Last week, the gentlemen from the Old Dominion Military Society convened in Newport News, Virginia to play out an ahistorical clash between Comte d'Erlon's powerful I corps versus a hastily assembled group of allied troops under William, Prince of Orange.
The rules used were General d'Armee and they shined in this corps vs corps battle. We had previously played several smaller games with the rules, but the rule mechanics and concepts proved to be outstanding in a larger battle like this one.
The French I Corps advanced from the left towards the allied troops defending the area around the town of Gosselies.
In our scenario, the French had advanced through Charlerois several hours earlier with minimum effort, but the allies had reformed more efficiently than they did historically. Prince William was able to gather a large force of Dutch, Belgians, Brunswickers, and troops from Nassau to defend the area of Gosselies, which lies between Charlerois and Quatre Bras. Historically, Reille's corps led the march to Brussels, but in our game, the honor went to I Corps. The objectives were simple; the French had to thrash the allied troops and continue their advance before the end of 16 turns, while the allies had to remain on the field of battle and deny the French their victory condition.
d'Erlon's infantry divisions advanced all across the line, while the cavalry division under Jacquinot moved forward in a flanking maneuver on the French left. The allies' defense was centered on the town, with most of the artillery and the Dutch/Belgian troops deployed in and around the town. The Nassau infantry held the allied left flank, while the Brunswickers stood firm on the right.
From the first turn, the French suffered artillery casualties and command/control problems. Their advance through the woods slowed to a crawl. Meanwhile, the Brunswick jagers proved to be troublesome, causing casualties on the French hussars and horse guns while firing from wooded terrain. On the French right, d'Erlon's infantry managed to push the Nassauers back initially in a nicely supported attack, but the allies bent but did not break. The French attack on the town went nowhere and the guns wreaked havoc on the approaching columns. The Dutch militia stood firm in the town as the French retreated and faltered.
The French commanders were aggressive and bold in their attacks, but suffered from poor die rolls and rough terrain to advance through. The allies planned a masterful defense and proved to be a very tough nut to crack !
A lucky die roll saw Grant's 4th British cavalry brigade arrive on the field and advance to engage the French cavalry on the allied right. After a couple of charges and counter-charges, the French cavalry advance was stopped and the British cavalry were victors for the time being.
After 8 turns, the decision was made to award the allies with a victory. The French center had routed and remained faltered, while both flank attacks were stopped in their tracks. All players agreed that the rules provided an excellent game; the flow was very smooth. Both sides played with passion and competence, but this day belonged to the allies. With a group of 10 players, we averaged 30 minutes real time for each turn. I, as GM, was very pleased with this. I can't wait to put on another game of General d'Armee !
Here's more pictures of the terrain and the game in progress.
