Talavera Night Attack, July 27th, 1809

We played the second of the Talavera scenarios from Jonathon Jones' O'er the Hills Early Peninsular War Scenarios book this weekend. I had the pleasure of having four players at the table, and in light of the complicated rules governing night moves for the this scenario I elected to referee, leaving Alan and Phong to handle the French while Brian, visiting form Toronto, took the British/KGL.

The scenario is based upon the night attack ordered by Victor and executed by Ruffin's Fist Division, 1st Corps. Wanting to take the key high ground in the Allied line, the Cerro de Medellin, prior to the battle the next day, Victor ordered a surprise night attack. The Allies situation was worsened by the fact that this high ground had been left largely unoccupied when late arriving troops set up camp on the rear of the hill rather than taking up their proper positions in the night.

The night attack leads to a very different sort of scenario as troops stumble around in the dark, trying to keep to their line of advance but with a 60% chance on any move veering off to the left or right. The darkness also impacts the ability to fire or execute close combat as visibility is in d10 inches, with us rarely rolling over a 5 in the entire game! On a number of occasions advances on both sides had to be delayed as brigadiers went looking for lost battalions to bring them back in line but despite all of this, we still managed to have a battle!

The game lasted 8 rounds (although we tacked on a 9th!) and was played with my 1/72 toy soldiers on a 6' X 7.5' board using the Over the Hills ruleset.

The scnario map showing the starting positions. General Hill and Stewarts's brigade are off the map to the bottom, arrival time to be determined. The French, top, are on the attack, with the objective to seize and hold the high ground, represented by square 30. The British are on Hold orders until Hill's arrival.

1. The battlefield

Viewed from east of the British lines with the Cerro de Medellin in the foreground and intersected by the Portina Stream, dry and no obstacle for this battle.

2. KGL and Donkin's brigade next to the Medellin

The four King's German Legion battalions with Donkin's brigade (2/87th, 1/88th and 60th Rifles) in support.

3. French formed up for the attack

Ruffin's 1st Division forms up on the Cerro de Cascajal, with Barrois' three battalions (96me Ligne) on the left while Meunier commands a massive six battalion brigade made up of the three 9me Legere battalions (centre) and the three 24me Ligne battalions (right). Their plan of attack is for Barrois' regiment to pin the British right while Meunier makes a dash to seize the unoccupied heights.

4. Ruffin gets his troops in position

5. Meunier on the right

6. British blissfully unaware

Meanwhile the four KGL battalions and Donkin's brigade are unaware of the storm about to be unleashed.

7. Madly marching off in all directions

But not immediately! In the dark the French advance begins shakily. Battalions bump into one another and stop while they sort themselves out. Barrois' regiment wanders off along the Portina (top left) and only the 2/9me Legere and 1/24me of Meunier's brigade manage to cross the Portina and advance on the objective.

8. 9th Legere makes progress (sort of)

Meunier helps bring the 1/9me Legere forward as it also make it across the Portina. But it gets turned around, bumping into the 2nd, while the 3/9me arrives at the stream. 

9. Barrois' regiment less so...

Barrois' 96me makes slower progress, with one battalion going completely astray, causing Barrois to abandon the other two to bring them back in line.

10. Overview

The French advance (top) becomes fractured while the British still wait unaware (centre right). The unoccupied area sketched out in the centre with rocks and line of foliage indicates the high ground on the Medellin that is the French objective.

11. Stewart arrives with Hill

Very luckily the British reinforcements along with General Hill arrive on the second turn (required a roll of 1 on a d10!) Now it's the British turn to experience the confusion of night moves as the 48th marches off lower left! But the other two battalions move more or less in the proper direction, aiming for the high ground and more importantly the arrival of Hill allows him on the following turn to order Donkin's brigade to the Medellin as well.

12. 2/24me contacts Donkin's brigade on the high ground

The 2/24me are the first French unit to gain the high ground and encounter Donkin's brigade marching over to confront them. The French shake out into line and engage with the 87th with musket fire.

13. 2/9me Legere charges the 5th KGL

At roughly the same time the 2/9me Legere arrive and throw themselves into the attack against Low's 5th KGL.

