The Battle of Eggmühl, 22nd April 1809: A Scenario for ‘Napoleon’s Battles’

“I am resolved today or at the latest tomorrow to annihilate the army of Archduke Charles” – Napoleon to Marshal Davout, 22nd April 1809

Following our recent refights of Raab, Neumarkt and Teugn-Hausen, we’re continuing with the 1809 Napoleonic theme this month, as we build up to our planned and long-awaited re-fight later this year, of the Battle of Aspern-Essling.  This week therefore, we decided to have a crack at the Battle of Eggmühl (known to the French as Eckmühl).

(Had this been a planned exercise, I’d have played the 1809 battles in historical order and perhaps included a linked campaign element, but maybe that’s an option for the future…)

Eggmühl is a battle I’ve played before ‘in the Grand Manner’ at 1:20 ratio, using General de Brigade rules.  That was when I ran it for Mike Hickling as the first ‘AB Figures Wargames Weekend’ mega-game, waaaaay back in 1999.  My surviving reader might remember that it appeared in Wargames Illustrated shortly afterwards, together with some lovely photos by the much-missed Duncan MacFarlane.  This is NOT one of Duncan’s photos…

I’ve never played Eggmühl using my own collection, though my Württembergers were painted for that game and were featured in the Wargames Illustrated article (in fact, Tony Barton sculpted the entire AB Figures Württemberg range specifically for that game).  I’ve also never played Eggmühl using Napoleon’s Battles rules, chiefly as I didn’t have enough Bavarian troops.  However, I’ve just painted a new Bavarian Corps, so it’s time to play the battle!

It does have to be said however, that the battle is a very tough challenge for the Austrians to win.  I’ll present it here as a ‘straight’ historical version, though I will then add some suggested ‘balancing options’ to make it a bit more fun for the poor Austrians… Or not… 😉

The Aftermath of the Battle of Teugn-Hausen

Having evaded Archduke Charles’ trap and defeated Hohenzollern’s III. Korps at the battle of Teugn-Hausen on 19th April, the wily Marshal Davout managed to link up with Marshal Lefebvre’s VII (Bavarian) Corps, thus saving his III Corps for the Emperor.

The initiative now passed to the French.  Napoleon himself had now arrived and had taken command of the Army of Germany from a relieved Marshal Berthier.  The Emperor launched his counter-offensive on 20th April, seizing bridgeheads over the River Abens at Abensberg and Biburg, before engaging in a running battle against Archduke Louis’ scattered V. Korps and flank-guard elements of III. Korps.  Louis’ shattered brigades rapidly fell back toward the River Isar at Landshut, though Hiller’s VI. Korps was able to check the French pursuit for a time at Pfeffenhausen.

With hindsight, the situation now looked grave for the Austrian army.  Hiller’s left wing (V. Korps, VI. Korps and II. Reserve-Korps) was retiring with all haste across the Isar at Landshut with the French in hot pursuit and Napoleon had therefore driven a huge wedge into the heart of the Austrian Hauptarmee, dividing it in two.  Archduke Charles’ central wing (III. Korps, IV. Korps and I. Reserve-Korps) was now cut off from its line of communication through Landshut and was trapped with its back to the Danube at Regensburg (known as Ratisbon to the French).  The Austrian right wing (I. Korps & II. Korps) north of the Danube could do nothing to help unless Regensburg fell.

However, both commanders-in-chief were blissfully unaware of their opponent’s actual dispositions.  Napoleon thought that he was pursuing Archduke Charles’ main army to Landshut, while Charles was convinced that Napoleon’s main army was directly in front of him, forming up in the vicinity of Abensberg, behind the screen of Davout’s III Corps!  Somewhat astonishingly and despite the battle of the previous day at Teugn-Hausen, Davout was also of the opinion that he only faced a small portion of the Austrian army (this was reinforced by a report from Napoleon telling him as much).

Napoleon was so confident that it was he, not Davout who was facing Archduke Charles’ main army, that he actually reduced the strength of III Corps by 50%; taking Morand’s and Gudin’s divisions from Davout and forming them into a new Provisional Corps under the command of Marshal Lannes.  Napoleon also took Wrede’s 2nd Bavarian Division from Lefebvre, thereby reducing the strength of VII Corps by a third (though compensating Lefebvre with the addition of Demont’s tiny, inexperienced Reserve Division).

This situation continued to be unrecognised by either side and on the evening of the 20th, the opportunity for Napoleon to trap Archduke Charles against the Danube slipped away as the 65ème de Ligne, garrisoning Regensburg surrendered.  The capture of Regensburg now provided Charles with a back door across the Danube, through which to retreat or to bring up reinforcements as necessary.  At this moment, Archduke Charles believed that it presented him with new offensive options, allowing him to bring I. Korps and/or II. Korps across the river to attack Davout’s left flank.  However, this event had actually just saved his army from destruction.

