Sunday Napoleonic Game

A bit late with this AAR from last Sunday at Barrys. A Napoleonic "encounter" in 1814 as the Allies (Brits and Bavarians) approach the outskirts of Paris. At the same time, a French force is heading in the opposite direction. Each force was given its own specific aims by umpire/scenario designer Paul - I played on the Allied side with Barry and Rick - Mark and Chris were the French, with Paul coming on as reinforcements on a random die roll 

Initial set up

Chris with his newly minted Duchy of Warsaw force

My Brits advance straight up the middle - our aim was to capture the road that exited the centre of the French table edge

My supporting cavalry - three heavy, one light, plus a horse battery.

Rick (to my right) haired off into a densely wooded area with his cavalry??!

While Barry's Bavarians advanced steadily in a solid block

Chris has painted far too many of these bloody lancers - they look nice though!

My columns got about two thirds of the way across the table - when Paul turned up with the French reinforcements - Chris had rolled a 1 for the turn number they arrived on - oh great!

The lancers charged my riflemen and wiped them out!

My Light Dragoons returned the favour, eventually driving the lancers off

Marks French hussars boldly charged Ricks RA battery - it didn't end well for the hussars!

British battalion's mass to pass through the central crossroads

To my right, the French cavalry were busy, destroying most of Ricks command piecemeal!

The French reinforcements line the ridge opposite the Bavarians

The British cavalry brigade watch the Poles advance

Mark continues to beat up Ricks Brits

"I say, what the hell is that chap up to on the flank, Carruthers?!"

"He appears to be losing his entire command, my Lord!"

Impressive looking Duchy of Warsaw columns advance remorselessly

The lancers clash with British dragoons

The 90th Foot occupy a farm adjacent to the central crossroads

The Light Division moves forward - 43rd and 52nd Regiments to the fore

The French had the advantage of defending higher ground.....

Reinforcements arrive in the form of a Portuguese Brigade of five battalions - well, it's what I had with me!

The Light Division assault drives back one French battalion.

The Poles advance ominously against the British centre

And their massed columns look unstoppable as they move towards the thin blue line of Portuguese

The remnants of Ricks British command move behind the Portuguese troops and reach the road to Paris

The Portuguese bounce the Poles back - and counterattack!

Two or three Polish battalions are driven from the field!

Highlanders v's Poles in the centre

The close combats were inconclusive, neither side gaining the upper hand

The Poles came in again against my Portuguese, supported by French cavalry who had finished beating up Ricks command by this stage.

In the centre, one of the leading battalions of the Light Division were repulsed and fell back in disorder

The Portuguese succeeded in holding then pushing back the Polish columns

The Poles formed line - they do look pretty!

A completely fresh French infantry brigade moves to support the Poles against the Portuguese

Portuguese and Polish lines trade volleys

A final shot of inconclusive combat in the centre.

It was 4pm and time to call it a day. The Light Division had managed to drive off two battalions of French infantry from the heights but the road to Paris was still in French hands. The Bavarians had slogged away against the French reinforcements but not really made any headway, and the British right flank had been comprehensively defeated by Marks French cavalry - if the Portuguese had not arrived, it might well have been a rout! Rather generously, Paul declared the result a draw - in the circumstances, I was more than happy with that result!

A hard slog of a game but nice to get some old friends on the table (most of my Napoleonic Brits were painted 20+ years ago - lovely Front Rank figures cast by Paul and Mark, most of them!)