If you have painted fine ACW cavalry regiments and deployed these splendid legions on the game table, you have undoubtedly noticed that the cavalry is seldom used except as skirmishers, suicide charges, or to get shot at by long range rifles. While I am not fond of "Farnsworth-like" charges, there comes a point in time for such charges. In many ACW games, the players simply place the cavalry out of the way and let the infantry and artillery duel it out. This article gives options for use of your ACW cavalry. After the cavalry force is selected (as to size, morale, etc., by whatever system you use. The nice article in a recent is sue of The Zouave by the editor is very helpful), determine which regiments/brigades will do any one of the following: a) Picket Duty b) Battle Cavalry c) Train Guard The duties are described as follows: TRAIN GUARD: Regiments detailed to guard supply/ammo trains. This can be exciting if your supply train gets raided by enemy cavalry (previous article by Rob Smith has some great ideas for trains and Stars-n-Bars 3). BATTLE CAVALRY: Regiments detailed as "battle" cavalry are the only cavalry that may enter/deploy on the table with your other forces, unless they are part of the TRAIN GUARD. This battle cavalry may perform as you desire. PICKET DUTY: Regiments detailed for picket duty are perhaps the most important and the most exciting. Both sides count the number of castings allocated for picket duty. Take this total and multiply by 1.5 (castings remain off the board). Take this point total and compare along with the appropriate ratio below: You: 1.25 to 1: Very little info gained. Each side may deploy up to 50% of regiments or MEs (SNB3 terminology) present as dummy counters. Take the number of rgts./ MEs present and add 50% as dummy counter deployment. You: 1.26-1.99 to 1: Some information gained. You still deploy 50% as dummy counters but the enemy may only deploy up to 33% as dummy counters. You: Over 1.99 to 1: You still deploy 50% as dummies. The enemy may only deploy up to 10% as dummy counters. What this simple system does is to allow you to decide how your cavalry will be committed before your forces are laid Out and how heavily you want to commit your cavalry for picket duty, which effects your knowledge of the enemy by the use of unit and dummy counters (a little fog of war). A cavalry action as at Shiloh can happen if a player deploys his supply train on board in an isolated area and gets raided by enemy battle cavalry. Should you commit all your cavalry to picket duty, hold some for battle cavalry, or garrison your trains? The choice is up to you! Feel free to modify this idea as you see fit. Just have fun. Back to The Zouave Vol IV No. 3 Table of Contents Back to The Zouave List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 1990 The American Civil War Society This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com