Peninsular Campaign Battle Two - Battle of Ciudad Rodrigo

Situation:

With Wellington's forces about to invest the fortress of Ciudad Rodrigo, Marshal Marmont has come up with an imaginative plan to disrupt Wellington's preparations.  The French Marshal has swung part of his forces to attack the British covering force on the left-wing knowing that a severe reverse to the Anglo-Portuguese here will at worse demoralize the besiegers, and at best force Wellington to withdraw to re-organize, thus gaining vital additional time for the besieged to get supplies and reinforcements into the city.

Marmont has given Gen Sauret a force of two infantry divisions and two cavalry divisions to carry out this mission.  Sauret plans to pin the forces of Gen Berwick opposite, whilst sending an outflanking force to turn the Allied position.  As the morning mist clears, Berwick sees the French turning movement, but looks to be too late to prevent them seizing the bridge...

Allied Forces: C-in-C Gen Berwick

1st Division: Gen Robson (Competent)
1st Brigade: 2 Queen's Royal, 68th (Durham) Light, 2/92 Gordon Highlanders, 5/1 RA (6lb)
2nd Brigade: 2 Cacadores, 6 Line, 7 Line, 8 Line, 22 Line (V)

2nd Division: Gen Charlton (Decisive)
1st Brigade: 1/5 Northumberland, 3/27 Inniskillings, 1/52 Light Oxfordshire (Light), 55 Westmoreland
2nd Brigade: 4th Queen's Own Dragoons, 6th Inniskilling Dragoons
3rd Brigade: 3rd Prince of Wales' Dragoon Guards, 5th Princess Charlotte of Wales' Dragoon Guards, Ross' Troop RHA (6lb)

1st Light Cavalry Brigade: 9th Light Dragoons, 16th Queen's Light Dragoons

2nd Light Cavalry Brigade: 10th Prince of Wales Own Hussars, 15th King's Hussars

Imperial Forces: C-in-C Gen Sauret

1st Division: Gen Renault (Competent)
1st Brigade: 2/113 Line, 3/113 Line, 1/119 Line, Irish Legion
2nd Brigade: 1/28 Light, 1/32 Light, 1/113 Line, 1/116 Line
3rd Brigade: 1/94 Line, 1/95 Line, 1/118 Line, 1/2 Nassau Infantry
Divisional Artillery: 1/1 Foot Artillery (8lb)

2nd Division: Gen Panis (Competent)
1st Brigade: 2/28 Light, 3/28 Light, 1/96 Line, 1/117 Line

3rd Division: Gen Arnoux (Decisive)
1st Brigade: 5 Chasseurs, 17 Chasseurs
2nd Brigade: 1 Hussars, 6 Hussars, 1/2 Horse Artillery

4th Division: Gen Villeneuve (Competent)
1st Brigade: 1 Dragoons, 10 Dragoons
2nd Brigade: 19 Dragoons, 22 Dragoons

Initial Positions:

View of the Allied right

And also:

The opposing forces race for the unguarded bridge...but the French have the headstart and their cavalry is faster....

The conflict begins on the Allied left:

French Chasseurs have crossed the bridge first, but the British Dragoons are in position to charge...

A couple of successful charges by the Dragoons have seen off the French Light Cavalry and two battalions of French infantry...but the third French infantry battalion has succeeded in forcing and holding the bridge...

The final charge of the Dragoons results in heavy casualties, but the French commander loses his nerve and retreats, as the British infantry approaches

As the flanking attack faltered, Gen Sauret tried a frontal attack:

The French infantry approach the main Allied position while the French dragoons try to find a gap round the extreme Allied Right...

The French Dragoons have crossed the stream, outflanked the Portuguese infantry and broken one of the British Hussar regiments - the other has withdrawn to the high ground and is now supported by the reserve Portuguese infantry Bn

The situation at the end of the battle: the French infantry have made some progress against the 2 Foot supported by Light Dragoons on the left and against the Portuguese brigade on the right, but the central French brigade has been put to flight by the 68th Light Infantry and 2/92 Gordon Highlanders; meanwhile the French dragoons have seen off the second British hussar regiment, but been defeated in turn by the Portuguese infantry facing the flank.  At this point French morale collapsed and they withdrew.

Another very enjoyable battle, with some mistakes made on both sides.  After the first few turns I thought the French were going to get a one-sided trouncing, but they pulledit back to make it a close-run thing.

I rated the performance of the units as follows:

Allies:
6th Inniskilling Dragoons 3*, 5th Princess Charlotte's Dragoon Guards 3*, 2 Foot 2*, 2/92 Gordons 2*, 68th 2*, 2 Cacadores 2*, 7 Line 3*, 6 Line 2*, 10th Hussars 1*

French:
1/96 Line 2*, 3/28 Light 1*, 1/119 Line 2*, 1/32 Light 2*, 1/28 Light 2*, 1 Dragoons 3*

The Commanders: Sauret 1*, Villeneuve 2*, Renault 1*, Arnoux -2*, Berwick -1*

Broken:
17 Chasseurs, 3/113 Line, 1/94 Line, 1/118 Line, 1/113 Line, 1/116 Line, 2/28 Light, 1/117 Line

10 Hussars, 15 Hussars

As a result of this, the following units were promoted to Veteran:
5th Princess Charlotte's Dragoon Guards, 7 Line, 6 Line, 10th Hussars
3/28 Light, 1/28 Light,

The following units are now Raw:
17 Chasseurs, 1/94 Line, 1/113 Line, 1/116 Line, 2/28 Light, 1/117 Line
15 Hussars

Gen Villeneuve is now rated as Decisive.