Davout was now once again in a precarious position.  Archduke Charles was now manoeuvring five full army corps against Davout’s two weakened corps, in the belief that he was facing Napoleon’s main force.  Planning to launch a new attack on the 22nd, Archduke Charles needed to concentrate his main attack-force roughly half-way between Eggmühl and Regensburg.  To that end, he ordered Hohenzollern-Hechingen to withdraw his III. Korps from the left flank at Hausen and to march back via Schierling and Eggmühl to take position to the north of that town, near the village of Alteglofsheim.  Rosenberg’s IV. Korps would be the new flank-guard and would maintain its positions near Dünzling.  Kolowrat’s II. Korps meanwhile, would cross over the Danube at Regensburg, ready to fall upon the presumed French assembly area north of Teugn, while Bellegarde’s I. Korps would remain north of the Danube, aiming to seize the Danube bridge at Kelheim, thereby cutting the French line of retreat.  Prince Johann von Liechtenstein’s I. Reserve-Korps would form the ‘hinge’ of the flanking movement.

The Battle of Eggmühl, Day 1 – 21st April 1809

Davout and Lefebvre meanwhile, oblivious of the size of the force now assembling in front of them, had orders to clear away the ‘defeated wing’ from south of Regensburg and to pursue them over on to the north bank of the Danube.  Consequently, on 21st April Davout and Lefebvre launched an attack against Hohenzollern-Hechingen’s III. Korps, which was observed to be retiring along the valley of the Grosse-Laaber.

Although III. Korps managed to largely get away, Rosenberg’s IV. Korps was right in the path of Davout’s attack and concerned about his vulnerable left flank (now that III. Korps had withdrawn), Rosenberg ordered his corps to withdraw to a stronger defensive position just north of Eggmühl, centred on the villages of Obersanding, Oberlaiching and Unterlaiching.

With Charles’ plans for the concentration of the army already coming apart due to Davout’s unexpected attack and Rosenberg’s withdrawal, Charles ordered Hohenzollern-Hechingen to leave a strong force around Eggmühl to guard Rosenberg’s left flank.  However, order followed by counter-order is rarely a good recipe for success and Hohenzollern-Hechingen’s III. Korps was soon in utter confusion, with part of the corps already marching to form up on the right of IV. Korps, another part attempting to support IV. Korps, another attempting to establish defensive positions around Eggmühl and the corps’ rearguard already in action against the Bavarians at Schierling!

Rosenberg’s IV. Korps soon came under attack from Davout’s III Corps.  An uncoordinated attack by Saint-Hilaire’s Division against Unterlaiching was beaten off, but a more determined attack by Friant’s Division succeeded in reaching Obersanding, obliging Charles to personally lead his headquarters guard, the 3rd ‘Archduke Charles’ Infantry Regiment and Liechtenstein’s reserve grenadiers forward to blunt the French attack.

Archduke Charles also sent fresh letters to Kolowrat, ordering him to bring forward the timetable of the planned attack and to get his II. Korps across the Danube with immediate effect, as the decisive battle of the campaign was surely about to be fought to the south of Regensburg!

At Davout’s headquarters, reports began arriving from Friant of Austrian reserve grenadiers being committed to the battle.  Also Montbrun, commander of the supporting cavalry division on the left flank, was sending ominous reports of forces gathering on the left flank near Regensburg.  Davout suddenly came to the realisation that it was he who faced Archduke Charles, not the Emperor!  To make matters worse, rumours were also circulating that Regensburg had fallen to the Austrians (a rumour seemingly confirmed by Montbrun’s reports).  With the battle finally petering out, at 1900hrs Davout sent General Piré to seek out the Emperor in person and to plead with him to bring the army to Eggmühl!

Napoleon meanwhile, had been fully committed in a brutal struggle for the bridges at Landshut.  The Württembergers of Vandamme’s VIII Corps led the assault, closely supported by Wrede’s Bavarians and Lannes’ Provisional Corps, while Masséna’s IV Corps swung to the south, aiming to capture the bridges at Moosburg and Freising.  This was an exact reversal of the situation during the First Battle of Landshut a week earlier.  After a bloody frontal assault across the fiercely-defended bridges, the town fell at around 1300hrs and Hiller’s wing was soon retreating once again toward Neumarkt-St Veigt.

At 0200hrs on 22nd April, Napoleon received General Piré at his headquarters and, like Davout, was stunned by the realisation that he had been out-foxed (albeit accidentally, on Archduke Charles’ part).  However, he immediately realised that if he moved rapidly, he could not only save Davout, but could also destroy Archduke Charles, trapping his army against the Danube.  Writing to Davout at 0400hrs, he informed the Marshal that he would immediately bring his full weight to bear against Archduke Charles’ left flank at Eggmühl by mid-day and that his attack would commence at 1500hrs.  He further declared that he was, “…resolved today or at the very latest tomorrow to annihilate the army of Archduke Charles”.

