On the Field of Vittoria

from Honore Charles Michel Joseph Reille

Marechal and Commander, L’armee du Portugal

My Emperor.  It is my honor to report that your brother and his crown are safe and secure, at least for the foreseeable future.  Although his writ runs only through a portion of northern Spain, that portion runs from the east coast to the Bay of Biscay, and includes the ancient capital of Burgos, the storied capital of the realms of Leon and Castile, which our forces regained by storm during this recent action.   Among the prizes taken in that storm was the person of Arthur Wellesly, (sic), commander in chief of the armies of Portugal and Great Britain.  I have ordered him to be sent to Paris, under heavy guard but accorded all honors of war, so that he may present himself to your majesty at your discretion.  

Furthermore, the borders of France are secure, as his majesty’s armies remain in control of the great cities of Vittoria and, of course, Bayonne.  Despite desperate fighting on many fronts, not one foreign boot desecrated the sacred soil of France.

I can also assure you that while several herds of cattle were stampeded by cannon fire into the waiting arms – and stew pots – of the beef eaters, all of the many, many wagons of treasure remain in our control and even now as we speak are making their way to Bayonne, now that the enemy has fallen back on all fronts.

I wish to commend my divisional commanders for the desperate courage they showed in the face of overwhelming odds and a lengthening day to hold back the enemy who, even as he reached the walls of Vittoria, was thrown back with heavy losses by our brave soldiers, just as our soldiers did when I was by your side at Jena, Friedland, Aspern and Wagram.

As for your brother, he remained safely ensconced behind the lines, far from the fighting, where he scribbled orders endlessly and in doing so preserved himself and the crown, and aided in the great victory of Vittoria.

I remain your devoted comrade, 

   I was General Packenham. My orders were to proceed to from my starting location, Lerna, to the vicinity of Agreda and Tarazona, there to be a reserve and await further orders.

     This was a long march. Confusing the situation was the fact that following the roads took me to neither Agreda nor Tarazona, but to Tudela, just south of the Ebro. I sent a message to Wellington, and awaited new orders.

     While there, a French force under the command of General Daricau appeared from the north. I was guarding the bridge over the Ebro, and I sent a small force west to guard a ford. I later found out that the French didn’t realize it was a ford. No matter; any attempt to cross the river would be suicidal, for either of us. An arty duel commenced. By rights, I should have won, because I had the more powerful cannon, but luck was with my opponent. One of my regiments was destroyed, and only minimal damage was done to the French.

     Seeing that he could not force a crossing, the French withdrew north. I received orders to proceed north, which I did, but was forced back to Tudela by the same General Daricau, who had a slightly larger command.

     There I waited. General Daricau left some troops to guard me. I believed that he had reserves upon which he could call, so I did not initially attempt a crossing. As time passed, I began to suspect that I was being deceived, so I split my force. Four regiments proceeded to the ford, and crossed over. The remainder of my command was in march mode, ready to cross the bridge at the most advantageous moment. 

     My suspicions were confirmed when the French retreated north. I promptly followed him to Pamplona. There a fierce fight took place. I was at a disadvantage; He had his whole force waiting for me, but I could only bring half of mine onto the field at a time. The result was that two regiments were forced back, and they didn’t stop until the reached Tudela. However, at close quarters, my powerful 9 pounder arty took a significant toll on the French, and I began to push towards Pamplona. Daricau tried to stop this with a cavalry charge, but my loyal regiment hastily formed a square. In the ensuing melee, the French horse fell apart completely. 

     The way to Pamplona was now open. The French were being squeezed between my troops and those of two other Allied commands. Nothing could stop me. Nothing, that is, but sunset. Before I could reach Pamplona, the fight was called on account of darkness.

     Looking back, I waited too long before making my drive on the small French force at Tudela. It was only half my size. The French commander later told me that he did have reinforcements at first, but later committed them elsewhere.

Your obedient servant,

General Packenham

 

    I started at Pancorbo alone. I was to scout and delay any English. Soon  I saw coming towards me English General Ponsonby and his Guard Cavalry Division. And it soon was followed by Ltg Picton and his Inf Divison.I started to pull back and delay as best I can. I sent a message off to  Victoria to warn of the two Divisions. While pulling back another English Division came into view, which was determined to be LTG Dalhuosie. I proceeded to Vittoria, delaying best I could.

To: The Right Honorable Field Marshal, The Marquess of Wellington, G.C.B.
Headquarters, Army of Spain

From: Major-General, Count Alten
Commanding Light Division
La Guardia, Spain – 18th October, 1813

Subject: After Action Report – Battle of Vittoria

 

My Lord,

 

    In compliance with your orders, the Light Division was directed to leave Torquemada with all possible haste and to proceed by way of Burgos, thence turning eastward through Santo Domingo towards La Guardia, with the object of outflanking the enemy at Vittoria or, should fortune favor, cutting off Marshal Soult’s force before it could effect a junction with the troops already assembling near Vittoria.

 

    The march was conducted with great rapidity, and no enemy opposition was encountered upon the main road. Upon reaching Logroño, the bridge over the Ebro was seized without resistance, to the evident satisfaction of the local inhabitants. A detachment of Portuguese was left to secure this crossing; however, I regret to report that these men subsequently abandoned their post to indulge in a wine cellar within the town, a matter for which their officers have been suitably reprimanded. Delays occasioned by the local guides impeded our progress somewhat, yet the division continued its advance toward Vittoria from the southeast. At that time, Lieutenant-General Leith’s 5th Division was already engaged upon the western bank of the river at Vittoria, whilst the Guards were observed moving upon the principal bridge.

 

    Before Vittoria came into view, a large French column appeared on the southwest road in evident retreat, hotly pursued by Major-General Ponsonby’s cavalry brigade, who immediately fell upon their rear with admirable vigor. The enemy made several disorderly attempts to form a rearguard but were dispersed under heavy cloud of smoke by the spirited charges of the Guard and Dragoon regiments, who distinguished themselves in the action. With scarcely a casualty, our calvary pressed forward upon Vittoria while the 7th Division followed our light division in support. A brief conference with the Earl of Dalhousie determined that his division was no longer required in this quarter, and he accordingly proceeded eastward upon the road to Pampeluna in hopes of intercepting the enemy’s line of retreat.

 

    We continued to march to the sound of cannon fire but still had not encountered a frog. The Riflemen of the 95th, under Major Sharpe, displayed their usual zeal in pressing the advance. French cavalry, deployed as a screen before the town, presented a considerable hazard to our light troops as we advanced, but to our surprise, soon withdrew behind the river. This enabled the 95th to push down the highway and trap the retreating French, permitting Ponsonby’s squadrons to wheel right and engage the enemy beyond the river, thus clearing the approach to Vittoria. Simultaneously, Leith’s men forced a passage at the bridge, taking numerous prisoners who complained of confused orders and the miserable condition of Bonaparte’s army.

 

    At approximately 3:34 in the afternoon, after a forced march, the Light Division came into full contact with the enemy. Under covering fire from Major Sympher’s King’s German Legion battery, the 1/95th, 2/95th, and 1/52nd regiments assaulted the town walls with great gallantry. Though momentarily repulsed, they re-formed and renewed the attack with resolution, the men held firm. Particular distinction is due to the 1/43rd Light Infantry, who charged a French battery and for a brief time held the guns. The enemy’s canister fire proved too severe, and they were compelled to withdraw, suffering the heaviest casualties sustained by the division that day.

 

    As dusk approached and ammunition grew scarce, the division maintained its position in good order, continuing to skirmish along the town’s edge. With the enemy hemmed in and Ponsonby’s cavalry repelling a counter-attack upon our right, I am confident that, had daylight permitted, we should have advanced upon Bayonne itself. I must, however, express my disappointment at the conduct of the Portuguese detachment left at Logroño, whose failure to maintain their post rendered our flank exposed and the French to sprint to Burgos. Appropriate disciplinary measures have been taken.

 

God Save the King!

