Morale

Morale refers to the mental state of the fighting units and the effect leaders have on restoring that state in the forces under their command. Units with good Morale and with inspiring leaders will fight better than units with low Morale or uninspiring leaders. Often a smaller force can overwhelm a larger one if it has superior Morale.

Each unit is assigned a Quality value ranging from A (best) to F (worst). This Quality value is the basis for determining the unit’s current Morale. Each Leader is assigned a Leadership value ranging from A (best) to F (worst). This Leadership value determines the extent the leader will be able to affect the Morale of the units under his command.

When a unit suffers casualties due to combat, it will take a Morale Check to see if it Routs or becomes Disrupted at the end of the Phase. In addition, units with Fatigue level 900 that take a Fatigue loss also are required to take a Morale Check. The Quality value of the unit is used as the base value for Morale by converting A to 6, B to 5, and so on to F to 1. Modifiers are applied to this base Morale to obtain the final Morale value for the Morale Check.

• If the unit is stacked with a Leader, then 1 is added to the Morale.

• If the unit is Low On Ammo or Out Of Ammo, then 1 is subtracted from the Morale.

• If it is a Night turn, then 2 is subtracted from the Morale.

• If the unit has Medium Fatigue, then 1 is subtracted from the Morale.

• If the unit has High Fatigue, then 2 is subtracted from the Morale.

• If the unit has been fired upon Enfilade, then 2 is subtracted from the Morale.

• If the unit is Disrupted, then 1 is subtracted from the Morale.

• If the unit is in a hex with units from other brigades, then 1 is subtracted from the Morale.

The resulting Morale value is compared with a random Die Roll from 1 to 6, and if the Die Roll exceeds the Morale value, then the unit fails the Morale Check. A unit that fails the Morale Check during a Defensive Fire Phase becomes Disrupted, while a unit that fails the Morale Check during any other Phase becomes Routed. If a Routed unit fails the Morale Check, it stays Routed, but also loses a number of men based on the amount the Die Roll exceeds the Morale, times 25 for Infantry and Cavalry, which is reported as lost stragglers. Unlimbered Artillery that is not at Maximum Fatigue is not subject to routing.

When a unit routs, all units in the same hex as the unit and all units in adjacent hexes to the unit must also take a Morale Check. If any units in adjacent hexes fail the Morale Check, then this process is carried over into hexes adjacent to those hexes.

Recovery From Rout

At the beginning of a player’s Movement Phase, Rally Checks are performed on Routed units to see if they Rally. Routed units which Rally become Disrupted and are eligible to become un-Disrupted starting with the next turn. Again the Quality of the unit is the base value for Morale for the Rally Check. These Modifiers are applied to this value to result in the final Morale value.

• If the unit is stacked with a Leader of the same organization or a higher organization as the unit and if the Leadership rating of the Leader is higher than the Morale value, the Morale value is set equal to that rating. If the Leadership rating is already equal to the Morale value, then 1 is added to the Morale value.

• If it is a Night turn, then the Morale value of the unit is divided by 2 with fractions rounded up (for example 5 becomes 3).

• If it is a Day turn, then the Morale value may be affected by Corps and Army Leaders in adjacent hexes using the same process for Leaders in the same hex.

A random Die Roll from 1 to 6 is compared with the resulting Morale value, and if the Die Roll is less than the Morale value, the unit becomes un-Routed.