Cavalry pursuits and destroyed units

[richafricanus]

Artillery or infantry routed by cavalry don't make a rout move but are destroyed. Do the cavalry nevertheless make a pursuit move?

[KendallB]

No. You only make pursuits from routing or withdrawing units. The cavalry are assumed to be mopping up prisoners.

[richafricanus]

Is this stated explicitly in the rules or just an assumption? If they don't pursue it takes away the historical effect of a successful cavalry charge. The Union brigade at Waterloo would have stopped at the first broken brigade. In the rules it would then be better to not break a square but rather pass through it and get a second charge. I get the logic of not pursuing a destroyed unit, but I imagine in reality the unit is destroyed as a functioning force but you still have troops scattered fleeing in all directions, hotly pursued by the cavalry.

[KendallB]

There is a thread somewhere in which Terry confirms this. Essentially the rules state that a pursuit only occurs if your eneny routs or retires therefore no pursuit if you destroy the enemy.

And yes, we all questioned the Union brigade at Waterloo. Obviously those units weren't destroyed, merely retired. After all, Adkins and others have stated that those units of d'Erlon's corps were rallying in the French rear for the rest of the day.

Come to think of it, if a cavalry unit in in combat with two infantry units, neither which are in square and one is destroyed and the other retires, is there a pursuit? I'd say yes because an enemy unit is retiring as per the combat outcomes chart.

[BrettPT]

Come to think of it, if a cavalry unit in in combat with two infantry units, neither which are in square and one is destroyed and the other retires, is there a pursuit? I'd say yes because an enemy unit is retiring as per the combat outcomes chart.

I would say yes as well.
I recollect reading that infantry broken by cavalry would not necessarily run very far, but would throw their muskets to the ground and raise their hands in surrender. The logic being I guess is that running is pointless and would result in a Sabre to the back of the head.
Russians developed a reputation for picking up their muskets again after supposedly surrendering, which pissed the frogs off mightily, leading to at least one massacre where french cav sabred a bunch of russkies trying to surrender.

[richafricanus]

I've looked up the discussion and saw Terry's ruling on this one - i.e. that the cav don't pursue destroyed enemy. But there wasn't any discussion on the merits of this. How do you replicate the Union Brigade charge at Waterloo effectively sweeping away most of a French corps if they are going to stop at the first unit they destroy?

[KendallB]

Um, did you read my second post?

[richafricanus]

In fairness I could have read your second paragraph a little more closely

I just think on the scale of our corps games, the effect of an entire French corps at Waterloo "rallying for the rest of the day" is synonymous with being destroyed. Also think of the effect of Murat's charge at Eylau (granted that was around a whole corps of cavalry).

[terrys]

No. You only make pursuits from routing or withdrawing units. The cavalry are assumed to be mopping up prisoners.

This is correct.
You should remember that there are 1500 men or more standing around with their arms in the air trying to surrender that the cavalry have to deal with.