reinforcements up in the St. Lawrence. Doesn't seem to work!

[rasnell]

I like the challenge of this. Now at seven tries. Last two tries, if I just had one more move, I might have had a shot.

I held Detroit, but got bounced out of York in the next to last move.

Be careful, moving to Montreal, they've sneaked behind and got Ticonderoga or Albany from me. Wow, this is a challenge.

[rasnell]

Well, after a dozen tries, I can answer my own question. I finally won. I was careful to avoid direct confrontation at any major enemy fort. I quit trying to assault.

I watched for lightly defended or empty forts and captured them, disrupting supply lines and movement for the enemy.

Then I patiently sieged Detroit, held the little forts to the east, and then moved in for the kill.

Whenever smaller, split forces of the enemy were in the open, I attacked.

Instead of ranging around, I stayed in my strategic cities as much as possible, forcing the enemy to exhaust himself against me.

[Korrigan]

congrats!

[Sol Invictus]

Well I finally played the Great Lakes scenario tonight and found that it only made me want the Campaign that much more. The British do seem to get quite a few reinforcements. Any ideas when the full Campaign might be released? I realize that the Devs are busy getting ACW in good shape, so a very general guess would suffice.

[Pocus]

I think we are heading toward a general overhaul of BOA with some code retrofiting from AACW into it (as optional rules)... So perhaps in spring, not before.

[PhilThib]

In addition, although I already have some sources, i would really appreciate an exact (or as much as possible ) OOB for an 1812-1814 campaign, including reinforcements. All help will be welcomed (and credited )

[Sol Invictus]

Thanks for the replies Pocus and PhilThib. I have looked through my rather extensive library of military history books and unfortunately I have little info on the War of 1812. Korea is often called the Forgotten War here in the States, but I think that description more accurately belongs to the War of 1812.

A few things that I did find that might be helpful are that there should be a Fort Malden located at Amherstburg, just south of Detroit and probably also a fort at Detroit. The New River that flows into the large lake to the east of Detroit should actually be named the Thames River, from which the American victory took it's name. I notice that the 1st Kentucky Regiment arrives at Fort Meigs early in the scenario, but there were about five brigades of Kentucky Volunteers in Harrison's drive on Detroit. Does this Regiment represent those 5 Brigades? Harrison also had a Regiment of Mounted Kentucky Riflemen in his army and the mounted charge of this unit was decisive in the American victory at the Battle of the Thames. It was lead by Colonel Richard M. Johnson. Also, a part of the 27th Infantry was present in Harrison's army in the drive on Detroit.

This info comes from the Army Historical Series of American Military History, published by the Office of the Chief of Military History, United States Army. I will keep looking for more detailed inormation.

One more thing; I haven't had a chance to play AWI 1.10 yet so I don't know the effects and help that the update gives to the Rebels yet, but a major problem for them is that when Continental units leave the army in January and new Continental units join up in February, they are scattered all over the Colonies and it is usually easy for the British to pick them off before they can be joined to an army. I can understand the Militias being so deployed, but wouldn't it be more realistic to have the Continental units to appear in an already formed army, usually with Washington? has this been considered? I realize that it might give the Rebels to great of a boost.

[orca]

This pdf file has detailed OOBs for Harrison's army and his opponents in the western theater. [edit: dang I can only see it on the google cache. Google - "war for the Northwest" carlisle - and it should be the only link that comes up.]

Hull's army that surrendered in Detroit consisted of
4th U.S. Infantry Colonel James Miller
1st Regiment Ohio Militia Colonel Duncan McArthur
2nd Regiment Ohio Militia Colonel James Findlay
3rd Regiment Ohio Militia Colonel Lewis Cass
Small detachments of volunteers from Michigan.

Wikipedia has an OOB for Lundy's Lane under that heading.

[PhilThib]

What I really need is the "At Start" position of both sides' troops when the war breaks out in 1812

[orca]

Plus reinforcement schedule right?

