Battle Report: Glory is Fleeting July 2023 tournament game 1: 1815 British Infantry Corps vs 1809-11 Anglo-Portuguese

Following the BATTLE OF WATERLOO, and the defeat of the EMPEROR NAPOLEON, The Duke of Wellington conducted some wargame exercises under new rules named GLORY IS FLEETING.

 

The rules are a vast upgrade from the previous FIELD OF GLORY NAPOLEONIC. The Duke watched as a a corps from his victorious army from the battle of Waterloo, faced off against one representing his old corps from the war in Spain and Portugal in 1811. 

 

As the Anglo-Portuguese army forms up in  a positional defence from entrenchments, the Corps from Waterloo attempts a flexible defence...

At the first official tournament for the new rules called GLORY IS FLEETING, my first of 2 games was against another British army of a later period- 1815 British Infantry Corps. Being a 100 days army it was actually made up of more foreigners than my own, with Dutch Cavalry and Hanoverian's rounding out a smaller elite British core.

 

There were I think 18 players from Australia and New Zealand, including the writers of the new rules and army list. I wish I'd had more time to ask more questions but I was glad I went. 

The battlefield, facing North East. The brown and green hill in the centre rear is a rough hill. The far left has a graveyard and chapel. The hills on my side to the the south (right) are gentle hills. 2 roads go down the centre and centre right. A smaller gentle hill is to the north in the centre near a small village.  Dutch Dragoons are coming down the centre road from the north, towards entrenchments a Portuguese brigade emplaced within them.

 

We rolled for location and I won, so Spain/Portugal it was.We both had skilled commanders and he blocked a flanking attack (Drat. I really wanted to use my Flank Division for it).  I wanted to use my entrenchments so picked Positional Defense. He picked Flexible Defense so I was the defender (both British armies picked a defender mission. Huh).

A road went down the centre to my free large defenders hill. A 2nd hill on my right flank with a rough hill on this side with another road going to a town. A churchyard was on my left flank and could act as a strongpoint. Another hill was on his back line and a stream in the far left corner (off camera) that didn't effect the battle. I put a road in the centre right to act as my Line of Communication to make it easier to defend.

As the defender I placed by Spanish Guerrillas in the Strongpoint. I figured they could act as a area denial, wouldn't matter much if I lost them, and had a chance to act as a distraction or make a run for his Line of Communication.  

I put my two entrenchments in front of my LOC and put the Portuguese Division in it, with one unit in reserve behind the two Lines of Torres Vedras. My Corps Commander went on top of the main hill because it was dramatic. I placed the Flank Division on the right, the 1st Division in the centre behind then large defending hill, and the Cavalry Division on their right, all in reverse slope (so they didn't deploy yet). 

The "enemy" army had a strong cavalry division of more heavy horse than I had (2 heavy dragoon units) and a light cavalry unit. I noted his LOC would perhaps be unguarded to my Spanish irregulars. Just like me, most of army was deployed in reverse slope so wouldn't appear to their first turn. 

I figured he'd have 1 division in reserve ready to come on, and 2 behind the hills, and would come down the centre of my line. I would keep my cavalry to face his and lure him into attacking my redoubts with the flank division outflanking his advance on the right and my 1st Division holding the left. I knew I had less heavy cavalry so would need to hold them off or fight them to a draw. My infantry would then win the day holding the high ground and pivot on the fortifications in the centre, forcing him to fight on a hill with rough terrain with disrupted units and cutting his firepower by half....

That was the plan...and no plan survives enemy contact....or my own memory.

Portuguese units in the Line of Torres Vedrus. Conscripts on the left, regular army troops in the centre and right. The 2 line infantry units have a skirmish attachment. The commander is competent. The very unfinished LOC is to their rear.

Most of the army is behind the reverse slope so isn't deployed until turn 1.

Looking towards the "enemy" advance units

Enemy Infantry on the (rough terrain) north ridge

The first enemy division to appear came over the north ridge, slowed down by the rough terrain on top of it. Five brigades with 2 batteries of artillery and an attached company of riflemen lead by a skilled general. One of the units has a brilliant commander attached to a rifle brigade. but looking at it now the division is going to be hard to rally I would think if under sustained attack. The rifle brigade is very expensive and very good at shooting. 

I just realized as I wrote this, is that if I'd engaged him WHILE HE WAS ON THAT ROUGH HILL, his firepower would be have been cut down by HALF!!!!  I had lured him into a trap to fight on ground of my own choosing....and forgot to fire my Death Stars Laser!

Enemy reinforcements come from reserve

The 2nd enemy infantry division was smaller- 4 units (one large, 3 small). They had 2 more artillery batteries. 

The Dutch cavalry division had 2 heavy dragoons and one light unit with an horse artillery battery attached.

My Corps HQ looks towards the enemy advance before retiring behind the hill

Doing what Wellington would do: keep the majority of the army in cover behind the hill lines

On my first turn, my units in the reverse slope appeared on the table. On the left I placed my Cavalry Division of 1 Super Heavy Shock Dragoons (with an attached Royal Horse Artillery battery), 1 Dashing Hussar unit, and 1 Poor Portuguese Dragoon unit in support. 

On the same hill to their left I placed my First Division: 2 large British Line brigades with an attached rifle battalion and Royal Artillery battery, 1 small Highlander regiment of foot and 1 Portuguese line infantry brigade.

On the far right flank I placed my Flank Division. The 95th Rifles, Loyal Lusteruian Legion, and a KGL brigade with riflemen and an artillery battery.

