Having read the rave and enthusiastic reviews, I bought the game on GOG sale, expecting a polished and sophisticated product.

Tried the first battle as union, waited for the confederate troops to advance their lines and then executed a pincer maneuver with cavalry, attacking the absolutely undefended artillery positions.

What should have resulted in swift obliteration of said artilery instead ended up in an awkward dance, my cavalry failed to execute a proper charge, and instead danced back and forth, and sort of "hanged" around the enemy troops. There was some melee, what should have been a devastating flanking maneuver ended up killing 10 of their gun crew, half of my cavalrymen died and the unit was scattered.

A historical "simulator" failing to implement such simple thing as cavalry charge? I want my money back!

I have made more attempts, and melee and charging just does not work at all - shocker. No momentum, no shock effect, no scattering of enemy troops.

This isn't the Middle Ages, friend! Cavalry don't charge and stomp out longbow... err heavy cannon! In the 1800s cavalry were meant to scout positions and harry logistic / supply trains. Any mounted units attempting to charge a mildly fortified position (in your case, a dozen plus cannon!) would be cut to pieces by handgun / rifle fire in a matter of minutes. Just ask the primadonna of the age, Jeb Stuart! Hit hard, hit fast, hit the weak targets and let the lined regiments know where the enemy is! But DO NOT attempt to engage because you'll be cut to pieces ;) The day of heavy cavalry is long gone; you're not supposed to charge the flank of an enemy you're more to find the array of battle lines, fire off a pop shot or two, maybe harass cannon but DO NOT expect to stomp over the flank of a line like it's the 1200s!

Up to WW1, good cavalry could be used to charge infantry and artillery, through a weak spot,
if the any defending machinegunners failed their morale check.
If MGs are still defending, the charge suffers heavily, if not stopped.

Maybe what's happening ingame is that charging is made in TotalWar way?:
to charge you must not aim the opponent unit, but order to run through to his back area.

That's mounted infantry you are talking about, cavalry still did charge and used sabres as primary weapons.

[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavalry_in_the_American_Civil_War#/media/File:Union_cavalry_charge_culpepper.jpg]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavalry_in_the_American_Civil_War#/media/File:Union_cavalry_charge_culpepper.jpg[/url]

What they certainly did not do was to dance back and forth in the enemy line of fire.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/cavalry_tactics

It seems this actually was a cavalry tactic used in the 19th century called the caracole. You are claiming the game is broken, but you are forgetting that Union has crap for morale in this game, you are using vidette scouts like a fighting force. All the fighting cavalry are your dismounted skirmishers because Buford used a combo of mounted infantry and cavalry tactics. Instead of blaming the game, you should first try to research the game and it's mechanics and adjust your strategy from there.

I think lots of mistakes and faults in the game have been fixed, or are being fixed by patches. Moral in the Union forces was much lower then that of Confererate forces. The Union was using lots of new arriaval immigrants (right off the ships) and sending them into battle with little training. The Confderates were defending there homelands and were well established and had much to fight for. I played this game off & on all week and the weekend. I found it to be fun and discourging at the same time. I've had a blast so far. Oh and General NoAGood isn't much of a General. One of things I learned real early - Runing / charging toward units that are well ready and hunkered down in the edges of forest, means your ultimate slaughter and not Ultimate General. Standing and exchanhing open volly fire with trained Union forces is another mistake.

Anyway, it has been fun and I'm learning. If I only had more time. :)

Edit:
Oh and something I noticed while playing as the Confederates. I was on the hills with 5 Artillary and my regiments were tucked away in the cover of forest. I was gaining an upperhand when cannon fire from 2 places (back in the forest) strated battering my regiments very heavely & accurately. About 7 or 8 minutes later the Yankee renforcements arrived and came to take the hill (Oak Ridgel) where I was hunkered down and waiting. Even though I was raining him with bullets and shelling him from the hills, he kept coming. Eventually he won the battle. I read the AI doesn't cheat, but I'm pretty sure it does. It was way to early for bullet proof vest ... lol. Not to mention the very accurate shooting through and over the trees. My guys on those confederate guns couldn't hit a cow in the ass with a shovel.