From the memoirs of General Vilatte

ME:

French general Villate’s division of
the Armee du Sud received orders upon arriving late to headquarters.
They were to follow General Leval’s division up the main road south
of the Ebro from Tudela. Villate did not like these orders, as he
felt a move north would be more appropriate to the strategic
situation. Villate felt that there were too many chokepoints along
the route proposed by Joseph, and the force would never be able to
rejoin the Army, slowed, and defeated in detail. Villate then
observed in his initial movement Level’s division halted by British
Commanders Byng’s division at Calahorra, and Bing having an open path
across the Ebro to Pamplona. Villate immediately turned his division
North and marched parallel to Bing, reaching Pamplona first, setting
up a defense on interior lines outside the city, attempting to also
keep open the road to Vittoria where he believed the large part of
French forces would be. Before night fell in Pamplona, the fight was
joined-both the French and British had been reinforced in relatively
even numbers, the British having a disadvantage in artillery while
the French, operating on interior lines, held Pamplona and the
defense line east of the river.

Prompt to AI: Write this up as if you were General
Vilatte, in the first person, and make Villate an excellent
commander, a frustrated egomaniac, and someone who speaks his mind
regardless of others.

Here’s a dramatized first-person
account, written as if you were General Villate himself—brilliant,
perceptive, but also uncensored, egotistical, and frustrated with the
incompetence of others.

AI

Memoirs of General Villate, Armee du
Sud

    I arrived at headquarters later than I
would have liked, only to be greeted with orders that reeked of
mediocrity. Joseph’s staff, in their infinite wisdom, directed me
to trail behind Leval’s division along the main road south of the
Ebro from Tudela. A child could see the folly in this. That road was
a death trap—narrow defiles, bridges that could be held by a
handful of men, and every chance for the enemy to cut us off and
destroy us piecemeal.

    But of course, no one listens to
Villate until disaster is already upon them. I have long since grown
accustomed to being the only man in the room who sees the board as it
truly is.

    As we began our march, I observed
Leval’s division halted, checked by Byng’s British at Calahorra.
Worse still, Byng had a clear path across the Ebro to Pamplona. Did
no one else grasp the danger? Did no one else see that if Pamplona
fell, the road to Vitoria—and the heart of our communications—would
be severed?

    I did not hesitate. I turned my
division north at once, parallel to Byng’s advance. My men, though
weary, followed with the discipline I demand of them. We reached
Pamplona first, and there I established my defense—interior lines,
the city at my back, the river before me. It was the only rational
course, though I am sure Joseph’s staff will call it
insubordination. Let them. History will remember who saved the army,
not who shuffled papers at headquarters.

    Byng arrived soon after, his redcoats
reinforced, but so too were we. The numbers were near equal, though
his artillery was laughably inadequate compared to mine. He pressed,
as the English always do, with stubborn courage but little
imagination. We held firm east of the river, my guns tearing gaps in
his lines, my infantry maneuvering with precision.

    It was not merely a battle for
Pamplona—it was a battle for the very cohesion of the French forces
in Spain. And it was I, Villate, who saw it, who acted, who seized
the initiative while others dithered.

    Do not mistake me: I am weary of
carrying the burden of foresight alone. I am weary of generals who
cannot see beyond the next hill, of kings who fancy themselves
commanders. But if destiny has chosen me to be the mind that
preserves France’s honor in this theater, then so be it. I will
bear the weight.

And when the histories are written, let
them say: It was Villate who saved Pamplona. It was Villate who
kept the road to Vitoria open. It was Villate who saw what others
could not.

Here’s a more polished, memoir style
version—something Villate might have written years later,
reflecting on his own brilliance with a mixture of pride and
bitterness:

Memoirs of General Villate

    It was in the autumn of our Spanish
campaign that I was summoned, belatedly, to headquarters. The orders
awaiting me were as uninspired as they were dangerous: I was to
follow General Leval’s division along the road south of the Ebro
from Tudela. To march blindly into that corridor of defiles and
bridges was to invite ruin. The enemy would have needed only a
fraction of their strength to halt us, while the rest of their army
struck at our flanks.

    I knew it at once. Others did not. Such
is the curse of command when one’s vision exceeds that of one’s
peers.

    As we moved, I saw what I had predicted
unfold: Leval’s division checked at Calahorra, Byng’s British
pressing hard, and—most damning of all—Byng with a clear path
across the Ebro to Pamplona. To allow him to seize that city would
have been to sever our communications with Vitoria and imperil the
cohesion of the entire French presence in the north.

    I did not wait for permission. I turned
my division north, parallel to Byng’s advance. My men, though
fatigued, marched with the urgency I demanded of them. We reached
Pamplona first. There, I established my defense: the city at my back,
the river before me, my artillery massed to dominate the approaches.
It was the only rational course, though I knew well that Joseph’s
staff would call it arrogance, or worse, insubordination.

    Byng arrived soon after, reinforced,
but so too were we. The numbers were near equal, though his artillery
was paltry compared to mine. He attacked with the stubborn courage of
his nation, but courage alone cannot overcome sound dispositions. We
held the line east of the river, our guns tearing gaps in his ranks,
our infantry maneuvering with precision.

    That day at Pamplona was not merely a
contest of arms—it was the fulcrum upon which the fate of the
campaign balanced. Had I obeyed my orders, the road to Vitoria would
have been lost, and with it the cohesion of the Army of the North.
Instead, by my judgment and my will, the army was preserved.

    I confess to weariness. It is no small
burden to see so clearly when others are blind, to act decisively
while others hesitate. Yet if destiny has chosen me to bear that
weight, I accept it. Let the courtiers whisper of arrogance; let the
timid call me reckless. History will remember otherwise.

It will remember that at Pamplona, when
others faltered, it was Villate who saw, who acted, who saved the
army.

From the Journal of Major-General W. Ponsonby

Ponsonby and his
Cavalry departed from the Northeastern edge of Burgos without
incident. They made good use of the major roads placing the heavy
Cavalry in march column to the rear protected by an initial screen of
light Cavalry in column. He planned for speed and unconstrained
aggression. The Division came within sight of Pancorba and
immediately made visual contact with a contingent of French Cavalry.
A small division sized element stretched along the primary road
traveling southwest toward Burgos. Their lead elements were nearing
the last village before the route swung them down to Burgos. Ponsonby
deliberated over a hasty charge with his light Cavalry, but before he
could the French turned and rapidly withdrew on the primary road back
Pancorba proper and then from there made their way quickly to the
Northeast

Knowing he had two
infantry divisions close behind Ponsonby did not let up on his drive
Northeast after the French and toward Vittoria. Seeing the surprise
in the French Cavalry he moved rapidly toward Pancorba and forgoing
his original orders on wards toward Vittoria. Ponsonby was determined
to exploit an unprepared enemy and gain a foothold north of the Ebro
River for the infantry divisions to utilize. The French Cavalry were
soon out of sight as they continued toward Miranda.

Ponsonby regained
enemy contact upon arriving at Miranda and was forced back by a
sizeable infantry division. Soon after he was able to rendezvous with
Picton and the 3^rd Division, and without hesitation both
divisions plunged into Miranda confident that they could force the
enemy back to Vittoria and make a rapid push for the city. As
expected, the French withdrew and began a defense in depth of
Vittoria

Ponsonby led the
British into view of the city and as the French positions came into
view, he realized that Lief and Alten were already within sight of
the city as well. Now three divisions who had not been ordered to
take Vittoria were staring down the Cities French defenders with a
possible two more divisions behind. Ponsonby wondered if this was
problematic but there was a fight to be had.

The heavy Cavalry
led the formation as they moved into the French defenders. The 1^st
Regiment LifeGuards on the right Flank and then 5^th
Dragoon Regiment on the left each supported by a contingent of light
Cavalry. The heavy Cavalry made a short charge into the advancing
French Cavalry who were deployed in mirror match to their British
counter parts, while the horse artillery made havoc on the infantry
between the two units. The Elite British heavy Cavalry crushed the
French Cavalry without much to do and then turned inward on the
infantry and artillery.

