How do you distribute your elite brigades?

[Paul_KT]

How do people arrange their experienced infantry brigades, 1 division per corps, or all grouped together into a single super corps?

[The Soldier]

For creating my second corps, I generally split up my experienced brigades.  For corps after that, they're on their own when it comes to adding infantry brigades (though a specialist division may get swapped in depending on the situation).

[Sanny]

36 minutes ago, Paul_KT said:

How do people arrange their experienced infantry brigades, 1 division per corps, or all grouped together into a single super corps?

I've always went for single elite divisions. One to hold back and defend the rear and flanks which works excellent. Historically speaking Napoleon always did this in his wars, and it works for me. Because y'know one should always strive to be like Napoleon. At West Point, officers that would fight in the Civil War later were taught how to lead, command and fight like Napoleon. The result would be ridiculous casualties on either sides and some of the most frightening artillery barrages the world would ever see to that point.

Also always keep them small to reduce costs, 750-1000 men per brigade.

[Hitorishizuka]

One per division to bolster the rookies, then additionally one or two in Fourth Divisions to follow up after weaker Divisions have been bloodied creating breakthroughs. Also, I keep any truly elite brigades to a nonexistent Corps all the way in the back that never get deployed until the final stretch of the campaign.

Edited March 5, 2018 by Hitorishizuka

[Hussar91]

In my union campaign I had eventually turned out my first corp into an elite one, that's less numerous than the others but have all of my tri-star's in it and the most experienced 2-stars that are close to be turned up the notch to the tri-stars. It does have just 7 infantry brigades (plus 3 sharp rifle battalions, 2 sharpshooter companies, 2 cavalry battalions, 3 divisional 3inch batteries and heavy artillery battalion) among it's 18 corp brigades.

Units or the whole divisions may be moved temporarily to other corps for duration of a certain battle, but generally I keep these guys together and they last march onto the field. That way the reinforcements that are coming are really strong and fresh for a counterattack. This had worked for me extremely well during battle of Gettysburg where my elite divisions were the ones to be tossed around between the lines as reinforcements. After battle of Gettysburg and capturing 9k fayeteville's I have also standardized that corps on M1861's entirely as well (10 in economy hurrdurr meant like 370k $ extra), meaning even more impact thanks to their elite status and high statistics. I'm planning to bumping them up with additional 2 infantry brigades in the future, while my standard corps have 4 divisions, three brigades each by comparison.

On my confederate campaign I have noticed that I don't really have elite infantry brigades. Sure, my cavalry, artillery and skirmishers are mostly tri-star - but my infantry is on mid-high 2 star level mostly. The "elitness" presents only in better rifles for my assault corp only (standarized on CS Richmonds after Gettysburg).

[JonnyH13]

My infantry elites (Elites to me are High firepower infantry) are always on the flanks or follow up a melee push to form a line while the melee troops rest.  With how the game treats unit limits I never stick around with a static corps and always switch around brigades or even the troops in the brigades (IE disband and create new units with those troops.)  to suit the battle and its limits.  Usually though I have 3 elites per battle with the rest being melee rookies.  I rarely if ever bring cannon unless I am defending and I only bring high firepower heavy artillery.  I only bring cavalry on open maps and always in groups of 3s.  Usually these cav are melee cavalry and are created from when the rookies get a high melee stat after charging into the enemy multiple times.  I do not use sharpshooters often but in battles where I can flank the enemy easily I can have a use for one or two of them with JFB or Whitworths.

 

[LAntorcha]

As far as i know you get XP by going into battles (and killings), so I go for an All-Elite Corps of 20 Brigades, that doesn't lose a scenario, and try to maximize it's use. And always swap Brigades to fill max cap. Besides I fill the slots with another less experienced clone secondary (even a third) Corps.

3 (clone) Corps each with:

-> 3 (clone) Divs

• 4 Inf + 1 Arty + 1 Skirmishers Brigades each.

-> 1  Reserve Div

• 2 Cavalry Brigades (melee) each.

1 Reserve Corp which is a mere placeholder for swapping Brigades, and retain experienced ones which doesn't fit. Sometimes got the Arty grouped instead of the Cavalry Division (or both) to get a big Divisional Arty. I try to make self-sustained all-arms mixture Divisions and keep adding troops.

As for the Elite Brigades... Still alive and kicking...