Historical Battles (ETW)

General Information

Every Total War game so far has featured several historical battles. Famous encounters such as the battle of Trebia where Hannibal crushed the Roman legions can be played. In each historical battle, the player can repeat history, or change it completely. This is no different in Empire: Total War, and the player will be able to test his abilities as a commander in several engagements and skirmishes. The only difference in E:TW, however, is the notable addition of historical naval battles. So far, two historical battles have been revealed, both of which are featured in the Empire demo as well.

However after investigating some of the files inside the game there are many files with the names of other famous battles, primarily land battles. Including such as the Battle of Blenheim and the Battle of Culloden. The files are in .xml format and what use they have is unknown at this moment in time.

Historical Battles

The Battle of Brandywine Creek

During the American Revolutionary War, the British sent an army under Major-General Sir William Howe to take Philadelphia from the Revolutionaries. In order to counter this attack, General George Washington positioned his army on the high ground right next to Chadds Ford, a passage across the Brandywine River. There, the two armies met on September 11, 1777. However, Howe's army managed to bypass the American defenses by crossing the river via a ford a few miles north. Historically, this flanking maneuvre caught the Americans off-guard and the following battle resulted in a clear British victory which allowed the capture of Philadelphia.

In the game, the player starts out as the British near the Brandywine Creek with the American army deploying on the other side of the river. The British army consists of one unit of General's Bodyguards, one unit of Grenadiers, one unit of Highlander Infantry, two units of guards, two units of Line Infantry, three units of Hessian Infantry, one unit of Light Dragoons, two units of 6 lber Horse Artillery, two units of Hussars and one unit of Light Infantry. The American artillery is situated on a hill on the riverbank and controls the whole area. Chadds Ford lies almost directly in front of the British army but is heavily defended by the majority of the American forces. To the north there lies another ford which is only guarded by a few units of infantry lying in ambush.

The player can either attack one of the fords with the bulk of his army or he can divide his forces and attack both passages simultaneously. Since the main ford is guarded by the main part of the American army, it would be adviseable to focus on the second passage. However, since the American artillery tends to stay on the high ground near Chadds Ford, a few units of cavalry could stay behind and wait until the cannons are unprotected.

The Battle of Lagos

During the Seven Years' War, France planned to invade Britain and gathered troops near the British Channel. Two fleets, one from Brest in the Bretagne and another from Toulon in southern France, were supposed to bring this army to the British Isles. However, shortly after the French fleet from Toulon had passed the straights of Gibraltar it came across a British fleet led by Sir Edward Boscawen which had been waiting for it. On August 19th 1759 a battle ensued between the two fleets. The British fleet was victorious and the French plan of an invasion of Britain never came into operation.

In the game, the player controls six ships whereas the AI has seven. However, the player has access to each one First Rate and one Second Rate ship while the AI does not. Therefore, the player has a slight advantage despite being numerically inferior. The French fleet forms two columns, both pointing at the player. Generally, the AI will try to surround the player's ships in order to cannonade them from all sides. Attempts of boarding are a possibility as well.

The Battle of Rossbach

On 5th November, 1757, during the Seven Years' War, Prussian forces under King Frederick II crushed a numerically superior Franco-Austrian force near the village of Rossbach in Saxony. This battle is considered to be one of Frederick II's greatest actions.

In the game, the player has control of the Prussian forces, and has a General's bodyguard, 3 units of line infantry, 1 unit of grenadiers, 2 12-lbr foot artillery batteries, 1 6-lbr horse artillery battery, 1 unit of cuirassiers, 1 unit of hussars and 1 unit of dragoons. The enemy forces are depolyed on a rocky hill overlooking the flat land that the player is on. The French and Austrain infantry rush down the hill, with the Austrians moving towards the player's left centre, and the French towards the right centre. It is advisable for the player to use his 12-lbr foot artillery battery on the left to take out the Austrian guard unit, and shift his other 12-lbr foot artillery to the right, to aid the horse artillery in bombarding the French. One unit of line infantry and the cuirassiers and dragoons should be shifted to the left flank, to intercept a flanking manoeuvre by the Austrian cavalry which aims to kill the player's general. Once the left flank is secure, the dragoons may be sent up the hill to destroy the Austrian artillery. The French on the right are mainly composed of line infantry and grenadiers, and can be countered by the player's line infantry and by usage of canister rounds by the player's horse and foot artillery batteries on the right.

The Battle of Fontenoy

The Battle of Fontenoy, 11 May 1745, was a major engagement of the War of the Austrian Succession in which French forces defeated the combined British, Dutch and Austrain forces near Tournai in Belgium. The French forces were commanded by General Maurcie de Saxe.

In the game, the player commands the French, and is deployed on an elevation in the middle of the map. The player controls 1 General's bodyguard, 1 unit of Garde du corps heavy cavalry, 4 units of line infantry, 2 units of Irish Brigade, 2 units of Maison du Roi elite infantry, 2 units of hussars, 1 unit of cuirassiers and 3 12-lbr foot artillery batteries. The British forces will attack the player's centre and left flank and the Austrians and Dutch will attack the right flank with small forces. In the centre, the British troops will march up to the player's position in wide columns. The player should attack these columns with his foot artillery in the centre, and target the British guards. After exchanging a few vollies, the AI might charge the player's line, and so the player should use his cavalry to hammer and anvil the enemy. On the left flank, a few units of British line infantry and foot artillery will attack, but the player's line infnatry and 12-lbr battery over there should take care of them. Meanwhile, the right flank will be attacked by Dutch heavy cavalry, foot artillery and line infantry, and then by Austrian line infantry and foot artillery. The player has some line infantry and foot artillery, but these will probably prove to be too few to hold off the enemy. As soon as the centre is consolidated, units should be sent to help defend the right flank, and thus destroy the Austro-Dutch forces. The enemy artillery will not pose a threat,as the player's forces are on high ground.