Ponsonby’s
Cavalry was able to shave off a few infantry regiments who seemed too
shocked to form square before destroying the supporting artillery
battery. The French began to regain their composure and formed square
as Ponsonby and his men road through the ranks. Finding a lack of
easy targets and satisfied that the infantry had no choice but to
beat a slow withdrawal back to Vittoria itself Ponsonby ordered his
men to bypass the slowly withdrawing squares for Picton and
Dalhousie’s guns to pick apart.

Ponsonby saw Alten
now had a clear path for his men to move up toward Vittoria but could
see the French Cavalry he had chased off earlier in the day massing
to Northeast of Vittoria looking poised to come down on the light
division as they moved to the city. He reformed his Cavalry with the
heavy Cavalry on the right flank and moved up in a column of
regiments to face the French Cavalry. He repelled their charge and
counter charged destroying or running off much of the French Cavalry
division freeing up Alten to Advance on Vittoria.

It was around this
time that news came that the French had defeated a blocking force to
the south and cut supply lines in Burgos. Rumors began to circulate
that Wellington had been captured. Frustrated, but without other
options, the forces around Vittoria made a desperate push to seize
the city. During this time Ponsonby became over extended and a light
Cavalry formation that had escaped his earlier thrashing was able to
overrun a horse artillery battery that was firing on Vittoria.
Despite this being the only casualty of the day and the relative good
spirits of the men, the writing was on the wall with the loss of
Burgos they would have to collapse their positions and either return
to Santander or Burgos to ensure the security of supply and an
evacuation route.

** I have foregone a
report for Picton as he played a relatively small role due to the
success of Ponsonby’s heavy Cavalry. His division marched hard
without relent and little to no resistance along the main road from
Burgos directly to Vittoria. They mopped up two infantry regiments
that had been left by the Cavalry and made it to the edge of Vittoria
itself without sustaining a single casualty. Then of course calamity
befell Wellington in Burgos and things began to falter. **

The Defense of Pamplona

October 19th, 1813

Headquarters, Armee du Sud, Pamplona

Your Majesty, my King!

   Herein I report to you how magnificently the Armee du Sud fought for you and the Empire’s glory in the recent battle against Wellesley and the combined British and Portuguese armies.

Per your instructions, Pamplona was vital to the success of the campaign and must be held at all costs. In the following you can see how Pamplona should have been fortified.  

Pamplona as it should have been… fortified.

Close up of Pamplona’s ideal fortifications.

    Instead, when my forces arrived, we found its defenses in the decrepit state seen below.  Clearly nothing but flesh and courage would hold the place. However, be assured My Majesty,  that my men and I had the ample quantities required. 

[Note: the so-called ‘Fortifications of Pamplona’ is a bit of a private joke with the GM… :].

Note that it turned out after the Campaign that the good General’s time piece was 18 minutes ahead; thus this was really 11:02 AM. Where are the Swiss when you need them?

Campaign Plan

    My initial plan was based upon the best maps I could extract from the local monasteries and town archives. It required much “persuasion” to obtain what I could, as I am sure Your Majesty understands these matters. As you can see marked on the map below, Pamplona’s defense is best attended by commanding the crossings of the Ebro River at Longrano, Calahorra and Tudela. I felt I could count on Villate and the other troops stationed towards Zaragoza to cover the upper crossings around Tudela. That left Longrono and Calahorra my responsibility.  I also felt it important to link up with our forces to the west and north to assure no paths were left unguarded for enemy to slip through. If enemy succeeded in crossing the Ebro, it would be necessary to swiftly move and strike the crossing forces in flank before they could establish themselves on our side of the river. As such, I planned to hold a central reserve ready to move as needed to aid either my main force or delay the enemy as might be called for by the developing situation. 

On receiving your orders to march, I sent reconnaissance parties on all roads and trails to inform me of their state and direction as well as the general nature of the countryside.

Reconnaissance Reports

My scouts soon reported, and as I had feared, the countryside and routes of march corresponded poorly to the maps in hand. In particular, you can see from the corrected map below where essential nexus were located.  

Daricau was heard muttering, “The map is not the territory. The map is not…”.

Initial Operations

I directed my main forces to the southwest, anticipating the Pamplona SW road would most likely be a direct route to the Longrono bridge.

Reports soon returned indicating that my southwest road out of Pamplona led to Vittoria, and that it seemed the road to Longrono had been washed out and no longer existed. I reasoned that if there was no direct route from Pamplona to Longrono, then the reverse was likely true, and I need not fear a direct enemy push from there. 

[NOTE: My recon MISSED the X13-to-T7-to-T12 connections!!]

As I had not yet received the scouting reports to my south, I decided to head to the northwest, expecting to link with our forces at Vittoria (T6) and possibly San Sebastian (T9). I felt it also urgent that I personally survey the northern routes to ascertain the likely threats of those enemy approaches.

I found the Pamplona (T13) region directly connected to Tolosa (T10), at which locale we briefly encountered General Cassagne (Russ L.). He informed us he was covering San Sebastian (T9) and was headed for Vittoria (T6), so it seemed our northern flank was well secured.

With Toloso (T10) and Vittoria (T6) well covered, I returned to Pamplona (T13), with the southern Pamplona approaches being my greatest concern.

By now all my scouts had returned and the Pamplona roads led as shown below:

Daricau Covers (one…) Southern Pamplona Approach

The campaign having been commenced for some time now, and yet not yet having encountered enemy to my north or west, clearly the south seemed by far the most vulnerable. Unfortunately the southern route was somewhat treacherous of passage and I suffered delays in getting through Tafalla (X12) while heading for where my reconnaissance had indicated was the Tudela (T11) crossing of the Ebro River. An area I fear I had not kept careful watch upon.

Sure enough, on emerging from the Tafalla (X12) defile I found the leading elements of Packenham (Brian C.) had taken Tudela (T11) and were nigh upon crossing the Ebro. I immediately deployed my troops to thwart Packenham’s further movements. 

So we stayed for some hours, engaging in a few meaningless artillery duels.

At this point, General Gazan, as commander of the Armee du Sud felt I did not need my full force in keeping Packenham in check [I, ahem, was playing both Daricau and Gazan]. Gazan ordered that I create a reserve back at Tafalla (X12). There it covered my rear to Pamplona, and could quickly respond to threats to any of Pamplona (T13), Calahora (T7) or reinforce me at Tudela (T11). General Gazan took these forces under his direct command. This proved wise as several times, Packenham, seeing my reserve forces head north, tried forcing an Ebro crossing, leading me to bring them immediately back and discouraging his further movements. Several times this happened and it was at this point, again under truce, I pointed out the futility of his moves and that his wasting of his time at the Ebro crossing simply played into French hands. 

Which in fact was soon to be shown that it did.  

Decision at Calahora (T7)

So, late in the afternoon, once again Gazan returned my reserve to Tafalla (X12). On returning, Gazan thought it wise to send his Dragoons to check on the Calahora (T7) Ebro crossing. The Dragoons arrived to discover they were in perfect position to seriously threaten British Lieutenant-General Cole’s left rear.  Cole was deployed north of the Ebro with French trying to force a crossing to get at Cole [sorry – I forget who the French commander was].

The Dragoons threatened Cole’s flank and rear, which should force him to turn a goodly portion of his forces, thereby aiding the fellow French commander. To strengthen the threat, Gazan brought in the rest of Daricau’s reserve from Tafalla (X12).  [Note: Failed to take photos, sigh.]

Cole remained oblivious to the threat, thinking no doubt a stream between him and Gazan was impassable and so would protect his left flank. [As an experienced player, I at that point suspected the British player did not realize the stream was crossable, so I pointed this out to him. But, he still made no adjustments.] The rest was history as Gazan’s Dragoons charged across the stream and routed Cole’s left flank. This allowed the other French forces to quickly cross and finish Cole’s destruction. 

Meanwhile matters had developed at Tudela (T11) and Daricau desperately needed his reserve returned.

The Tide Turns at Tudela (T11)

Late in the day, Daricau learned that besides the bridge at Tudela (T11), a ford existed across the Ebro slightly upstream.  Not having initially realized this, Daricau had neglected it, though Packenham’s activity thereabouts should have alerted Daricau. A serious blunder on Daricau’s part. Even though not seemingly marked on the field of battle, it was pointed out that the ford was indeed marked on the map.  

