Battle of Albuera Refight - October 2012

At our club meeting in October 2012, the British under General Beresford (aka Steve Green), ably supported by the Spanish General Blake (aka John Shaw), took on the might of France under Marshal Soult (moi) in a refight of the Battle of Albuera using the FOG N rules.

  

Albuera Refight

Well the battle played out very similarly to its historical counterpart, except that the Spanish put up a more traditional display.  Instead of rolling multiple sixes as they must have done at the actual battle, they crumpled under the French onslaught and fled following a few volleys and a bayonet charge by the French 1^st and 2^nd Divisions.  The upcoming British division was swept away in the rout and the Allied army was broken one move after lunch.  

Massed French columns on the left and in the foreground prepare to hit the Allied lines on their apex.  The Spanish Division to their front start praying for lots of sixes.  British columns are visible in the distance, trying to get up in support of the Spanish.

The Spanish fail to throw those sixes and the French force them back.  The tasteful red marker shows the passage of the Spanish rout. Alongside them, the British reserves start to arrive, but too little and too late.

One ray of light on an otherwise cloudy day for the Allies was the performance of their cavalry.  Led by the impetuous British Dragoons, they swept away their French counterparts who attempted an ill-advised uphill counter-charge.  This would have proved crucial in covering the army’s retreat should this have been a campaign battle.

The FOG N rules again proved more than capable of handling larger than corps size battles and the game was over within 4 hours.  The Orders of Battle were adapted from the Napoleon’s Battles scenario, using the FOG N army lists for troop classifications.

Orders of Battle

FRENCH

		Troop Type	Name	Size	Elan	Training	Attachment
1st Corps				Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment
	CC2 (Skilled)		Soult	Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment
1st Division
	DC1 (Competent)		Girard	Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment
		Light Infantry	French Light Infantry	Small	Average	Veteran	No attachment
		Line Infantry (reformed)	French Line Infantry	Small	Average	Drilled	Skirmish
		Medium Foot Artillery	French 8 pndr Foot Artillery	Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment
2nd Division
	DC2 (Skilled)		Gazan	Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment
		Light Infantry	French Light Infantry	Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment
		Line Infantry (reformed)	French Line Infantry	Large	Average	Drilled	Skirmish
		Medium Foot Artillery	French 8 pndr Foot Artillery	Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment
3rd Division
	DC1 (Competent)		Godinot	Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment
		Line Infantry (reformed)	French Line Infantry	Large	Average	Drilled	Skirmish
		Line Infantry (reformed)	French Line Infantry	Large	Average	Drilled	No attachment
		Line Infantry (reformed)	French Grenadiers	Small	Superior	Veteran	No attachment
		Medium Foot Artillery	French 8 pndr Foot Artillery	Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment
Polish Division
	DC1 (Competent)		Werle	Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment
		Line Infantry (reformed)	Duchy of Warsaw Infantry	Large	Average	Veteran	Medium Artillery
		Line Infantry (reformed)	Duchy of Warsaw Infantry	Small	Average	Veteran	No attachment
Dragoon Division
	DC1 (Competent)		Latour-Mabourg	Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment
		Heavy Cavalry	French Dragoons	Small	Average	Veteran	No attachment
		Heavy Cavalry	French Dragoons	Small	Average	Veteran	No attachment
		Light Cavalry (Lancers)	Polish Hussars	Small	Average	Veteran	No attachment
		Horse Artillery	French Horse Artillery	Small	Average	Veteran	No attachment
Light Cavalry Division
	DC1 (Competent)		Briche	Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment
		Light Cavalry	French Chasseurs	Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment
		Horse Artillery	French Horse Artillery	Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment

ALLIES 

		Troop Type	Name	Size	Elan	Training	Attachment
				Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment
	CC2 (Skilled)		Beresford	Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment
2nd Division
	DC1 (Competent)		Stewart	Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment
		Line Infantry (reformed)	British Line	Small	Average	Drilled	Skirmish
		Line Infantry (reformed)	British Line	Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment
		Line Infantry (reformed)	British Line	Large	Average	Veteran	Skirmish
4th Division
	DC1 (Competent)		Cole	Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment
		Line Infantry (reformed)	British Line	Small	Average	Veteran	Skirmish
		Line Infantry (reformed)	Portuguese Line	Large	Average	Drilled	No attachment
		Medium Foot Artillery	British 9pndrs	Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment
Portuguese Division
	DC1 (Competent)		Hamilton	Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment
		Light Infantry	Portuguese Cacadores	Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment
		Light Infantry	Portuguese Cacadores	Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment
		Line Infantry (reformed)	Portuguese Line	Large	Average	Drilled	Skirmish
		Light Cavalry	Portuguese Dragoons	Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment
		Medium Foot Artillery	Portuguese 6pndrs	Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment
Cavalry Division
	DC2 (Skilled)		Lumley	Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment
		Impetuous Shock Heavy Cavalry	British Heavy Dragoons	Small	Average	Veteran	No attachment
		Horse Artillery	British Horse Artillery	Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment
							Medium Artillery
	CC1 (Competent)		Blake	Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment
Vanguard Division
	DC1 (Competent)		Lardizabel	Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment
		Light Infantry	Spanish Cazadores	Large	Average	Drilled	No attachment
		Line Infantry (non-reformed)	Spanish Line Inf	Large	Poor	Drilled	No attachment
4th Division
	DC1 (Competent)		Lardizabel	Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment
		Line Infantry (non-reformed)	Spanish Line Inf	Large	Poor	Drilled	No attachment
		Line Infantry (non-reformed)	Spanish Line Inf	Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment
		Line Infantry (non-reformed)	Spanish Militia	Small	Poor	Conscript	No attachment
Spanish Cavalry Division
	DC1 (Competent)		Loy	Small	Average	Drilled	No attachment
		Light Cavalry	Spanish Hussars	Small	Poor	Drilled	No attachment
		Heavy Cavalry	Spanish Militia Cavalry	Small	Average	Conscript	No attachment

 Historical Albuera

To forestall an attempt by Soult to relieve the British siege of the fortress of Badajoz, Beresford offered battle on the hills near the village of Albuera (on a site apparently chosen by Wellington).

Soult feinted with his right while launching a sweeping attack round the Allied flank with his left.  The Allied army, which included a Spanish Corps under Blake was in serious trouble from the start, with the Spanish bearing the brunt of the fighting at first.  Contrary to their typical performance in the Pensinsular, the Spanish put up a stubborn resistance and held the French at bay long enough for the British and Portuguese reserves to arrive and restore the situation.  However, the British suffered fearful losses doing so, including the destruction of an entire brigade to a charge by Polish lancers. 

Neverthless, the French were finally pushed back and the battle ended with both sides bloodied and exhausted, the French being unlucky not to have won.