This lists the British forces. It's sort of messy but in June 1812 we have:

Upper Canada
41st Foot (Amherstburg and Ft George)
detachment 10th Royal Veteran Battalion (Ft St Joseph I believe. Arrived in Sandwich or Detroit in July or August).
Royal Newfoundland Fencibles [5 companies serving as Marines on the Lakes, but also garrisoning Ft George, York, Kingston] artillery gunners of Holcroft's Company (these would be in garrisons)

Lower Canada
1/8th Foot; 49th Foot; 100th Foot; detachments of the 10th Royal Veteran Battalion and the Royal Newfoundland Fencibles; the Canadian Fencibles and three companies of Royal Artillery.

Maritimes the 2/8th Foot; 98th Foot [part in Bermuda]; 99th Foot; 104th Foot Nova Scotia Fencibles in Newfoundland; and five companies of Royal Artillery.

The reinforcement schedule (if you accept Quebec as being in theatre, which it isn't) is clear from the link:

July 1812 103rd Foot arrives from Ireland
August 1812 1/1st Foot arrives from the West Indies
August 1812 Glengarry Light Infantry Fencibles completes recruiting and is put on establishment. I think in Kingston, but could be York.
October 1812 2/89th Foot arrives from Gibraltar
May 1813 3 squadrons of 19th Light Dragoons
May 1813 2/41st Foot
May 1813 Regiment de Watteville from Cadiz
June 1813 13th foot from West Indies
June 1813 64th foot from Surinam
June 1813 Regiment de Meuron from Malta
November 1813 70th Foot from Ireland
1813 (no month shown) 101st Foot raised

And 1814 is a mess as Wellington's troops show up and go to Plattsburgh.

As to when various units arrive in-theate I can tell the following:
the 49th foot was present at Detroit in the middle of August 1812 so it was clearly dispatched to Upper Canada immediately.

I'm pretty sure that 1/8th came up the St Lawrence with Prevost in winter 1812-1813. The 100th foot seems to have stayed in Lower Canada until early 1813. The 104th foot performed a heroic winter march to Quebec and arrived in march 1813, but only a few companies seem to have served in Upper Canada in 1813. In 1814 the whole battalion was in theater. The 103rd doesn't seem to show up in Upper Canada until 1814. 2/89th seems to have had one company on the Niagara front in 1813, in 1814 the entire battalion was in Upper Canada. The 1/1st was in action around Lake Ontario in 1813. The 2/41st was sent straight up to Upper Canada upon arrival in Quebec in 1813 as were the three squadrons of the 19th dragoons. The De Watteville Swiss regiment came to Upper Canada in 1814 as did the second Royal Marine Battalion.

I think that these are all the troops that served in Upper Canada through 1814. The Canadian Canadian Voltigeurs were active between Montreal and Kingston, but were based in Montreal. There were also incorporated militia and (obviously) the militia themselves.

[Hobbes]

Quite a few links to 1812 info here (Even though it says 1776) and people that may be able to help :-

http://www.wargame.ch/1776/links.html

http://www.wargame.ch/1776/index.html


http://www.hist-sdc.com/1812.html

http://www.europa-universalis.com/forum/showthread.php?t=214671

[orca]

Most US Army forces were recruiting at the outbreak of war. Congress had authorized an expansion of the army in January, and approved another expansion in June. So the army wasn't really ready. It's hard to get information On USA units, but:

The 4th infantry was with Hull. In June 1812 he had not yet reached Detroit - he's still building a road from Ohio.

The 11th was being raised in New Hampshire, Vermont and Connecticut. Ultimately it fought at Chrysler's farm and on the Niagara front in 1814.

The 14th was being raised in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania. It ultimately served in the 1813 campaigns in York and Niagara.

The 17th was being raised in Kentucky. Detachements served with Harrisonn in the NorthWest in 1813 and with Brown in Niagara in 1814.

The 22nd was raised in Pennsylvania. Only service I see is in 1814 with Brown.

The 23rd was being raised in upstate New York. (Canadaigua apparently.) I believe it served out the war on the Niagara front.