It’s been a while since we had a game, so we decided to take advantage of a school holiday and try our hand at another General d’Armee battle. We disturbed the third member of our little project on his honeymoon, and had him author secret objectives for each side. Welcoming the chance to try out our newly painted models, everything came on the table.
French forces
- 1st Brigade: 4 battalions of line troops
- 2nd Brigade: 4 battalions of line troops, 1 heavy battery
- 3rd Brigade: 2 battalions of line troops, 1 of light troops
- 4th Brigade: 1 regiment of Cuirassiers, 2 regiments of Chasseurs a Cheval
- 5th Brigade: 4 battalions of Old Guard rated as veterans
French objectives
Inflict a damaging blow on the coalition, destroy or disperse at least three battalions of their forces.
Anglo-allied forces
- 1st Brigade: 2 battalions of Foot, 1 battalion of 95th Rifles rated as veterans
- 2nd Brigade: 4 battalions of Foot, 1 medium battery
- 3rd Brigade: 3 battalions of Hanoverian militia rated as conscripts
- 4th Brigade: 2 regiments of Light Dragoons
Anglo-allied objectives
Push through the French forces as a spearhead of the Coalition army. Have more units on their half of the table, than they have on your half of the table. A +1 difference means a minor victory, +2 difference a major victory. Conversely, a -1 difference means a minor defeat and a -2 difference a major defeat.
The table
This being a fictional scenario, we setup a simple table with a manor house in the centre, two hills in opposite corners with small copses of trees next to them, a cobbled road running down the middle with flanking hedges and two small rows of trees in one quarter. Fields were placed down as decorations with no terrain effects intended.
The game
We decided that the Coalition would deploy everything they had, with optional reserves (on-table or off-table), so 1st Brigade on the left flank, 2nd Brigade on the right with 3rd Brigade in the centre as on-table reserves and 4th Brigade as off-table reserves.
The French got to deploy their first Brigade on the table, with a new brigade being released as on-table reserves every three turns. The game would end three turns after the last brigade was released.
With real estate being the objective of the Coalition forces, the British advanced aggressively, with the 1st Brigade moving up on the left side of the manor, Foot battalions in column formation and Rifles in skirmish formation, with a brigade skirmish line screening the front. On the right the entire 2nd Brigade advanced through the trees, with the artillery battery limbered up and moving right next to the hedges next to the road, and the brigadier urging his men forward as he knew speed was of the essence.
The French 1st Brigade immediately advanced to counter the British advance on the French left side. The 2nd Brigade appeared on the field with their heavy 12-pounder guns, as skirmishing broke out in front of the tree lines. The British 2nd Brigade deployed into line formations and their guns unlimbered. The fighting had started.
The French 2nd Brigade advanced towards the attacking British troops, and attempted to press their numerical advantage at the point of the bayonet. British defensive fire proved too effective to break through, and wore down the French columns as much as the British lines. The French battalions were too close to the enemy to afford many clear shots for the heavy artillery, and their guns were silent for much of the battle.
Meanwhile, more French regiments arrived in the centre along the road, prompting the British to call in the Hanoverian Militia reserves. All advanced towards each other, and a firefight broke out, the inexperienced Hanoverian skirmishers doing what they could to screen the main body of troops.
A deadly salvo wiped the British artillery battery of their crew. The few remaining survivors ran for the rear, terrified of the efficient French musket fire. The rest of the brigade fell back, dismayed at losing their firepower. The troops remained relatively ordered, and reformed behind the tree lines.
On the British left, the 1st Brigade grimly held on to their captured ground in spite of heavy losses and a mounting number of French on the field. They dished as good as they got however, and the French assault stalled.
Suddenly trumpets blared! The French cavalry brigade soared onto the battlefield, the French divisional commander sensing the British right wavering. Was this the opportunity they needed to break through the enemy line?
When the cavalry reached the British formations, the enemy had reformed. The moment had passed and the French cavalry hesitated at the sight of closed British squares. The English replied to the threat with coolly delivered musket volleys. In the face of determined opposition, the Cuirassiers resolve started to waver.
In the centre the first line of Hanoverian Militia were roughly handled by the French volleys. After losing a fourth of their men and officers, they ran for the safety of the back of the brigade. At last the brigadier’s attempts to rally them succeeded, and the battalion formed up into column again, this time at the rear. Meanwhile the next battalion took up their place at the front, the seeming safety of their deeper formation shoring up their lack of training and experience. Subalterns and officers expertly guiding the newly conscripted Germans to deliver expert fire on the French.
Next to the manor house, wave after wave of French troops assaulted the British positions, with the blue-clad soldiers slowly gaining the upper hand. The British extricated their ragged formations, and exchanged them for fresh ones, as the Hanoverians had done in the centre. Meanwhile, the 95th Rifles skirmished just out of range of the enemy muskets, while their rifled guns were able to hit their marks.
The clock was ticking, and French reinforcements were on their way. Would they reach the battlefield in time to stop the British, and inflict the terrible blow they needed? As it turned out, they didn’t. The Cuirassiers panicked and rode for the rear, leaving the French infantry to show them how it was done. Bayonets fixed, they charged the enemy square closing to melee range. A savage fight ensued with many casualties on both sides. The French attackers were cut down, but not without causing many ugly wounds on the British side. The rest of the French battalion were dismayed at the British tenacity, and backed up slowly to shoot it out instead.
In the centre, the Hanoverians kept handling their muskets as if they’d seen a hundred battles. Volley after volley smacked into the French formations arrayed in front of them. This unexpected display of killing power pushed the French back. A hole in the French centre had opened up, and the Germans poured into it, taking ground and forcing the enemy back!
The Riflemen also rushed forward on the British left, preparing to hold what they had fought so hard for. In the meantime the British right flank did what they could to hold the enemy back, their formations being too worn to push ahead.
Lacking orders, the Old Guard remained in reserve, unable to influence the battle.
When night finally fell, the Anglo-Allied had pushed far forward into the enemy without losing coherency of a single formation except their artillery battery. A crushing victory to the British and their German comrades!
Tall Hats and Bad Guns 
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