In the very early hours of the morning Napoleon ordered General Vandamme, commanding VIII (Württemberg) Corps, to personally lead an advanced guard formed from Hügel’s Württemberg light infantry and Wöllwarth’s Württemberg cavalry and to clear the road to Eggmühl at once.  The Emperor also ordered Marshal Lannes’ Provisional Corps to follow Vandamme as closely as possible, while Napoleon himself would accompany the three reserve Cuirassier Divisions in Lannes’ wake.  Marshal Masséna’s IV Corps would halt its flank-march and would instead march north via Landshut to Eggmühl as the army reserve.  General Oudinot’s II Corps, at that moment at Pfaffenhofen in support of Masséna on the right flank, was ordered to change direction and march at once to Abensberg and from there to Eggmühl.

However, Hiller’s Austrians still needed to be pursued, so Marshal Bessières was ordered to take command of Wrede’s 2nd Bavarian Division, Molitor’s Division from Masséna’s IV Corps and elements of Marulaz’s Light Cavalry Division and Jacquinot’s Light Cavalry Brigade, with orders to maintain the pursuit of Hiller’s retreating column.

The Battle of Eggmühl, Day 2 – 22nd April 1809

As daylight broke on the second day of the battle, the valley of the Grosse-Laaber was blanketed in a thick fog, obscuring the view for both sides.  The Austrians immediately assumed defensive positions, expecting an escalation of the previous day’s battle.  However, as the fog cleared, there was no sign of the French!  Rosenberg was concerned and his nervousness grew as patrols reported contacts with French cavalry patrols coming up from the south.  He sent a report to Archduke Charles, including a request that four regiments of cuirassiers be deployed to the left flank as insurance against any nasty surprises, though as yet he had received neither reply or cuirassiers.

The remaining elements of III. Korps pulled back across the Grosse-Laaber as planned and Bieber’s infantry brigade took up its allotted defensive position on the Einsiedelberg, overlooking the bridges at Eggmühl and Rogging.  However, running fights were now occurring between Vukassovich’s III. Korps rearguard elements and Vandamme’s advance guard at Buchhausen, a short distance to the south of Eggmühl Bridge.

Davout meanwhile, had still not heard any word from the Emperor since the receipt of his 0400hrs letter, and had the Bavarian cavalry out scouting on his far right flank for any sign of a relief column.  On his left flank however, there was plenty of movement as Montbrun’s cavalry were trying to penetrate the heavy Austrian cavalry screens in this area, being repulsed each time.  It would seem to Davout that the only thing he could do with certainty, was to sit and wait until the Emperor’s column was sighted.

Archduke Charles for his part, was still fully expecting Napoleon’s main attack to develop from the west and was standing ready to strike its left flank from the north with II. Korps and elements of I. Korps, III. Korps and I. Reserve-Korps.  However, the lack of enemy activity to his front was deeply troubling.

However, the lack of French activity was not to last!  At around 1300hrs the skirmish at Buchhausen quickly escalated into an intense battle, as the green-coated Württemberg light infantry appeared in strength and attempted to envelop the heavily-outnumbered detachment of the 9th ‘Peterwardeiner’ Grenze Infantry Regiment.  Seeing the danger, Vukassovich immediately ordered the Grenzer to withdraw over the Grosse-Laaber and to take up defensive positions in Eggmühl itself.  The withdrawal was covered by the 3rd ‘Archduke Ferdinand’ Hussars and a cavalry battery.  The extraction of the Grenze proved successful and the hussars took up position on the high ground of the Bettelberg, alongside Stutterheim’s IV. Korps cavalry.  The cavalry battery unlimbered at the foot of the hill, in a position from which it could sweep the bridge with fire.

The sound of the clash at Buchhausen carried across the valley to Davout’s position, alerting him to the close proximity of the Emperor’s column! At around 1400hrs he ordered his divisions forward; Saint-Hilaire would initially assault Unterlaiching.  Friant would remain in position for the time being.  Deroy’s 3rd Bavarian Division meanwhile, would advance on Saint-Hilaire’s left, aiming for the high ground of the Vorberg.  Demont would cover the right flank against the Grosse-Laaber.

At Eggmühl meanwhile, the Württemberger General von Hügel led his light infantry forward to mount an immediate assault across the bridge.  On his right, General Gudin was about to do likewise on the small bridge over the weir at Stanglmühl.  Behind them, the rest of Napoleon’s army depended entirely upon these river crossings being open by the time they arrived…

Historical Eggmühl

As soon as the Württembergers appeared on the horizon, Davout launched his forces into the attack.  Avoiding the artillery-swept ‘killing ground’ in front of Oberlaiching, Davout ordered Saint-Hilaire’s division and Lefebvre’s VII Corps to attack Unterlaiching and the woods beyond, while Friant’s division was to attack through the northern woods and try to cut the Austrian line of communication at Ober-Sanding.  Seydewitz’s Bavarian cavalry were ordered to silence the grand battery on the Vorberg.

