Action at Falshof River: 28 April 1813 (14 Dec 2009)

Rather than resume the good Marshal's report to Berthier, at this point I thought I'd turn the thing into a 'pictorial narrative,' perhaps to rejoin the military epistle nearer its close.

The final two pics in the last posting showed Prussian troops occupying Falshof, and thinking about thrusting for the river bank; whilst the Russians on the opposite flank occupied a field partially enclosed by a stone wall.

To Resume:

The Russians pour into the field flanked by a 6pr Unicorn battery. This artillery was to prove very troublesome for the French - as indeed were all the Russians present on the field.

French 8th Cuirassiers canter past 13th Light Infantry. They may be some time...

The light horse of the French 9th Husaars have an appointment with some unicorns...

The Prussian 2nd Silesia confidently await the French heavies...

... And General Morlot had the mortifaction of seing his cavalry melt away like ice in the sun with ineffectual and costly charges. Particularly painful was the failure of successive charges, at a cost of 50% casualties, to inflict the slightest hurt upon the unicorn battery (I was prepared to accept the losses, but expected to take the battery. This is where chance and morale in wargames really should kick in. My army had been reduced by 24 cavalry figures for absolutely no loss to the enemy. How many wargamers would have been prepared to carry on the fight to secure the (still-distant!) ridge-line?)

To be continued...