Battle of Talavera - prelude

Rather than using the Napoleon's Battles scenario booklet for the order of battle and map, I used a handful of different resources.

The main order of battle came from Wikipedia.

I used a couple of sources for the map.  One is this interesting blog from Rafeal Pardo.  And another was this page from the British Battles web site.

I used an article from Wargames Illustrated, March 2005 (Number 210) to guide the level of experience for each of the brigades and batteries.

The final result became the order of battle I used.  You can find a Google Sheet with ready-to-use labels here.  A sample from the OOB is off to the left:  These are the labels for the British First Infantry Division under Sherbrooke.  It consists of three Units of Infantry, a Commander, and a battery of six-pound foot artillery.

Battle of Quatre Bras

This weekend we'll be fighting the Battle of Quatre Bras.  The French, led by Marshall Ney, attack with Reille's II Corps and Kellerman's IIIC Corps.  Opposing them are a mix of forces from Britain, Hanover, Nassau, Brunswick, and the Netherlands led by the Prince of Orange and Wellington.

The view from the south of Quatre Bras looking north.  The cavalry of the II Corps is in the front to the right.  One of the divisions of the II Corps is next to it, and another is back with Ney. 

French far left.  The Guard Light Cavalry appears, but the terrain around Quatre Bras is heavily wooded.  How effective will they be? 

In the distance in the center of the picture the French see a brigade of the 2nd Netherlands Division guarding the approaches to Quatre Bras. 

The cavalry of the II Corps is not well-positioned.  A brigade of Nassau infantry sits behind the town. 

The overall situation.  Quatre Bras is the town at the crossroads in the deep center of the picture. 

The view from the southeast.  Note the streams and woods making an attack from this direction more easy to defend. 

The Iron Duke is on the hill on the left.  Nassau and Dutch infantry along with two batteries of Dutch artillery are all that stand between Ney and his objective. 

The Prince of Orange is near Quatre Bras. 

A brigade of Dutch cavalry are in the distance, approach Quatre Bras from the northwest.  They are just barely within the command radius of the Prince of Orange. 

Bird's-eye view of the opening moves in the battle.  French are to the top of the picture. 

The dense woods to the west of Quatre Bras.

Battle of Friedland: 06:00 to 12:00

We started the Battle of Friedland on Friday 4, 2015.  Kyle, Dave, and Cheatin' Bob played the Russians. John and Marc played the French.

Situation after the 06:00 turn:

French dragoons have driven the Cossacks from the plateau near Heinrichsdorf.  Russian line infantry have filled the northern end of the town.

French Hussars are pressing a Russian line infantry brigade posted between the millstream and a less formidable stream to the north (bottom of the photo).

Mortier and his VIII Corps enter the battle.

The Saxon heavy cavalry has been destroyed, but the Saxon infantry brigades are holding strong.  A regiment of Hussars is the only thing that stands between the Russians and Posthenen.

The 1st brigade of the 3rd division (Saxon) of the Reserve Corps holds off the Russian Support Division and Advanced Guard, but at a heavy cost.

Situation after the 07:00 turn:

This elite Hussar regiment successfully fights off two Russian cavalry brigades.  The legend of the 9th Hussars begins!

Situation after the 08:00 turn:

The Russians finally destroy the 9th Hussars.

The Saxon infantry continues to hold, but is hard-pressed.

The Russian batteries repulse repeated charges of French cavalry just outside of Posthenen (bottom right).

Stalemate outside of Heinrichsdorf as both sides take heavy casualties.

The situation after the 09:00 turn:

The French VIII corps artillery deploys.

The Russian left wing cavalry mass near the Sortlack Wood.  

Repeated cavalry attacks have destroyed most of the Russian infantry in the center, but at a heavy cost to the French Reserve Cavalry Corps. 

Cheatin' Bob gets ready to advance Gallitzin's command.

The Russian 14th Division prepares to cross the Alle and move into Friedland.

The situation after the 10:00 turn:

The Polish infantry and cavalry of the French VIII Corps move in to stabilize the French right flank.

The rest of Mortier's VIII Corps holds on against determined Russian cavalry attacks.

Lannes' aide-de-camp is wounded during the battle forcing Lannes to take direct command of the Reserve Corps units one by one.  Many have been destroyed, and the survivors are forming near a hill just northwest of Posthenen.

A brigade of French grenadiers in Heinrichsdorf are all that is left of the French left flank. 

The situation after the 11:00 turn:

The Poles push back the lead elements of the Russian left.

But the Russian left is still pretty strong, and has a lot of artillery.

A huge Polish brigade occupies a town.

The remnants of the Reserve Corps form up.

The Russian 1st (Guard) Division smashes the last of the French grenadiers and occupies Heinrichsdorf.

An Emperor's-eye view of the battlefield as Napoleon approaches from the west.