Sacrebleu!  Who knew? 

The map WAS the territory!

Packenham Masterfully Forces a Crossing of the Ebro

Still, a blunder on Daricau’s part not to cover the ford even after being made aware of its existence.  Easy victory all day had lulled him into inattention.

Late in the afternoon, Packenham’s scouts informed him that Daricau’s reserve was obviously gone – tied up elsewhere. [Brian could see me running back and forth like a crazy man between the Tudela and my other table (Calaphora…).] Packenham formulated a plan using both the bridge and ford to outflank Daricau’s rather diminutive covering force.  Even seeing the obvious British preparations, Daricau was slow in responding, far too late in rushing forces to cover the ford. With half of Packenham’s forces across at the ford and the other half able to cross the bridge, Daricau saw a delaying action followed by retreat to Pamplona as his best move. At this point he recalled his reserve from Gazan, the two forces precisely timing their simultaneous arrival at Tafalla (X12).  At least the Daricau’s troops still knew how to march.

Retreat to Pamplona

Mon Deu!  Daricau’s return to Pamplona shows him a battlefield in massive disarray. Clearly he should have kept a better eye on Pamplona.  Yet another failure on his part.

Daricau returns to discover Villate (Rob P.) has brilliantly intuited that the battle must lie at and that he must protect Pamplona. Without Villate’s prescience, Daricau would have been, to use the Brit phrase, humbugged. And from behind, no less.

At Pamplona in front of Daricau, Villate holds the bridges before Pamplona, the British Major-General Byng (Mitch A.) is to Daricau’s left, and almost worst of all, Dalhousie’s (Doug O.) very strong and fresh force is entering from Vittoria (T6) (apparently via X13).  Not to mention that Packenham’s men are in hot pursuit directly behind Daricau. Clearly Daricau must join up with Villate and hold off the coming concentric attack on Pamplona. 

[A note on special DZ rules here: As those who have participated in our SnapCon events know, Deployment Zones (DZs) are strips at table edges, 4″ wide by 6-to-12 inches long. They act as”teleportation zones” delineating areas where troops transport from one table to another. When one force, such as Brian’s Packenham is “chasing” another (i.e., Daricau), the chasing force has to wait for the leading force to clear the table’s DZ before the chasing force can also enter the table via that same DZ.  Think of it as in effect, the lead force has left behind a “rear guard” that holds up the chasing force. Note that the chased force must exit the DZ as soon as possible so it cannot indefinitely hold back its pursuers.]

[Unfortunately, again, I forgot to take pictures during the following mix-up.]

Daricau’s basic concept was to delay the British just long enough for night to fall and end the battle with his force intact and Pamplona still in French hands.

On Daricau’s first entering the battlefield, Byng was the only British force on the board. Byng, seeing he was outnumbered two-to-one, timidly withdrew to a defensive perimeter at the table edge. However, very shortly, Dalhousie showed up to Byng’s left, and Byng received word of Packenham’s imminent arrival. [Damn that table talk!!] Even though he had to cross the Arga River to do so, Byng went over to attack mode, vigorously striking frontally at Villate and also at Daricau’s left flank [the Arga is the one river in the photos]. 

Daricau’s forces move out of the Deployment Zone at Pamplona

The vigor of Byng’s attack unbalanced Daricau’s intended containment against the arriving Packenham. As such, Packenham and Byng were soon threatening to put Daricau in a trap of Byng’s hammer against Packenham’s anvil. Meanwhile, Dalhousie’s well-handled force was preparing to crush Villate’s right flank.  Only adroit handling of the Initiative Die Roll [we lucked out twice in a row on getting the Initiative we needed…] and the fall of night saved what most certainly would have been the destruction of Daricau and Villate and the certain fall of Pamplona.  

Not Daricau’s most sterling hour. 

All credit to the respective British commanders for a masterfully fought battle!

Your humble servant,

Augustin Darricau, General de Divison

(Aka James Sulzen)

Spanish
Reign or Rain? SnapCon 11

by
Russ Lockwood

C’mon
folks, sing along with me…

It’s
Snappy Nappy time,

It’s
Snappy Nappy time,

Oh
what a great design,

It’s
Snappy Nappy time!

Let’s
give a rousing cheer,

‘Cause
Snappy Nappy’s here.

It’s
time to start the game,

We’re
glad you came!

For
those who don’t recognize the tune, try this YouTube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1USHuud5i8

Seriously?
Oh Yeah!

Time
for another SnapCon and another rousing Snappy
Nappy Napoleonic
Campaign in a Day multi-player, multi-table. This one brought us to
1813 Spain, courtesy of GM Mike Seibert and Assistant GMs Peter
Anderson and Mark T. James S. overcame printer problems to create
custom nametags. All of the above created the terrain on the 14
tables (13 single tables and one double table).

Assistant GM’s Peter and Mark (in the fancy duds!)

The
French are on the run back to France with a massive wagon train of
loot. The British, Portuguese, and Spanish are hard on their heels,
trying to trap the French before they can escape over the border.

James
C was French C-in-C Joseph Bonaparte while Steve T was Allied C-in-C
Arthur
Wellesley (future
Duke of Wellington).
With 21 players across 14 tables, the game featured plenty of
maneuvering and combat.

I
should mention that for this game, like the 1809 Italy game from
years ago, Mike dropped the scale from brigade per unit to regiment
per unit.

Special
French rules for this Campaign in a Day game: the wagon train of
French loot moves 3d6 inches every 15 minutes and blocks road march
of any other unit. Clausel’s Division (five infantry units and one
artillery unit) starts in reserve at Bayonne. Joseph may split it
apart and order these units to become garrisons in any town if he so
desires. French messages have a 5% chance of failing to get thru due
to the all-pervasive Spanish guerrillas and a chance of being
captured. 

Other
than that, it’s usual Snappy
Nappy rules.

Partisans

Did
I mention the Spanish partisans? They were abstracted out, appeared
on certain tables, and posed quite the dilemma for the French. You
had to garrison every town with an actual unit (regiment). As a
division commander, do you give up units for garrison duty to keep
the supply lines open, or, keep units on the front line to combat the
British? If you fail to garrison the towns and villages behind the
lines, you risk a supply roll — and failure impacts all your
division’s units and other units ahead of you, too.

And
because all players are playing in the same campaign, failed supply
rolls on one table impacts other tables. Decisions, decisions.

Historical
Situation

By
June 1813, the British have retaken Madrid and driven the French back
beyond Burgos. Napoleon ordered Joseph to make a stand and defeat
Wellesley.
The neutral Austrians were watching such battlefield developments
closely and were considering which side to join.

Worse,
Napoleon took 25,000 troops out of Spain to defend Germany. This left
Joseph with about 68,000 men. Joseph has pulled back to what he hoped
was a smaller perimeter to defend in the northern part of Spain — a
line on the River Ebro. If Joseph can’t turn back Wellesley,
defeat will embolden all of Napoleon’s enemies to join the
anti-French Coalition and doom the Empire.

On
the Allied side, Wellesley‘s
campaign of 1813 saw his combined British, Portuguese, and Spanish
army of 79,000 strike northward towards Burgos without allowing
Joseph’s French armies to concentrate. Wellesley’s
troops marched hard to cut the French off from the road to the
Pyrenees Mountains, Bayonne, and France.

As
for the Spanish, the people rose up against the invader, having been
encouraged from the British success in the prior year.

Tasks
At Hand

Joseph
needs to repel the British Army approaching the French frontier, and
if possible, recapture Burgos — the main city on the British supply
line that extends all the way back into Portugal. He also needs to
avoid a major defeat, as that likely would persuade Austria to join
the coalition forces in Germany.

For
the French, the force is divided into three armies: Army du Portugal
(Reille), Army du Midi (Drouet aka D’Erlon), and Army du Sud (Gazan).
These commanders will provide additional rally capabilities for their
respective army only. In addition, they would be the senior commander
on the table for initiative rolling.

