War of the Imperial Succession - Grand Duke Constantine's Ambition.

The news had yet to arrive at Herzogstvogorod of Altmark-Uberheim's discomfiture at the hands of Hessen-Rohr, when The Grand Duke Constantine sent forth his armies towards his northern borders. Long had he coveted the lands on the far side of the Unstroll River, which stream separated his realm from the Principality of Ursaminor. The increasing tensions and disturbances throughout the whole middle of Europeia seemed to offer a propitious moment to make good upon his ambition.

Invasions - or attempted invasions - by Altmark-
Uberheim and the Grand Duchy.

Princess Ursula had but recently succeeded to the crown of Ursaminor, following the demise of Ursus Ursussson, the IXth of that name - not long before the Empress Harmonica had succeeded Violoncello VI.  The breaks in dynastic tradition - two females assuming the rule over two powers that made up a large proportion of Europeia - rather encouraged the less scrupulous rulers such as Constantine and King Draco of Altmark-Uberheim to think about personal and national aggrandisement at the expense of the recently bereaved realms.

M'yasma columns on the march.

King Draco was the first to set his forces in motion - a powerful army directed towards Hessen-Rohr. This invasion (see here) was less to acquire territory from the Markgravate, than to discourage the Markgraf himself from contemplating any mischief against his kingdom once its attention was drawn elsewhere. The invasion met with a severe check: a victory of sorts perhaps, but the mauling his army had endured at once put a term upon that enterprise. It would take time to rebuild his forces: Draco had to hope that perhaps the Markgraf's army was in worse case.  

Malakhov Cossacks (Airfix hussar figures with
lances added).

The Grand Duke Constantine was scarcely behindhand in sending forth his hosts. A small disturbance in one of the border towns on the Ursaminor side of the river Unstroll the Grand Duchy chose to construe as symptomatic of a more general unrest. The confusion of the transfer of rule to one supposedly ill-qualified by her youth - on top of being a 'her' - meant a breakdown of order, so ran the self-interested narrative. Such constituted an existential threat to M'yasma, was the story related by Constantine's unblinking ambassadors, should that unrest spill over into its border regions.

It was not long before a diplomatic note was being carried forward to Bjornburg to the effect that the Grand Duke had ordered troops - horse, foot and guns - at once to enter Ursaminor and restore order. Of course, the Grand Duke expected some recompense for this selfless action. A reasonable price, so ran the note of hand, was to transfer title of the disturbed borderlands unto the Grand Duchy's rule. Naturally, the Ursaminor government dispatched a swift negative response, and began to mobilise its own army. As the Ursaminor Army was not as large as the Grand Duke's, they also sent off an appeal to Schnitzel for Imperial aid.

Grand Duke Constantine organised two columns, ordered them to seize and secure passages across the River Unstroll, take the border town of Hardbitten, and push on to stake out a chunk of territory to be included within the Grand Duchy's expanded borders - oh, and to put down any and all unrest, of course. To take the town seemed to require the more sizeable column, under the command of the aggressively minded Marshal Bychovski ...

Butyrski Infantry crossing the border river
bridge into the town. Marshal Bychovski 
watches on.

The columns comprised:

Grand Duchy of M'yasma

Main body: Marshal Boroslav Bychovski

Butyrski Infantry - 36 figures
Podolia Infantry - 36 figures
Galicia Infantry - 36 figures
Ekaterinburg Infantry - 36 figures
1st Jager - 21 figures
Chevalier Garde - 19 figures
Malakhov Cossacks - 19 figures
A Battery, 1st Artillery - 9 figures, 2 guns.

Totals: 165 foot, 38 horse, 9 gunners - 212 plus 2 guns.

Detached Corps: General Ivan Glupiev
Tver Infantry - 36 figures
Apsheron Infantry - 36 figures
Ingermanland Dragoons - 19 figures
Pavlograd Hussars - 19 figures
B Battery, 1st Artillery - 9 figures, 2 guns

Totals: 72 foot, 38 horse, 9 gunners - 119 plus 2 guns. 

The Line infantry regiments comprised an HQ of 4 figures, a grenadier company of 8, and three line companies, also of 8 figures.
The cavalry comprised an HQ of 3 figures, and two squadrons of 8 figures each.
The gun battery comprised commander, two sections of a gun and  4 gunners, and a reserve of 2 gunners.

Total Invasion force: 237 foot, 76 horse, 18 gunners - 331 plus 4 guns.

To meet the challenge - news of M'yasma's mobilisation having reached Bjornburg betimes - the Ursaminor War Ministry in their turn set in motion the necessary counter-measures. The whole strength of the regular army was divided into four columns, the main one of which marched upon the likeliest crossing point of the Unstroll River, well upstream of the main border town of Hardbitten. The other three formed a species of cordon centred upon the town itself. When word reached the headquarters of General Ulf Eriksson, commanding the central of these three columns, he at once despatched messengers calling for a concentration before the town. They were just too late to prevent its occupation by Grand Duchy infantry....

The forces available to Ursaminor to meet the invasion were;

Principality of Ursaminor:

1st (Main) Column: Field Marshall Lars Slaggahand:
Livgarden Grenadiers - 28 figures
Tavastehus Infantry - 28 figures
Stalhandske Infantry - 28 fgures
Rikswacht te Paard Cuirassiers - 15 figures
Kopparberg Hussars - 15 figures
Artillery - 9 figures, 2 guns

2nd Column: 
Ostergotland Infantry - 28 figures
Sodermanland Infantry - 28 figures

3rd Column: General Ulf Eriksson
Norrbotten Infantry - 28 figures
Uppsala Uhlans - 15 figures
Artillery - 9 figures, 2 guns

4th Column: 
Vastmanland Infantry - 28 figures
Jonkoping Jager - 21 figures
Kronoberg Dragoons - 15 figures

Total Ursaminor army:
217 foot, 60 horse, 18 gunners - 295 with 4 guns.

The organisation of the Ursaminor Army was similar to that of the Grand Duchy, but with 6-figure companies and squadrons instead of the eight. Given the exact same number of units on both sides in this encounter, the Ursaminor army was considerably weaker than their adversaries.

This action was based - very loosely - upon Scenario 18 'River Crossing' from the C.S. Grant book Scenarios for Wargamers. Having pushed one infantry and a cossack unit across the river and into the town, the remainder of the M'yasma army's 'Main Body' had yet to cross the river.  For this action, I decided against using boats, and allowed there was a single bridge by which a route column might make the crossing. Even then, it would be quite a while before the whole force would be gathered upon the north side of the river.

As the M'yasma advance guard emerged from the north face of the town, a column of Ursaminor troops - horse, foot and guns - could be observed approaching from the north. This was the Ursaminor '3rd Column' under the direct command of General Eriksson.  The other two columns were on their way, their arival being determined by dice rolls.  A single D6 die roll determined the move number of arrival, deployment just in from their respective table edge constituting their first move.

This was the upshot:

4th Column arrived from the west on Move 2

2nd Column arrived from the east on Move 6.

Meanwhile, 1st Column was never going to involve themselves with this action.  They had their own battle to fight...

Opening clashes...

To be continued: River Crossing: Battle of Hardbitten.