"Effect of Roads?" Topic

Would be interested to hear examples of roads influencing battles (not campaigns, not pre-battle maneuvering).

The example that immediately comes to mind is a minor medieval battle (wish I could remember the name) in which troops were disordered crossing a road, due to the ditches.

So, historically, not "in my game…?"

In my rules units would have to go into column of route (single file) to gain a road bonus. Not a good fighting formation.

Sunken roads have had effects. Wasn't there one at Antietam. Also, roads are often lined by walls and hedges which have had effects. Also, roads often have bridges where they cross obstacles such as rivers and streams, or canals.

Recent archaeology at the Waterloo battle site suggests that Wellington was able to use a sunken road to resupply Hougemont with ammunition.

I believe there is a paper which has the premise that Roman roads contributed to the fall of the Empire.

As to specific battle effects roads can feed in reinforcements – as noted, they do need to deploy off road to fight – and sunken roads can be a sort of trench

I think the roads/Roman Empire relates to campaign issues (more rapid movement of barbarian invaders into the heart of the Empire)

Unless the army in question has a method of efficiently and rapidly deploying from a road column into battle formation, a road isn't really going to help.
I guess that the "roads" that are often seen in war games to enable troops to move from one flank to the other simply represent clear routes.
But I haven't heard of that happening either.

The elevated road through the marshes at Mutina (72 BC) produced some interesting effects:

"Carsuleius and Pansa hurried through the defile by night. At daybreak, with only the legio Martia and five other cohorts, they entered upon the high road above mentioned, which was still free from enemies, and looked over the marsh on either side. There was a suspicious agitation of the rushes, then a gleam here and there of shield and helmet, and Antony's praetorian cohort suddenly shewed itself directly in their front. The legion Martia, surrounded on all sides and having no way to escape, ordered the new levies, if they came up, not to join in the fight lest they should cause confusion by their inexperience. The praetorians of Octavian confronted the praetorians of Antony. The other troops divided themselves into two parts and advanced into the marsh on either side, the one commanded by Pansa and the other by Carsuleius. Thus there were two battles in two marshes, and neither division could see the other by reason of the elevated road, while along the road itself the praetorian cohorts fought another battle of their own." (Appian Romaika 3.67)

The road in Market Garden certainly had an impact on the fighting. Just watching the attack early on in the film by the German PAK guns and the subsequent fight back by the British made for dramatic events.

Could the causeway at Stirling Bridge be said to have influenced the battle? More for being a limited area in which the English could operate, as the northern flat was controlled by the Scots and the south side was marsh… Perhaps it was more that the road created a temptation to cross the bridge than any other actual effect.

Other than that, I can think of Teutoburg, with the Romans in column and unable to deploy effectively.

Kinda stinks to be caught on a narrow road.

Part of the quick Roman success in Gaul were the roads that linked the principal towns together whereas Germany was more tracks in between smaller and therefore more scattered settlements with few regional capitals to take and hold.

When developing Triumph! we weren't able to find any ancient or medieval examples where a road was used to speed tactical movement on the battlefield. While crucial to logistics and strategic movement, they didn't seem to be important during the battle itself.

Because of that, Triumph! doesn't have roads as a distinct type of terrain piece. They exist only as stream crossings and paths through difficult terrain.

The road at Lake Trasimene that the Romans were marching along in their pursuit of Hannibal