The Battle of Uccle - Napoleonic BatRep

On Saturday the rejects got together for a Napoleonic wargame using Posties own rules and a small portion of his massive collection of figures. This was a fictional battle and followed on from the Battle of Hal which was itself a 'what if' scenario based on the premise that Wellington had lost the Battle of Waterloo and been forced to retreat to prepared fall back positions.

The Setup

The Battle of Hal was a bruising defeat for the French under Reille and Napoleon was not best pleased with the result. The French have now reorganised and Reille has been sent forward again to assault the Anglo-Allied positions which now straddle the small village of Uccle just 3 miles outside Brussels. The position is a good one - anchored on three hills with the village in the centre - but the allied army is of mixed quality with a number of poor quality line troops and militia making up its numbers. They are faced by a battle hardened but tired and weakened French army, determined to redeem themselves after their defeat at Hal.

French Forces

Fran - Prince Jerome Bonaparte, Comte Foy, 9th Div

Smiffy - 6th Division

Lee - Kellerman 3rd Cavalry Corps

Ian - 5th Division, Gen Baron Bachelu

Anglo-Allied Forces

Surj - L/Col HH Mitchel - 4th Brigade,

Clint - Col Olfermann - Brunswick C/O

Brian - L/Gen Colville 4th British Division

Ray - Prince Frederick of the Netherlands C/O

The disposition of both armies at the start of the game (French on right and Allies on the left)

Postie details the forces under the Allied command and gives our guests Clint and Brian a brief overview of the rules.

The French Columns begin their advance towards the Allied centre

Surjit's tiny cavalry brigade advances towards the French guns

Two French brigades wait patiently for their chance to attack

The French columns continue to advance behind a skirmish screen

Mid way through the game as the lines begin to approach each other

The French infantry advance is relentless but its the arrival of a French Heavy Gun (seen here on the road heading towards the front lines) that would ultimately prove pivotal to the battle. 

Meanwhile I moved four Cavalry Brigades round to the right flank to 'persuade' the British infantry opposite them to stay on their hill and therefore not advance against our weakest infantry position. 

Surjits Cavalry overrun the French Guns but find themselves flanked by infantry and faced by two French cavalry Brigades. 

The enemy lines are almost touching now

French Currasiers slam into the enemy cavalry that dared to overrun their guns. The Allied cavalry were wiped out.

Meanwhile French heavy re-enforcements arrive on the left flank. Although they would not play any part in the battle they may have convinced the Allies to move their own re-enforcements to their flank rather than their precarious centre.  

A panoramic view of the whole table at the height of the battle

The French columns finally reach their target and slam into a fairly one sided Melee

View across the field from the French left towards the centre where the crucial fighting was taking place

The centre turns into a large infantry slogging match

The village of Uccle was defended my Dutch conscripts. When the newly arrived French Heavy Gun arrived it fired into the village and killed the Divisional commander...precipitating a retreat by the while Dutch division in the centre.

With their centre dissolving the Allied commander (Ray) decided to break off and admit defeat. His army was still largely intact and he was clearly thinking about yet another fall back position and once more chance to defeat the little Frenchman. 

Thanks to Clint (L) and Brian (R) for joining us for the day. I hope they had a good time and both went home with a small token to remind them of their day as honorary Rejects 

Conclusion

The Anglo Allied commander decided to fall back and preserve his forces. He has done his job and delayed the French for another day, buying more time for Wellington to reorganised and rest his battered army back at Brussels. The scene is set for a final climactic showdown as both the French and Allied armies converge towards a battle that could finally decide the outcome of the war. 

For a different perspective on the events of this battle check out Rays BatRep here. Clint also did a write up of the game and posted some pictures of his own here. Also keep an eye on the Angry Lurkers blog as I expect that when he has recovered from his St Patricks Day hangover he will also post some pictures. And last but not least check out Brian's blog Lead Legion. For more of my pictures from the game my Picasa album here.