Battle Report - Quatre Bras - 1815

Our merry group of wargamers descended on the home of Roy Scaife to play test his Quatre Bras game recently.  Roy did a great job in putting together a great scenario that has a lot of moving parts and a wide range of nationalities present.

French troops push hard around the Gemioncourt farm.

This is another "large" game for Empires at War (EAW) - our home brew Napoleonic rules.  It takes the better part of a day to play.  Dan Kerrick and myself took up the Anglo-Allied forces while John Lantz and Roy handle the French.

The Anglo-Allies managed to pull out a victory --- 38 VPs for the French and 49 VPs for the Anglo-Allies.  It was a very close run thing.

There are a ton of pictures below as usual, but first some of the scenario write up from Roy ...

Background

After escaping the Isle of Elba, Napoleon has reenergized his French forces and is marching to defeat the Prussians at Ligny before turning to engage Wellington. Marshal Ney has been given the task of taking a crucial crossroad at Quatre Bras which will divide Wellington’s forces and halt reinforcements from marching to Ligny. Wellington’s Netherland forces grasped the strategic importance of the crossroad and have taken defensive positions. Although the Netherland forces are heavily outnumbered they prepare to defend the crossroad.

Map & Scenario Notes/Special Rules

Bois du Bossu woods: Units may only Advance through woods. Unit is Obscure when in the woods. No penalty when shooting out of the woods.  Cavalry do not receive a Charge bonus when charging a unit in the woods.

Gemioncourt: Gemioncourt has two zones. One unit may occupy each zone. Up to two units may attack Gemioncourt simultaneously. If opposing units are in each zone they must Charge each other in the next melee phase. Charge order tests are automatically successful. Line and Light units in Gemioncourt fight using shooting and melee dice for Attack formation.

Reinforcements: Reinforcements are issued a ‘Run’ order when the enter the table and may not charge.  See reinforcements schedule for unit and arrival information.

Game Length: Play will continue for 10 turns.

Initiative: The French have the initiative and must act first.

Standard victory points apply from the rules --- with the following additions:

• Gemioncourt: +15 VPs if held at the end of the game.

Victory: If the difference in VPs is between 0-10 VPs, the game is a draw.  If the difference in VPs is 11+ VPs, the side with the higher number of VPs wins.

Anglo-Allied Order of Battle

C-in-C – Field Marshall Arthur Wellesley (B-2)

I Corp – Major General William, Prince of Orange

1st Division, 1st Brigade – General William Beresford (B-5)

1st Foot Guards - Grenadiers

2nd Foot Guards – Coldstream

3rd Foot Guards – Scot’s

2nd Netherlands Division, 1st Brigade – Lieutenant-General Chasse

4th Belgium Line Regiment

2nd Dutch Line Regiment

7th Belgium Line Regiment

35th Belgium Light Regiment

1/95th Rifles

2/95th Rifles

13th Foot Artillery Battery - Dutch-Belgium

4th Royal Horse Artillery Battery

11th KGL Horse Artillery Battery

2nd Netherlands Division, 2nd Brigade – Colonel F. von Godecke

Orange-Nassau Line Regiment

2nd Usingen Line Regiment

2nd Nassau Line Regiment

5th Royal Horse Artillery Battery, Large

I Corp – Major General William, Prince of Orange

2nd Netherlands Division, 3rd Brigade – General Wilheim von) Dornberg (B-3)

8th Dutch-Belgian Hussars

3rd Dutch-Belgian Carbiniers

3rd Division, 5th Brigade – General Robert ‘Black Bob’ Craufurd (B-6)

24th Line - Warwickshire 

29th Line - Worcestershire 

35th Line - Sussex 

52nd Light - Oxfordshire  

3rd Division, 1st Hanoverian Brigade – Major General Friedrich von Kielmansegg (B-6)

Osnabruck Line Regiment

Bremen Line Regiment

Grubenhagen Light Regiment

Gifhorn Landwehr Regiment

Jaeger (Rifle) Detachment

16th Foot Artillery Battery, Large – Hanoverian

II Corp - General Rowland Hill (B-2)

Reserve Division, 9th Brigade – General Thomas Picton (B-2)

71st Light - Glasgow Highlanders

92nd Line - Gordon Highlanders

42nd Line - Royal Highlanders

79th Line – Cameron Highlanders

Brunswick Corp - General Uxbridge (B-6)

Brunswick Division, 1st Brigade – Duke of Brunswick (B-6)

1st Line Regiment

2nd Line Regiment

2nd Light Regiment

3rd Light Regiment

Lieb Regiment

14th Foot Artillery Battery, Large - Brunswickers

Brunswick Cavalry Brigade – Brunswick Commander (B-7)

Brunswick Hussars

Brunswick Uhlans

Hanoverian Verdan Hussars

15th Horse Artillery Battery, Large - Brunswickers

French Order of Battle

C-in-C – Marshal Michel Ney

II Corp – General Reille

6th Division, 1st Brigade – General Jerome Bonaparte (F-4)

