Waterloo Campaign 2.0 - continued

I left off the previous posting with the situation at dusk  yet to be related. On the Anglo-Dutch front, the Duke of Wellington, with the Reserve Corps was still engaged with General Reille's II Corps; and the Prince of Orange, with I Corps at Soignes was watching the build up of enemy forced in front of him. Vandamme's III Corps had switched westwards along the road from Seneffe; the campfires were already burning east of the town. Coming up from Binche was Pajol's I Cavalry Corps, still a little distant from Soignes; and, from Mons, Marshal Ney halted the march of d'Erlon's I Corps, still a half-morning march south. Still at Mons, was General Milhaud's IV Cavalry Corps.

Before continuing, I must make certain corrections and mia culpa statements regarding the narrative so far. I really ought to have consulted my notes, which would probably have been helped by a reconciliation between them and the pictures, whilst tapping out the narrative. It turned out that the Duke of Wellington had not been hastened off this mortal coil during the Quatre Bras action of the 16th, but had sustained only a minor injury (or maybe a member of his immediate staff - an aide, perhaps - had been cut short). I simply forgot what rule set I was using.



Now, an excess of sixes in the combat role not only inflicts a loss of an infantry figure, but automatically places the commander (and his staff) at hazard. So the degree of hazard is determined by the roll of a single die for each six in excess. Whatever Wellington rolled on the 16th, it was not a six, or even a five (= POW). So he survived in command until the 17th, the fighting around Quatre Bras yet properly to be decided.

Galvanised by Prince Blucher's charismatic vigour and Gneisenau's meticulous professionalism, The Prussian II Corps arrived east of Fleurus with several hours still to run before sunset. Quickly closing upon Gerard's IV Corps, with Marshal Grouchy commanding the defence, the Prussians routed the French as emphatically as the latter had routed Zieten's Corps in the morning. For no material loss, the Prussians overran foot and guns alike, and threw IV Corps all the way back to Charleroi. Marshal Grouchy was slightly wounded in the action.

The probing actions of the French right wing cavalry also led to a clash at Yvoir. Marching up from Dinant, Thielmann's III Corps met the III Cavalry Corps of general Kellerman the Younger just outside the town. Very much a cavalry action, losses were heavy, with honours even. Both sides lost 2 horse stands, but as this constituted the whole of Milhaud's command, this was something of a strategic defeat for the French. 

Clash at Yvoir: Kellermann's III Cavalry Corps
in a bloody fight with Thielmann's III Corps 
cavalry.

Nightfall 16 June 1815

The reconciliation of losses for 16th June were as follows:
French: 2 horse (out of 5; III Cv Corps disbanded), 2 foot, 2 gunners:
Anglo-Dutch: 2 foot (Reserve Corps)
Prussian: 2 foot (I Corps), 1 horse (III Corps).

17 June 1815.

The Prussians were first up and stirring on the morrow.  I think I stated earlier that all three armies got their own initiative dice. I allowed Napoleon just a slight advantage: he got the benefit of a tied die roll.
The rolls for this morning were Blucher-4; Napoleon-2; Wellington-2. Napoleon having the margin of the tie, he got to move second.

Prussian IV Corps at Huy

The missing corps from both armies arrived at the edges of the map area during the morning of the 17th. Bulow's IV Corps arrived at Huy (having rolled a 5 for arrival); and the Allied II Corps appeared at Alost (having rolled a 6).

Anglo-Dutch II Corps marching through Alost

Blucher victorious at Ligny.

Meanwhile, the campaign along the Belgian frontier developed apace. The morning after his victory over the Ziethen's I Corps, than Marsghal Grouchy found himself under attack by the whole of II Corps, led by Prinz von Blucher himself. The outcome was a shattering defeat for the French. Incurring heavy losses to foot and guns, IV Corps was bundled pell mell back into Charleroi, pursued by the victorious Prussians.

Blucher follows up Grouchy's retreat to Charleroi

The rule set I was using forced the defeated to retreat to the next town, or two grid areas, whichever was the nearer. So Grouchy's Corps found itself back in Charleroi, with Blucher following in pursuit.

