Battle of Talavera (1809)
My 6mm Napoleonics got a run out on Friday 17 October at the centre, with a refight of the Battle of Talavera, set in the Spanish Peninsular War. Rob (Spanish) and Richard (British) were up against the French (Doug, Paul and Jonathan). We used my Heroics & Ros figures and my ‘Coup de Grace’ rules.
Talavera de la Reina is a town 75 miles southwest of Madrid. Sir Arthur Wellesley’s British army combined with General Cuesta’s Spanish army to take on the French Army of the Centre under Marshal Jourdan.
The terrain was flat, bisected by a stream, with the town on the Allied right, and a few hills. The British (Richard) were on the left and centre of the Allied line, the Spanish (Rob) mostly on the right. On the French left was Jonathan, with Paul in the centre, and Doug on the right.
Turns 1-2: Standoff
Both sides began with skirmishing and artillery fire across the valley.
Turn 3: Manoeuvres
Rob then moved up his Spanish on the Allied left – Bassecourt’s infantry division and Albuquerque’s cavalry.
French battle line with deployed artillery facing the British
Meanwhile Hill’s British infantry division (Richard) pushed up skirmishers and started a cannonade on Doug’s infantry. Ruffin’s and Villatte’s infantry divisions, under Doug, responded with artillery fire, which forced one of Richard’s batteries back. Paul also commenced firing, hitting Howarth’s British reserve artillery.
Rob’s Spanish were proving hard to activate, but he managed to move up to the stream on the Allied left. Albuquerque’s cavalry reached the bridge.
Richard’s skirmishers harassed the artillery of Lapisse’s division (Paul), and soon destroyed one battery.
Doug now began the French attack, and Paul too started to move Liger-Belair’s division against the Spanish on the Allied right. Lapisse’s division repelled Richard’s skirmishers, who evaded.
Turn 4: The French Attack
French initiative led to Latour-Maubourg’s Dragoon division (Paul) advancing on the French centre-left.
Doug advanced from the hill with Villatte’s division, and fired guns on Rob’s arriving Spanish infantry. His cavalry meanwhile descended to cover the French right against a potential Spanish flanking move.
Lapisse’s infantry division, under Paul, fired on Hill’s right-most brigade. Doug’s artillery, perched on the French slope, began to erode Hill’s infantry holding the line behind the stream.
But Rob now struck Paul’s infantry of Liger-Belair’s division which was approaching in columns. Both sides were furiously exchanging blows in the centre of the table and picking up casualties from hits. Ruffin’s division on the French right was struck twice by Rob’s Spanish.
Turn 5: The French Press On – then Fallback…
The turn began strongly for Paul’s French on the left and centre. Paul formed the lead units of Liger-Belair’s division into two lines and a column. The two units in line fired on the Spanish facing them, while the column went in against one of the Spanish units, and won the melee. The Spanish retreated, and Paul followed up and routed a second Spanish unit.
Meanwhile, two units of Paul’s dragoons tried to charge the British line, and one of them closed with a British artillery battery. The dragoons swept the artillery away, but then failed to follow up, halting by the stream.
Having failed to cause casualties by firing Lapisse’s infantry on Richard’s line, Paul charged an infantry column into Hill’s infantry division, forcing this unit back 12″.
However, Rob charged two Spanish cavalry units on the Allied left against two of Ruffin’s infantry units (Doug). The first melee was a success, and the French infantry retreated 12″. Rob followed up against some French guns further back, but this time was forced to retreat. The second Spanish cavalry assault however led to another Spanish retreat.
Back in the centre, Richard forced back one of Paul’s dragoon units with infantry fire. He soon destroyed another one.
Rob sent in more Spanish cavalry against Paul’s column of Liger-Belair’s division, and the French unit had to retire 12″. Another of Liger-Belair’s infantry unit was soon destroyed by Richard’s accurate fire. The French attack was faltering!
More of Rob’s cavalry charged one of the remaining French units which was in line, and these were also forced to retreat. Meanwhile, a second dragoon unit was destroyed by Richard, leaving just one more unit in Latour-Maubourg’s division (Paul).
Paul’s infantry of Liger-Belair’s division were soon pushed back behind the wood on the French left (held by some of Jonathan’s infantry).
Turn 6: The French Rebound!
But the game was not over yet. Doug began the final turn with a charge of one of Merlin’s French light cavalry units against some Spanish cavalry, on the French right flank. The French won easily, and the Spanish retreated 12″.
The French cavalry followed up and charged the Spanish infantry on the Allied left, who duly retreated 12″.
Paul formed one remaining infantry unit of Liger-Belair’s division into square in the face of Rob’s Spanish horsemen. The French held firm and repelled a Spanish assault.
Paul also went in with two infantry columns against Richard’s line. One of these forced a British unit to retreat.
The last dragoon unit charged a British infantry unit, which retreated. The dragoons charged on and another British unit was forced to fall back.
Meanwhile, Jonathan, who had been cautious for much of the game, managed to destroy one Spanish infantry unit with artillery and infantry fire on the French left.
End of play: British infantry forced back from the Portina Stream
The game ended with most of the British army reforming well to the rear of the stream. The Allies could not activate many brigades on the last turn, so the game ended with a French victory. Revenge for Sharpe’s eagle!!
A fun night using my ‘marmite’ rules. We got a result in just over two hours with over 80 units in play, and the asymmetry between the armies (British, Spanish and French) was something a bit different. But my Poles – sorry.. the Polish units in the French army (infantry in Valence’s division, and the Vistula Lancers of Merlin’s cavalry) did not get into action. Neither did the French reserves. A French win then which had nothing to do with umpire bias whatsoever… 😉 Thanks to those who played!
