Mplay and Command of captured cannon

[AP514]

Ok i have a question about the unit that captured and is manning captured cannons.

here is the setup....Multiplay

My CAV unit captures an enemy arty section or two My Cav man the guns but i can not control them. They go to an arty commander who is on the other side of the hill and can not see them (most Mplay is done use'n HITS)...

My question is why can't my commander who is standing right next to the arty being manned by my Cav under his command not control them ??

AP514

[DavidAcheson140PVI]

cause there not an artillery commander

[Shirkon]

AP514 wrote:

Ok i have a question about the unit that captured and is manning captured cannons.

here is the setup....Multiplay

My CAV unit captures an enemy arty section or two My Cav man the guns but i can not control them. They go to an arty commander who is on the other side of the hill and can not see them (most Mplay is done use'n HITS)...

My question is why can't my commander who is standing right next to the arty being manned by my Cav under his command not control them ??

AP514

Capturing the cannon does not necessarily mean you capture all the implements necessary to fire them. The previous crew might have run off with the rammers and other tools. The limber chests with the rounds and friction primers for the gun might have gotten away. Though it might look easy, loading and firing a cannon isn't a simple matter of shoving in a round and pulling a lanyard. Even when guns were manned by nearby infantry they had a member of the battery to act as leader to instruct them in what to do.

[DavidAcheson140PVI]

exactly what he said

[Gfran64]

Perhaps it would be best that captured cannon were just that, captured. Infantry is captured and disappears from the field after the white flag comes up. Why not assume that the piece was hauled off the field somewhere behind your lines and was reassigned to an artillery unit that lost one of there own pieces to bring it back up to full strength. That probably takes all day to sort out. So why not consider the piece taken but unserviceable? Seems to be the most accurate way to portray this situation. Also we like to think that the captured guns were immediately turned on the enemy but the literature does not describe that happening too often.

More often than not, the piece was abandoned on the field for some time until one or the other side decided it was safe enough to recover it. At Gettysburg on July 2nd the 15th NJ of the 1st NJ Brigade of VI Corp re-captured an abandoned Union battery that the Confederates were unable to remove from the field and the 15th NJ retook physical possession of the guns in the early morning of July 3rd. Those guns sat unattended an unserviced for more than 12 hours on the field, unclaimed by either side, before the 15th NJ retrieved them.

Just my opinion,

Regards,

Greg B)

[hurrah for the union]

its a dangrous move to attack and capture artillery. sharpanel and canister are aimed at you. use cavalry its the best. infantry will rout or they will take heavy casualties.

[AP514]

Well, Shirkon the guns are captured and fire'n at the enemy.. AI was controling the sections.. Thing is why could my comander not be the one to control them..Not an art commander?? well if the game is set up that way and can not be change then so be it.

Greg had the best point in the whole thread so far...If guns are captured and not arty units around to man them they should just surrender and disappear..


AP514