Can a general also be a unit?

[Heldenkaiser]

In my Continental Army in the Saratoga scenario, there is a strange unit. It has a leader icon, but identifies itself as a strength 37 infantry unit with the name "Marblehead". Depending on where I click, the details come out as "Colonel John Clover" or as a unit of Marines. Can a unit be also a general/a general also a unit? Sorry for sounding dumb, but this looks strange.

[orca]

Yes it can. Glover is with Washington's army in most scenarios. About half of the German generals are units as well.

[Heldenkaiser]

Oh, OK. What's the significance of it? Thanks in advance.

[Korrigan]

These stand for "embeded generals".
These units combine both leader and troops as they were historically tied.

[PhilThib]

For instance, in the XVIIIth cenutry, it was common practice everywhere in the Western world to have Colonels "owning" their regiments...they bought it like you would buy a car nowadays

A typical example during the AWI was those Hessians and other German mercenary troops hired by King George to serve in the New World.

In fact, the colonel leading the regiment would more than extremely rarely part from his "own(ed)" troops and thus we made it a design feature: leader and his troops are tied together

[Leibst]

Marblehead rgt is fantastic unit for the rebels, if it loose all his strenght it appears in the next turn in a friendly city, like a general who lose all his units in combat. But Marblehead is also a combat unit and can recover his strenght with replacements!!

[Pocus]

yes, this is the problem... the feature is not completely satisfying, as this lead to a combat unit with leader safeguards privileges.

[PhilThib]

It will improve with the BOA 2.0 version, as the feature is a bit changed now in the engine, thanks to ACW development

[Heldenkaiser]

Thank you all for your explanations, Gentlemen. I understand it now and find it a nice feature.

(I do believe though that in practice the regiment would have been commanded in the field by the lieutenant-colonel if the colonel was elevated to a higher command position?)