For other general units in Napoleon: Total War, see General's Staff and General's Bodyguard (Napoleon: Total War).
The Guerrilla Leader is a type of missile cavalry and general in The Peninsular Campaign.
Description[]
This leader inspires nearby troops with his presence, giving them fresh hope and heart even when all seems lost. Guerrilla units can be deployed anywhere on the battlefield except inside the enemy deployment zone or within range of the enemy general.
Guerrilla Leaders are men of the people, driven to take up arms out by patriotism or a need for vengeance. Natural leaders and tacticians, they have proved their suitability for command by surviving and winning. They may be drawn from the minor gentry, the aristocracy, or even the common people, but are all equally capable of killing Frenchmen. They can also inspire loyalty in their countrymen. They are accompanied by a bodyguard of carbine-armed fighters, but are more effective when inspiring the men rather than risking their own lives.
One of the most famous, and successful, Spanish Guerrilla Leaders was Francisco Espoz y Mina, or “Mina the Elder” (1781-1836). Like many of the guerrillas he came from humble beginnings, but after seeing the behaviour of the French became determined to pay back their cruelty a thousand-fold. His determination made him feared by the French and a hero in the eyes of the Spanish, who nicknamed him “King of Navarre”. His success was, however, built on ruthlessness: in one case, he blinded and mutilated French prisoners before executing them, as a lesson to their general.
General Information[]
Guerrilla leaders are variations of General's Staff. In some ways they are quite similar, inspiring nearby units and using the rally and inspire abilities. Guerrilla leaders have some advantages over their counterparts, however: like other guerrilla units, they can be deployed anywhere on the battlefield, making them more flexible in deployment. In addition to being generals, guerrilla leaders can fire their carbines from the saddle. Together with their speed, this allows them to utilize hit and run tactics, though they are not ideal for this due to their importance to the morale of the army, their vulnerability, and their low number of men hampering their ability to deal casualties.
Guerrilla Leaders tend to have fewer command stars than traditional generals (default generals have three stars, while guerrilla leaders have two or one), making them less suitable for leading armies that autoresolve battles often.
The British gain a Guerrilla Leader every time they liberate a traditionally Spanish region. The Spanish, on the other hand, recruit guerrilla leaders from training centers.