Game Notes:
The game was played with the Polemos Napoleonics General de Division rules.  The scenario is based closely on the second one in Scenarios for All Ages
All troops were rated as Trained except the Portuguese 22 Line.  Light Infantry units were rated as SK2, all other infantry as SK1.  The Light Dragoons were rated as Light Cavalry. The game lasted 11 turns before French morale collapsed.

First Battle of the Peninsular Campaign - Battle of Canabrava

2nd January 1812:

On 01 Jan 1812, General Berwick, commanding the advance guard of Wellington's Anglo-Portuguese Army, encountered the 1st Division of Marshal Marmont's Army of Portugal, commanded by General de Division Renault, which had been watching the border.  Realising that this presaged an offensive by Wellington, the French commander deployed his forces at a point where the road passed through a line of hills, knowing a spirited defence, although ultimately hopeless, must give time for Marmont to concentrate for battle while disrupting the English general's plans.

Berwick knew that Wellington had not expected the French to defend this point, and has thus decided to force the French position as quickly as possible.  Both Allied and French losses are a secondary consideration, as time is currently the more important factor. 

The Forces:

Anglo-Portuguese C-in-C: Gen Sir William Berwick

1st Division: Maj-Gen Robson (Competent)
1st Brigade: 1/5 Northumberland, 3/27 Inniskillings, 1/52 Oxfordshire (Light Infantry), 55 Westmoreland
2nd Brigade: 1/4 King's Own, 1/43 Monmouthshire (Light Infantry), 1/61 South Gloucestershire, 1/92 (Gordon Highlanders)

2nd Division: Maj-Gen Charlton (Competent)
1st Brigade: 2 Queen's Royal, 68 Durham (Light Infantry), 2/92 (Gordon Highlanders)
3rd Brigade (1st Division): 2 Cacadores, 6 Line (1 Porto), 7 Line (Setubal), 8 Line (Evora), 22 Line (Serpa)

Cavalry Brigade: 9th Light Dragoons, 16th (Queen's) Light Dragoons

Artillery: 7 Coy/8 Bn RA (Lawson's) 6lb

French C-in-C: Gen Sauret

1st Division: Gen Renault (Competent)
1st Brigade: 1/28 Light, 1/32 Light
2nd Brigade: 1/113 Line, 2/113 Line, 3/113 Line
3rd Brigade: 1/116 Line, 1/119 Line, Irish Legion
Divisional Artillery: 1/1 Foot Artillery 8lb

Initial Set-Up:

Allies advancing from the South (bottom of the table) - most of the French are posted around the central hill, with two Light Bns in the woods close to the British left.

The British right - cavalry and infantry being opposed by a single French infantry unit (1/119 Line)

 A British brigade attacks the French light infantry in the woods while the remainder of the army advances:

The Portuguese advancing up the road towards the French centre

British infantry attacking the French light infantry in the woods - a volley from 2/92 Highlanders disrupts 1/32 Light.

 The British clear the French out of the wood despite the losses to the 2/92 Highlanders, but the French artillery delays the advance of the Portuguese:


 

The Highlanders have been forced back with heavy losses after an even better volley from the French! However, the 68th and the 2nd have driven off 1/28 Light and 1/32 Light has withdrawn to re-group.  This French brigade has had enough and begins to withdraw.

The French artillery positioned just off the road drives back the Portuguese infantry.  The British infantry on the right advance towards some steady-looking Frenchmen...

 Hard fighting as the British struggle to make progress in the centre and on the right:

The crisis of the battle approaches.  The Portuguese have finally got through the French artillery fire and are about to assault.  Note the red markers on the British right-hand unit: 1/119 Line has just seen off 1/52 Light with heavy losses...

Closer-in: the French have stopped 1/52 Light in its tracks, and have now withdrawn slightly to prevent 3/27 Inniskillings from bursting through a gap in the French defences

 The Portuguese attack eventually tells on the French defenders...just in time!

The Portuguese, though suffering some losses, are causing heavy losses and confusion in the French defenders: one more push lads!

Note that the French on the hill, although they have been shaken, have seen off their British attackers temporarily, then withdrawn to maintain the defensive line

The pressure finally tells - as the Portuguese rout 2/113 Line, the French troops are pushed back and their morale collapses - precipitate withdrawal the only option remaining.  The Portuguese have broken through, just in time.

