BRUCE CON!

With our buddy Bruce making one of his infrequent jaunts through town, of COURSE we had to get a game on and he wanted to try out BLACK POWDER Napoleonics.  We go for a modified version of one of the scenarios in the great book Charles Grant did a few years ago.

Here the Prussians, a regiment that's obviously part of a rear guard somewhere south of Wavre, are trying to hold a road that passes through a gap in a wooded ridge against an advance guard division of Grouchy's French forces moving north from Ligny.  Stacy has 2 Ligne and 2 Legere battalions, Bruce has 4 Ligne battalions and his Division Commander has 2 6pd field guns.

 

In the battlefield debut of my new Prussian regiment (ohhhhnoooo we all know what happens to unblooded troops!), I hold the pass with 2 Musketeer battalions and 2 6pd field pieces with a Fusilier battalion on my left and a Volunteer Jaeger Company on my right. 

 

 

"They shall not pass!"

 

Here comes Bruce's brigade (yea, we know they're skirmish order coming through the woods but he was going to form right back in assault column on the other side) and first blood to the Jaegers as the riflemen put a couple of casualties on one of the enemy units!

 

French artillery takes some hits getting set up and they chose to stay at medium range firing at targets to contribute to their side's part of the fight.

 

Stacy's brigade goes into line to keep the Prussian left engaged and Bruce's brigade gets stuck in where Prussian fire hasn't disordered or shaken units.

 

 

"Hold steady, meine Jungen!"

 

"I said Hold Steady!"  Unfortunate roll of a Boxcars for a Blunder roll on a Musketeer battalion, at least I rolled a 6 to blunder into battle.  GITSUM!

 

Two rounds of battle later, even after one of Stacy's Legere battalions had gotten stuck in, I roll morale saves on 7 hits in melee and then another boxcars for the morale check after combat resolution as he had flank and rear support and I didn't.  GITSUM!!  The line holds!

 

For a while, at least.  Finally my right side Musketeer battalion breaks, my left side Musketeers are forced back, and Stacy's Legere unit breaks through to charge my guys in their flank.  The resuling battle is inconclusive as we back and forth a couple of turns in the open ground behind the ridge.

 

My cannon and Jaegers continue to hold, sending two of Bruce's French Ligne battalions to the deadpool!

 

My Fusiliers on the other flank are lit up by Stacy's Ligne and flee the battle in ignominy.

We call it a French victory at this point as a hole has been blown open in the Prussian middle, their left flank is gone other than a cannon, and a Legere holds the road to allow the rest of the French forces to move off board to the north in pursuit of the rest of the Prussian Army.

 

Good fight, guys!