Wellesley
needs to capture the major cities on the main road to the border and
toss the French out of Spain. Capturing Bayonne, the main French
supply source, would be even better.

The
British Army is split into three wings, with Wellington in command of
one of them. The allies are composed of veteran British regulars
and Portuguese troops.

The
main road includes Vitoria, Tolosa, and San Sebastian tables.
Additionally, the important cities of Pamplona and Bilbao will be
included.

Who,
Me?

I
wasn’t picky about which side to be on, so it turned out I would be
French. When asked which command I would like, I picked the one under
Général de division Cassagne.

Why?

It
had the lowest rated troops of all French divisions. Usually, each
command gets a mix of troops from Elite to Conscript, and sometimes a
Militia added in. However, all my troops were Seasoned. That means it
was a fragile division and had to be handled very carefully. Much
would depend on where Joseph Bonaparte sent me. What can I say, I
like a challenge.

I
started at San Sebastian.

A
Quick Campaign-in-a-Day Overview

Snappy
Nappy
Campaign-in-a-Day features multiple players battling across multiple
tables in one big game. In this case, GM Mike split northern Spain
into 14 4×6-foot battlefield tables. The first two turns are
synchronized across all battlefield 14 tables, but starting on Turn
3, each table runs its own Turn sequence.

In
a regular SN
C-ina-D game, moving off of one battlefield table immediately puts
you on another, although that is almost never the adjacent table.
Credit James S with creating Transit Zones marking table entry and
exit points and a system of coordinating entering troops with the
table’s Turn Sequence.

OK,
now for Mike’s wrinkle.

Last
year, Mike GMed and created a Transit Table system where exiting off
one battlefield table sent you to a middle table with lots of Transit
“tables” containing 3×5-inch cards that matched that
specific exiting numbered Transit Zone. The card directed you to
either another battlefield table (no waiting), or, to a “Transit
Table” — an 8.5×11-inch sheet of paper representing a named
geographic area in between the 4×6-foot battlefield tables. If you
landed on one, you had to stay 5 real-time minutes. There was a log
sheet to fill out and an official GM clock to mark the 5 minutes.

And
another Mike wrinkle:

In
the regular SN
C-ina-D game, when a player’s troops were the only ones on the
battlefield table, the owning player would run through the Turn
Sequence rather quickly, and move rather quickly. “Warp speed”
was the slang used, although I termed it a strategic surprise, or
being “humbugged” so to speak.

Mike
wanted none of that. In his game, a player had to wait 5 minutes
between moves to eliminate the warp speed.

So,
with those wrinkles in mind, on to the campaign. The time was about
11:00 am in real time.

Oh,
one last point: When I give a Turn number, that number only applies
to my force. Since all tables follow the Turn sequence independently
of other tables, all I can give is my own impression of time.

My
25mm Troops

Division:
Général de division Cassagne (Dashing Commander: +1)

16th
Légère Regiment (Light Troops) Seasoned

17th
Légère Regiment (Light Troops) Seasoned

8th
Line Regiment Seasoned

9th
Line Regiment Seasoned

51st
Line Regiment Seasoned

52nd
Line Regiment Seasoned

53rd
Line Regiment Seasoned

54th
Line Regiment Seasoned

Nassau
Chasseur à Cheval Regiment (Cavalry) Seasoned

Foot
Battery 6lbr Artillery Seasoned

Foot
Battery 12lbr Artillery Seasoned

These
all started inside San Sebastian city limits. It was a tight fit, but
that’s where they started.

Let
The Operations Begin

I
was about to send a pair of regiments (units) to garrison the two
towns (Irini and Ernami) on the table when all of a sudden, two units
of reinforcements arrived from Bayonne to do the garrisoning for me.
Thanks, King Joseph Bonaparte.

The
King ordered me to Tolosa, the next table over, so I shook out into
road column. The main road was fast enough and I soon had my light
cavalry leading the infantry and artillery.

About
this time, I was awarded a great honor — I also became Corps
Commander D’Erlon (Drouet – Charismatic commander +2). This also
posed a dilemma and an opportunity. The dilemma was how to be two
players in one, but the opportunity was to be able to split my entire
force so I could cover two roads exiting the San Sebastian table.

Obeying
orders, I sent Cassagne down the main southwest road with most of the
force towards Tolosa while D’Erlon took three infantry units west.

Cassagne’s
Countermarch

By
Turn 4, I headed off the San Sebastian table and onto the Tolosa
table, with the next turn finding me at the outskirts of the city. No
enemy troops were on the table, although I did meet Daricau’s troops,
who turned around and headed back to Pamplona.

As
per Joseph’s orders, I marched towards Vittoria on the main road. On
Turn 7, I passed through Tolosa. Turn 8 (12:08 pm by my notes) I was
most of the way across the battlefield table. On Turn 10, I was off
the Tolosa battlefield table and deep into a Transit table.

On
Turn 13, my advance elements arrived on the (doublesized) Vittoria
table. Turn 14 saw my troops move off road to make sure the wagon
train of loot could pass.

On
Turn 15, Corp Commander Reille, who is the tactical overall commander
on the Vittoria battlefield table, gave me a verbal order to head
back to Tolosa.

What?

This
contradicts King Joseph’s order and initial reports say a large
British and Spanish force was slowly surrounding the city. Reille is
also not in my superior — D’Erlon is. Yes, as a player, I am also
D’Erlon, but that commander and his small force are far away, not on
the Vittoria battlefield table. Still, the umpire noted in pre-game
briefing that corp commanders were the “C-in-Cs” of the
table they were on.

I,
of course, protested. I was ordered to Vittoria. Reille noted he was
a marshal and ordered me back to Tolosa. Apparently, he was better
informed about the overall situation in Spain than I was and
mentioned a threat to Tolosa — which would cut off all our forces.

Well,
my marshal was nowhere to be seen and Reille the marshal gave me a
direct order to protect the route back to France. Tolosa was part of
that route, so I turned around and sent my units back off the table.

All
during my march, I was sending messages back to King Joseph apprising
him of my progress. I can’t say I knew what his specific plan was,
but I can definitely say no plan survives contact with the enemy.

D’Erlon’s
Drive

Back
to D’Erlon, who had taken the west road from the San Sebastian
table.

On
Turn 6, D’Erlon and his three infantry regiments were in Durango
(Transit Table). On Turn 9, he was all by his lonesome when his
troops arrived on the Bilbao battlefield table. A French force under
Surrat started in Bilbao, but where he and his troops were, I didn’t
know. All I knew was that the Bilbao table was empty except for me.

This
is not a good thing for us French. That meant an entire northern
route was open, as Surrat was the most western of the forces. I
suspected he headed south towards Vittoria, or maybe angled
southwest, but I was pretty sure he wasn’t heading west.

With
the importance of Bilbao in mind, as well as its location as a supply
line, I left a garrison of one regiment (the 9th Legere). But what to
do with the other two? Hold here? Go west? Go southwest? Go south?

On
Turn 11, I received a reply from King Joseph to my previous message.
The King ordered me to: “Advance to Burgos by any road I
choose.”

Ah.
Decision made. D’Erlon and two regiments headed southwest and exited
the Bilbao table.

On
Turn 12, the first British troops arrived: 1st Division. One of these
formations included the Coldstream Guards — as good a unit as any
Imperial Guard unit. The British tallied six regiments plus an
artillery — outnumbering me 2:1. You don’t even want to know about
the qualitative difference.

You
do? OK. The base firing to hit number for all my Seasoned troops is
7+ on a d10. The Coldstream Guards is a 4+. The Brits also had an
Elite regiment that hit on 5+, three Veteran regiments that hit on
6+, and one Seasoned unit that hit on 7+.

Did
I mention the Veteran artillery? Egads! At least he didn’t have
cavalry.

On
Turns 13 and 14, I watched the British advance on Bilbao. On Turn 14,
D’Erlon arrived back on the Bilbao battlefield table with his two
regiments — a puny force in the face of a full division. The only
good thing was this arrival was on the flank of the British, forcing
them to send half his troops to face them. It was time for the Battle
of Bilbao.