Vandamme meanwhile, finding the Grosse-Laaber to be deep and unfordable, ordered his Württembergers to storm the bridge at Eggmühl with all haste.  On Vandamme’s right, the advance guard of Lannes’ Provisional Corps was ordered to find crossing-points in the direction of Rogging, which Gudin’s division managed to do at Stanglmühl.

Friant’s attack on Obersanding soon stagnated, due mainly to the efforts of the experienced Grenze and the appearance of Austrian grenadiers in the distance on Friant’s left.  Likewise, Gudin, having crossed the river at Stanglmühl, found progress difficult against Bieber’s solid defence of the Einsiedelberg.  However, with the support of Morand’s newly-arrived division, Bieber was pushed steadily back off the escarpment and into the woods beyond.

Saint-Hilaire’s troops threw themselves at the enemy in Unterlaiching and the woods above, though the ‘White-Coats’ fought fiercely for every inch of ground.  However, with the commitment of Bavarian troops into the fight, the brave defenders of Unterlaiching churchyard were soon overwhelmed and were pushed back into the woods.  Nevertheless, the Franco-Bavarian infantry found their attack stalled at the top edge of the woods, where they ran into concentrated artillery fire and counter-attacks by Austrian infantry and cavalry.

The Württembergers meanwhile, were engaged in a bloody and desperate struggle for possession of the bridge at Eggmühl.  The first two assaults ran headlong into a firestorm of shot from the 9th ‘Peterwardeiner’ Grenze and the cavalry battery positioned at the foot of the Bettelberg.  Vandamme then dealt his trump card; the 1st ‘König’ Jäger Battalion, part of the King of Württemberg’s household brigade.  The Jäger charged across the bloody bridge and overran the Grenze, pursuing them through the village and up to the gates of the schloss, where they then proceeded to batter in the gates and to storm the strongpoint, forcing the garrison to surrender.  With the bridge taken, von Wöllwarth’s Württemberg cavalry surged across, followed by the cuirassiers and carabiniers of Saint-Sulpice’s and Nansouty’s divisions.

Seydewitz’s Bavarian cavalry, who had so bravely charged the Vorberg battery at the start of the battle, were by now starting to falter at the weight of the Austrian counter-attacks, led by the fearless General Stutterheim.  However, with the fall of the bridge, Napoleon’s entire cavalry reserve soon swarmed on to the plain to the West of Eggmühl.  No three cavalry regiments, no matter how brave, could possibly hold back this tide for long.

Even before the battle had started in earnest, Archduke Charles realised that he had been seriously wrong-footed and realised that there was a severe danger of being trapped with his back to the Danube.  He gave the order that the army should retreat at once across the Danube at Regensburg, and that Rosenberg’s IV. Korps was now to be the rearguard of the army.  The four kürassier regiments that Rosenberg had earlier requested would now be released to him.

Thanks to the bravery of Stutterheim and his superb cavalrymen, the retreat of IV.  Korps went relatively smoothly.  Eventually though, as night fell near the village of Alteglofsheim, the exhausted horsemen could hold back the enemy no longer.  However, the bold intervention of two brigades of kürassiere gave IV.  Korps more time to get away, and although the French pursuit continued on into the darkness, Archduke Charles had managed to rescue his army from the very jaws of death.

Scenario Outline

This scenario lasts for 13 turns, starting with the French 1300hrs turn and ending with the Austrian 1900hrs turn.

Each square on the map is 1′ square, so the table is 6′ x 5′, representing 6km x 5km (when we did this with Général de Brigade, it was 14′ x 12′, split over three tables!).

The scenario is very straightforward: The French must break the Austrian army’s morale to claim victory.

Each side may either deploy using the historical deployment shown on the map above, or may use a slightly more flexible deployment, within the ‘deployment boxes’ shown on the map below.  Units may be deployed in any formation:

Orders of Battle

Austrian IV. Armeekorps (+) – Feldmarschalleutnant Franz Seraph Fürst von Orsini-Rosenberg

12”G(10)+0 [5F] [12M]
(4 Free Rolls)

Division of Feldmarschalleutnant Dedovich                                         3”A(5)+0
Grenze-Infanterie-Regiment #12 ‘Deutsch-Banát’                                           16 AsGRZ [10D]
Grenze-Batterie (3pdr)                                                                                           As3#
Infanterie-Regiment #3 ‘Erzherzog Karl’ (attached from Army HQ)           24 AsLN [12D]

Division of Feldmarschalleutnant Hohenlohe-Bartenstein          3”G(6)+0
Infanterie-Regiment #8 ‘Erzherzog Ludwig’                                                     24 AsLN [12D]
Infanterie-Regiment #22 ‘Koburg’                                                                      24 AsLN [12D]
Infanterie-Regiment #46 ‘Chasteler’                                                                  20 AsLN [10D]

