Bad Dice: Bloodbath in Spain, 1812

I haven't been on the blog for a while! Doesn't mean I haven't been playing VnB, just haven't had time to write battle reports. This weekend I managed to talk Mike into a game by promising that he'd have a chance to kill Frenchmen (an easy sell for anyone English).

With the British army attempting to push further into Spain, and the French determined to throw them back to Portugal, the two forces met along the road to Madrid in a pitched battle. And so Wellington's boys faced off against the Emperor's finest on a battlefield in between several well-populated townships.

The British army consisted of 4 divisions of infantry and a single strong cavalry division. The French fielded 2 infantry divisions, 2 light/medium cavalry divisions, and 2 divisions of the Young and Old Guard respectively.

Deployment. French on the left of this photo, the British on the right. This photo is the British first turn.

The British deployed in an infantry line, with the cavalry division on the far left flank. The reserve cavalry dragoons guarded their right flank behind the fortified town.








The French infantry divisions held down the left flank, with the two Guard divisions deployed around the town on the main road. The cavalry lined up behind the infantry, ready to advance.

The French advance!

The French advanced on the left flank, screening the infantry advance with the dragoon division attempting to outflank the British by maneuvering behind the fortified town.

The French left advances toward the British line, while the Guard divisions on the right prepare to form square, warding off the British cavalry on the right.

Anticipating a cavalry charge, the British form square. 

Both sides were playing a cautious game. The French spent another hour advancing toward the British on the left as their dragoon division attempted a flanking maneuver. The French commander (me, of course!) hoping that the overly-cautious British general would stay put and end up surrounded and charged from behind by the dragoons.

Stalemate on the British left as the French advance, attempting to get around the British right flank.

Spotting the trap, Michael decided to go on the counter-attack. Abandoning convention, he advanced his redcoats off their defensive positions on the hill to engage the french cavalry with musket fire. His light dragoons on the far right flank conducted a glorious charge against the startled French dragoons, smashing one brigade to pieces before being cut down by the rest of the French cavalry division.

"Well I'm not going to just stand around waiting to get killed, are you?"

My nose bloodied having lost some of the dragoons, I saw the opportunity to go all in. The Hussars got out of the way and the infantry and guns advanced to meet the British at bayonet point.
Or so I thought as I rolled ALL SIXES and failed morale roles with EVERY. SINGLE. INFANTRY. BRIGADE. Must have been conscripts...

The French charge the British lines but suddenly waver as Her Majesty's army sends a volley in their direction.

Fortunately, my luck with the dice held out and the French bayonet charge smashed through the British lines, forcing their division back to the rear. The fields ran red with blood and the bodies of the dead were piled high.

The French advance pushes back the British on the left, but the French line has become disordered during the attack.

The French advance does real damage to the British, but can the French exploit the breakthrough? (Yellow markers are disordered stands)

But sadly the initial charge had damaged the morale of the French, and the immediate British counterattack was swift and brutal. Two infantry divisions rushed the French, while Mike finally committed his cavalry to cut down the French infantry who were attempting to reinforce the advance.

What initially looked like a textbook breakthrough for the French infantry suddenly resulted in being surrounded on all sides...

The resulting British charge had a devastating result on the French, ultimately routing and exhausting two infantry divisions. The French left collapsed, pushing back the Hussar division and with the Dragoons already exhausted from their initial encounters, it was looking like a total collapse for the French.

The French Guards attempt to pull victory from the jaws of defeat as the British army closes in...

Having dispatched the French infantry, the British cavalry turn their attention the the Guards divisions. Despite numerous waves of infantry and cavalry charges (including an incredible display of moxie by the Grenadiers of the Old Guard, where they were charged by two brigades of infantry and a cavalry unit and still repelled the attack) the Guards in general were able to hold their position in front of the town and even push back the British, creating some breathing room for the very relieved French general)

As the British cavalry turn their attention to the Guards, the French commander attempts to rally hi remaining forces to slow the British advance.

The left of the field had turned into a mess for the French. With the infantry routed, and one division collapsed completely, it was looking bleak. I started trying to rally the dragoons and being them back into the battle. What I did have left on that flank, oddly, was several stands of horse artillery who would go on the hamper the British unbelievably.

The British attempt to capture the guns. Easy pickings, they thought...

The British charge the guns, hoping to clear out the artillery and leave the flank open for full advance. Unfortunately, it was not to be as the stubborn Frenchmen stood by their cannons, and saw off the British advance, the 42nd Highlanders in particular being completely routed.

There can be only one! But not the Highlanders as they turn tail and run away... 

What ensued on this flank was an almost comical series of charges by successive British infantry brigades against the horse artillery batteries, each of which resulted in the British being thrown back in chaos by the French artillery. Ridiculous!

Fortunately, this gave me time to rally my routed infantry brigade. Although they were exhausted, there was always room for warm bodies in the French army and a few brigades of tired men could still hold a flank better than an empty field...

The last of the French cavalry attempted a glorious charge against the British dragoons but was promptly routed. The British brought up fresh infantry on their left flank to clear out the Guards, but after a couple of hours of attacks and counter charges by the Old and Young Guards, the British infantry retreated in exhaustion.

Surrounded on all sides, the Guard Chasseurs (on the left) fall back, but retain their composure. 

The artillery of the Guards bombarded the British cavalry for hours, with no effect, but managed to force back the Scots Greys, opening up the center of the field.

The remaining horse artillery on the French left managed to rout several more British infantry divisions, completely stalling the British advance.






As night fell, the British cavalry still held the center of the battlefield despite a withering barrage of artillery fire. However, the two Guard divisions held strong, preventing an advance.

The British infantry had almost completely disintegrated, but with no cavalry to clear out the British dragoons and with insufficient fresh men to exploit the breakthrough, the French were forced to abandon the battlefield.

A total bloodbath for both sides, and a tactical draw.