Unit Ratings
Every unit in every game has a rating attached to it between A and F. What this number means is covered extensively in the Training Academy. This brief article will only discuss how I have reached numerical ratings for units above the regimental level and what they mean.
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In the example below you see Anderson's Brigade from Chickamauga. The brigade is one of mixed quality, so would you rate it excellent, average, or below average?
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Simply saying that Anderson's Brigade looks to be "a bit above average" doesn't help much. Therefore, I created a term called "Weighted Quality" which seeks to numerically rate all units on a scale of 1 (worst) to 6 (Best).
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Ratings
A = 6
B = 5
C = 4
D = 3
E = 2
F = 1
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In the above example of Anderson's Brigade there are a total of 1,865 infantrymen. I break them down by rating and assign each a point value.
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I then take the 134 men rated as "A" and multiply them by 6. This equals 134 x 6 (rated A) = 804 points
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I then take 874 x 5 = 4,370 points for the B rated men.
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I then take 857 x 4 = 3,428 points for the C rated men.
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I then add all these totals together to get 8,602 points for the brigade.
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I then divide 8,602 by 1,865 (the number of infantrymen in the brigade) to reach 4.61.
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The Weighted Quality of Anderson's Brigade is then 4.61.
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Why do I refer to it as a "Weighted Quality?" Because the simplified way to reach a unit rating does not take into account unit strength, only their quality.
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A secondary way to reach a rating for a brigade is to add up the values of the ratings based on the 1 - 6 scale. So for Anderson's Brigade it would be 5 (B) + 4 (C) + 5 (B) + 4 (C) + 5 (B) + 6 (A) = 29. Then you would divide that by the number of regiments in the brigade to reach 4.83.
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The non-weighted scale does not take into account that the "A" unit has only 134 men nor that the largest unit in the brigade is the 502-man "C" unit. It gives each unit a flat rating regardless of size. I feel that the weighted measurement is a more precise way to rate units within the WDS system.
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You can expand this out all the way to the army level as each brigade, division, and corps can be rated.
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At Chickamauga, Anderson's Brigade is part of Hindman's Division. Altogether the division has:
220 A-rated men
1,915 B-rated men
3,897 C-rated men
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220 x 6 = 1,320
1,915 x 5 = 9,575
3,897 x 4 = 15,588
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1,320 + 9,575 + 15,588 = 26,483
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We then divide 26,483 by 6,032 (the total number of infantrymen in the division) to reach a divisional Weighted Quality of 4.39 for Hindman's Division.
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This process can quickly show you which units are above average (4 or greater) and which are of lower quality.
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