Division of Feldmarschalleutnant Sommariva                                    3”A(5)+1
Infanterie-Regiment #9 ‘Czartoryski’                                                                 20 AsLN [10D]
Infanterie-Regiment #44 ‘Bellegarde’                                                                20 AsLN [10D]
Infanterie-Regiment #55 ‘Reuss-Greitz’                                                            20 AsLN [10D]

Cavalry Brigade of Generalmajor Stutterheim                                    3”E(7)+1
Chevauxleger-Regiment #4 ‘Vincent’                                                                  16 AsLC [8D]
Husaren-Regiment #10 ‘Stipsicz’                                                                         12 AsLC [6D]
Kavallerie-Batterie (6pdr)                                                                                      As6#

IV Korps Artillery Reserve
Position-Batterie (12pdr)                                                                                       As12#
Position-Batterie (12pdr)                                                                                       As12#
Kavallerie-Batterie (6pdr)                                                                                      As6#

Elements, III. Armeekorps

Division of Feldmarschalleutnant Vukassovich                                  3”G(7)+0 [2F]
Grenze-Infanterie-Regiment #9 ‘Peterwardeiner’                                            16 AsGRZ [10D]
Husaren-Regiment #3 ‘Erzherzog Ferdinand’                                                   12 AsLC [6D]
Kavallerie-Batterie (6pdr)                                                                                      As6#

Brigade of Generalmajor Bieber                                                                  3”A(5)+0 [1F]
Infanterie-Regiment #20 ‘Kaunitz’                                                                       20 AsLN [10D]
Infanterie-Regiment #38 ‘Württemberg’                                                             20 AsLN [10D]
Position-Batterie (6pdr)                                                                                           As6#

Brigade of Generalmajor Kayser                                                                  3”A(4)+0 [1F]
Infanterie-Regiment #7 ‘Schröder’                                                                        20 AsLN [10D]
Infanterie-Regiment #56 ‘Wenzel Colloredo’                                                      20 AsLN [10D]

Elements, I. Reserve-Korps

Grenadier Reserve of Generalmajor Rohan                                           4”A(6)+1 [2F]
Steyrer’s Grenadier Brigade                                                                                    28 AsGN [11D]
Melgum’s Grenadier Brigade                                                                                  28 AsGN [11D]

Optional Forces:

Kürassier Reserve of Feldmarschalleutnant Hessen-Homburg    4”G(7)+1 [2F]
Schneller’s Kürassier Brigade                                                                                  16 AsHC [6D]
Lederer’s Kürassier Brigade                                                                                     16 AsHC [6D]
Kavallerie-Batterie (6pdr)                                                                                        As6#
Kavallerie-Batterie (6pdr)                                                                                        As6#

Austrian Order of Battle Notes

1.  Infanterie-Regiment #3 ‘Erzherzog Karl’ was an independent regiment attached to Archduke Charles’ headquarters and took part in the fighting against Friant between Ober Sanding and Ober Laiching on the 21st.  It was shifted to the north by Archduke Charles on the morning of the 22nd to cover his move around Davout’s left, but I have included it in the scenario to cover Rosenberg’s exposed right flank.  It may be commanded by Dedovich, but may not be re-deployed if using flexible deployment.

2.  Rosenberg’s IV. Korps reserve batteries may be deployed as the Austrian commander sees fit, though they may only be commanded by IV. Korps formation commanders.

3.  I have boosted Stutterheim’s stats slightly, to reflect his dynamic and aggressive actions during this battle and immediately afterwards.  I’ve also added a combat bonus to Sommariva to reflect the energetic presence of Generalmajor Neustädter.

4.  I’ve no idea who, if anyone was in overall command of the two reserve cuirassier brigades.  It’s possible that Rohan was in command of both the grenadiers and cuirassiers, but for game purposes and to give the Austrians a fighting chance and some flexibility, I’ve included the reserve division commander, Hessen-Homburg.  Group them all under Rohan if you prefer to give the Austrians a greater command & control headache.

5.  Kayser’s Brigade from III. Korps became engaged in the northern sector as the battle developed, so I include them here as an independent reinforcement formation.  As with all formations in this scenario, it may be commanded by Rosenberg.

6.  The independent formations from III. Korps and I. Reserve-Korps may be commanded by Rosenberg, but they do not count toward IV. Korps’ fatigue total.  They each have their own individual fatigue rating. They do however, count toward the overall army morale total.

7.  Ordinarily in Napoleon’s Battles, light foot batteries are not represented on the table. However, this can lead to unhistorical situations, where one side has horse and heavy foot artillery, when the other side does not.  I’ve therefore added a 6pdr foot battery to Bieber’s command on the Einsiedelberg, as otherwise it will be a simple matter for the French to simply shoot Bieber out of his position without conducting an assault.  Use the same stats as 6pdr cavalry batteries, but do not allow it to perform evade actions.

