![]() Firstly it gives better line of sight for your artillery and infantry who won't fire on enemies they cant see allowing them to get in close to your forces with no resistance. Every good defensive position needs clear, open, and generally unobstructed terrain where the enemy will be staging their assault. ![]() ![]() Offensive terrain is the part that most people don't consider. In the example provided both armies had 32,000 men, union casualties numbered just 2000 whereas confederates numbered 14,000. In the rear is a small hill with 2 divisions of cannon stationed there, their main purpose is not to inflict casualties but to wear down on morale in preparation of the hammer strike. Further on the right flank is a deep river with no crossing available for quite a distance behind the main line, further protecting from a flanking attack. If your anvil gets flanked it will completely invalidate the hard cover it's behind and will crush the morale of your units. In the below image off screen to the left flank there is a wood line with 2 divisions concealed and spaced more sparsely with the sole purpose of protecting the flank of the anvil. Further, because you want this anvil force to be your enemy's primary target in their attack you will want to get your units as close as possible to one another to provide enough mass and counter-fire to not be overrun.ĭefensive terrain is not mandatory but is extremely useful for supporting the anvil. Do not confuse this with concealment you want your anvil force to be clearly visible and enticing. A fence, creek, railroad, whatever is available. It is so named because the Anvil is analogous to a stationary defensive force which holds the enemy in place while a mobile force, typically cavalry, swings in from the rear to strike the enemy hard between it and the defensive force.Ī good anvil position has 3 main essential elements: defensive cover, defensive terrain, and offensive terrain.ĭefensive cover can be anything that provides some protection from minie and musket rounds flying at your troops. Allow me to introduce you to one of the more easily executed and extremely effective battlefield tactics: The Hammer and Anvil. While passively sitting on a hill may provide generally positive results when the opportunity is afforded to you it's rarely decisive or conclusive and the enemy force may decide not to engage you there at all. Many inexperienced officers will simply go for the nearest hill and sit on top of it because most people's entire exposure to military history is from their high school history class where big hill = big win. Selecting your location for battle should be your biggest consideration.
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