mihalik wrote:
[1] I think splitting the Confederate batteries into sections and individual guns is necessary if the designer wishes to accurately portray all the different ordnance assigned to each battery. I think that historically the guns were normally deployed by battery on both sides in spite of differences in ordnance as a simple matter of command and control by the battery commander.
The advantages of full batteries appear to be all sections move together down the road without clogging it as much, and they are less likely to be affected by unit stacking restrictions.
The disadvantages appear to be that a crew kill is more catastrophic and there is less flexibility in deployment.
[2] Since the professional officers of both sides had received the same artillery training, I think that overall artillery doctrine must have been similar.
[3] Therefore I think the artillery should be organized by section for both sides in order to minimize the artificial differences in size that are inherent in the limitations of the game engine.
1. Yes, it would be necessary to split a battery into sections in order to portray the different ordinance within it. Often, where they have knowledge of such different ordinance the designers do split them, for both sides. Historical Chickamauga (039) was the example I used earlier to demonstrate that this does occur.
The guns would generally be deployed by battery on both sides BUT this was not always desirable, especially where there were different guns with different capabilites and ranges so they would be deployed in sections. Historical examples were provided earlier on this fact in respect to Confederate artillery. It must have been a more common occurrence for that side due to the diversity in gun types (which was not so prevalent for the other side).
I'm sure that the Union must have split batteries into sections on some occasions when they had different guns in the one battery BUT that didn't often happen because a Union battery usually had the same gun in its different sections.
[Earlier in this discussion, I couldn't find an example of the Union splitting a battery into sections but then thought I might find such a thing at Chickamauga due to different ordinance within some Union batteries there. I have now found an example here (
https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA396951.pdf).] At the bottom of page 42 of that thesis it says:
"The battery split into three sections, one on the right, one in the center, and one on the left of the brigade ...".
A reference is provided to the Official Records so I consider it an example that can be relied upon. However, that's it; it's the only reference in a thesis devoted to Union artillery at Chickamauga where there was a more than usual diversity in gun types within batteries.
An example where the Union split a battery where they had the same gun type in all sections still eludes me. If it ever did happen I'm sure it was an almost unique occurance.
2. Yes, agreed. However, the Confederates frequently had diverse gun types within batteries, so they adapted the doctrine to suit their situation. The Confederate situation was different, so it is easier to find evidence that they did deploy in sections (although only when they were different gun types within the one battery). The games, as they are, seem to reflect that real-life situation well.
Evidence of them using artillery in sections rather than in batteries because of different ordinance can be found without too much difficulty and some examples were provided earlier. Evidence of them splitting a battery into sections when they all had the same guns doesn't seem to exist [at least I can't find it].
So, the 'rule' seems to be: if there were different gun types within a battery then it is more likely that the battery will be deployed in sections (and much more frequently on the Confederate side who quickly became accustomed to such situations).
3. I disagree here. The Union simply did not depart from the standard practice of deploying guns in battery. Evidence is scant on it ever occurring even when there were different gun types within the battery [I've only found that one example that I mentioned above].