8.  The Kürassier Reserve is included as a ‘balancing option’ for the Austrians and may be left out if preferred.  They were positioned very close to the battlefield, but Archduke Charles didn’t authorise their release until very late in the day and they only fought to cover the retreat at Alteglofsheim, a short distance to the north of our map.  I must admit that I included them in our early version of this scenario, though refused to allow them to be used until the situation was desperate.

French Army Of Germany
L’Empereur Napoléon

28”E(10)+3D (5 Free Rolls)

Left Wing – Maréchal Louis-Nicolas Davout, Duc d’Auerstädt

14”E(10)+1, reverting to 12”E(8)+1 when Napoleon arrives

III Corps d’Armée (Davout)

[4F] then [5F]

2nd Division – Général de Division Friant                                                 5”E(8)+2
Gilly’s Brigade (15ème Légère)                                                                         12 FrLT [6D/5D]
Grandeau’s Brigade (33ème & 48ème de Ligne)                                          28 FrVLN [11D/8D]
Gautier’s Brigade (108ème & 111ème de Ligne)                                           24 FrVLN [10D/7D]
2/5ème Artillerie à Cheval (4pdr)                                                                   Fr4#

4th Division – Général de Division Saint-Hilaire                                     4”E(8)+2
Lorencez’s Brigade #1 (10ème Légère)                                                           12 FrVLT [5D/4D]
Lorencez’s Brigade #2 (3ème & 57ème de Ligne)                                        28 FrVLN [11D/8D]
Destabenrath’s Brigade (72ème & 105ème de Ligne)                                  28 FrLN [14D/11D]
5/8ème Artillerie à Cheval (4pdr)                                                                   Fr4#

III Corps Cavalry Reserve – Général de Brigade Piré                          3”A(5)+0
Piré’s Brigade (8ème Hussards & 16ème Chasseurs à Cheval)                  12 FrLC [6D/5D]

VII Corps d’Armée – Maréchal François-Joseph Lefebvre, Duc de Danzig

9”E(5)+1D [5F] then [6F]

1st Bavarian Division – Generalleutnant Kronprinz Ludwig              3”G(5)+1D
Rechberg’s Brigade                                                                                             28 BvLN [17D/14D]
Stengel’s Brigade                                                                                                 28 BvLN [17D/14D]
Reserve Battery ‘Leiningen’ (12pdr)                                                               Bv12#

3rd Bavarian Division – Generalleutnant von Deroi                            4”A(6)+0
Vincenti’s Brigade                                                                                               28 BvLN [17D/14D]
Sieben’s Brigade                                                                                                  28 BvLN [17D/14D]
Massed Light Battalions                                                                                    12 BvLT [6D/5D]
Seydewitz’s Cavalry Brigade                                                                              12 BvLC [6D/5D]
Light Mounted Battery ‘Gotthardt’ (6pdr)                                                      Bv6#
Light Mounted Battery ‘Van Douwe’ (6pdr)                                                   Bv6#
Reserve Battery ‘Dietrich’ (12pdr)                                                                     Bv12#

Reserve Division – Général de Division Demont                                    4”A(6)+0
1st Reserve Brigade                                                                                             16 FrPLN [10D/8D]
3rd Reserve Brigade                                                                                           16 FrPLN [10D/8D]

Right Wing (Napoléon)

Imperial HQ Escort (elements, Marulaz’s Brigade)
14ème Chasseurs à Cheval & Baden Light Dragoons                                   12 BdLC [5D]

Elements, VIII Corps d’Armée – Général de Division Dominique Vandamme

5”E(5)+2 [2F] then [3F]

Württemberg Advance Guard – Generalmajor von Hügel                3”A(6)+1
Hügel’s Brigade                                                                                                   24 WtLT [12D/10D]
2nd Horse Battery (6pdr)                                                                                  Wt6#

Württemberg Cavalry Division – Generalleutnant von Wöllwarth 4”G(7)+1
Röder’s Chevauxleger Brigade                                                                          8 WtLC [4D/3D]
Stettner’s Jäger zu Pferde Brigade                                                                   12 WtLC [6D/5D]
1st Horse Battery (6pdr)                                                                                     Wt6#

Corps Provisoire – Maréchal Jean Lannes, Duc de Montebello

7”E(7)+2 [4F] then [5F]

1st Division (of III Corps d’Armée) – Général de Division Morand 5”E(8)+2
Lacour’s Brigade #1 (13ème Légère)                                                                 16 FrVLT [6D/5D]
Lacour’s Brigade #2 (17ème de Ligne)                                                             16 FrVLN [6D/5D]
Lacour’s Brigade #3 (30ème de Ligne)                                                            16 FrVLN [6D/5D]
L’Huillier’s Brigade (61ème de Ligne)                                                              16 FrVLN [6D/4D]
5/5ème Artillerie à Cheval (4pdr)                                                                     Fr4#