The
Battle of Bilbao

I
realized D’Erlon was outnumbered, outgunned, and out-experienced.
The only thing I could do is try and outmaneuver the British.

I
split my two southern regiments apart. One slowly backed into the
village of Gdenes. The other slowly shifted to get atop a hill. I
thought about running off table, but I realized that I was the only
blocking force between the Brits and San Sebastian, which would cut
off the French fighting at Vittoria, not to mention Cassagne at
Tolosa. The French needed more bodies. D’Erlon recalled Cassagne to
San Sebastian.

D’Erlon
headed to a point between Bilbao and Gdenes to keep everyone in
command.

The
British under General Howard sent the Coldstream Guards and a Veteran
regiment against Bilbao, but stopped short of engaging us French.
Clever general! While I was busy loopholing the place, Howard brought
up his artillery. I was about to be pounded.

The Battle of Bilbao

Back
at Gdenes, the firefight was short and sweet. By Turn 19, both my
southern units had routed. Gdenes was captured and so was the hill.

That
left my 9th Legere in Bilbao. I sent my commander to take personal
command. A massive lopsided firefight developed with two better
British infantry units and an artillery unit pounding away at my one
infantry regiment defending in a town.

Slowly,
the bombardment nibbled away at the 9th Legere. D’Erlon was
everywhere rallying his troops, so much so that he escaped injury
with only a hole in his coat. Still, the end was inevitable.

On
Turn 19, D’Erlon and the 9th were kicked out of Bilbao. They ran away
in utter panic, holding on to minimal cohesion only by the force of
D’Erlon. Even as they fled, D’Erlon rallied them. Before they exited
the table, they turned to fight again on open ground.

Then
the British 2nd division, primarily Portuguese under General Graham,
arrived and marched hard for D’Erlon.

D’Erlon
was clever. His back was to the Transit Zone. He could retrograde
move into it. It was Turn 21. The British were surprised at the bold
defense. If the 9th Legere couldn’t hold with the defensive
benefits of the town, how could it hold in the open field.

Here’s
where I pointed out to General Graham that if I could get a double
turn and the British road march formation was close enough to hit and
melee, I’d automatically wrack the lead unit and force a morale
check on the artillery unit behind as it fled through the artillery.
It’s a nuanced result of the melee rules and the British/Portuguese
player should know about it. This is a friendly game.

Anyway,
Graham paused to bring the artillery up. D’Erlon slipped away back to
the Durango Transit Table and ultimately the San Sebastian
battlefield table.

D’Erlon at San Sebastian – General Howard falls!

Cassagne’s
Last Line

As
per orders, Cassagne left Tolosa and arrived back in San Sebastian to
secure the road to Bayonne. By this time, D’Erlon’s frantic efforts
at a fighting withdrawal gave Cassagne time to set up a last line.

General
Darmagnac arrived as well, and between the two division commanders,
they set up a double line brimming with artillery and infantry.
Cavalry was off on the left flank. It was Turn 23 (2:49pm real time).

At
exactly this time, two conflicting orders arrived for Cassagne. One
from King Joseph ordering him to Burgos and the other from Reille
ordering him back to Vittoria.

Are
you kidding me? Burgos? Did Joseph not read any of D’Erlon’s messages
about a British attack across the northern roads? Hmmm. Maybe the
messages were captured by Spanish guerrillas?

How
to choose which order?

Marshal
Reille was far away and no longer in direct contact. D’Erlon was the
direct commander and finally arrived on the San Sebastian battlefield
table. D’Erlon countermanded Reille’s order.

That
left King Joseph’s order. Well, the King never said how many troops
to send, so D’Erlon took his now rallied 9th Legere and headed cross
country towards Tolosa. He exited the San Sebastian battlefield
table.

The
Portuguese and British entered the table.

The
Battle of San Sebastian

The
Portuguese arrived on Turn 24 and made a beeline for Cassagne’s
waiting line of troops defending San Sebastian. The artillery duel
was remarkably short. One Portuguese shot and half my artillery blew
up right then and there and the gunners routed all the way back to
Paris. Now the Portuguese sat and fired at my infantry with impunity.
I sent a regiment towards the Portuguese artillery. It was pounded
backwards and retreated through the gap I left. It pays to plan
ahead.

The
following British swung out to their right flank, which was the
French left flank, and aimed at Darmagnac, who swung his cavalry wide
to take cover behind a hill while maintaining his infantry and
artillery line.

Together,
the 12pder artillery of Cassagne and Darmagnac responded in the
center. Darmagnac went after the Coldstream Guards, but the regiment
stood firm despite the pounding.

D’Erlon
rode to the sound of the guns with his one infantry unit, joined by
Cassagne’s Hussars unit. Darmagnac brought the Cuirassiers up and
over the hill and charged a British infantry unit. It successfully
formed a Hasty Square and sent the cavalry packing.

Meanwhile,
the lone British cavalry unit with General Howard attached, faced the
9th Legere. In a twist of fate, and turn sequence for the magnificent
(or dreaded) double turn, the Hussars charged the British cavalry in
the rear and routed them. Howard tried to rally them, but a saber
slashed him from his saddle and he was taken from the field wounded.

The
British artillery fired at the 9th Legere, forcing it backwards while
D’Erlon rallied it. Here again, D’Erlon escaped injury with yet
another hole in his coat. He joked he had matching holes left and
right.

About
this time, the wagon train of loot appeared on the San Sebastian
table.

Now?
In the middle of a battle? I thought they had already passed by and
were in France. My misconception!

The
British artillery fired at the flank of the Hussars, routing them.
British infantry closed on the 9th Legere and despite D’Erlon’s
heroic efforts, routed the 9th and D’Erlon back to Tolosa. The cattle
and wagon train were plundered by the British.

End
of Game

Here
is where my tale of battle ends after 35 Turns.

The
Battle of Bilbao was a fighting withdrawal.

The
Battle of San Sebastian was a back and forth battle on the flank and
a pounding firefight in the center. As I noted, Cassagne’s division
was fragile and I kept it intact as much as possible. But there was
no place left to run.

Bayonne
was secure. The road from Bayonne to Tolosa not so much.

That
said, I had little idea what went on at other tables.

Debrief

A
Campaign in a Day game is always, on purpose, a little confusing to
an individual commander. I look forward to GM Mike’s recap.

Best
of what I could piece together amid loud victory celebrations… To
my surprise, us French still held Vittoria (2 VP), although a huge
battle was around it. We also held Pamplona (2 VP) and San Sebastian
(1 VP). I believe we also grabbed Burgos (2 VP). I believe one French
division was exhausted (-1 VP). That gave the French 6 VPs.

The
British had taken Santander (1 VP).

The
wagon train of loot was not worth any VPs to the British, only 1 VP
to the French. Likewise, Bayonne was worth a whopping 10 VPs to the
Brits, but no VPs to the French.

So
it was a 6-1 French victory.

But
wait! There’s more!

In
taking Burgos, we French apparently captured British C-in-C Wellesley
— the future Duke of Wellington, although with such a French victory
in Spain and 2024’s SN
C-ina-D French victory
in 1813 Germany, maybe there wouldn’t be such a promotion for Arthur
or even a Waterloo. Burgos also served as the main British supply, so
maybe the force falls back on the port of Santander — another
Corunna-style British evacuation as per 1809? Maybe the Austrians
stay out of the Coalition, reducing the number of Coalition troops
and possibly creating a negotiated peace?

Could
I Do Better?

Of
course, all players do as best they can at the time with the
information and orders they have. I found it amazing that Cassagne
marched a long way only to be ordered back to his starting point. The
move turned out to be correct in terms of protecting Bayonne, even if
the troops might have been better used elsewhere instead of marching
back and forth. And in no way would they counter-counter march back
to Vittoria or Burgos.

Those
of you with knowledge of 1815 Waterloo know that D’Erlon was the
corp that Napoleon ordered to march from Quatre
Bras to Ligny, where, just as it arrived, D’Erlon’s immediate
superior, Ney, ordered it back to Quatre Bras. Thus, it never got
into either battle to the detriment of French fortunes.

