"Cavalry charging into an already existing melee?" Topic

Should cavalry be allowed to charge into an already existing melee?

Now I understand that there are many types of rules out there with varied time scales and systems for deciding melees etc. But some rules systems such a Bruce Quarrie's amongst a few others allows for the continuance of a melee into a second and even further bound (turn). My question to you is, if this is the type of rule system you use does your group allow a formation of cavalry (or any troop type for that matter) to enter into such a protracted melee?

My feeling is that protracted or drawn out melees, charges etc were not so simple, they were a series of actions which flowed back and forth with withdrawals on both sides to rally, reform and re-charge the typical way these combats went. When there was a clash and it was clear one side had got the better of the other a unit might be sent in to save the situation but by the time contact was made the previous decision had already been made and the outcome warranted the commander to counter charge with another formation after the fact.

Do you believe existing current fought out melee combats where two bodies of cavalry are fighting it out should come to a decision first before new units are committed? I for one am against it as trying to work out contact and possible feasible combatants from the newer units eligible to be counted is just way to hard to determine. Thus we do not permit it but some rules systems do and I want to know how you guys deal with it.

Regards,
Shane

It could (and did) happen that fresh units join an existing melee – one immediate example springs to mind : the Heavy Brigade at Balaclava, ("For God's sake, ride! The Greys are cut off!")where regiments impacted in succession, but in mitigation the few hundred heavies were charging a much larger number of Russian horse. Similarly, Prussian cavalry tactics posited that a quick succession of lesser shocks were more effective than one greater shock. Some melees did carry on for more than one or two minutes – there was an occasion in the Peninsula (unfortunately, I can't remember where) when British and French cavalry went at it for about ten minutes – however, even at the time the incident was remarked upon as being of exceptional duration and exceptionally savage. I have a feeling that most multi-unit cavalry melees followed the pattern of Lieberwolkowitz, 1813, (spelling?), where AFAIK fresh cavalry units were used to intercept/counter-charge pursuers, thus allowing broken/routed units time to rally
Right, that's the history out of the way. As a game mechanic, much depends on how long you allow cavalry melees to continue. All else being equal, I would suggest that if only part of the target's frontage was engaged, then a second unit could join in on the succeeding turn. If the total frontage is fully engaged, where are your reinforcements going to impact? (If you play rules that have an 'impact' phase of melee). Of course, if you are fortunate enough to have a unit in a position to charge an already engaged enemy's flank, then I suggest that it should be allowed – and the gods of battle help the poor suckers that get hit.

The rules I'm working on presume 30 minute turns so cavalry fights are over and done in one turn. But I recall playing the WRG 1750-1850 rules back in the day, where turns were much shorter slices of time. A side that had a fresh squadron in an existing fight got a +1 modifier.

I figure you can either try to model the confused scrum in detail or do something like WRG did, give a plus to the side with fresh cavalry. It does seem like close fights were decided by who had the last formed reserve.