"Which brigades get a +1?" Topic

"+1" standing in for whatever combat and morale bonus your rules use :)

If you had to pick Union and Confederate brigades to get a bonus compared to the rank and file, what brigades would come to mind?

Hood's Texans.

Union Brigade, Irish Brigade
Stonewall Brigade, Barksdale's Brigade

Orphan Brigade, any of Cleburne's
Wilder's Lightning Brigade

In a game where the brigades are lowest level units, if division commanders are not rated (or represented) I tend to give higher rating to those in well-commanded divisions. So for Stones River I'd upgrade those in Sheridan's and Cleburne's divisions.

edit: yeah, Hood's Brigade

I agree, Cleburne,s brigades for the rebs and Irish brigade for the yanks

Agree with vtsaogames, except maybe about Cleburne's, and I understand his reasoning there. (I'm assuming "Union Brigade" is a typo for "Iron Brigade.")

Agree with the above – a bit time dependent as the Iron Brigade and the Stonewall Brigade were at their peak early to mid war and were a bit less energetic late war (notably as their original troops had largely been replaced due to losses in battle)

I'd also add Cockrell's Missouri Brigade and Green's Arkansas/Missouri Brigade of Bowen's Division, CSA during the Vicksburg campaign, especially at Champion Hill.

Jim

Wilders Brigade

In addition to the above, I'd add the U.S. regular Brigades.

I play regiments. So most of the regiments in these brigades would get a +1.

+1 Brigades

Iron Brigade
Stonewall Brigade
Vermont Brigade
Hood's Texas Brigade
Orphan Brigade
Wilder's Brigade
Buford's 1st Cavalry Brigade
Irish Brigade
Granbury's Texas Brigade
Cockrell's C.S. Missouri Brigade

+1 Regiments

4th Virginia Cavalry
Louisiana Tigers
20th Maine
114th Penn. Zouaves
5th NY Duryée's Zouaves
1st and 2nd United States Sharpshooters
42nd Penn. Bucktails
Birge's Sharpshooters
6th Mississippi
6th Missouri Confederate Volunteers
45th Georgia
2nd US Cavalry
6th US Cavalry
4th US Cavalry
5th US Cavlary
116th Penn.
7th NY
9th and 10th Arkansas
15th Texas
1st Texas
140th NY
69th NY
2nd Maryland(Confederate)
Terry's Texas Rangers
15th Alabama

+1 Batteries

Pelham's Horse Artillery
Morton's Battery
Washington Artillery of New Orleans
Calef's Battery A, 2nd U.S. Horse Artillery
Cushing's Battery A, 4th U.S. Light Artillery

"Union Brigade" is a typo for "Iron Brigade."

Ouch, yes.

As for individual batteries, I'd add Dilger's battery.

just finished painting Bowens division from Champions Hill, its good to know they are considered 'good uns' Must paint a division of yanks to fight em.

You know, it pains me to say it, because the 3rd Indiana Cavalry was part of the Brigade, but I'd probably hedge on Buford, and on the Champion's Hill Confederates. Lots of units put in one good day, which is why we use dice.

The rules should load the dice only when the unit was so consistently good--and KNOWN to be consistently good--that a higher level commander could reasonably say "this is going to be tricky: we need the Iron Brigade" or even "Texans always drive them." That's a fairly short list.

I'll admit to a soft spot for the Chicago Board of Trade Battery, but I'm not sure it rates a plus. (NO, you heathens: it was not the Whatever Illinois Battery. The state wouldn't pay for another unit, so the CBOT passed the hat among the membership. When the war was over, the C.O. turned the records over to the Board and not the state IG. No pay,no play.)

Why didn't Dan Sickles "Excelsior" Brigade make the list. Their poor reputation was the "Fake News" of the day, or so Sickles would have tweeted.

Bowen's division was consistently good during the Vicksburg campaign. I've just done a bit of reading about the campaign and got a personal tour of Champion Hill from Sid Champion V. Bowen was only shifted from Port Gibson by superior numbers, after a full day of battle. And they had the gumption after that to drive Hovey's victorious troops at Champion Hill. I'd give them a good rating at least for that campaign.

Which brigades get a -1?

Don't forget the Vermont Brigade.

Which brigades get a -1?

Brockenbrough's (Heth's) brigade at Gettysburg. Even Fredericksburg. Poorly led and not very interested in taking casualties or fighting well.

Sears Brigade during the Atlanta campaign. Maybe even Mercer's. Men just melted away on the skirmish line.

Bad Painter: Not a fan of Sickles but it is my opinion that the Excelsior Brigade was better than they are generally given credit for, (in 1862 anyway), and as a result, I rate them as the best brigade in the 3rd Corps.

donlowry: It is my impression that the Philadelphia was generally considered as something less than they should have been, so I generally rate them a step lower than the rest of the 2nd Corps.

Thanks, John Miller

Please excuse my poor writing ability. I meant to say Philadelphia Brigade, above. Sorry, John Miller

"Don't forget the Vermont Brigade."

I didn't, see above.