I hoped to lure the enemy to attack my obviously weakened centre, and then flank it with both divisions, or at least the Flank Division. 

My Cavalry would hold one flank secure.

First Division with British Line Infantry brigade in front, another behind and the Portuguese and Highlander regiments to their rear

I moved my Flank Division to meet up with the centre Portuguese entrenchments

And on their left, placed one of the large British Line brigades. One Portuguese regiment is in reserve.

The 1st Division forms a more solid line to their left.

The Cavalry Division splits off to be in a position to hold the gap between the graveyard and hill.

The Spanish Irregulars defend the graveyard and church. 

I didn't expect the Irregulars to do much, but holding the far left flank gave them a zone of some control, and might be in a position later to make a run for the enemy LOC.

The enemy division starts to cross the rough hill

The other infantry division advances to their support.

The enemy horse starts to move towards the gap.

My cavalry watch them approach.

As do the guerrillas.

The 95th Rifle Brigade and KGL observe from the eastern ridge line.

The enemy horse moves en-mass into the gap.

The enemy infantry line up in one enormous line of troops

It looks like my plan might work- if he advanced his whole line as one I'd be able to catch it in the sides, assuming I could hold his cavalry off. 

I had a choice to make. My horse was lighter in weight to his- I could probably win with the Heavy Dragoons but would lose with my Hussars vs his Dragoons. 

I could either leave the Portuguese (poor) light cavalry as rear support, or send them in as well to try and win the initial engagement. If I won, I would be spent and at a disadvantage later, but I might rout his units and cause a chaining failure cascade.

Very well. CHARGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The cavalry charge and the enemy dragoons counter charge.

I moved up my Flank Division to be further forward to be in a position to flank the enemy infantry.

I thought at this point he was going to go forward against my weak centre, so placed my flank division in a position to...flank him.

I placed my centre more in line, with a reserve Portuguese regiment.

Same with the left, with the Highlander unit in reserve.

Battle ensues

He had more dice in his charge, with the heavy unit and rear support - 19 to15.

Needing 4+ to hit

He got more hits, but had to spread the damage around my 3 units while I only had 2. 12 to 10 is some good rolling for me. 

Note I was told I needed to drop hits that when you lost 1 out of 2 dice when wavering/disordered, but it rolls DOWN not UP (I worked that out next game) so I missed out on an extra hit here, but I don't think it changed much.

Note I have moved the Spanish Guerrillas out of the Graveyard - they are making a mad dash to the the enemy's line of communication far to the north. If they can get there in 3 turns, his LOC is broken and every morale roll gets +1 harder. Considering you need a 5+ roll on 2d6, it makes it a 6 roll on a 2d6, so you fail nearly every morale roll.

Damage all around

My Hussars and Dragoons were only disordered, one of his units was wavering and the other one disordered. The Portuguese cavalry fled and was wavering (off camera to the south).

The Portuguese Cavalry reforms at a great distance, as the Dragons recover and the enemyt cavalry routs!

I'm not sure how it happened, but the end result was my Hussars and his 2 units of Dragoons routed, my Portuguese were wavering some distance back and my Dragons were disrupted.

The Dutch light cavalry run down the Spanish irregulars.

He still had a light cavalry unit in reserve, who turned around and ran down the irregulars. Irregulars hit in the flank or rear get -4 dice...which means they get NOTHING. 

Lesson learnt- don't let irregulars gets charged in the flank or rear. I wasn't too distressed, I was happy to get his cavalry away from my disrupted Dragoons to their south.

My Dragoons move into position to charge in his infantry line in the flank.

His light cavalry reformed far to the rear, and I had 1 turn to charge in.

Overview of the battle

With the cavalry fight over, his infantry line advanced, but it was slowed down by the rough hill he was on.

My Portuguese cavalry were still wavering on the far left, and they were too far away for a commander to rally them for the rest of the battle.

I should have advanced my right flank and shot his left flank to pieces! Being on the rough hill cuts their firepower down by half.

His right wing division advances

Skirmishes advance!

I had 10 skirmish dice to his 9. I really needed a light infantry unit with the division to get 5-6 more dice.

He wins the skirmish fight!

Despite have more dice, he got 2 skirmish marker on my units. The skirmish battle is vastly improved over FOGN - it's a separate fight and if you win (5+ per dice) you get a marker on the enemy unit (they trade 1-1).

The skirmish fire makes my units disrupted

With a skirmish marker on each unit, I needed to make a morale roll on both...and I failed on 5+ 2d6. Meaning both units are now disrupted and get their firepower and charging cut in half!

Volley fire

I'm not sure what happened here, but I think we got into volley fire range with some of the units.

Overview

My Portuguese unit on the left was wavering and had a skirmish maker on it, one of his units in the centre was disrupted.

My Dragoons were now in a position to charge his line. They were spent but had recovered their morale. His cavalry was behind but a turn too late to stop it. My left unit was wavering with a skirmish maker on it, one of my centre units had routed, and his unit north of it was disrupted. My turn to shoot, charge and I can roll up his entire division! 

Now witness the firepower of a fully charging brigade of SUPER SHOCK HEAVY HORSE with no stopping and no pausing! 

Post battle note: I THINK I could have wheeled the unit AND charged. Dammit. 

Night falls! What!? Battle over

 ...and the tournament organizer came over, said something...and was game over. I didn't get a chance to do my last turn :( I missed the last turn to get a win :(

A video of what probably happened to stop me putting my plan into action:

I lost 15 points to 10. One more turn ::(

The enemy army list

See my earlier posts here and here for post game thoughts. 

I do think the new rules are vastly improved over the old ones!