Unhistorical cossacks

As anyone come across an opponent who uses Cossacks un-historically by attacking deployed French batteries front on, as the Cossack unit does not count they use this as an opportunity to weaken the French artillery? Any suggestions around addressing this? Cossacks count as half a victory banner? Lose a Cossack unit, risk that friendly units (say within 3 hexes) potentially suffer casualties. Any other suggestions/thoughts?

I'm not sure that this is ahistorical, but I certainly have used cossacks to just move up next to artillery or infantry just to prevent them firing. That way I can move up other units to attack without facing their full fire in the subsequent turn. Sometimes the cossack even gets away with it.
www.napolun.com/mirror/napoleonistyka.at....htm#cossackstactics

Attacking artillery with cossacks sounds kind of hopeless, 2 dice looking for artillery symbols seems like poor odds to me. Better to use them to screen my real units.

Definitely moving Cossacks next to Art to prevent it from firing at advancing Inf is a good idea which I used many times..

I wouldnt suggest using a house rule on this. The cossacks provide the Russians a viable tactical option as a screen. They need every advantage they can dredge up to stand up to the french.

I should add my other preferred use of Cossacks is to block retreat paths, or Retire & Reform paths, such that other (better) units can score hits for flags or infantry vs cavalry that might normally just slink away.

I'd suggest that these are historical Cossack tactics, and if a Russian opponent wanted to throw away his Cossacks attacking artillery, I'd count that as a blessing on the whole

Cossacks are really not that good on attack as saber rolls don't count. Use them to block certain enemy units or move adjacent (without attacking less they get wiped out on the battle back) to prevent enemy units from firing.

I've had an opponent actually use a lone leader to block my cavalry from retreating. I couldn't believe it, but he only needed one more point to win the game and it prevented my cavalry from doing a 'retire and reform'.