defensive posture

[Havoc]

Quick beginner question - if you know an infantry unit is going to be meleed next go what's its best formation for defence - line or column?

Thanks

Peter

If it is a large battalion, it may be better to leave it in line if it is already so.  Line will give it maximum firepower in it's defensive fire and final fire before melee.  This can cause the attacking battalion(s) to disrupt and reduce their melee strength.  This is especially so if your battalion is in cover like a village or woods.  As someone else stated, changing formation in close proximity to the enemy may cause your unit to disrupt or route.  Defending in column gives you a better modifier for melee, but exposes your unit to harsher cannon and musket results.  Also, a line unit that is pushed back, still faces the hex lost, battalions in column end up facing away and are subject to defensive fire to simply turn them around.

In a position that I will be remaining in a "hold" type posture, I prefer to have a series of battalions in line spaced by one hex, my lighter guns one or two hexes back with clear LOS between the battalions, with battalions in column with or next to the guns.  This allows you to hammer approaching enemy battalions without exposing your guns to immediate assault and provides a cluster of reserve battalions for a counter.

As the attacking player, you want to threaten melee to force the enemy into column (or square if threatening with cavalry) so your guns can pound them.  Sometimes the threat is better than the attack.  Pound them for a few turns until they start to disrupt, route, or try to pull back, then hit'm.

Another thing about skirmishers and stacking.  A stack of units has a hierarchy. Top unit is the "front" unit, so always put the skirmisher on top to benefit from it's "screening" ability for fire.  If you are going to play a scenario where you are mostly defending against an attack, insist on the optional rules for "column pass through fire" and "target density"; these will ensure that massed battalions assaulting your position pay a realistic price in the face of massed cannon and defensive fire.