Marching Speeds

I have been working on the B & O WINTER Manual on the marching speed section.  For purposes of simplicity, I will keep the daylight hours constant through the simulation: 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.  There will be no night marches by infantry or cavalry in the simulation, but scouts, couriers, staff and trains will be able to travel up to midnight.

 

Marches don't always get kicked off as planned. There is a 50% chance that any marching column will start off at 7:30 a.m.   For those that are delayed, a roll of a 4-sided die will determine whether they leave at 8:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. or 11:30 a.m.   All units with marching orders will be on the road by 11:30 a.m., but delayed starts will limit the distance covered during the day.

 

Marching speed will be measured in miles per hour. Each type of unit (infantry, cavalry, artillery, supply trains and couriers/scouts./staff will have a base movement speed. That base movement speed will then be modified each day by:

• Road Quality (The National Road, Valley Turnpike and Northwest Turnpike are significantly better than other roads in the campaign theatre.)
• Unit Experience: Units will more experience march faster. Green units march slower. Columns are slowed to the rate of the slowest unit in the marching column.
• Morale: Morale is affected by multiple factors. Lower more equates to slower marching speeds.
• Column Size: The bigger the marching column or supply train, the slower it moves.
• Marching Weight: Standard issue before a march will be 3 days rations and 40 rounds of ammunition. Players may order and issue 5 days rations and 60 rounds of ammunitions before a march, but it will increase weight and slow down the column slightly.
• Precipitation:  If it rains or snows, the rate of speed will decrease in direct proportion to the amount of precipitation.
• Random Modifier: Marching columns are affected by many things, that are often intangible and random. A random modifier may either slightly increase or decrease marching speed on a given day.

Players can influence which roads units take, column size, and marching weight. Morale is harder to influence, but ensure that units are well supplied is one of the keys to maintaining good morale. Weather and random factors are beyond the player's control, as is the time that units will start off on the march (despite whatever orders they were given). It is, therefore, impossible for a player to predict how much distance a marching column will cover in a day, beyond a rough estimate. Such is the command experience.