Adapting the Portable Napoleonic Wargame to the ACW part 2 - Divisional level

The second part is moving up to the divisional level where I think the necessity is on distinguishing more between the tactical choices rather than the technological changes, though I do think that reflecting the greater ranges of rifled weapons is necessary for dismounted cavalry and artillery.

I have been reading on this area to make sure that I am not just recycling cliches about the ACW and my own opinions.

The major changes seem to be that though square was a formation that was taught to the soldiers and in Casey's drill manual it was not often used on the battlefield as cavalry was used much less as charging than as scouts and dismounted firing. The formations for the brigade and division do not include anything that matches the Ordre Mixte or double square so those formations would be excluded. Attacking in columns seems to have been unpopular but definitely was taught and used on occasions.

ACW cavalry unlike Napoleonic cavalry would all really fall into the same class as neither side fielded anything like the curassiers or other heavy cavalry that remained in the European armies even as late as the Franco-Prussian war. Though cavalry charges are not completely unknown they were rarer than in European warfare and not all cavalry had sabres or pistols for close combat. The terrain, particularly in the Western theatre was not often supportive of charging units with woods, fences and ditches making rapid movement difficult. Therefore the manoeuvres for cavalry and mounted infantry needs to include dismounting or mounting as an action.

Unit	Strength Points	Movement	Range	Comments
Infantry (muskets)	4	Column 2 Line 1	2
Infantry (rifles)	4	Column 2 Line 1	3
Cavalry (mounted)	3	Column 3 Line 2	1	1 move to mount/dismount
Cavalry (dismounted)	3	Column 2 Line 1	2	1 move to mount/dismount
Cavalry (repeaters - dismounted)	3	Column 2 Line 1	3	1 move to mount/dismount
Artillery (rifled)	2	Limbered 1 Firing 0	Cannon 6
Artillery (smoothbore)	2	Limbered 1 Firing 0	Cannon 5 Howitzer 4 Light 3	Light are 6 pound guns.
Commander	6	Mounted 4 Foot 2	-	No combat value

Artillery firing modifiers

Rifled artillery

Increase D6 roll by 1 if firing at enemy unit at a range of 1 grid areas

Smoothbore artillery

Increase D6 roll by 1 if firing at enemy unit at a range of 1 or 2 grid areas

Small arms firing modifiers

Increase D6 roll by 1 if firing unit armed with repeaters.