D'Erlon and his men are a regiment of heavy cavalry in Napoleon: Total War.
Description[]
This man can turn the tide of battle when all hope is lost and inspire men to die for the cause.
D’Erlon is a competent leader, able to inspire battle-weary troops, even in the bleakest of situations. A general who carries the respect of his soldiers is a valuable asset and should be treasured. It is advisable to keep him out of the thick of battle, not just for his protection but also so he can be sent to where he can inspire and rally men for maximum effect.
Former corporal of the French royalist army Jean-Baptiste Drouet, Comte d’Erlon, was one of Napoleon’s ablest generals, and given command of I Corps during the 100 Days. Having risen from the ranks during the revolution, he proved to be a very able man and fought on virtually every front during the Napoleonic Wars, including in Spain. Unlike the Emperor, he therefor had direct experience of what the British could do in battle. This, however, did not help him during the attack on La Haye Sainte, one of the key moments of Waterloo.
D’Erlon survived the final fall of Napoleon, and was eventually rehabilitated and employed by the Bourbon monarchy as Governor of Algeria. Recalled, he was made a Marshal of France and retired before he died, in bed.
General Information[]
D'Erlon appears only in the Battle of Waterloo. He is unique in that he has the rather poor stats of General's Staff, but has the large number of men in his regiment of more typical cavalry units.
In some versions of the Battle of Waterloo, such as the version from Napoleon's Campaigns or from 1 v 2 multiplayer, D'Erlon comes with many chevrons of experience, greatly improving his otherwise lackluster stats. In other versions of the battle, however, he has only one or two chevrons, making him much more vulnerable. He fulfills the role of heavy cavalry well enough, though he stands no chance against more dedicated heavy cavalry such as the Earl of Uxbridge.
In all singleplayer versions of the battle, as well as the 1v2 and 2v2 multiplayer versions, D'Erlon's regiment is 60 men strong and is not a general, making him essentially a weaker version of Cuirassiers with the added ability of inspiring nearby troops. In 3v3 and 4v4 multiplayer, however, D'Erlon's regiment only has 24 men, and he is counted as a general, making him simultaneously less useful in battle as well as being more dangerous to lose, making him more suitable for being in the back lines.
Notes[]
D'Erlon's description panel indicates that he costs 190 gold to recruit; however, as he is only available for the Battle of Waterloo, where he is made available for free, it is impossible to recruit him without modding.
D'Erlon's abilities panel indicates that he can make use of the Rally or Inspire abilities typical of other generals, but this is not the case. However, he does passively inspire units close to him, the way Old Guard and other elite units do.