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Everyone has heard of the flank and knows it is something
that you should attack. It holds magical qualities and
a mysticism that if you attack an opponent's flank,
and crack it, he will disappear as if he was fog with
the morning Sun hitting him.
However, does this always happen? Is a flank attack
always successful? The answer would have to be a categorical
no. The annals are not only full of fantastically successful
flank attacks, such as Chancerlorsville, but truly enourmous
disasters, such as the First Bull Run where the Union
tried to out flank the Confederates.
So what makes a good flank attack? Why are some successful
and others not? And why is flanking your opponent considered
a good thing to do.
Before we look at these questions there is one point
that should be clarified. That is the difference between
a tactical flank attack and a strategic one.
A tactical flank attack is where a specific unit, such
as a company or, in American Civil War, a regiment,
finds itself fighting enemies both to the front and
to the side. This, in essence, is what a strategic flank
attack is intended to do but does not always achieve.
A strategic flank attack is where one army intends to
attack another army also from both the front and rear.
This may sound trivial but is important when the implications
are considered.
For example, at Gettysburg, on Day2, the famous fighting
for Little Round Top, was that a flank attack or not?
In the strategic sense, it was. Gen Lee was attempting
to get units around the side of the Union left flank.
But why did the attack fail? It failed, in my opinion,
because the attack never became a tactical flanking
attack. The famous 20th Maine Regiment managed to keep
bending itself backwards so that at no time was it fighting
enemy units from the side of its line, but always to
its front.
If Gen Hood had been allowed to move units around Big
Round Top, assuming no Union reinforcements were forthcoming,
the 20th Maine would most certainly have been fighting
a tactical flank attack and, most likely, would have
crumbled, thus making the strategic flank attack successful.
Why is all the above important? It is important because
when playing Line of Muskets if you, as a General, decide
to make a flank attack, you must keep in mind that it
is not sufficient to move troops to the side of the
enemy. You must force the enemy's unit on their extreme
flank to fight both troops to the front and to the side.
Why are both important? Simply speaking if a unit sees
troops moving to attack them from the side, and no one
to their front, they will simply wheel on you and your
flanking troops will, instead of fighting the enemy's
side, will be facing them head on. If, however, troops
are sent both front and side, whichever way the enemy
turns one of their flanks will be exposed. And, everything
being equal, you should destroy that unit. Then you
should be able to move along the line, destroying each
unit in turn. At some stage the enemy should see the
writing on the wall and run for the hills instead of
having his entire army destroyed.
If you want to attack the flank of your enemy, it is
a great strategy to pursue. But in order to force your
opponent into such a position where his flank is exposed
you must have units to the front as well as to the side,
to hold him in position so that he does not just wheel
on you and protect his flank. Or, in the case of the
20th Maine, keep wheeling backwards so that the flank
can never be attacked.
Then there are tactical flank attacks. When the French
Old Guard at Waterloo charged the British line they
thought they were performing a head-on charge in order
to crack the British centre. And, if all the British
units had stayed exactly where they were, they may well
have achieved this. However, Colonel Colborne commanding
the 52nd Regiment, decided to wheel his first battalion
onto the flank of the Guard. At close range their muskets
ripped holes in the columns of the Guard. For the first
time ever Napoleon's Old Guard broke and ran.
This was much the same as on the Day 3 of Gettysburg.
When Pickett's Division neared the Union lines, Gen.
Hancock wheeled a brigade onto the Confederates' flank
and unsettled the attack. I believe the attack would
still have failed and this flanking manoeuvre merely
hastened the destruction of the Confederates. However,
when this flank manoeuvre was performed it was the coup
de grace of the charging rebels.
Perhaps the most important thing to consider when attempting
a strategic flank attack is; does your opponent know
you are attempting this manoeuvre? If so, it is best
not to try. Because they will certainly make sure you
do not attack an unprotected flank. Most likely there
will be some batteries placed in a very nasty position
for your troops when the attack goes in. A flank attack
done in stealth is always the best.
A tactical flank? That is often nothing more than sheer
opportunism. A brigade wheeling onto the flank of an
enemy brigade. Two brigades moving to engage opposite
sides of single enemy brigade. The best way to stop
this, naturally, is to maintain a continuous line of
troops so that no individual flanks of any brigade are
exposed.
This is why creating a hole in the opponents line with
massed artillery can be so effective. When the hole
is created you expose the flanks of the units to either
side of the breach.
So the things to think about when considering a flank
attack are;
Can the enemy see my flanking units?
Do I really know where his flank is?
Do I have enough troops in front of the enemy to hold
him in position, and stop him from wheeling?
And the best defence to a flank attack? If you suspect
you are about to be flanked it is often prudent to withdraw
and thus not expose your flank.
Just a final word of warning. When setting out to make
a flank attack make sure you know exactly where the
end of your opponent's line is. Otherwise when you attack
you might find it is you who is flanked and not your
opponent. This is what happened to the rebels on Little
Round Top as Col Chamberlain had detached a company
out into the forest, away from his lines. During the
final famous bayonet charge down the hill this company
appeared on the flank of the rebels. The flanker became
the flanked.
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