Visibility to charge

[Viking709]

Austrian Light and French light in the middle of dense woods
Austrian under attack moves up to 1 UD and starts a firefight with French light
Austrians take a loss and fail their morale test and fall back 2 UD disordered
French turn
Can they charge the Austrians Lights even though their beyond 1UD visibility (infantry in difficult 2UD plus +1 UD charge bonus)

[fdunadan]

The french got an action marker following the firefight. So they can't engage a shock.

[Viking709]

Yes you are correct
But what about next turn ?

[RogerGreenwood]

The visibility rules say once you start shooting everyone knows you are there. Don't have the rules to hand, but pretty sure that is correct.

[Viking709]

Well that’s why I asked
For shooting you know there there but do you have to see them to charge?
The rules on charging make no reference to being able to see your target but how can you charge what you can’t see?

[RogerGreenwood]

Page 20 on visibility is the reference I was thinking about. Shooting reveals a unit. Hence it can be seen by anyone and charged.

[Viking709]

Thanks Roger
I don’t why I couldnt find this
So you can’t charge a unit you can’t see
Pg 20. “A unit may only charge, fire or react against enemies that are visible to it”
Also “a hidden unit that fires, however reveals itself to all its enemies”
Still needs to be visible to charge it

[RogerGreenwood]

I'm not so sure. Can a unit charge over a hill if it hears the musket fire over the crest? Would this be any different to charging into a wood at a unit invisible until it fired?

[Viking709]

I don’t think a unit can charge an enemy that is not visible to it as he clearly states this on page 20
I think some confusion set in for me when the rules talk about Hidden units being revealed to all. At first I thought that you could charge it even though it may not be visible but now I think this was only to clarify that a Hidden unit was now known and still had to be visible in
order to charge it

[fdunadan]

in "visibility" page 20 "a unit can only charge, shoot or react toward enemy that are visible to her. So you can't charge or shoot at an enemy hidden in a wood or behind a crest. A hidden unit that fire reveal herself to all enemies" (my translation from french version)
Since visibility is 1 UD in the woods, assuming the Austrian are still in the woods and not in sight of any french troop, the french unit cannot charge: they may know that some Grenzers are there somewhere but they don't know exactly where.