Played a small game with Goldie other night. One of the meeting engagements in the early stages of the 1809 campaign in Austria. Paul worked out sides and terrain was from one of my many books on period.

Paul was the Austrians and his forces were:

• Advance Guard of 2 Grenz bttns and 2 Hussar regts
• Line brigade of 4 large bttns
• Line brigade of 4 large bttns

All his commanders were 7’s.

My French were from Davout’s Corp with my commanders being Davout himself along with Friant, St Hilaire and Montbrun…..so all commanders 9’s!

• Friant – 1 legere and 4 ligne bttns
• St Hilaire – 1 legere and 4 ligne bttns
• Montbrun – 2 Hussar Regts

Initial set up below. Austrians on rolling terrain…I have a freeking great wood in the middle of my deployment area so I split forces with Friant and Montbrun on left of woods and then  Davout is with St Hiliare on the right. Decided to be very unfrench and start infantry in line.

Man was I stooooopid.

Austrians set up with infantry brigade on either flank of wood and Advance Guard Grenz in centre and a marauding Hussar unit with each line brigade.

Austrian columns heading towards my boyz.

French left where Montbrun is going to rush around the Austrian flank and hopefully stall them so Friant can advance and smash them! I think Montbrun had a hangover as he was pretty darn useless all game. Didn’t like moving.

Over on the right the legere are securing flank in the woods.

Right flank and French lined up in…lines ready to shoot.

While over on the left flank…Montbrun still has not moved…..Friant also has not moved and shortly several units will miss interpret the….’Advance Order’  with the, ‘Retreat Order’. Since when do Davout’s troops in 1809 ever retreat you may ask…believe me I was asking……Paul was starting to laugh about now.

Great…..Austrian Grenz in the woods…you will note there is no sign of the legere…….forest goblins ate them I suspect……they seemed to evaporate……moving into rear support a unit to fill the gap, or rather….. trying to move them as they didn’t seem very keen to go into the woods.

Over on the left…I put the infantry in attack columns…..Montbrun has 1 cavalry unit left…..pathetic performance by other one and they also evaporated.

Last throw of the dice…….forced infantry into square….Austrian cavalry come out to play…..its at this stage of a game I start to question how Perry Miniatures Cavalry get as many dice as Front Rank Cavalry…we are clearly much heavier beasts……those Austrian ponies are smaller than my mutt!

Over on the right……thank god the Austrians don’t really want to move forward either…although another hole has appeared…..not only do my troops not want to move…they can’t shoot either…what was in that darn wine last night Davout is asking….when he can actually focus enough to think……

At this stage we called in quits. Over on left my infantry had charged…won a combat, pushed back a unit and in new Black Powder v2 followed up back into combat. The cavalry fight resulted in both units backing off……so that was okay for French…but on French right was a done deal…Austrian’s clear winners. Lessons learned…don’t be a twat….1809 French run around in columns……always…….and just because u have superior commanders don’t expect they are going to get orders off!

And here’s the mutt…he is much bigger than a Perry Hussar on his shetland pony!

The real culprit was these things…Blue dice…have been using the Green Russian and Yellow Austrians for so long now…I think these guys were sulking.

 

Thankfully, next big game in January will be safely back in the bosom of Mother Russia and her green Dice!