2/3rd Line Regiment

3/3rd Line Regiment

1/2nd Line Regiment

2/2nd Line Regiment

11th Foot Artillery Battery (8 lb.) – Large, Howitzer

6th Division, 2nd Brigade – General Soye (F-4)

2/3rd Line Regiment

3/3rd Line Regiment

1/2nd Line Regiment

2/2nd Line Regiment

11th Foot Artillery Battery (8 lb.) – Large , Howitzer

9th Division, 2nd Brigade – General Foy

1/100th Line Regiment

2/100th Line Regiment

3/100th Line Regiment

1/4th Light Regiment

2/4th Light Regiment

3/4th Light Regiment 

3rd Foot Artillery (8 lb.) – Large, Howitzer

III Corp – General Baron L’Heritier

2nd Cavalry Division, 1st Brigade – General Comte Pire

1st Chasseurs

6th Chasseurs 

2nd Cavalry Division, 2nd Brigade – General Wathier

5th Lancers

6th Lancers

1st Horse Artillery Battery (6 lb.) - Large, Howitzer

9th Division, 1st Brigade – General Marbais

1/92nd Light Regiment

2/92nd Light Regiment

1/93rd Line Regiment

2/93rd Line Regiment

3/93rd Line Regiment

7th Foot Artillery Battery (8 lb.) – Large, Howitzer

11th Cavalry Division, 1st Brigade – General Picquet

2nd Dragoons

7th Dragoons 

11th Cavalry Division, 2nd Brigade – General Guiton

8th Cuirassiers

11th Cuirassiers

Reinforcements & Starting Forces

See map for exact positions of starting forces.

Anglo-Allied Starting Forces (On Table)

I Corp – Major General William, Prince of Orange

2nd Netherlands Division, 1st Brigade – Lieutenant-General Chasse

4th Belgium Line Regiment

2nd Dutch Line Regiment

7th Belgium Line Regiment

35th Belgium Light Regiment

1/95th Jaegers (Rifles)

2/95th Jaegers (Rifles)

13th Foot Artillery Battery - Dutch-Belgium

4th Royal Horse Artillery

11th KGL Horse Artillery Battery

2nd Netherlands Division, 2nd Brigade – Colonel F. von Godecke

Orange-Nassau Line Regiment

2nd Usingen Line Regiment

2nd Nassau Line Regiment

5th Royal Horse Artillery, Large

French Starting Forces (On Table)

C-in-C – Marshal Ney

II Corp – General Reille

9th Division, 2nd Brigade – General Foy

1/100th Line Regiment

2/100th Line Regiment

3/100th Line Regiment

1/4th Light Regiment

2/4th Light Regiment

3/4th Light Regiment

3rd Foot Artillery (8 lb.), Large, Howitzer

2nd Cavalry Division, 1st Brigade – General Comte Pire

1st Chasseurs

6th Chasseurs

2nd Cavalry Division, 2nd Brigade – General Wathier

5th Lancers

6th Lancers

1st Horse Artillery Battery (6 lb.), Large, Howitzer

III Corp – General Baron L’Heritier

9th Division, 1st Brigade – General Marbais

1/92nd Light Regiment

2/92nd Light Regiment

1/93rd Line Regiment

2/93rd Line Regiment

3/93rd Line Regiment

7th Foot Artillery (8 lb.), Large, Howitzer

11th Cavalry Division, 1st Brigade – General Picquet

2nd Dragoons

7th Dragoons

11th Cavalry Division, 2nd Brigade – General Guiton

8th Cuirassiers

11th Cuirassiers

Reinforcement Schedule

Turn 2

British Turn:

Wellington arrives at crossroads via north road.

II Corp, Reserve Division, 9th Brigade arrives east side of the north road.

Turn 3

British Turn:

I Corp, 2nd Netherlands, 3rd Cavalry Brigade arrives via the west road.

Turn 4

French Turn:

II Corp, 6th Division, 1st Brigade arrives via road from the south.

II Corp, 6th Division, 2nd Brigade arrives via west side of road from the south.

Turn 5

British Turn:

I Corp, 1st Division, 1st Brigade arrives via the west road (2’-3’ from British table edge).

Turn 6

British Turn:

Brunswick Corp, Brunswick Division, 1st Brigade arrives via north road.

I Corp, 3rd Division, 5th Brigade arrives via the east side next to the north road.

I Corp, 3rd Division, 1st Hanoverian Brigade arrives via the far east side of the north road.

Turn 7

British Turn:

Brunswick Corp, Brunswick Cavalry Brigade arrive via the east side of the north road.

Turn 9

British Turn:

Duke of Brunswick is wounded and carried from the field.

Turn 10

Last Turn.  Darkness falls and game ends.

Pictures

Pictures from mobile phone below ...

There you have it folks!