General action on the Anglo-Dutch front

Meanwhile great events were developing on the Anglo-Dutch front. Worsted the day before at Quatre Bras, Wellington renewed the fight, probably owing to the roads to the rear being occupied by the column of the Cavalry Corp. That blockage was to prove something of an embarrassment for the Allies. The Cavalry Corps had to intervene to halt the advance up the Nivelles towards Waterloo.

Battle of Soignes

The big battle, however, was taking place at Soignes. There, the Allied I Corps found itself assailed by the French I Corps, led by Marshal Ney, coming up from Mons, I Cavalry Corps of General Pajol along the Binche road, and General Vandamme's III Corps marching from Seneffe. This was the first really big battle of the campaign. 

Battle of Soignes:
(a)
Allies:
I Corps: 7 Foot, 2 Artillery (figures) => 7(F)+2(H)+2(Arms present) = 11D6
Rolled: 5 4 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1
French:
I Corps: Marshal Ney, 4 Foot, 1 Horse, 2 artillery => 1(Ney)+4(F)+1(H) +2(G) +3(AP)=11D6
Rolled: 6 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 1

Allied I Corps lose 2 Foot units (figures);
French I Corps lose 2 Horse units.
(b) 
Allies:
I Corps: 5 Foot, 2 Artillery => 5+2+2 = 9D6
Rolled: 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 1 1
French:
III Corps: 5 Foot, 1 Horse, 2 Artillery => 5+1+2+3 = 11D6
Rolled: 6 6 6 5 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 
Allied I Corps lose 3 Foot units (no cavalry because no cavalry to lose; nor Army commander, he being not present)
French III Corps lose 2 Foot units.
(c)
Probably I ought to have left it here, as the Allied Corps had already been defeated...
Allies:
I Corps: 2 Foot, 2 Artillery => 2+2+2 = 6D6
Rolled 6 4 3 3 3 1
French:
I (Light) Cavalry Corps: 2 Horse => 2+1 = 3D6
Rolled: 5 4 1 
Allies lose 1 Foot unit; 
French lose both cavalry units present - they can not lose the third.

Considering the odds, the Allied I Corps had acquitted itself extremely well, both sides losing 6 units overall in the battle. However, in their own turn, what remained of I Corps, 1 infantry and 2 gunners, fell back to Enghien, at which point they hoped to gather in stragglers and patch up some walking wounded to continue the fight.

Battle of Quatre Bras, and, just beyond, of Nivelles

There were two other battles during the same day, on the road between Nivelles and Waterloo the clash of the Allied Cavalry Corps against the leading elements of the Imperial Guard, and the reduced Reserve Corps against Reille's II Corps in the thick country just north of Quatre Bras - really a continuation of that battle. 

Battle of Nivelles:
Allies:

Cavalry Corps (leading elements): 5 Horse => 5+1 = 6D6
Rolled: 6 5 3 2 1 1
Imperial Guard (leading elements): Napoleon, 4 Foot, 2 Horse => 1+4+2+2 = 9D6
Rolled: 6 5 4 3 2 2 1 1 1
Allies lose 1 Horse unit. Having no foot or gunners present, they could lose neither
French lose nothing.

This counted as an Allied defeat, so the Cavalry Corps fell back to the road junction south of Waterloo.

Battle of Quatre Bras (continuing):
Allies: 
Reserve Corps: Duke of Wellington, 4 Foot, 2 Artillery = 1+4+2+2 = 9D6
Rolled: 6 6 5 5 3 3 2 1 1
French II Corps: 5 Foot, 1 Horse, 2 Artillery
Rolled: 6 6 6* 6* 5 4 4 4 4 3 2 
Allies lost all four Foot units, and the Iron Duke had to roll twice for survival. He rolled a 5 and a 6 - and dies on the battlefield
But the Reserve Corps again gave as good as they got: the French losing 1 Foot, 1 Horse and  2 gunners.
But the loss of the Army Commander sent the remnants of the Reserve Corps reeling northwards, through wooded country, where they were to fetch up on the Brussel-Wavre road.

