Hi all,
Well I've gone off on one of my research tangents again. Whenever I begin feel that a component of this game seems off, however slightly, I try to go and research as much of the public domain as I can to see if I can get a better feel for how things were as opposed to how they are in the game. As I remove one layer of this onion, I always find another layer under it that is just as interesting as the previous one. With that said, I remain most appreciative of the team's efforts and will purchase any product they put out because it is the best product of it's kind. As Norb has stated, the goal is to get MP working correctly, then the game with modifications released in a patch. The following would be suggestions for that patch. At worst, I hope it is interesting to the community.
I never got the feeling that TC2M had the actual function of Corp and Army commands correct. I always felt that there should be a HQ set up somewhere, The Leister house, with the general near that point for the Army and Corp commands. The moving of high command officers all over the map to better route the couriers just is not realistic at all. Couriers were used frequently but more often than not orders were sent by the Signal Corp by flag or telegraph.
Major Albert Meyer invented a system using flags and torches in the 1850's to help the army communicate orders. It was field tested in 1858. Two participants in these field trials were Porter Alexander, (Meyer's aide),and Lafayette McClaws. More on them later. Different flag motions represented different numbers and different number sets represented different letters. A cipher was employed by both sides to encode messages. A 20 word message could be sent and read in about 5 minutes. The receiving party used telescopes and strong field glasses to view the message sometimes being waved some 10 or more miles away. The Signal Corp was adopted by the army in 1860. At the start of the war Major Meyers was placed in command of the Union Signal Corp and Porter Alexander the Confederate SC. The losses for the Union SC were 150%, the average loss for a unit was 20%. No unit suffered so greatly as did the SC.
Typically the Signal post was set up on the highest point in an area for observation and communication. Other posts were set up in the general area to be watched. Thus a chain of line of sight posts became connected and operational. These operations were highly dependent on weather and visability. The telegraph was also used extensively, although not at Gettysburg so I will only mention it briefly. Sherman carried with him at all times a pocket telegraph. Grant, by the end of the war could and did determine the disposition of the entire Union army down to the brigade level using the telegraph. That is over 500,000 men over 800,000 square miles. Militarily speaking, this was never done before. Never before in warfare had that volume of information been accessible to commanders. The telegraph handled logistical and strategic communications at the grand tactical and strategic level. The SC operated at the tactical and grand tactical level. The former being very obvious at Gettysburg. The high losses incurred by these units no doubt confirms the thought that they were a very high value target and all necessary measures should be taken to eliminate them.
I have found evidence of SC activity at every major battle in the ACW. At first Bull Run, Porter Alexander signaled Evans that he saw Federal forces some 8 miles away and he should, "Look to your left, your position is turned." At Malvern Hill McCellan, aboard the steamship Galena, signaled his orders to his army and directed naval gunfire. At the Elk mountain lookout at Antietam, Burnside was warned of Early's approach, "Look to your left, the enemy are moving a strong force in that direction." Lee's invasion force at Antietam was spotted by a signal post on Sugar Loaf. The Army of the Cumberland had become strong supporters of the SC and used them constantly. The SC at Vining's Station via Kenesaw Mountain saved Sherman/Corse as it signaled over the heads of the enemy to Allatoona. The same happened to Hood at Atlanta. Meade would not leave his HQ at Gettysburg without his signal team during the ANV artillery barrage preceding Picket's attack. At Petersburg huge observation towers were built by the AOP to transmit orders and for observation. Specific ANV batteries were tasked with taking these towers out.
Concerning specifically Gettysburg, the SC assigned a signal team to each corp command at the battle. Before the battle a signal post was placed on Indian Lookout at Emmitsburg, MD. There was a telegraph station there that could communicate with Washington, DC. Buford on the first day had his signal man in the cupola of the Lutheran Seminary who spotted Heth's advance columns. Later in the day he warned Howard, "Over a division of the rebels is making a bank movement on our right: the line extends over a mile, and is advancing, skirmishing." The signal man then moved to the top of the Gettysburg Courthouse and finally to Cemetery Hill late in the day. In the evening, 11pm, of the first day communications were opened between Indian Lookout and Little Round Top, LRT. The rest of the AOP Corp signal stations were also established; a spur on Culp's Hill, (Steven's Knoll), Power's Hill for Slocum, the Leister House for Meade's HQ and Cemetery Hill. Thus the entire AOP had internal communication by the morning of the 2nd day. Therefore a message could be sent from Slocum on Culp's Hill to Meade's HQ, from Meade to LRT and from LRT to Indian Lookout and then to the telegraph office in Emmitsburg, MD and then to Washington, DC all in about 1/2 hour.
The signal station at LRT initially saw Longstreet's flanking movement, (Wilcox), thus forcing a more than 2 hour counter march advocated by McLaws and Porter as they had seen the signal station. As you remember, both these men worked with Meyer on field testing for the SC before the war. Eventually the messages kept coming in from this signal station of large troop movements prompting Meade to send Warren to LRT. Warren seeing the situation for what it was ordered LRT occupied in force. This signal unit suffered significant loss due to ANV sharpshooters but continued to signal throughout the battle. There is a plaque on the top of LRT dedicated to their service. On the 3rd day Picket's movement out of the woods was immediately signaled to Meade's HQ. Following the battle the signal posts moved to observe Lee's retreat from Waynesboro, PA to Middletown and Crampton's Pass with Maryland Heights, Washington Monument at South Mountain Pass, and finally Boonesborough at Beaver Creek crossing. Thus the entire Gettysburg Campaign has documented 67 different AOP signal stations.
My wish list is as follows:
Command and control could be rethought as to the use of the SC. Couriers were not used for longer distance communication of orders when the SC was functional. Couriers would be used for communicating orders within a corp or division coming out from a corp HQ where their commanding general would be. That general would receive the signaled messages from the HQ of the army, by courier from his HQ if he wandered to far away from his HQ. Commanding generals could scout well forward of their position but would then receive messages by a courier from their corp HQ. That fixes the suicidal courier problem.
SC stations would need to be in direct LOS of another signal station and could be moved. Perhaps a yellow ring could be used to let the player know he had established contact. Orders could be sent over the head of the enemy using the SC.
Commanding generals at the army and corp level will need to set up a HQ in a central area to their troops and a SC station nearby to receive non-courier orders and observations.
SC stations can be taken out by artillery or direct assault. They would be mounted and you could move them as needed to protect their safety and function. They would be very small groups of about 10 men or less.
The function of the SC was not just signaling orders but also intelligence/observations.
Now the problem, how/can do you place the signal station in tall buildings? I have no idea....
That's all for now, apologize for the length.
Regards,
Greg B)
