The length of these battles would be impractical if thousands of soldiers had to take turns introducing themselves to their opponents. This is laughably absurd, as anyone engaged in a tactical simulations (commonly referred to as war / strategy games) could attest that keeping track of that many units is a logistical nightmare. There seems to be some confusion as to these ranks, however, as some questionable source materials claim that Colonels were typically placed in charge of regiments consisting of 1,000 men, with Generals and Marshals commanding multiple groups of said regiments. Each detachment were also permitted precisely 6 Bombs and their colors, which was common practice at the time. In the interest of fairness, when one advisor issued an order, they waited until their enemy counterpart issued an order of their own before directing another piece to advance.īattles were fought between detachments of precisely 33 men, each of these small, brave groups consisting of no less than one Marshall, one General, two Colonels, and three Majors, with assorted lower ranking officers making up the rest of the army. While this vantage point did not allow them to identify specifics about the enemy troops – likely due to the practice of using cloaks – it did allow them to direct single officers at a time. To protect their quarry, they too were disguised under a heavy cloak and hidden among the rank and file.Īs the Generals and Marshals themselves took to the field as high ranking officers, battles were instead run by advisors (sometimes called “players”), observing from a vantage point above the battlefield, such as on a convenient hill, bluff, or hot air balloon. The battle was considered won if one side captured the enemy’s colors, being a standard or flag often blessed by the hand of Napoleon/ the Brittanic Majesty themselves. If they exploded, how could they lure in any more officers? No, common practice was to have some NCOs jump out of hiding to point and laugh, then escort the fooled combatant safely off the field. Oh, they didn’t go off though – that would be uncivilized. Both sides adopted the tactic of covering piles of Bombs in the same cloaks, leading unsuspecting soldiers to reveal themselves to a pile of inanimate metal. This is not to say that war was without its dangers.

“That would be delightful! I’ve always been partial to pheasant, thank you!” Shall I have the pleasure of your company at dinner tonight? I hear we should be having roast pheasant. He’ll see that you’re properly accommodated until the battle is over.

“Yes, yes, that would do splendidly! Be sure to talk to Peterson by the Officer’s Mess. Shall I just see myself behind the lines then? I understand there is a war on after all. So sorry, but it seems you are now in my custody. “Jolly good to meet you! You have the honor of addressing Colonel Mayweather of his Brittanic Majesty’s 5 th Light Infantry. “Quite, thank you! But where are my manners? If I may introduce myself, I am Lieutenant Charmier. “Good evening! Terribly sorry, I just tripped over that tussock there…”

I imagine the conversation went something like this: Whoever held the lower rank was honor-bound to consider himself captured, and immediately left the field. After singling out the nearest enemy combatant, he would calmly walk up, take off his cloak, and reveal his rank. Rather than pouring volleys of musket fire into advancing columns, soldiers (usually officers) approached enemy lines on foot. It’s also possible they fought entirely at night, to better disguise themselves. Armies lined up in rows opposite one other concealed under dark cloaks, obfuscating any chance of being seen from afar. No, the Napoleonic Wars were a refined, civilized affair.

Classic stratego game pics