3rd Division (of III Corps d’Armée) – Général de Division Gudin 5”G(6)+1
Petit’s Brigade #1 (12ème de Ligne & 7ème Légère)                                    24 FrVLN [10D/7D]
Petit’s Brigade #2 (21ème de Ligne)                                                                20 FrVLN [8D/6D]
Duppelin’s Brigade (25ème & 85ème de Ligne)                                           28 FrVLN [11D/8D]
2/6ème Artillerie à Cheval (4pdr)                                                                   Fr4#

Cavalry Reserve (under the Emperor’s personal command) [4F]

1st Cuirassier Division – Général de Division Nansouty                     3”G(7)+1
Defrance’s Carabinier Brigade                                                                         20 FrHC [8D/6D]
Doumerc’s Cuirassier Brigade                                                                         20 FrHC [8D/6D]
St Germain’s Cuirassier Brigade                                                                      20 FrHC [8D/6D]
4/6ème Artillerie à Cheval (8pdr)                                                                   Fr8#
5/6ème Artillerie à Cheval (8pdr)                                                                   Fr8#

2nd Cuirassier Division – Général de Division Saint-Sulpice            3”A(6)+1
Clément’s Cuirassier Brigade                                                                           20 FrHC [8D/6D]
Guiton’s Cuirassier Brigade                                                                              20 FrHC [8D/6D]
3/5ème Artillerie à Cheval (8pdr)                                                                   Fr8#

French Order of Battle Notes

1.  I have only included those units that were on the battlefield at the start and those who arrived early enough to do some fighting.  Units that were following behind the units listed above include Montbrun’s Light Cavalry Division, d’Espagne’s 3rd Cuirassier Division, Masséna’s IV Corps and Claparède’s Division from II Corps.  There isn’t any point in representing these on table, but their proximity to the battlefield should be considered when assessing the overall situation during the post-game argument…

2.  Davout is the French C-in-C until Napoleon arrives on the table, whereupon he reverts to being a Wing Commander.  Davout’s ratings will therefore be 14”E(10)+1 until Napoleon arrives and 12”E(8)+1 thereafter.  Davout may not command any early-arriving elements of Napoleon’s Right Wing, though he may continue to function as a wing-commander, with Lefebvre’s VII Corps continuing to be subordinate.

3.  Although Vandamme is the commander of VIII Corps, he is here personally leading the advanced guard.  He has not therefore been given the 5” command-span bonus normally given to a French corps commander and has instead been given the 2” command-span bonus normally given to the commander of a temporary corps.  Lannes is also commanding a temporary corps and likewise has a reduced command-span.

4.  Units use their higher Dispersal numbers until Napoleon arrives on the battlefield, at which point they use the lower Dispersal numbers listed.

5.  Formations use their lower Fatigue numbers until Napoleon arrives on the battlefield, at which point they use their higher Fatigue numbers.

6.  The detachment from Marulaz’s Cavalry Brigade will immediately attach itself to Napoleon’s Headquarters at the earliest opportunity and will act as escort.  Napoleon will retain his command radius even when the escort unit is directly attached.  If the escort unit becomes unattached (e.g. due to Napoleon moving too fast or due to an uncontrolled pursuit), the unit will automatically count as being activated, but must at all times make best speed to re-attach to Napoleon and may not voluntarily make charge, evade or pursuit moves or place a React marker.

7.  Most sources show Vieregg’s Bavarian Cavalry Brigade as being present with Crown Prince Ludwig’s 1st Bavarian Division.  However, John H Gill in ‘Thunder on the Danube’ is quite emphatic about its absence and also comments that the divisional light mounted battery was probably attached to that brigade and also therefore absent.  I’ve therefore deleted these units.  Gill does however, mention additional Bavarian batteries with Deroi’s Division not mentioned elsewhere, so I’ve included these.

8.  The overwhelming majority of the French infantry regiments in both Davout’s III Corps and Lannes’ Provisional Corps are hardened veterans from Davout’s III Corps of previous campaigns.  They therefore use the 1805-1807 stats (‘FrVLN’ & ‘FrVLT’), while the more recently-added regiments use the slightly less-capable 1809-1812 stats (‘FrLN’ & ‘FrLT’).  See the Unit Information Card below.

9.  Demont’s Reserve Division had three very weak brigades; the 1st & 3rd Brigades each had four battalions, while the 2nd Brigade only had two.  The strength of the 2nd Brigade has therefore been absorbed into the other two.  These brigades consisted entirely of massed 4th Battalions comprising raw recruits, sent directly from regimental depots in France.  These are classed as ‘Provisional Line’ (‘FrPLN’) and are distinctly less capable than Davout’s veterans.

