1. If the target of a charge routs through a friendly unit that is directly behind it. Does the charging unit continue to move its full movement allowance and contact the new interpenetrated unit instead? Or are the chargers obliged to halt where their original target was?
Page 55 see Pursuing, Your example states there is a unit directly behind so that unit now becomes the victim of a breakthrough charge. They will check morale for being charged. The morale result and possible combat will take place the next turn.
2. Does a horse unit pursue if it wipes out its opponent in the 1st bound (in effect a breakthrough charge)? If so how, towards the nearest enemy within a certain arc? Or does it take the ground and mill around in disorder?
I think after you read the pursuing section you will see the answer to this.
If opponents are destroyed the charging unit halts disordered. There is no breakthrough or continuing melee into fresh troops.
3. Horse A charges Horse B. Horse B routs without interpenetrating anything. However, just behind and to the side is Horse C which is within charge range of Horse A – whilst Horse B will rout beyond it. My reading of the rules suggests that Horse A should follow Horse B. Am I correct in this?
Yes the pursuit is after the vanquished enemy, not an opportunity charge into a fresh unit. Think of the horse as never really loosing contact, the attacker is hacking away at the fleeing unit. It's attention is on them.
4. Can artillery fire in the same turn as it unlimbered? I don’t think so but am uncertain.
You are correct, limbering and unlimbering takes one turn to complete. Artillery in this period is ran by civilians, no way they are in a hurry to do anything. "Where you need this gun general?" "Right there son" "OK there ya go, calls us when it's over"
5. I am beginning to think that this is a tremendously clever aspect of the rules to encourage players to think more holistically and historically but, the following situation arose: in a melee two horse squadrons charged each other. Horse A won the 1st bound with 3 kills to 2. The 2nd bound was drawn, so 2 kills for both sides. No reinforcements are available to be thrown in from either side. The melee goes to a third bound. But what happens now? Whatever the result both units will lose 2 more figures, so both units will be wiped out. Is my opening judgement on this point accurate?
Yes you sure can fight to the death in this game. Single squadrons are extremely brittle. If you are going to have single squadron units roaming around it's best to have supporting squadrons nearby. I never use single squadrons anymore in my deployment. I keep them regimented and this give me the option of a single squadron charge, which gains a support squadron in the 2nd bound or I can all or nothing charge.
6. According to the rules, morale checks are taken at the end of the turn, with only one check even if there are multiple reasons. But which results count? For example, Horse failing on seeing foot rout and taking casualties from shooting give very different results. So is it that which occurs first or the most severe? Reading the Steenkirk scenario in the rulebook confirm this and suggest the possibilities for a more gamesmanlike approach (see page 97, turn 8 with Mackay’s regiment). My friend Ray and I have been doing the checks as they occur (e.g. units taking casualties from artillery done after the artillery firing stage, with movement taken off next turn as per the sequence). Some guidance on this would be appreciated.
I will leave this to Barry to explain.