Waterloo

The Battle of Waterloo

I solitaired the battle of Waterloo using VP Games’ Napoleon 20 system. On the afternoon of June 16, the French began the battle already in contact with the Prussian I and II Corps at Ligny. I decided to shift the II French Corps east to assist in the attack. To screen the Anglo-Dutch in front of Quatre-Bras, I marched I Corps north along the road from Gosselies and sent III Cavalry on a flanking march that put them on the rough terrain just west of the town.

Meanwhile, I decided to commit the Imperial Guard against the Prussians at Ligny. In fact, I pressed the attack hard, committing all available forces in the hope of ejecting the enemy from Ligny and surrounding the Prussian I Corps. The Prussians committed their reserves in both battles and managed to withdraw in good order, though remaining in contact as I advanced aggressively.

The Allied morale, already lowered by their commitment of reserves, sank lower. The Prussians engaged the advancing French line, pushing the II and III Corps back but choosing not to advance and maintain contact. Meanwhile, the French cavalry in Ligny held the town, forcing the Prussian III Corps to withdraw.

In the west, the Anglo-Dutch, satisfied that the French main effort was to the east, occupied Quatre-Bras, while the Reserve Corps countermarched to maneuver the French cavalry away from the town. The French disengaged.

Thus, as the day waned, French morale remains intact, and the Allied lines are still in good order.

Wow! As evening approached, I decided to press the attack against the Prussians while slowing reinforcing against the Anglo-Dutch. I committed the Imperial Guard again, and the resulting battles were bloodbaths. The Imperial Guard and French II Corps were broken, as were the Prussian I and II Corps. The shocked French survivors advanced, and there is now a huge hole in the Allied line…but at what a cost!

The Anglo-Dutch held Quatre-Bras with the I Corps in the town, and the Reserve Corps holding the high ground to the west. The Prussians attacked the French Cavalry that were engaging them, and the French disengaged. Night falls.

The French VI Corps received conflicting orders, with the result that it did not move. III Cavalry Corps moved into Nivelles. The French III and IV Corps advanced in an attempt to surround the remaining Prussian corps. Meanwhile, the French I Corps remained to the south of Quatre-Bras.

The Imperial Guard rallied at Fleurus.

The Prussians withdrew to the north, but the French IV Corps maintained contact with them. The Prussian II Corps rallied at Mont St. Guibert. The Uxbridge Cavalry Corps entered from the west and engaged the French cavalry in Nivelles. The Prussian IV Corps entered near Hamme.

The French force-marched. I and III Corps attacked the Anglo-Dutch at Quatre-Bras as the I Cavalry swung north to cut off any retreat. Meanwhile, VI Corps conducted a diversionary attack against the Reserve Corps. To the east the French IV Corps, along with the I and II Cavalry surrounded the Prussian III Corps and attacked it. The Imperial Guard force-marched four miles and is following the attack against the Prussians.

The Uxbridge Cavalry tried to countercharge the French III Cavalry at Nivelles but was repulsed and routed all the way back to Hougemont. The Prussian III Corps committed its reserves in a desperate defense against the French and managed to survive yet again, withdrawing in good order. The French attack against Quatre-Bras was handily repulsed, and the French VI Corps was routed and broken by the Anglo-Dutch Reserve Corps.

The Allied cause is looking good. The Prussians pushed back against the French cavalry in the east as the II Corps reached the front lines and joined the III Corps. Still, the French cavalry were able to avoid any losses and maneuvered in such a way as to imperil the Prussian II Corps again. Meanwhile, the Prussian IV Corps is moving to cover Wavre. In the west, the Anglo-Dutch II Corps appeared and attacked the French cavalry in Nivelles, forcing them to withdraw to the south. The Uxbridge Cavalry recovered.

At mid-day on the 17^th of June, Napoleon decided to hammer at the enemy again. He committed the Imperial Guard against the Prussian II Corps, and the resulting battle was another bloodbath—both the Prussians and the French IV Corps were broken. In the west, the French ejected the Anglo-Dutch out of Quatre-Bras but were able to advance into the town with a weak cavalry unit, due to the presence of the enemy Reserve Corps. The French are running out of units.

The Anglo-Dutch counterattacked against Quatre-Bras, and the French cavalry disengaged, leaving the town vacant as the two armies faced off. The British II Corp chased the French cavalry facing them off the wooded ridge west of the town, and the Uxbridge Cavalry raced toward the fight along the main road from Waterloo.

In the east the Prussian III Corps withdrew to Mont St. Gibert, keeping out of range of the French Imperial Guard. The IV Corps marched to try to join them. It doesn’t seem likely, however, that the French will make much more headway toward Wavre.

French morale is very low. In the east, the Imperial Guard trudged north with the two French cavalry corps covering the movement. In the west, the French infantry advanced into Quatre-Bras and engaged the Anglo-Dutch I Corps, pushing them back. But when the two French cavalry corps conducted a diversionary attack on the Reserve Corps, the enemy committed their reserves and broke both cavalry corps, ending the battle.

I flubbed the attack with the French. They have to press the attack, but in this battle, three exchanges sapped French strength. I should have selected a main effort and moved it quickly against either the Prussians or Anglo-Dutch. Instead, I attacked both simultaneously. I do feel that luck went against the French—not only the exchanges, but also the Prussians kept surviving their hazardous retreats. I tended to be pretty liberal with my use of morale points, and in the end it caught up with me.