Result of the Battle:
Although there had been moments when he had doubted that he could break the French defence in time, Berwick was satisfied with the results of the battle as the French resistance had broken within the two-and-a-half hours he had allotted for the task, and although some units had taken some casualties, no units had suffered severely and his Portuguese had had the honour of taking the French guns.  Sauret was left cursing his luck - although they had fought hard, his Light units threw in the towel at quite an early stage which left the morale of Renault's division quite brittle, and although the artillery and 113 Line had thrown back the opposition initially, half-an-hour of tough fighting resulted in heavy French casualties and a precipitate flight to the rear.  Wellington's way to Ciudad Rodrigo is clear and Marshal Marmont will not have the time to prevent him.

Notable Performances:
Portuguese: 8 Line***, 22 Line***
British: 68 Light*, 2/92 Highlanders*, 1/43 Light*, 1/5 Foot*, 1/92 Highlanders*, Lawson's RA*
French: 1/32 Light*, 1/113 Line*, 2/113 Line*, 3/113 Line*, 1/119 Line*, 1/1 Foot Art*

Broken Units:
French: 2/113 Line, 1/1 Foot Art

Units were given a chance with 1* = 1 'pip on a D6 chance of advancement.  So a unit with 3* had to roll 4-6 to gain a level of experience.  All broken units, if they rolled 1-3, would lose a level.  The results of this were:

22 Line promoted to Veteran

Commanders thought to have performed well were given the chance of advancement.  This was applied to Berwick and Charlton, with a 5-6 needed.  Charlton is now rated as 'Decisive'.  None of the commanders were deemed to have performed badly enough to have a chance of losing a grade.

Game Notes:
The game was played with the Polemos Napoleonics General de Division rules.  The scenario is based closely on the first one in Scenarios for All Ages
All troops were rated as Trained.  Light Infantry units were rated as SK2, all other infantry as SK1.  The Light Dragoon were rated as Light Cavalry.  The Allies had 10 moves to reach the end of the board - the French army's morale gave way at the end of turn 8.

Some Thoughts on Campaigning

The greatest frustrations I have experienced in gaming over the last few years have been in trying to run a solo campaign to give some outside structure to my Napoleonic wargames.  Ever since I got back in to gaming in 2007, I have had the aim in mind of running a Peninsular War campaign, but my attempts to put this into practice have failed.  The reasons for the failures are many, but I think that they include the following:

1.  Difficulties in translating campaign action onto the tabletop, in all aspects of scenario design.

2. Use of board wargames as the structure for the campaign which did not quite fit in with the miniatures rules being used.

3.  Attempts to use rules that I'm not happy to be playing all the time.

4.  Megalomania - trying to do the entire Peninsular War in one go.

5.  Difficulties in limiting the scope of the campaign; in fact, not being clear enough about the campaign's aims.

6. Underestimating the limits of space and time upon my own gaming.

I have at least had a good sit down and think through all these problems and I believe I have come up with the answer...

Campaign Rules

A really interesting look at published campaign rules and the way they interact with tabletop wargaming rules here :Link

More food for thought for me while I work on my own sustainable campaign.

More Thought-Provoking Stuff from the Polemarch

The Polemarch Blog is full of interesting takes on wargames - some fascinating stuff on both the design and morality of wargames (amongst other things).  This is the latest, examining some of the concepts in Paddy Griffith's ideas of 'black' wargames: Link

Peninsular War - Attack on a Prepared Position

Played the first scenario from the Grant & Asquith  Scenarios For All Ages book this afternoon:

The Anglo-Portuguese advancing from the South

French infantry and artillery defending the central hill, a regiment in reserve

The French forward position - a Light Infantry regiment deployed in the woods

The French about to collapse - they are holding off superior forces on the central hill, but the brigade on the left has succumbed and the French artillery has been taken

 

 

 

A close-up of the French defeat; the red counters show high shaken levels amongst the remaining French infantry

It was a really enjoyable game, with the usual characteristics of a Polemos game - lots of ebb-and-flow, and the difficulty of carrying off successful first assaults.  Two British units were broken, with another four suffering disorder.  The French lost rather more - two light infantry battalions in the fight in the wood, then two line battalions in the pivotal moment of the game: a French counterattack from the central hill on the British troops temporarily shaken by their own, which did not quite come off...

Some Recent Games

I've managed to get a few games in recently - I've definitely done better than usual!  I managed to get a game of  Polemos: SPQR in against my opponent.  The scenario was Gauls vs Romans, 20 bases a side, with the Gauls doing a half-cocked ambush against the Romans.  Despite the usual hesitancies of a 'first game', it was a very hard fought affair.  I was sure after five turns I was going to be utterly trounced, but the Romans fought on and in the end, triumphed.  There were some parts of the rules we never quite figured out properly (mainly with pursuits) but lots of good elements: the order system and the manoeuvre rules were particularly good.

I got a really fun game of Heroquest played with the family.  All very enjoyable, the dungeon-bash really appealed to our five-year old!  I played the Evil Wizard since I know the rules best, but  I'm hoping to get a go playing the heroes next time.  I'm even toying with the idea of getting some female versions of the four adventurers from Ral Partha.

Solo-gaming has been mainly Napoleonic, both Polemos: Napoleonics
and the Napoleonic Wargaming rules.  Both have there plus points but both have a couple of difficulties for how I wish to use them at the moment.  More on this in a later post, I think, as it ties in to some problems I've encountered with setting up a campaign.