10.  Wöllwarth only had ten of his sixteen squadrons with him at Eggmühl (one complete regiment missing from Röder’s Brigade and half a regiment missing from Stettner’s).  At full strength they would both be 16 figure brigades, but are reduced here to 8 and 12 figures respectively.

11.  Note that the Cavalry Reserve has a fatigue rating.  Treat it as a corps for fatigue purposes, even though the two cuirassier divisions are operating as independent divisions under the Emperor’s direct control.

12.  Hügel seems rather underrated in the official ratings, so I’ve given his stats a little boost.

Reinforcement Schedule

All reinforcements arrive in March Column formation at the point specified, except for Kayser’s Brigade, which may arrive deployed in any formation, within 6 inches of point D.  I wouldn’t use the Variable Arrival Times rule for this scenario.

On table at start:

Rosenberg, with all formations listed except Kayser’s Brigade and the Reserves.
Davout with the French III Corps.
Lefebvre with the VII (Bavarian) Corps (minus 1st Division).
Gudin, with Petit’s Brigade #1 & his horse battery.
Vandamme, with Hügel and his light infantry brigade.

Turn 1 – 1300

Petit’s Brigade #2 of Gudin’s Division arrive at point A.
Hügel’s 2nd Horse Battery arrive at point B.

Turn 2 – 1330

The remainder of Gudin’s Division arrives at point A.

Turn 3 – 1400

Wöllwarth’s Württemberg Cavalry Division arrives at Point B.

Turn 4 – 1430

Lannes arrives at point A.
Morand’s Division arrives at point A.
Prinz Ludwig’s 1st Bavarian Division arrives at point C.

Turn 5 – 1500

Napoleon arrives at point B.
Saint-Sulpice’s 2nd Cuirassier Division arrives at point B.
Kayser’s Brigade arrives at point D.

Turn 6 – 1530

Rohan’s Grenadier-Reserve arrives at Point E.
Hessen-Homburg’s Kürassier-Reserve arrives at Point F (optional).
Wöllwarth’s scouts discover the ford at Schnitzlmühl.

Turn 7 – 1600

Nansouty’s 1st Cuirassier Division arrives at point B.

Turn 8 – 1630

The detachment from Marulaz’s Light Cavalry Brigade arrives at point B (and is immediately commandeered by Marshal Berthier to act as headquarters guard).

Turn 13 – 1900 (Nightfall)

Scenario ends at the end of this turn.

Terrain Effects

1.  The Grosse Laaber river is unfordable, except via the bridge at Eggmühl and the Stanglmühl.  Only infantry may cross at the Stanglmühl (via a footbridge), though only one unit may cross per turn.  Eggmühl bridge may be crossed by all troop-types at the normal Column or March Column rate.  Eggmühl village must be captured in order to control the bridge (i.e. unless they are assaulting Eggmühl, units may not cross the bridge while the town is still held by the Austrians).

2.  The small streams are passable to all troop types as 1 inch of Rough Terrain.  A unit defending the bank will gain a +1 defensive modifier.

3.  All villages have a defensive modifier of +2 (they weren’t particularly defensible), except for Eggmühl, which has a modifier of +3.

4.  All slopes provide a +1 defensive modifier to the defender, except for the southern slopes of the Einsiedelberg, which are particularly steep, counting as 2 inches of Rough Terrain and providing a +2 defensive modifier.

5.  Woods provide a -1 cover modifier, but no positive combat modifier, just the usual negative combat modifiers, depending on troop type.  Woods are classed as Rough Terrain for movement, though are not particularly dense and do not therefore disorder troops passing through them. Firing through woods is limited to 2 inches range.

6.  All Austrian units starting the scenario deployed in woods will have their frontage covered by abatis.  This will provide a +1 combat modifier, in addition to any modifier for defending a slope.  This modifier is lost if the unit moves from its original position and facing (the abatis is then removed from play).

7.  The water meadows bordering the Grosse Laaber are classed as Rough Terrain and are impassable to artillery.

8.  Umpire’s Eyes Only!  While waiting for the Eggmühl Bridge to be secured, Württemberger cavalry scouts located a deep ford at the Schnitzlmühl Mill, only a few hundred yards to the west of Eggmühl (one account mentions that the ford was created by opening the mill weir, thereby reducing the water-level), which was then used by some of the French cavalry brigades to cross the river.  Both Rosenberg and Vandamme had already reported the Grosse-Laaber to be impassable, so this came as a surprise to both sides!  In game terms, this ford will be discovered on Turn 6.  I suggest treating this ford as Rough Ground (like the surrounding soggy water-meadows) and passable only by cavalry units.  See the map below.

[I forgot to include the Napoleon’s Battles Unit Data Card and labels the first time around, so here they are:]

Anyway, that’s it for now!  Tune in next time for the thrilling game-report!  Please try to control your excitement.