High level map of the area
The French, in March Column on the Hamberger Tor road were moving from left to right. The Austrians, to the south and east, sent their Regiment of Kuirassiers thundering across the field to block the road where it exits from the woods, forcing the French to deploy to drive them off and giving enough time for the Austrian infantry to catch up. Time was of the essence as dusk was not far off when the battle was joined.
The French column starts deploying
Facing them are Kuirassier on the left and Dragoons on the right
Vice Marshall d'Skelly repeats the mantra "they're not my troops" ou, en francais, "ils ne sont pas mes troupes"
The battle began, who would gain the upper hand? Would the Austrian heavy horse defeat the leading battalions of the French and cause a cascading rout? Would the French be able to deploy to see them off and get their column out of the woods before the Austrian infantry and artillery could intervene? Yes and no...
French Musketeers Brigade deploying in the woods
Strangely under strength Austrian infantry advancing at the double
The brave French Brigadier declares that he will share the fate of his men!
As the dour, stoic, and well armed Kuirassiers ready their charge
The Kuirassier charge in! The Musketeers fire! They miss! The Kuirassier and the Musketeers melee! Almost no one is hurt! The Musketeers break and run for the woods! The Kuirass plow into another battalion! Again almost no one is hurt and the infantry are driven into the woods!
But more French battalion keep emerging from the woods while the Kuirassier are reforming! Again they charge!
CHARGE! Again! And Again!
All this time the shooting gradually wearing them down, the melee always going in their favor but always with a disappointing (for the Austrians) number of sabered and trampled French infantry to show for it.
All this time the French were also deploying a Brigade of Musketeers followed by a Brigade of Grenadiers along the south edge of the woods, building their force to break out and crush the weak Austrian Brigade facing them in the open ground south of the woods.
The French build up continues in the woods
This engagement was about to begin when, on the flank of the Austrian Brigade, much to the vocal dismay of the Austrian Commander, appeared the nearly exhausted French Dragoon Brigade!
Dour men on exhausted horses
This caused the Austrians to begin contracting their infantry line south of the wood, moving towards their cavalry and their second Brigade of infantry that had also chosen this time to arrive on the field.
Austrian reinforcements arrive!
The French cause the Austrian left to fall back
Night was fast approaching when all the forces were finally on the field and deployed for combat! The French right attacked out of the woods, the Austrians attacked on their right with Infantry finally up in position to support the Kuirassier and Dragoon Regiments that had been single handedly keeping the French left bottled up in the woods.
Austrian Dragoons take their turn against the French Brigade du Bois!
Followed again by the steadily decreasing numbers of the Kuirassiers
The massed and well ordered French Right moves to the attack
Can the Dragoons hold off all that infantry?
And then... night fell. The fighting petered out. The French returned to camp in the woods, the Austrians to the slightly built up area closer towards Ludwigslust. Both sides licking their wounds and wondering what tomorrow would hold.
It was a fun game, I'm sad that Doug wasn't able to attend to lead his Frenchmen to victory but tomorrow is another day, perhaps another day of bitter fighting for control of the Demi-Bishophric of Ludwigslust-Parchim!
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