Battle Report: La Grande Division Fictive versus the British Army

 This past Friday, Rob and I played out a game of Black Powder and we decided to take pictures of each turn and write up a battle report. The game was played usng 600 point armies (using the same point system we employed for the 2023 Fearless Veteran Tournament. 

I decided to play La Grande Division Fictive, an imaginary division of Napoleon's Army circa 1814/1815 commanded by generals drawn from fiction.  Rob played his British force. 

We chose a simple scenario, our two forces faced off across a notional Western European battlefield, with one third of it divided from the rest by a bridged river, with some few trees, hills, a farm and inn alongside a road. Three objectives (kegs of ale, wine, and food) were placed roughly equidistant from each other along the road, starting in the farmyard, at the bridge, and extending out to inn. 

Looking from the East to the West. On the north the British set up, with the 95th Rifles skirmishing in front of a squadron of Household Cavalry, followed a strong brigade of infantry and artillery on either side of the river, and ending with a squadron of light cavalry. The French set on the south. From East West, a brigade of 2 squadrons of chasseurs à cheval, then a Brigade of 2 Line battalions and one Light Line battalion. Then another cavalry brigade, a squadron each of dragoons and chevaux leger lancers. The French Horse Artillery brigade was divided with two batteries on the east side of the river with the infantry and its third battery across the river with the two squadron's of Gerard's brigade - hussars and chasseurs à cheval. 

The French infantry advanced to the road, while a squadron of chasseurs cantered to the base of the hill east of the farmyard. A few British infantry battalions advanced as well, and the French horse artillery galloped forward, unlimbered and began to fire on the British. 

On the west flank, Brigadier Gerard lead his hussars in a gallant charge against the British lights, who charged in turn, meeting the hussars in a vicious melee just south of the road. 

Though they suffered similar losses, the hussars broke and withdrew through the chasseurs to reform.
The British lights swept through and slammed into the Chasseurs, who broke and fled the field. 

The 95th Rifles charged through a storm of shot to assault French artillery at the farmyard wall. 
The French artillerists stepped up and fought back hand to hand along the wall against the green-coated riflemen.

The Household Cavalry moved behind the east hill, guarding against French cavalry sweeping around that flank. The French Light Line infantry occupied the farm building, securing that objective. The French lancers charge the foremost British infantry battalion, which formed square and fended them off. The lancers withdrew in good order, and the British infantry resumed line formation. The western French horse artillery battery one its gun duel with the British artillery battery facing it, destroying it. The British light cavalry stands victorious on the far west flank, but the infantry over their dawdles, unwilling to advance. 

Ignoring the infantry, the French lancers charge the British artillery up hill but come up short.

The two French line infantry battalions take a strong position along the road and the farmyard wall.

British and French infantry face off across the farmyard
wall. 

Night falls, ending the battle. The Household Cavalry and the French chassuers in the 
east never came to blows. 

The eastern flank at the end of the battle. The artillerists have driven back the 95th rifles, now they and they light Line infantry hold the farmyard and its objective. The two French line battalsions hold off the British infantry along the road and the wall. 

On the west side of the river, Brigadier Gerard has rallied his hussars. The Horse artillery battery galloped up and delivered a devastating barrage into the flank of the British light cavalry, but British light infantry occupied the inn, siezing its objective and delivering withering fire down into the artillerists. But just across teh river, it can be seen that the bridge objective is held by the French lancers. 

The game ended with a marginal French victory, holding two of the three objectives.  It could have easily swung back the other way of the game had continued, however. 

An excellent, fun game played against a gentlemanly opponent!

In turn one, Rob advances his light cavalry to the road.