Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Battle for the Gruneveldt Crossroads - 1813

The French are invading Prussia again! The sleepy town of Gruneveldt is home to a strategically important crossroads that the Prussians need in order to move their armies to counter the threat. The French have a battalion of fusiliers and two of voltigeurs, as well as a battery of horse artillery. The Prussian defenders have a single battalion of musketeers, a regiment of cuirassier cavalry and a battery of foot artillery. The Prussians are outnumbered, and must hold on to the crossroads for 10 turns until the main army shows up. This battle will be fought with Bruce Quarries Napoleonic rules.

The french.
Left, front to back: Voltigeurs, horse artillery, fusiliers, voltigeurs. Right: artillery, musketeers, cuirassiers.

The Prussians defending Gruneveldt, and the crossroads.

French horse artillery moves forward and unlimbers.

Prussian cuirassiers get ready to charge voltigeurs.

The voltigeurs form square, the cuirassiers flow around them.

Cuirassiers then charge again from the rear, and the square holds once more.

After taking causalties, the voltigeurs charge the foot battery, routing the crew.

French fusiliers charge, but most of their impetus is blunted by deadly close range musket fire.

As the fusiliers and musketeers fight in the foreground, to the left the horse artillery battery rushes to face the oncoming column of Prussian cuirassiers.

Uh oh. Those cuirassiers are about to get a mouthful of lead, and rout.

The brave musketeers defending the crossroads send the French fleeing, but more French await a flank charge.

The French charge the flank, and the battle weary Prussians decide they've had enough and rout...on turn 9!

The entire Prussian army was in rout on turn 9. The French have a battalion and horse artillery battery in good order, as well as two other battalions that have taken significant but not crippling causalties. When the main Prussian army arrives, they'll find the cross roads held against them.

That was fun, close to the very end! Thanks for reading!