Over the weekend of 3rd/4th July, MHWC attended the Rapture Gaming Festival at Chatham Dockyard. The event was Covid compliant, with all exhibitors having to test prior to attendance and masks required when the public arrived.
In honour of our return to wargaming after nearly a years absence, esteemed member Simon announced he’d finish off his Quatre-Bras collecting and host the game. “It’s only about 1200 figures” he said one night, a number that didn’t really translate until the Orders of Battle were provided to us…
As such, here is the map of the table (from the French perspective) & the Orbats themselves:
The French Order of Battle:
5th Division - Bachelu
1st Brigade - Husson
1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th Battalions, 2nd Light
1st & 2nd Battalions, 61st Line
2nd Brigade - Campy
1st, 2nd & 3rd Battalions, 108th Line
1st & 2nd Battalions, 72nd Line
Divisional Foot Artillery
9th Division - Foy
1st Brigade - Marbais
1st & 2nd Battalions, 92nd Line
1st & 2nd Battalions, 93rd Line
2nd Brigade - Jamin
1st, 2nd & 3rd Battalions, 100th Line
1st, 2nd & 3rd Battalions, 4th Light
Divisional Foot Artillery
2nd Cavalry Division - Pire
1st Brigade - Hubert
1st Regiment, Chasseur a Cheval
2nd Regiment, Chasseur a Cheval
2nd Brigade - Wathier
1st Regiment, Cheveux Leger Lancers
6th Regiment, Cheveux Leger Lancers
Divisional Horse Artillery
Corps Foot Artillery
6th Division - Jerome
1st Brigade - Baudin
1st, 2nd & 3rd Battalions, 1st Light
1st & 2nd Battalions, 3rd Line
2nd Brigade - Soye
1st, 2nd & 3rd Battalions, 1st Line
1st, 2nd & 3rd Battalions, 2nd Line
Divisional Foot Artillery
Imperial Guard Light Cavalry Division - Lefebvre-Desnouettes
1st Brigade - Hubert
Guard Lancer Regiment
Chasseurs of the Guard
Divisional Guard Horse Artillery
11th Cavalry Division - L’Heritler
1st Brigade - Picquet
2nd Dragoons
7th Dragoons
2nd Brigade - Guiton
8th Cuirassier
11th Cuirassier
Divisional Horse Artillery
As you can tell, it was bound to be a long and interesting game! The battle report has been written by the French C in C, Nic!
The Allied Order of Battle:
2nd Netherlands Division - Perponcher
1st Brigade - van Bylandt
27th Light Battalion - Jaegers
7th Line Battalion (Belgian)
5th, 7th & 8th Natiional Milita Battalions
Foot Artillery Brigade
2nd Brigade - von Godecke
1st, 2nd & 3rd Battalions, 2nd Nassau Infantry
1st & 2nd Battalions, 28th Orange-Nassau
5th Division - Picton
Roger’s Battery & Braun’s Hanoverian Battery - Corps Artilelry
8th Brigade - Kempt
1st Battalion, 95th Regiment (Rifles)
1st Battalion, 28th (North Gloucestershire)
1st Battalion, 32nd (Cornwall)
79th Regiment (Cameron Highlanders)
9th Brigade - Pack
3rd Battalion, 1st (Royal Scots)
42nd Royal Highland Regiment (Black Watch)
2nd Battalion, 44th (East Essex)
92nd Highland (Gordon Highlanders)
4th Hanoverian Brigade - Best
Luneberg, Munden, Osterode & Verden Landwehr Battalions
The Brunswick Corps - The Duke of Brunswick
1st Brigade - von Butlar
Leib (Guard) Battalion
1st, 2nd & 3rd Light Infantry Battalions
2nd Brigade - von Specht
1st, 2nd & 3rd Line Battalions
Hienemann’s Horse and Moll’s Foot Artillery
Allied Cavalry Corps
Brunswick Cavalry - von Cramm
2nd Brunswick Hussars
Uhlan Squadron
3rd Netherlandish Cavalry Brigade - van Merlen
5th Belgian Light Dragoons
6th Dutch Hussars
Horse Artillery
3rd Division - Alten
5th Brigade - Halkett
2nd Battalion, 30th (Cambridshire)
33rd (1st Yorkshire West Riding) Regiment
69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment
2nd Battalion, 73rd
1st Hanoverian Brigade - von Kielmansegge
Bremen, 1st Duke of York Onsabruck & Verden Field Battalions
Grubenhagen & Lunberg Light Battalions
Lloyd & Cleeve’s Artilelry
1st (Guards) Division - Cooke
1st Brigade - Maitland
2nd & 3rd Battalion, 1st Foot Guards
2nd Brigade - Byng
2nd Battalion, Coldstream Guards
2nd Battalion, 3rd Foot Guards
Sandham & Kuhlmann’s Batteries
Battle report from Quatre Bras 3rd-4th July 2021
By our on-field correspondent for The Milton Hundreds Daily Rag: Pierre Le Crack
Umpire and Creator: Simon (Le God) Warren
Allies
General Alan (talk a lot) Abbey & Brigadier Steve (Break Test Wizard) Thomas
French
Marshall Nic (Follow Me) Cracknell & General Rob (great rolling) Graham NB Field Promotion to General de Brigade
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The day started slightly slowly with both HQ’s fighting for breath having climbed the stairs to the Battlefield on the mezzanine floor. The umpire, already showing his superior intellect had chosen to use the lift, so despite the added distance was able to converse straight away.
