Battle of Quatre Bras in 6mm - Part 2, The Battle

Previous post: Part 1, The Setup

The battle started with a French bombardment. This caused the Allies to retire behind a fold in the ground.

The French then launched a succession of piecemeal attacks on the Allied lines, but none with enough strength to break through.

The Brunswick artillery repulsed the first infantry attack.

The Duke of Brunswick was in the thick of things, but unhistrionically survived to fight again at Waterloo.

Reinforcements: The Guards arrive! At about the same time, Wellington turned up and helped rally many inexperienced recruits back to the colours!

The Allies built a strong defensive line in front of Quatre Bras. Kellermann's Cuirassiers couldn't break through and got devastated by the firepower of the British infantry. Even the poor Brunswick infantry held!

And the French didn't have enough reserves to push any more. D'Erlon never turned up! The Allies held the crossroads.

Battle of Quatre Bras in 6mm - Part 1, The Setup

Refight of the Battle of Quatre Bras using Command & Colors Napoleonic Rules. Figures from Baccus 6mm range, hex terrain from Kallistra, houses from TBM, trees by Timecast.

Details of the scenario can be found here.

Napoleon Bonaparte’s surprise march placed his army squarely between Blucher’s Prussians at Ligny and Wellington’s Anglo-Allied army assembling around Brussels. Napoleon concentrated most of his strength against Blucher, but ordered Ney and the II Corps to capture the vital crossroads of Quatre Bras to deny Wellington the chance to reinforce Blucher. Ney procrastinated and his attack did not get underway until two in the afternoon. The delay allowed Wellington to bring fresh allied troops to support the Dutch-Belgians and the Nassau Brigade that were thinly deployed south of the crossroads.

The initial French advance was greeted with musket volleys, but the outnumbered Allied troops were forced back. The Allied units in the wood, however, managed to hold. Facing three infantry divisions and a cavalry brigade, the Allied situation was fast becoming desperate, but additional troops kept arriving and Wellington, now in command, directed them to key positions on the battlefield.

Ney realized that the numerical balance was shifting in favor of the Anglo-Allies and that he could only capture and hold Quatre Bras by a desperate move. He ordered General Kellermann to lead his cuirassier brigades forward and break through Wellington’s line. The cuirassiers managed to reach the crossroads, but were driven back by close range artillery and musket fire. The arrival of the British Guards Division late in the day gave Wellington sufficient strength to launch a counter-attack that forced the French to give up all of their hard fought territorial gains.

The Battlefield from the West.

The Battlefield from the South.

The Game Layout

Let Battle Commence

The Allied Right Flank

The Allied Centre

The Allied Left Flank

The French Right Flank

The French Centre

The French Left Flank

Off Table - British reinforcements

Off Table - French reinforcements

Next post: Part 2, The Battle