So
you can see how tabletop commanders could order the same
counter-march as a historical commanders. What we have here is a
failure to communicate, or maybe communicate too much. And it was a
tad ironic that it was a division from tabletop D’Erlon’s Corp
that did the tabletop counter-march.

Anyway,
Cassagne was a fragile division. As we saw at Bilbao, Seasoned troops
against Veteran troops is a challenge. Sprinkle in some Guard and
Elite and you need to be lucky to hold. Fortunately, Darmagnac also
had troops there. It would be a near run thing for the French to
hold.

The
one decision I debated about is whether to form a line at San
Sebastian and give the Portuguese and British room to deploy, albeit
requiring a number of turns to shake out of marching mode and into
fighting mode, or, to form a line of battle close to the Transit Zone
and crowd them before they can fully form up and spread out.

Darmagnac’s
cavalry would force British infantry into square, limiting mobility
and buying more time. Yet getting to grips earlier with superior
troops would likely cause considerable damage to French forces. It
might have allowed the wagon train of loot to slip by, although VP
wise, the +1 VP for loot would likely offset the -1 VP for a wracked
division.

Guess
I’ll never know…maybe next time?

Another
Great Campaign-in-a-Day

Once
again, I enjoyed pushing troops across multiple tables and engaging
in a fighting withdrawal (Bilbao) as well as a set-piece battle (San
Sebastian). Judging from the cheers and groans, all enjoyed the fog
of war of battling on multiple tables without knowing everything
about every unit. That units could slip across tables to surprise the
enemy in a strategic flank offers a glimpse into trying to coordinate
forces across vast distances.

A
big thank you to The Portal (60 Hilliard St., Manchester, CT 06042 —
860-432-0711) for allowing us to use the backroom for our annual
SnapCon. If you are anywhere near Hartford, CT, stop by. Besides a
ton of new boxed games, fantasy and sci-fi miniatures, and gaming
supplies, there’s a large selection of used games for sale at various
prices and new games at a 50% discount. I picked up one of the latter
— you’ll undoubtedly hear about it in a future AAR.

A
big thank you for GM Mike for putting the entire campaign together,
Peter and Mark T for Asst GMing, James S for a quick overview of the
rules, Mark T for supplying a mid-afternoon pizza lunch, and all the
players who pushed troops and rolled dice to create a magnificent
gaming experience.

Best
Dressed Award: Mark T for his Jane Austen-worthy uniform. Runner up:
GM Mike for adding a bicorne to his Russian uniform hoodie. Halloween
came early!

More
Info

The
Portal: The website
for the store:

https://www.theportalct.com/

Blunders
on the Danube Blog:
All the Snappy Nappy
Campaigns in a Day OOBs, maps, and recaps and eventually this one,
too.

https://blundersonthedanube.blogspot.com/

Campaigns
In a Day and Downloadable Quick Reference Sheets:

https://blundersonthedanube.blogspot.com/p/campaigns-in-day.html

Snappy
Nappy (To
purchase):

Paper
version: https://www.onmilitarymatters.com/product/1-190320

PDF
version: https://www.onmilitarymatters.com/product/2-190320

Paper
version in UK: https://www.caliverbooks.com/bookview.php?id=15996

Report of the 2nd Division, Headquarters at Aranda de Douro:

Major General Byng – Commanding

Situation: The army is about to make a push across the Ebro River and push the hated French out of 

Spain. Everything seems in our favor. Napoleon has gambled his bid to take Russia and along with

that failed attempt has lost an army. He must get men somewhere and the largest source of trained men 

is in Spain. The French must retreat out of Spain so they can replenish the veterans Napoleon has lost. 

It is inconceivable that Joseph Bonaparte would go back to his brother and say, “I still have a

foothold in Spain – unfortunately I’ve lost the veterans in the attempt to hold onto that foothold.”

 Napoleon would probably strangle his brother right there.

Lead Up: As we sit in Aranda de Douro there is speculation amongst the men and those officers in 

my headquarters as to how the campaign will play out. The general feeling is that as the army is on

two parallel paths, each will head to their initial objectives. The right going to Vitoria and the left to 

Santander with a pivot along the coast to outflank and cut off Vitoria. All the follow on units will 

converge and move to the sound of the guns. Some may take secondary routes moving between those 

two initial locations – but again, with the objective of cutting supply off from those locations.

Finally, no one is encouraged with the prospect of going east – (South of the Ebro). That’s for two 

reasons: first is that there’s nothing south of the Ebro worth holding onto. Even the Spaniards don’t 

want to be there. Secondly, the main emphasis and the actual fight is expected to be north of the Ebro. 

Fortunately, the 8th Division, which is also bivouacked at Aranda de Douro is part of our joint thrust 

so we should have sufficient men to take whatever location we are to attack. Meanwhile, the time to 

start marching is approaching and still no orders!

Orders: Finally, the day before we broke camp a courier comes with the orders. With anticipation I 

read what the route of march would be. Puzzled, I read the message once again. We were to go to Soria

– alone – and then head north to get to the Ebro and finally to Pamplona. What? Why not go straight 

north? Perhaps someone had written the orders wrong? But with no time left, as the orders

came in quite late, there was no time left to debate the matter. So we marched.

The Operation: We moved alone to Soria as the 8th Division was did not join us on the march to the 

east.. The march was long, hard and grueling. But we made it there intact and in good spirits. We did not

dawdle in Soria but cleared the village on on way to Calahorra (Board 7) and immediately we saw 

French soldiers coming. While there were no cavalry we could see, they had a lot of artillery. But 

with our orders to get to Pamplona, I thought we could make it over the bridge and perhaps beat the 

French to that objective – especially if they tried to engage my Division. Moments later it was obvious 

that there was not one French Division, but two. Our men kept asking the same question – where was 

the 8th division? Outnumbered and having a 4:1 artillery disadvantage, I sent messages to Wellington 

hoping for some reinforcement. The General did what he could do but being so far off the beaten path 

his reply was that he had sent forces to aid me but under no condition lose Calahorra as our supply line 

went through it. There was no reference to my original orders, however. Did the general expect me to 

get to Pamplona?

    These were major questions and they remained unanswered – and all of these took time. Both French 

Divisions were bearing down on me and I was trying to cross a bridge over the Ebro river – in order to 

get to the objective: Pamplona. Having decided to cross the bridge it was obvious I had to defend my 

rear and I did this with two infantry regiments and the only artillery I had. The French front Division

attacked. The French rear Division broke off, went over a secondary bridge and had the inside track to 

Pamplona. And it was at this point that General Cole’s Division arrived on the scene.

We quickly assessed the situation and given our Divisions’ dispositions, General Cole would hold 

Calahorra and our supply line and I would continue toward Pamplona.

   The only complication – and it was a big one – was that I had three units still engaged with a full 

French Division led by General Leval (Bob Rossi). While it was an uneven battle in numbers, it was

exacerbated by the luck in battle that Bob had versus the anti-luck I had. My units shot well, as did the 

French, but mine could not make a save [5 and 6 morale troops] while the French seemed to have

heaven shine down on them repeatedly. I was, thankfully, able to save one infantry unit, which crossed 

the bridge and rejoined the column moving to Pamplona. The artillery, was unable to do the same. After 

a couple of turns in which it did admirable work as a rear guard, it took one hit and disintegrated. [Rolls 

of 2,2,2,3,2]. The last infantry unit out-distanced the French who consolidated around the bridge. 

[Aside – with General Cole holding Calahorra I transferred the remaining infantry unit to him – later I 

found it too, had been rendered hors de combat.] With my rear secure I moved on to the second phase 

of the operation.

