Is it possible to put the general in the back of the unit instead of the front?

[auboy]

This would save a lot of needless deaths!

[Muffin Top]

yes, along with the captains and flag bearers so that way they dont awkwardly mash through their friends when activating the phalanx mode.

[LawL_LawL]

Pike Phalanxes, when formed up, place the general/officer on one side of the rear-most rank and the standard on the other. If you make the rear-rank incredibly narrow or even 1 man in width your general will be safe.

Less safe options, but still better than front and centre of the formation, would be Infantry Square capable infantry as the general, standard, and a few others congregate in the centre.

A hoplite phalanx comes in a distant 3rd with the general about a rank or so back from the front, but still in the centre of his rank. Keep dressing the ranks of the phalanx too, or the hoplites in-front of him

Besides making use of positioning via formations I don't think there's a way unless you could edit the default position of command groups/officers in units.

[corsair831]

as barbarian factions you're supposed to use your generals to fight, they're an incredibly powerful unit early game, but ... the amount of bloody times i've lost nothing but 15 men out of a 200 man unit and one of them was my general ...

... it gets frustrating sometimes

[tomFoolery]

Once I had a triarii general unit (before DeI, I believe though) and I had them under their shields recieving a bit of javelin fire...and he was literally the first man in that entire battle to die.

[♠ Thomas Cochrane ♠]

I say leave it. If you have your general in combat at all, be prepared for him to die.