With the battlelines drawn action commenced at a furious pace with the French divisional commander Bachelu first on the field moving his 1st & 2nd Brigades at break neck speed, (a surprise to everyone especially the French commander). The 1st Brigade assaulted Gemincourt Farm, an imposing building in the centre front of the battlefield, held by a ragtag bunch of Netherlands sharpshooters, while the 2nd brigade marched down the right wing in a fanfare of horns and drums.
The allies, although light in numbers were already on the French left, sulking in Bossu woods or covering the crossroads themselves, so when Foys 8th division arrived he took up position along the road opposite and began moving towards contact.
Meanwhile what was too become known as the “slaughter at the farm” began with an immediate assault. Two-line battalions attacked with the 61st Line making it to the walls of the building, here they were repulsed with gusto by the Dutch and the attack petered out with the Battalion retiring to the rear having suffered grievous loss of life, first blood to the Allies. Meanwhile the light battalions of the regiment forced the Dutch to retreat from the garden, back into the farmhouse its self, and a firefight erupted.
By now elements of Pires cavalry were entering the fray and trying to catch up with Bachelu 2nd Brigade who appeared to be on a route march and were now well down the French right and giving the Allied commanders food for thought as, as yet no allied troops were in the vicinity. The farmhouse battle still continued, but the Dutch were here to stay.
At last, the French left started moving, albeit slowly but were hampered by allied light troops hugging the fringes of the wood, more Dutch, and it wasn’t until Foy was able to employ both his brigades that some progress started to be made.
By now the battle had been going on for several hours. The farmhouse was a stalemate, the French left was not moving but the right was so far down into the allies’ lines that even the French commander wondered if his units had changed sides.
Meanwhile the Allied overall commander was enjoying combing his beard and talking to random passers by about the virtues of wargaming and any other subject you care to mention. Luckily Steve his number two, didn’t miss a trick, and it was Steve who sarcastically chuckled when he noticed the French lancers, in a bid to support 2nd Brigade “Blunder off the table” for a couple of hours clearly not concerned in supporting their overextended lines.
It was also about now that Allied reinforcements began to arrive, although it must be noted that many did not come on where expected, and some clearly had issues, maybe the waggons broke down or the pretty village girls caused the troops to pause, but this was to play havoc for the allied commanders and when troops did arrive the jams and bottlenecks around Quatre Bras itself were immense.
However, with Pictons arrival, despite the French having negated the benefit to the allies of the sucken road, allied numbers began to tell and with no support (did I mention the lancers!) things began to look uncomfortable for Bachelu 2nd brigade.
Near Breakthrough at the Farmhouse – following hours of furious exchanges of fire the Dutch sharpshoots eventually were forced out, French occupation was imminent! but at the last minute the allied commander audaciously ordered one of his subordinates (unknown to this reporter but it was possible Colonel Van Gouda) to grab a unit and reoccupy the farm house, which is exactly what they did, a bold move, but a great move!
It was about now that 3 things occurred, firstly Bachelu 2nd Brigade became vastly outnumbered, were unsupported and looked on the point of collapses although no battalions had yet been lost.
And on the left some French Guard cavalry arrived but more importantly the French received a deputy commander Rob who took control of the left wing. It must be noted that despite his youth and inexperience he immediately made an impact and roused Foys division to such an extent that they kicked the Dutch out of the woods in the immediate area and started to make progress up the left flank. So impressive was his impact that he received an on-field promotion to General de Brigade!
As the afternoon wore on more and more (albeit slowly) allied reinforcements arrived, the French right was holding and support was slowly arriving but Bachelu brigade was expected to crack at any moment, (how they held on is still a mystery) this was especially so as the feared Scots had arrived and were thirsty for blood. The French lancers had found their way back onto the battlefield and saw off some lighter cavalry units and at last the farmhouse was taken!
The joy at this and the subsequent destruction of the allied centre was muted to a degree with an allied cavalry charge by their Hussars & Dragoons who overran a horse artillery battery and then ploughing into the side of Jeromes division, causing mayhem and consternation! The situation was stabilised but not without losses to the French lancers who withdrew to fight another day.
Meanwhile in the final act of the day Rob had used his horse artillery to great effect, destroyed most of the left wing apart from 2 very stubborn Nasser battalions who must be mentioned in dispatches for their tenacity and pluck. Had they not held on, possibly the French left might have got to test the mettle of the Coldstream guards who were moving up in support, or maybe the fact that they didn’t was a blessing!!!
Still the day ended with the crossroads still in allied hands, Allied casualties were heavier on the day, however 2 French brigades were in poor shape and further casualties would have ended their day prematurely but Bachelu or to be more precise the brigade commander Campy had held on.
What did we learn:
For large Black Powder games, a couple of rules need to be tweaked, especially using blunders or rolling to come onto the table and infantry moving up towards cavalry in the open.
Always keep an eye on a unit’s special abilities they can make a real difference
Don’t leave Rob unattended
Don’t underestimate the work involved to set up a battle of this magnitude, deep respect and thanks go to Simon Warren for not only the use of his figures and scenery but the man hours in preparing for this.
Pierre Le Crack
Pierre Le crack is an award winning neutral and unbiased journalist seconded to the Bureau de Information, 26 Rue De Lies, Paris !