14. 2/9me Legere routed

Low's 5th KGL defeats the 2/9me who rout back down towards the Portina, allowing the 5th KGL to carry forward and strike the 1/24me advancing on their left.

15. British left

Donkin's brigade marches onto the Cerro Medellin running into the French but able to shake out into line in the dark before the 2/24me can loose a volley. 

16. British right

The four KGL battalions under Langwerth and Low maintain their line on the right, alert now for French emerging from the darkness of the valley.

17. Overview

Bottom right the 1/88th shakes out into line to confront the French, with the 60th Rifles on their right flank, which in turn link up to the KGL holding the right of the line. Bottom left Meunier's battalions become intermixed as they advance up the Medellin while Barrois' 96me (top left) slowly make their way towards the KGL.

18. 1/24me breaks 5th KGL

After successfully driving off the first attack the 5th KGL founder on the second French unit and are broken. As a result Low's entire brigade is broken and the 7th KGL begin to fall back towards the rear just as Stewart's troops (top right) arrive to support the line...

19. 1/48th stumbling around in the dark

At least, most of Stewart's troops! The 1/48th finally get turned around only to march off in the opposite direction behind the British line, desperately looking for the rest of their brigade in the dark.

20. 96me finally gets reunited and forms up to attack British left

By the time they reach the road the 96me remarkably have formed a reasonable line of battle, after spending the first half of the march zigzagging back and forth over the Portina.

21. Overview

After much shuffling about the British have actually managed to form a reasonable line of battle as well across the Medellin. At the top Langwerth's KGL brigade still holds its position as the 96me advance. However their position is somewhat salient as Low's 5th and 7th KGL collapse and begin to fall back. Fortunately Stewart has arrived to plug the hole.

At the bottom left Musnier's battalions have become hopelessly intermeshed as they try to queue up an attack against Donkin's brigade.

22. Chaos on French right

While the 2/24me continue to exchange volleys with the 1/88th the 3/9me Legere try to make their way around behind to the flank. In the background 1/24me charges the British line in column but in the darkness unknowingly sweep by the front of the 60th Rifles and are hammered by enfilade fire and routed.

23. Where is everyone going??

Things go from bad to worse for Meunier. In the top left corner the newly routed 1/24me pass the newly rallied 2/9me Legere. Meanwhile next to them the 3/9me Legere get completely turned around and march off to the left of the Rifles (top right) while the same happens to the 3/9me Legere (bottom left) leaving only the 2/24me, first of the French on the high ground, still there and facing off against Donkin's entire brigade.

24. Barrois' attack goes in

As things collapse on the French right Barrois' holding attack finally goes in with three battalions in column slamming simultaneously into the 1st KGL.

25. 96me breaks 1st KGL

The 1st KGL breaks and the momentum of the attack carries two of the 96me battalions forward into the 2nd KGL, which routs as they fall back through one of Stewart's battalions which had moved up in support. 

26. 96me  withdraws

But this is the first and last hurrah for Barrois' 96me Regiment, which has taken a beating in the attack causing it to break and begin to withdraw from the field. 

27. 3/24me lost in the wilderness

During all of this the 3/24me, separated from Meunier's brigade in the darkness and out of command range, has hunkered down and waited things out next to the Portina.

28. British hold the high ground

A final murderous volley by the 1/88th drives the stubborn 2/24me almost clear of the Medellin's high ground and the French call it a day.

29. Game end

The game end finds the British in firm control of the high ground. Even though Meunier's battalions have started to rally, they are only 4 FH's from breaking while Donkin and Stewart's brigades are still relatively intact. But the British victory has not come lightly with the two small KGL brigades broken and two battalions lost. The French suffered Barrois' brigade broken with only one battalion lost but over all took the greater punishment.

However the British were extremely lucky, at first benefiting from some very bad directional rolls that sent the French in all directions and more importantly, having Stewart and General Hill arrive at the earliest possible moment in the game, so that they could quickly occupy the high ground before the French arrived.

It was a really interesting game, frustrating at times, but thoroughly enjoyable - at moments almost comically so as the battalions blundered around in the dark!