About Engineers

[Njordr]

Apart of speeding up the entrenchments and rail rebuild, shouldn't they also do the same for forts building?

After all, it's exactly what they're expected to do...

[Gray_Lensman]

deleted

[Yee Haa]

Sorry, in AACW(1) they don't have any effect on fort building. Interesting idea for AACW2 in the future.

Forts played a very important role in the civil war especially in the first half. A perfect example were the twin Forts of Henry and Donnelson built to control the rivers Tennessee and the Cumberland respectively. These rivers unlike the rivers in the northern Virginia theatre were basically highways for Union invasions deep into the heartland of the Deep South and had to be blocked as a matter of strategic necessity. The problem of Kentucky's neutrality meant that neither Fort was located ideally there were far better locations downstream towards their confluence with the Mississippi, but these were in Kentucky, hence their actual locations. As it came to pass a Confederate General Lloyd Tilghman, an engineeer in civilian life was sent by Gen.A.S. Johnston commander of the Army of Central Kentucky to Fort Henry and told to improve its defences to the best of his ability. Here is the point - as soon as he arrived he realised that the place was quite indefencible, the river was in spate and the original constructors had located the Fort so as it was flooding, (when the Fort surrendered the Union party actually rowed in through a sally port!) in addition it was dominated by heights across the river which if occupied would allow the enemy to hammer the Fort's positions with shot and shell from above! If someone with skill or training in military fortification or architecture had been present the position would never have been chosen. This would be were a leader with the Engineer special ability or an engineer unit would come into play, one of the major shocks of the war was how easy it turned out to be for a fleet to run past the guns of shore/bankside fortifications. New Orleans would be another good example but to illlustrate that we are getting onto history as opposed to game mechanics. Suffice to say that I believe a lot more could be done with Forifications, Engineers etc and once I have had a think about it I will post my ideas, perhaps in the thread for AACW2 - Yee Haa

[CarnageINC]

Apart of speeding up the entrenchments and rail rebuild

For railroad rebuilding you need a combat unit in the area, if you mean speed up rail road rebuilding I don't see how that is possible since it takes a combat unit one turn to rebuild anyways.

[Ace]

For railroad rebuilding you need a combat unit in the area, if you mean speed up rail road rebuilding I don't see how that is possible since it takes a combat unit one turn to rebuild anyways.

To tear the rails you need one turn. To repair them, you need several days, but it is never more than 1 turn.

[Njordr]

For railroad rebuilding you need a combat unit in the area, if you mean speed up rail road rebuilding I don't see how that is possible since it takes a combat unit one turn to rebuild anyways.

Yes, I mean an Engineer unit in the same stack of a fighting unit.

[Chaplain Lovejoy]

Forts played a very important role in the civil war especially in the first half.

“Fixed fortifications are a monument to the stupidity of man” (George S. Patton)

Of course, that thought is based on 20th century experience that should not necessarily be projected back on 19th century reality!

[Njordr]

“Fixed fortifications are a monument to the stupidity of man” (George S. Patton)

Of course, that thought is based on 20th century experience that should not necessarily be projected back on 19th century reality!

The American Civil War introduced the extensive utilization of entrenchments (in defence as well as in offensive status), ending the Napoleonic movement war concept. This achievement was brought to its maximum during WW1.

Then, a man named Heinz Guderian invented the so called "Blitzkrieg", but he can due to the evolution of technology, e.g. the perfecting of armored vehicules.

At that time Patton was right.

[gchristie]

“Fixed fortifications are a monument to the stupidity of man” (George S. Patton)

Of course, that thought is based on 20th century experience that should not necessarily be projected back on 19th century reality!

Banks used fortifications to good effect against Soundoff in their AAR game.

[Mickey3D]

For railroad rebuilding you need a combat unit in the area, if you mean speed up rail road rebuilding I don't see how that is possible since it takes a combat unit one turn to rebuild anyways.

Railroad rebuilding won't take the whole turn. It means you could give an unit the rebuild order and move it in the same turn : as soon as the railroad is repaired the unit will start its move.

[Ethan]

Railroad rebuilding won't take the whole turn. It means you could give an unit the rebuild order and move it in the same turn : as soon as the railroad is repaired the unit will start its move.

I totally agree with you, Mickey3D. Very good clarification!

[anarchyintheuk]

“Fixed fortifications are a monument to the stupidity of man” (George S. Patton)

Of course, that thought is based on 20th century experience that should not necessarily be projected back on 19th century reality!

Probably said that before he ran into Metz.

[CarnageINC]

I need to correct and clairfy myself

Size does matter when repairing rails, a single cavalry unit or militia/regular unit can not repair rails within one turn unless assisted by a engineering unit, even then it takes a whole turn to repair. The larger the better for repairs and move on quickly. Otherwise it takes forever to repair a string of broken rails.