Ney vs. Wellington: Battle of Quatre Bras (1815)

Kamall and Phil put on a 15mm Napoleonic game at the centre on 1 August. The Battle of Quatre Bras is a classic from the Waterloo campaign. While French Marshal Ney attacked the Duke of Wellington there, Napoleon was drubbing the Prussians at Ligny. We used Phil’s adapted Shako rules, with the sides alternating in movement and firing.

The game saw Richard and Patrick’s French attack Doug and Mal’s British and allies. The terrain consisted of Quatre Bras town at the famous crossroads, shielded by a river and two woods on its flanks.

Turns 1-4

The French arrived in columns of march, Patrick veering right down road, Richard taking position in the centre. A river spanned the British position in the town, where Perponcher’s Dutch-Belgian infantry were positioned.

Doug brought on Picton’s infantry division, as the French continued to arrive.

Patrick’s cavalry took up position on the French right. British artillery began to cause damage to the French artillery near the river.

With French cavalry approaching, Mal formed two units into square in the centre, where Patrick’s French horse artillery opened up against it.

Turn 5

Mal began to move his cavalry towards the British left flank, behind a wood, to face Patrick’s French cavalry. Doug began to clear space to allow Picton’s division to deploy, and advanced more cavalry behind Mal’s towards the British left.

Patrick reached the far right of the French position with his cavalry. By now, four French batteries were facing the town, as part of Richard’s command began to advance across the river near the wood.

Turn 6

Mal’s cavalry continued to advance, and he deployed the accompanying battery on the British left flank.

As Richard moved up another infantry brigade to the river, both Patrick and Richard fired on the squares in the British centre. Patrick lined up his infantry by the river in preparation for a crossing, as his cavalry began to move across.

Turn 7

Both Richard and Patrick began a cannonade with four batteries against Dutch infantry and artillery in the centre, causing some damage. Mal’s cavalry and artillery finally rounded the wood on the British left.

Richard advanced on the French left, and Patrick on the right of the river. The French centre was still forming up. Doug’s second battery hit Patrick’s crossing infantry.

Turn 8

Alten’s British infantry division arrived on the British right, but was far from the action.

As Picton’s infantry deployed in the British centre, one unit of Dutch in square and an artillery battery had been lost to concentrated French artillery fire.

But the main French assault had begun as Richard and Patrick now began to cross the river all along the line.

Turn 9

Mal’s Hussars attacked Patrick’s lancers near the river, but were destroyed. The lancers withdrew, taking one hit from Mal’s artillery.

Patrick’s infantry on the right crossed over, entered the wood, and began to advance on Mal’s infantry.

Richard began approaching Quatre Bras as his artillery and infantry crossed over the river in the centre.

Alten’s division, and another group of infantry appearing behind the town, advanced to secure it. But three French batteries were still providing supporting fire from their riverside position.

Turn 10

Richard charged the town, with 11 French battalions now in its vicinity. Two French units led the assault, but were driven back by a Dutch-Belgian battalion.

Mal’s cavalry division, having lost its artillery, the hussars, and now another unit, to a melee with French cuirassiers, broke. Alten’s division was still approaching Quatre Bras from the British right, but never made it into action.

Richard attacked Quatre Bras again and took one section of it.

On the French right however, Patrick’s infantry failed in its assault on Mal’s infantry in the wood, and had to fall back.

Conclusion

The game was judged to be a minor French victory, owing to the dispersal of the British cavalry division, and the capture of a portion of the town. The French lost one infantry battalion, while the British lost three cavalry units, one battalion and two artillery batteries.

The French players had decided on a gradually unfolding coordinated attack as opposed to going in quickly but piecemeal; this (as well as short movement distances in the rules) delayed the assault on Quatre Bras to the final turn, by which time more British reinforcements were closing in. But Richard’s assault was quite successful. Overall a good game with very nice figures. Thanks to Mal for devising, and Phil for umpiring.

The historical battle, depicted in “Sharpe’s Waterloo”, was a tactical victory for Wellington (as he possessed the field at dusk), but because Ney prevented him going to the aid of Blucher’s Prussians who were fighting a larger French army under the command of Napoleon at Ligny it was a strategic victory for the French.