    With my rear secure I moved on to the second phase of the operation. It took a few moves to exit the 

map but the 2nd Division eventually moved to Estella. Now my chance of getting to Pamplona before 

the French all but disappeared. I did, however, get to Pamplona. As some of my force entered the 

staging area I saw that Pamplona had a small garrison and my French counterpart (General Villatte – 

Rob Painter) probably encountering the same kind of delay as I did, was entering via a different  

staging area (on the Pamplona board). Unfortunately, he was on interior lines, far closer to Pamplona 

than I was and had a greater force then I had (with 2 artillery batteries!). I wrote back to Wellington, 

once again asking for reinforcements. I was told some would be sent but it would take a very long 

while to get there so . . . don’t expect any soon. I considered going back to Estella and awaiting those 

reinforcements but decided against it – even though there was a chance I would be cut to pieces by long 

range artillery.

    When I got to the river with the cavalry, however, disaster struck. The French got reinforcements that 

went into the staging area and those reinforcements had a among other things two units of cavalry.

But there was no reason to retreat my cavalry as they were causing some consternation among the 

French who were trying to backtrack and cross the bridges back to Pamplona. And still I waited

reinforcements which finally came… a day late and a dollar short.

    But they did arrive and so I had some choices, because as the French reinforcements came onto the 

table, additional British reinforcements were to enter the staging area right in back of the French. 

(Sorry – no picture was taken and as the intensity of action occurred I do not remember which General 

actually arrived [ed nte – it was Packham, aka Brian ].) So, to set the stage, General Villatte had the 

central portion of the river. I had my infantry on the other side of the river to his left, but my cavalry 

unit was in his rear. My own reinforcements in the form of General Dalhousie’s Division had entered 

and was to his right center with his British Division. Because of this, General Villatte was trying to 

retrograde his Division back across the river toward Pamplona – the prize! To support General Villatte 

was the French Division (with cavalry) of General Daricau (James Sulzen).  Finally, another British 

Division was in the staging area about to come on – where James had just been. Hectic!!

   I had four possible options:

1. Charge the French at the river and in conjunction with General Dalhousie, destroy the French

division on our way to Pamplona. 

2. Let General Dalhousie handle the French at the river, cross the river and get James in a vice

between our new entering Division and my forces. 

3. Hold my cavalry back and use it to threaten both French forces. 

4. Charge General Villatte’s infantry trying to cross the bridge (in column) with my cavalry– destroy it 

and bag half of his Division.

    As it would play out every choice I made was wrong! I charged the cavalry into General Villatte’s 

infantry coming off the bridge in column. He tried to form square and failed! But my dice continued to 

fail me and the net of the charge was my cavalry lost two morale levels, and the infantry was 

unscathed. I was hoping to ride through them but as events would happen my cavalry would be

destroyed by General Daricau’s heavy cavalry in the next turn.

Just prior to my infantry attack but after my was destroyed by James’ Cavalry. 

(At the road center of pic).

    I also charged the half retreating units of General Villatte’s division. I say half retreating as some 

were falling back but two units of artillery were not. I threw my men at the artillery and lost a number 

of men. I tried against the other artillery piece just across the river and, in charging over the bridge, lost 

a battalion. This was all with the expectation that General Dalhousie and the 7th Division would follow

up my lead and charge forward against the rest. I thought it was self evident that the two of us could 

destroy that division but clearly that was not in his mind. He destroyed a two stand battalion with his

division and the rest of General Villatte’s Division escaped to enjoy a meal in Pamplona. I used a 

further two battalions to cross the river and attack General Daricau’s infantry. I was making gains as 

being in a vice between two advancing/attacking divisions is not a pleasant thing. You can’t form

square as that’s not a good plan and you must present a rear to one of those enemy divisions – so not 

good! And then the campaign ended. Unfortunately, we were unsuccessful in taking Pamplona.

Aftermath: This was perhaps the most frustrating campaign I have been a part of. I thought everybody 

tried their best but it just didn’t happen. Whether it was the overall plan, the 

communications throughout the campaign, or the dice of the individual commanders (me especially) – 

it just didn’t seem to go our way. I personally thought that on the tables I campaigned on, it seemed I 

was off-step/out-played at every turn. In total I lost 1 infantry and 1 artillery unit against General Leval, 

1 infantry unit against General Villatte and 1 cavalry unit against General Daricau. But I still retained 

control of about 5 battalions.

I would like to congratulate the French and especially the 3 French players I had the pleasure to play 

against – Bob Rossi, Rob Painter, and James Sulzen. They played honorably, fairly and well and thus

their efforts proved successful . One can not ask more of opponents in order to have an enjoyable 

gaming day. Finally, I would like to thank the outstanding work done by thereferees with all that goes 

into setting up the campaign, the tables, the Order of Battle and the million other things I have not 

mentioned. Great work – as always.

Sincerely,

Mitch Abrams

Report of the Actions of His Majesty’s 5th  Division During the Recent Campaign in Northern Spain, Spring 1813

General Sir James Leith

To the fine
gentleman of Parliament, I present to you the report of the 5^th Division of His Majesty’s Army in Spain.

    Our Division started in Melgar and
after a prolonged morning tea, we made with off with great haste. Our
orders were to march with the intent to take Vittoria. With alacrity we
made off, and arrived at Aguilar de Campos, seeing the dust clouds of
General Kenneth Alexander Howard’s Division marching North to
Santander. 

Moving North initially, the 5^th made an Eastern
movement towards Espinosa de Monteroi. Finding nothing of note to report there, our men had a pleasant stroll through the country with a lack of French
presence. The 5^th next moved on to Ordana with Vittoria in its sights.

  The 5^ths arrival upon Table
Vittoria revealed a sight for glory seeking eyes. An large area full of French ready to
be thrashed! This would be no easy fight, however. As the first
British arrived, it appeared to be a tall order to send these Frogs
back across the mountains. Opposing us was Général de Division
Conroux and Général de Division Lamartiniere. They were spread
around the city and the countryside in a defensive ring with local
towns as garrison points. 

In addition, Général de Cavalry P Soult
had recently arrived in the area, seemingly in a fleeing in retreat. Perhaps this was  a good sign
for the day. 

Soon after the 5^ths arrival, Major-General
Baron Alten arrived across the battlefield from ourselves, but Général
de Division Conroux also arrived in the middle of the field, thus separating us. Cheerio, getting a mite crowded with lots of chaps on the field!

    Starting the battle off, Leith’s Division began a methodical advance upon the local French Garrison in
front of us, despite being pounded by vicious cannon barrage. No need to lose some of
Britain’s finest in a skirmish. The defenders in the town of Durana were quickly swept aside,
but as we advanced the French sent more troops across the river in
support of their fleeing comrades. An opportune Cavalry charge into
the rear of a French regiment was met with a stiff rebuttal in the form of a hasty
square. Nevertheless, the British made quick work of those French on our
side of the river.

    While this occurred,
Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Picton joined the fray, engaging
Général de Division Conroux. After some vicious fighting, the
British dragoons broke the French flanks causing a fighting
withdrawal to occur. Leith’s forces engaged a few Frogs facing us
across the river with unsuccessful infantry assaults and more
successful cannon fire.

    Against the French facing Leith down on the
way to Vittoria, the infantry assaults were much more successful. The preparation for the assault on the city was underway. However French
Cavalry on the flanks caused our forces to halt and form up to face
them. In addition, a heavy cannon in the city was stopping us from
assembling in the staging ground. The remaining British forces were
pushing their way forward on our right flank through tenacious
retreating French squares, which held out even when surrounded. I
regret to say that they even threw some of our Portuguese allies into
retreat.

    By this stage of the battle it was
becoming apparent that the British Forces would soon overwhelm the
French Garrison in Vittoria. Already Major-General Baron Alten was
assaulting French positions in the city. The French left flank was in
full retreat due to a magnificent British Cavalry action. It is with Regret that I must inform you that the remains of my Portuguese detachments then fled
the field in the face of musketry, cannon and French elite Cavalry
charges onto my flank. Although these Cavalry had the potential to
threaten my rear, they could not stop our impending assault upon city.

   Unfortunately, news then reached us of the loss of Burgos and  of Lord Wellington’s capture. This unhappy news caused the cessation of all combat for the day.

Respectfully submitted,

Major General Sir James Leith

(aka Sean Seibert)

First Contact – An Account of the Battle of Calahorra and beyond

as published in Le Moniteur Universel, by War Correspondent Mark T.