The Battle of Friedland - Order of Battle and tags

I used two sources for the order of battle for Friedland.  The French OOB came from this page from the Napoleon Series web site and the Russian OOB came from this page - from the US Army Combined Arms Center (PDF).

This link to a Google Drive Sheet will take one to the tags.  One sheet has the French and the other has the Russian tags.

Sample tags.

Above are tags for three French-allied units and one French-allied Officer in the scenario.  Going from left to right:

1. The 1st brigade of the 3rd division of the Reserve Corps.  It has five stands of Saxon line infantry.  Experience level is Regular.  It has a CV of 3, a FP of 1, and has a movement rate of 6" per turn.
2. The 2nd brigade of the 3rd division of the Reserve Corps.  It has five stands of Saxon line infantry.  Experience level is Regular.  It has a CV of 3, a FP of 1, and has a movement rate of 6" per turn.
3. The Officer responsible of the Reserve Corps.  This is an unnamed aide-de-camp to Marshall Lannes (not shown) who is acting as a Leader of the French side.  The Officer has a Command Radius of 12" and a Combat Bonus of zero.  He has a CV of 0, a FP 0, and moves 24" per turn.
4. A 12-lb foot artillery battery attached to the 1st division of the Reserve Corps.  It has an experience level of Veteran.  Its CV is 1, its FP is 7, and has a movement rate of 12" per turn.

For ease of readability by the players, all of the Units and Officers of the Reserve Corps are marked with a red banner at the top of the tag.

Above are tags for four Russian units, their Officer, and one of the Russian Leaders.  Going from left to right:

1. A 6-lb horse battery of artillery attached to the Russian Left Cavalry formation.  It has an experience level of Regular, a CV of 1, a FP of 6, and moves 6" per turn.
2. The Officer who commands the Russian Left Cavalry formation.  He has a Command Radius of 12" and a +2 Combat Bonus (which is very good).  He has a 0 CV, a 0 FP, and moves 24" per turn.
3. The first brigade of the Russian Left Cavalry formation.  It has 8 stands of Russian light cavalry, and an experience level of Regular.  It has a 3 CV, a 0 FP, and moves 12" per turn.
4. The second brigade of the Russian Left Cavalry formation.  It has 5 stands of Russian medium cavalry, and an experience level of Regular.  It has a 4 CV, a 0 FP, and moves 12" per turn.
5. The third brigade of the Russian Left Cavalry formation.  It has 8 stands of Russian light cavalry, and an experience level of Regular.  It has a 3 CV, a 0 FP, and moves 12" per turn.
6. A Russian Leader (Doctorov).  The Leader has a Leadership Ability of 1, and a Command Radius of 12".  It does not appear on the tag, but the Leader has a CV of 0, a FP of 0, and a moves 24" per turn just like an Officer.

The Battle of Friedland

The French army right wing.

Just across the bridge near Posthenen are a light cavalry brigade and a cavalry regiment.  A Saxon battery is in Posthenen just across the millstream.  Now show is a Saxon infantry brigade in the woods just to the left of the battery.  Another Saxon brigade is in the Sortlack Woods to the upper right of the photo.

Dawn at Lannes' HQ on the morning of the Battle of Friedland.

The Battle of Friedland

The left wing of the French army.  The bulk of Lannes' Grenadier Division waits for the Russian onslaught.  The division is led by an aide-de-camp due to Lannes having overall command of the French forces early.

More French left wing.  Grouchy's heavy cavalry division and other attached units guards the extreme left flank of the French army, and sits opposite of Uvarov's command.

The Battle of Friedland

Pre-game photos of the tabletop for the Battle of Friedland:

The view from the Russian right wing.  The Russian 7th and 8th Divisions advance between a stream (center) and the impassable millstream (left).  Not much room for maneuver!

The view from the Russian right wing.  The 3rd Division prepares to assault the town of Heinrichsdorf, and Uvarov's powerful Right Wing Cavalry command guards the Russian extreme right flank.

The Battle of Friedland

More pre-game photos from the Battle of Friedland:

The east bank of the Alle River just outside of the town of Friedland.  The Russian 14th Division is in the extreme rear of the Russian army.

The west bank of the Alle River in and around the town of Friedland.  The 1st (Guard) Division is in reserve, and Bennigsen and Gortchakov are in Friedland proper.

The Right Cavalry Reserve under Galatizin.  Of course, these are just the tags for the figures.  Cheatin' Bob will be supplying the actual stands on the day of the game.

The Battle of Friedland

The situation near the Sortlack Woods:

The Russian Advanced Guard and Support Division have invested the Sortlack Woods.

Just to the north of the Sortlack Woods we see the rest of Bagration's wing ready to pounce on the French.  Two small cavalry brigades and a Saxon infantry brigade are all that stand in their way.  Lannes is in the town of Posthenen, and a Saxon foot battery is in the part of the town across the stream near another Saxon brigade.