Units: speculation, rumor, slander and silliness

[The_Doctor]

I know this pedantic of me, but dragoons are mounted infantry not cavalry.

[Polemists]

but dragoons are mounted infantry not cavalry

Brain hurt,someone please dumb this saying down for me

[everyone]

he probably means that dragoons are supposed to fight as infantry and are just mounted for the purpose of mobility.

[Oleander Ardens]

Napoleon TW was surly a great mod. Personally I hope to have diverse units.

Austria

Tyrolean Jaeger - rifle
(Tyrolean) Jaeger - short muskets, for fast shooting at short ranges
Tyrolean Sharpshooter - unit with the Girandoni air rifle (high rate of fire & accuracy, short range)
(Pandurs) Grenzer - musket, can shoot well and skirmish
Hungarian line infantry - musket, good melee, subpar shooting
Hungarian Grenadiers - musket, very good melee, high morale
("German") Austrian line infantry - musket
("German") Austrian Grenadiers - musket, good melee, good shooting, high discipline
("German" Landwehr) Milita - musket

Cavalry, taken togheter, perhaps Europeans finest.

("German", Czech) Cuirassiers:
("German", Czech) Chevaulegeres:
(Czech, Italians, "German") Dragoons:
Hungarian Hussars:
(Polish, Ukrainian) Uhlans:


...

and so on. Would be great fun.

[The_Doctor]

he probably means that dragoons are supposed to fight as infantry and are just mounted for the purpose of mobility.

Yes, and dragoons are organised into companies and regiments like infantry, whereas cavalry have troops and squadrons.

[Polemists]

but really really, let's get aside from all this jargon and get down to the core of matter



Who has the biggest cannon in this timeframe?

[Robespierre]

but really really, let's get aside from all this jargon and get down to the core of matter



Who has the biggest cannon in this timeframe?

Whosoever had the most impressive foundry I expect. Do you think its only size that counts?

[Sheogorath]

I believe the dragoons DID take on a 'mounted infantry' role once again after the Napoleonic Wars, however, when rifles started to become common. The need for cavalry grew less, and people started seeing the advantage of highly mobile infantry again.

Polemists, the Russians :P
The Tsar Cannon has, according to Wikipedia, a calibur of ~900cm, about 35 inches, and was the largest gun in the world from the time it was built until the World War II. Apparently it was designed to fire grapeshot down Moscow's main street in the event of an attack on the city, and was never used.

In terms of the largest cannons that were actually used (in this period), I believe that award goes to the Turks:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Turkish_Bombard

n 1464, Mehmed II commissioned 42 of the monster cannons to guard the Dardanelles. Each weighed 18 tonnes with a 750 mm (30 in) bore.

These huge cannons were still present for duty more than 300 years later in 1807, when a Royal Navy force appeared and commenced the Dardanelles Operation. Turkish forces loaded the ancient relics with propellant and projectiles, then fired them at the British ships. Instead of exploding, the cannon worked just as well as when they were new. Two shots on a single British ship killed 60 sailors.[3]

In 1867, Abdülâziz gave Queen Victoria one of these impressive and historic weapons. It became a part of the Royal Armouries collection and was displayed to visitors at the Tower of London[4] and was then moved to Fort Nelson at Portsmouth.

I can't see something like that being effective in battle though...it'd take all day to reload. And it looks like their accuracy wasn't so great.

But hey, they had them in MTW2, why not do it again? :P

Anyway...in terms of actual EFFECTIVE cannons, I'd be willing to bet on the Russians. They favored their artillery the way other European nations tended to favor cavalry.

[Nelson]

I know this pedantic of me, but dragoons are mounted infantry not cavalry.

When first introduced in the 17th century, yes. But like grenadiers, their original function became obsolete. By Frederick the Great's time dragoons were almost exclusively employed as cavalry and invariably referred to as such.

It makes sense. There was plenty of infantry around. Dismounting the dragoons would have wasted them.

[Sol Invictus]

Besides, who wants to fight as a poor bloody infantryman when you have a valiant steed at your call. Much more glorious to take part in a Cavalry charge than to slug it out with a carbine.