Battlefield tactics in the Age of Napoleon followed some pretty basic rules. Fundamentally, the main objective was to bring the most guns to bear while minimizing the effectiveness of return fire. Sound simple? Well, the devil is in the details, and accomplishing this task successfully depends on leveraging the strengths of all types of troops and committing them at the proper moment. In Napoleonic warfare, timing is everything.
Fatigue and Morale
All units possess two key statistics: fatigue and morale. These two factors are key in determining how effective and how long a unit will stand and fight. Broken units cannot be recovered and are considered destroyed for all practical purposes.
Fatigue is expended as a unit moves and attacks. Some formations and difficult terrain cause fatigue to drain more rapidly than others. When the fatigue bar reaches zero, further exertion causes a loss of morale. It is possible push a unit to the point of breaking simply by carelessly marching it without a break.
Morale is the mental state of the unit and determines its resolve to fight. When morale reaches zero, the unit breaks and flees. Fatigue, as mentioned above, can cause a loss of morale. Other negative factors include casualties, especially the loss of a commanding officer. When the morale of a unit starts to waver, it should be quickly withdrawn to safety or, if it’s locked in melee, relieved by reinforcements.
Infantry
Most units in Cossacks II carry some sort of ranged weapon, usually muskets, rifles or carbines; although some Eastern troops carry bows. Some units are armed with only swords, and of course must enter melee to be of any use. The majority of troops in the game bear some sort of firearm, however.
During this era, a unit’s first volley was often its deadliest, and commanders were trained to withhold fire until the absolute optimal moment. As with everything else, there is no definitive answer as to when the proper moment might be. Hovering the mouse pointer over the firearm box when a unit is selected displays the relative effective range of fire. Enemy units in the green area will receive minimal damage, those in yellow, more substantial damage and units in the red will get a bellyful of lead. It takes a lot of nerve to wait for an approaching enemy to enter the red circle, indeed, it usually won’t do so unless it is confident that it will win the ensuing melee. For a unit that must hold it’s ground, waiting until the enemy is in the red is its best use of firepower.
A unit need not shoot its wad at once, however. It takes a long time to reload, and the enemy knows this. Once a unit has fully discharged, it must reload or fix bayonets and be prepared for melee. If the enemy is still far enough away, a unit that has fully discharged could retreat to safety and reload. If multiple enemy units are in the vicinity, however, they will descend like vultures if a full volley is fired. In this case, it can be more prudent to fire by line, allowing one line to reload while the others either fire in turn or provide enough of a threat to keep the enemy at bay.
Cavalry
Like infantry, cavalry can march in line or column, the latter causing far less fatigue. Cavalry cannot form a square, but they have another special formation called a wedge; a high-impact formation ideal for a melee-bound cavalry charge.
Hussars line up for battle
Lancers on the field
The Napoleonic Era saw a resurgence of lancers; pike-bearing cavalry employed by most nations. These units carry no firearm and must be charged into melee. Other units, like hussars and cuiassiers, bear carbines and can bear-up for a volley before charging into combat. Such units can be used in conjunction with hit-and-run tactics: move close to the enemy, fire, then use speed to move out before taking return fire.
It is never a good idea to charge cavalry into infantry that are standing in good order. A mobile infantry regiment or one that has taken fire and is on the verge of breaking are more suitable targets. Avoid charging infantry in a square formation: squares were meant to devastate charging cavalry. Also avoid confronting artillery head-on, for obvious reasons.
Cavalry is at its best destroying worn units, enemy cavalry, or ravishing artillery from the rear. Napoleon often kept his cavalry in reserve, using it for a crushing blow at just the right moment, or to save the day if the enemy broke through his line. Often times, just having a cavalry force in reserve is enough to keep the enemy horse at bay – be very cautious when using ones own cavalry while enemy squadrons roam the battlefield.
Artillery
Artillery was often a decisive element on the Napoleonic battlefield. Incapable of achieving objectives by itself; artillery fire nevertheless made its presence felt by raining down murderous fire on dense enemy formations, causing disruption and loss of morale.
Artillery come in two basic flavors: cannon and howitzers. Howitzers fired high-impact shells with a high trajectory while cannon fired in a direct line. As such, howitzers could be used for indirect fire while cannon required a line-of-sight.
Howitzers and cannon loaded with ball ammunition have long effective ranges, but a blind spot in close. Cannon can compensate by loading with case shot (this came in many varieties, but think similar to shotgun) for close range attacks. The above illustrations show the comparative effective ranges for each type of shot.
Artillery is slow to move, and cannot get out of the way of advancing troops. Rarely will the enemy approach in case range – an artillery crew can be swept from the battlefield by firing at much longer ranges. More dangerous still is an assault from outside of its covered arc. While the devastating effect of case shot is a wonder to behold, artillery is best left safely in the rear where it can pound away at a distance. If the action gets too close, deploy some infantry ahead of it to keep the opposing troops at bay.
The primary objective in Napoleonic warfare is to drive the enemy from the battlefield. Destruction of armies typically occurred after the battle was lost, as cavalry would embark on a deadly pursuit. Such follow-through is beyond the scope of the game; don’t waste time and energy eliminating already-beaten formations while those with fight in them still prowl the battlefield.
— Jeff Vitous
