Optimal Stone's River as CSA?

[Searry]

How should I play this? If I continue towards the fortification during the first day, all my troops are exhausted and in bad position for an attack. What should I do?

[uhamster9]

Don't use running unless it's for a complete encirclement. Just walk your troops toward the fortification. And Stones River is a two days battle. You don't have to capture the fortification in the first day; just use artillery to shell the fortification. The first day ends very late (don't click the finish battle button) so you have plenty of time to do damage.

[wanderingthoreau1987]

It depends on your army set up. I'd made my best and highest stamina troops comprise the left wing. They have a dual task: to knock back the Union right, and get around that to begin and circle their flank.

After the map opens up, don't stressed about Wilkinson Hill, or whatever the newest objective it. Instead, keep working your left to cut off union troops south of this objective.

Work to cut off the union troops still trapped or south on the map. Skirmisher cav here can shine and keep would be spoiling attacks off the envelopment and finish off routing union brigades. Two thousand Spencer armed cavalry here can really shine.

After intermittently running and walking your left wing forces to the north of the map, you'll have to eat some losses and begin to disspoverty the pocket and try to move some of the unionew brigades in the wooded hill. After the map expands a second time, simply work to the north turnpike, as it's flank hangs on an open flat and turn the troops in trenches there and simply roll up the rest. Honestly this fight is a slog and you WILL suffer.

This a bad fight for a smaller, elite army as even some of best troops end up being mauled. If the timer has passed you'll have to hunt all the yaknees and send um runnin' back to DC. Or maybe just bowling green. Either way the best I've done here is 9.800 casualties. That was on a better play, as I usually average 12.500. I try to bring 55-60k infantry, approx 3k cavalry and 160-200 guns in batteries of 12.

In essence, you're running a sort of schlieffen plan and need to hustle that far corp to bag the enemy from the rear. Cav can be fantastic here in the open where they can run down and have a speed advantage over most troops.

[Searry]

Thanks. I'll try the cavalry thing. I have lots of it but for some reason only a part of them appear on the map.

[wanderingthoreau1987]

Originally posted by Searry:

Thanks. I'll try the cavalry thing. I have lots of it but for some reason only a part of them appear on the map.

I've played this battle out a dozen times and if you want the cavalry the whole battle, it'll have to be mixed in on your left flank corp. You only get half your corp from the reserve corp as the map opens up and finally the remainder after you've been tasked to take the turn pikes.

[Wright29]

Stones River is one of the most open battles where you have the widest variety of options. All options have a common theme: to win on the first day, you can't let the Union reach the entrenchments in force- either cut them off or destroy them as they retreat.

1. Maul Union right flank and roll it up- hit the right immediately and just keep rolling the right-most unit.

2. Swing around the Union forces- The key to the Union right is the woods north of their southernmost objective. The goal of this strategy is to stay out of sight and swing to the south and west. The Union may advance to attack other units and may abandon the aforementioned critical woods. Try to get units in those woods and sandwhich their units.

3. Swing ALL the way to the Northwest- you can open the same way and head straight for the northwest with the goal of cutting the Union in two from the west. In the second and third phase, head due east and completely cut off the southern forces. The Union will attack you hard. Meanwhile your forces across the river can get behind the Union and you can slowly roll up the fortifications from behind at your leisure.

4. Wait and slice the Union in half from the East- in the first phase, merely move units up to the north with the goal of flooding the Union center to simultaneously cut off the southern forces and race to assault the fortifications while they're lightly defended. Your units across the river will probably have to help to finish the job.

5. Wait and sprint to the fortifications- this involves just chilling for the first two phases, continually moving units to the north, and then taking tons of units to run to the fortifications before the Union can reach them in force. To say that this is high-risk, high-reward would be an understatement. It can be incredibly successful or it can be an absolute disaster with the Union sandwiching your exhausted troops.

Good luck!

[Searry]

Well, cutting them off in the middle worked but I got 20k casualties. I think I'm happy with it, no other way really I could have won with the time I had left in the first day.

[wanderingthoreau1987]

20k is a bit heavy, but it depends on how large a fonce you brought. I've never had anything less than 9.5k and usually average 12k. Stones River is a ♥♥♥♥ show to be sure and a painful reminder of how the ACW became a meat grinder as a preview of WW1. As long as you're satisfied, that's all that matters and if you play it a few times more you may find you get an AI that is less cautious and throws itself at you or get an AI that is timid and holds back allowing you to envelop them.

Attempting to envelope the union here is dangerous and tricky and can either be glorious or a disaster.

[Searry]

16k was the best I could do with shelling. The enemy had harpers ferries only and lots and lots of the best rifled artillery. I did a few stupid moves on the battlefield but in the end they softened the final assault. This is a very micromanagement heavy battle so that's why I can't really do better. A single volley can be so punishing.