Corps or Divison or Super Brigade

[Slvrbullet87]

So for my first couple of campaigns, I figured the all star officer you get as a reward for Shiloh was meant to start your second corps, or at least to lead your first division.

I tossed out division officer, since the command bonus doesn't seem worth it over a "off the rack" general, and honestly, I only need two Corps officers, so I can grab one of those with rep if I really feel the need for a pumped up one.

This leads me to putting Grant or Ewell as the leader of my 1st corps, 1st division, first brigade officer and loading them up with a full unit of the best weapons I can give them. Harpers Ferry/Lee Enfield or 1855s. This has turned out pretty awesome so far, I play min size armies if possible, but a 1500 or 2000 strong Grant with Harpers Ferrys racks up an insane amount of kills every battle, and I can afford all vets in his unit to get him even more pumped up.

I suppose my question is, am I missing something with either the corps commander or division officer? Am I really hamstringing my other units by not using them in another role? Has anybody tried something wild like making them a cavalry officer or a 24 gun artillery brigade?

[Wandering1]

You need the higher rank commanders to not suffer efficiency penalties with full size squads (750 cavalry, 24 gun artillery, 2500-3000 man infantry squads). Namely, brigadiers are what you need to not suffer efficiency penalties on 750 man cavalry squads.

Lieutenants or Major Generals, for the most part are better used as Corps Commanders because of the corps-wide buffs they provide. 

[Andre Bolkonsky]

4 hours ago, Slvrbullet87 said:

So for my first couple of campaigns, I figured the all star officer you get as a reward for Shiloh was meant to start your second corps, or at least to lead your first division.

I tossed out division officer, since the command bonus doesn't seem worth it over a "off the rack" general, and honestly, I only need two Corps officers, so I can grab one of those with rep if I really feel the need for a pumped up one.

This leads me to putting Grant or Ewell as the leader of my 1st corps, 1st division, first brigade officer and loading them up with a full unit of the best weapons I can give them. Harpers Ferry/Lee Enfield or 1855s. This has turned out pretty awesome so far, I play min size armies if possible, but a 1500 or 2000 strong Grant with Harpers Ferrys racks up an insane amount of kills every battle, and I can afford all vets in his unit to get him even more pumped up.

I suppose my question is, am I missing something with either the corps commander or division officer? Am I really hamstringing my other units by not using them in another role? Has anybody tried something wild like making them a cavalry officer or a 24 gun artillery brigade?

Your reasoning is correct. Just to elaborate . . : 

Ideally, you want a Lt. General (3-stars) commanding your corps, Major Generals (2-stars) commanding your divisions, and Brigadier Generals (1-star) commanding all your brigades. This takes time and effort. 

Your first corps is your strike corps. It is the one that will always be involved in every single engagement. Maximize Strike Corps leadership with the best generals available. Your highest ranked general commands your strike corps. It is recommended to promote your first Major General (2-stars) with Training and Infantry buffs. The best brigades get the best commanders. Feel free to rotate them and prioritize what you feel is most important during any engagement. 

The Personal General, freed of corps command, takes command of your best infantry unit. Why? Cavalry commanders grind XP faster, but die faster; they are hard to keep alive. Artillery commanders are solid but subject to munitions limitations which grows with every additional gun in the battery. But, I might like to replay a game just focusing on commanding a Hussar unit someplace down the road, just for fun. I can see that happening. The replay on this is huge, imho.  

Your Guard Infantry unit is then managed just as Silverbullet said above -- best weapons, always kept at full manpower, nothing but veterans. Keep it close to the action, always busy marching or firing at the enemy, melee only when sure of victory.

Your personal commander's XP will rise steadily. With a bit of luck (and no stray bullets) this will allow him to take command of his custom-built strike corps just in time for the endgame. Damn good game design! 

Hope this helps

Edited January 11, 2017 by Andre Bolkonsky

[GeneralPITA]

Division officers matter more than you might imagine. The command stat cuts in half if your Div-O dies. I use Lt Generals for divisions when possible.