Organising your cavalry

[Ardie]

As I'm not very good at the American Civil War history(but not a complete ignoramus either) I'm thinking that my cavalry tactics have been sub-optimal at least.

I've seen that CSA gets 3 cavalry units of brigade size: the Laurel Bde, Morgan's Alabama Bde and J.E.B. Stuart's 1st Virginia (arrives with Johnston at Shenandoah) which eventually expands to a brigade.

The federals get Grierson's Bde atleast but I haven't seen any other units.

So my questions to you is that how have you used your cavalry?

-organisation: single regiments?, groupings of 2-3 regiments under a cav leader? or complete divisions?

-usage: raiding/reconnaisance; operating as an independent force (active) or army/corps reserve (passive - I've noticed that cav doesn't do much in the reserves except for the fow bonus)

Any kind of tips would be useful, thank you.

[caranorn]

Yep, this is one of the points that bothers me. Cavalry brigades really should be buildable as far more historically existed. As it is now you have to organise several regiments around a commander to get the equivalent. As the Union I've also raised entire cavalry divisions (mostly to provide it's parent corps/army with scouting capacity, though also occasionally detached). Essentially I use whatever is appropriate at the time, if I plan a suicide raid I use a single regiment, often without leader, if I plan a raid in force I'll use 2-3 regiments with a leader, if I just need scouting capacity I'll attach the regiments to a division (or a separate cavalry division), to catch raiders and repair raillines I also usually use single regiments (occasionally a pair without leader and if faced with a strong raiding force a leader with 2-3 regiments...) etc.

[denisonh]

I will often throw in a horse artillery battery with 2-3 regiments of cav and a leader if I am expecting to take some towns garrisoned by militia, or it is a mission to screen a flank of an army.

The artillery seems to help in some situations and under the new patch is a bit faster, slowing the cav down les.

[Pocus]

cavalry brigades do exist, but they enter the force pool in the second part of the war. You can always form up cavalry divisions too.

[caranorn]

Thanks for the reply Pocus, I had assumed they existed until recently... I don't think I've ever played beyond the spring of 1863.

[Ardie]

Thanks for the tips, guys.

I've played far into 64 and I haven't seen any buildable cavalry brigades at all. I noticed that the federals get another cav bde (sabre bde + leader).

The problem is that the cavalry leaders gain very little seniority because of the skirmishing...my regiments have amassed experince for 2-3 stars worth though...which is nice. And I'd like to form a Cav Corps at some phase during the game around the best leaders...which now seems a bit impossible.

Maybe a few cav leaders should get a automated promotion to maj.gen (Stuart, Wheeler and Forrest for CSA; Pleasonton, Buford and Sheridan for USA) during late 62 or early 63?

[Pocus]

accrual of exp points will change in the next patch and will be more refined, they will gain some, even in skirmishes.

[Coregonas]

In my last game 1.08a I merged by mistake 1st Virginia CAV (2 sized brigade) with other 1 sized brigade... (i believe it was also named 1st virginia)

The resulting brigade was 3 element size. I could not undo of course.

Can this be done only with the big CSA cav brigades (such as laurel) ?

[Coffee Sergeant]

I find independent calvary divisions very useful in the Mid/Southwest, where they move fast, and you don't have much supply anyway to support large units.

I wouldn't risk a full division or brigade in raids. Its far too easy to become trapped and lose the entire unit. My opponent did this with Jeb in the East and Forrest in the West and I trapped him and wiped out the entire division both times.

[Offworlder]

"cavalry brigades do exist, but they enter the force pool in the second part of the war. You can always form up cavalry divisions too."

Are they buildable? And from which date? Up till 64 I only get the single cavalry regiments (buildable) + the few brigades mentioned.

[TruFloridian]

Thats something i was wondering also. there should definitely be more cavalry brigades. Jeb Stuart started out with a brigade. Then Rooney Lee and Fits Lee both had brigades and both were outstanding cavalry commanders. Wade Hampton was another good cavalry commander. Those three were all premier leaders just in virginia. They all eventually became division commanders with wade hampton taking over after stuart was killed. W.H.F. Rooney Lee became the souths youngest major general in his mid twenties. His reputation was not just being Robert Lee's son and Harry Light-Horse Harry Lees grandson. I think there should at least be three brigades in virginia that total 300 points. IN the west, texas started out with mainly cavalry regiments because of the great distances traveled. Nathan Bedford Forrest raised a brigades on a couple of occasions after being stripped of them ater he equipped and trained them. He was a force that influenced Mississippi and Tennessee., by incompetent superiors. When you request reinforcements in calvary regiments you should be able to put them into brigades.