ORIGINAL: FrankHunter
" but interesting that the average speed of messengers was about 2 mph, sometimes slower."
In the game its roughly one hex per hour, which is about 5.6mi/9km, perhaps I need to slow it down It was a long time ago but I believe that number was based on Petre when he was writing about the distance from when Napoleon was writing his orders on the way to the Danube front in 1809.
Not proposing any change, just noting how the friction of war has these effects.
During the Waterloo Campaign the French, in particular, had problems getting good quality horses, then there was the problem of finding the recipient of a message within a multi-national army (Allies), who had not necessarily fought together before. Many of the Allied units had previously fought for Napoleon and were of uncertain allegiance and many French units were suffering the loses of a long war, with many of the better quality officers gone and others distrustful of each other.
It wasn't like the 'old days', where the Grand Armee, of earlier campaigns, was a much more homogeneous unit, as was the old British Peninsular army, both were more efficient forces in 1809.
It's more that anyone doubting the orders delay effects, thinking that it could be too excessive, all the above shows that historically it could be worse.
As always, I think you are on target [:)]