Prussian III Corps south of the Sambre River

As the day wore on, Thielmann's III Corps crossed the Meuse at Yvoir, and marched to Fosse-sur-Sambre. Observing this, General Exelmans led his II (Dragoon) Corps to follow the importunate Prussians, abandoning Namur, which town they briefly occupied and entering Yvoirat the end of the day.

Vengeance at Quatre Bras

Br Cav Corps victorious

There was just one last action at the close of the day (the benefit of moving last). Rebuffed before Nivelles, the Allied Cavalry Corps turned upon the French II Corps at Quatre Bras. The costly success over the Reserve Corps having left II Corps still disordered (casualty returns are made 'overnight') the Cavalry threw the French out of Quatre Bras and back down the road towards Charleroi. 

So matters stood at nightfall of the 17th June. 

Br II Corps exiting Ninove

Br I Corps, defeated heavily at Soignes, falls back to Enghien.

Napoleon about to engage the Br Cav Corps with 
his Imperial Guard

General view looking west from Huy.

The remnants of AD Reserve Corps, without 
Wellington, retreats to the Wavre-Brussels road.

Night: 17-18 June.

After all the action of the day, and the reorganising and rallying of strays and stragglers, the armies stood thus:

French:

I Corps: Marshal Ney, 4 Foot, 2 Artillery - At Soignes
II Corps: 4 Foot, 1 Horse, 1 Artillery - Near Charleroi
III Corps: East of Soignes
IV Corps: Marshal Grouchy, 3 Foot, 1 Horse, 2 Artillery - At Charleroi
VI Corps: 4 Foot, 2 Artillery - At Philippeville
I Cavalry Corps - merged into I Corps
II Cavalry Corps: 2 Horse - At Yvoir
III Cavalry Corps: - disbanded
IV Cavalry Corps: 2 Horse - near Binche
Imperial Guard:
(a) Napoleon, 4 Foot, 2 Horse - At Nivelles
(b) 2 Foot, 1 Sapper, 3 Horse, 2 Artillery - at Seneffe
(c) 2 Artillery - south of Seneffe on the Binche road.

Total: 44 Strength Points

Prussian:

I Corps: 3 Foot, 1 Horse, 1 Artillery - At Gembloux
II Corps: 

(a) Prinz von Blucher, 4 Foot, 1 Artillery south of Fleurus/Ligny on Charleroi road.

(b) 2 Foot, 2 Horse, 1 Artillery At Fleurus/Ligny
III Corps: 4 Foot, 2 Artillery at Fosse-sur-Sambre
IV Corps: 5 Foot, 3 Horse, 2 Artillery - At Huy

Total: 33 Strength Points

Anglo-Dutch:

I Corps: 3 Foot, 2 Artillery - At Enghien
II Corps: 7 Foot, 2 Artillery - exiting Ninove
Reserve Corps: 3 Foot, 2 Artillery - West of Wavre on Brussels road
Cavalry Corps: 6 Horse, 2 Artillery - on road South of Waterloo.

Total: 26 Strength points

The Anglo-Dutch Allies have certainly been knocked about, but so far they have given as good as they have been taking, apart from the loss of their Army Commander. It seems that the Earl of Uxbridge has taken over command, but for game purposes he is no Wellington. Despite at the end of the day forcing Reille to retreat, the Allies ar under heavy pressure from the forces under Ney's command, and the Imperial Guard.

Meanwhile, sinister activity is developing along the line of the Sambre. Blucher stands before Charleroi seemingly determined to attack the place. Thielman's III Corps has insinuated itself south of the river, seizing the town of Fosse. Marshal Grouchy is in a bit of a dilemma, possibly somewhat eased by the presence nearby of the recently defeated II Corps, and VI Corps marching up from Philippeville. Beyond Thielmann's Corps, General Exelmann's dragoons bid fair to cut the Prussians off from their LOC to Namur.