As regular readers of this blog might remember, in April 2020 I declared my French Imperial Guard to be finally finished! Hurrah! Vive l’Empereur! etc…
So here are another two units of Imperial Guard cavalry… 🙂
“WTF?!” I hear you cry… Well in my defence (and in order to justify it to myself), I had already completed most of the significant heavy cavalry regiments (Grenadiers à Cheval, Empress’ Dragoons and Gendarmerie d’Élite) and light cavalry regiments (Chasseurs à Cheval, 1st (Polish) Lancers and 2nd (‘Red’) Lancers, Mamelukes and 2nd Gardes d’Honneur) of the Imperial Guard, though I didn’t have any squadrons of Young Guard cavalry. This becomes rather critical when refighting the larger battles of 1813 and 1814, as the squadrons of the Young Guard contributed around half the strength of the Imperial Guard Cavalry Corps, often being separated from their parent regiments and grouped in their own brigades and as de facto regiments in their own right. To complicate matters further, the Young Guard were uniformed differently to the Old Guard and in some cases markedly so.
So I needed some (it’s not merely a case of ‘wanting’)… That ‘need’ was amplified last year when AB Figures released figures for the Young Guard squadrons of the Chasseurs à Cheval…
In a desperate attempt to justify my indulgence, here are some example orders of battle from 1813 and 1814 to illustrate the tactical groupings of the squadrons of the Young Guard:
Order of Battle of the Guard Cavalry at Bautzen, 20/21 May 1813
Général de Division d’Ornano
1st Guard Cavalry Division – Général de Division Lefebvre-Desnouëttes
1st (Polish) Lancers (4 Old Guard + 3 Young Guard squadrons)
2nd (’Red’) Lancers” (4 Old Guard + 2 Young Guard squadrons)
Berg Lancers (3 squadrons)
2nd Guard Cavalry Division – Général de Division Walther
Chasseurs à Cheval (4 Old Guard + 5 Young Guard squadrons)*
Empress’ Dragoons (4 Old Guard + 2 Young Guard squadrons)
Grenadiers à Cheval (4 Old Guard + 2 Young Guard squadrons)
Gendarmes d’Élite (2 squadrons)
Order of Battle of the Guard Cavalry at Dresden, 27 August 1813
Général de Division Nansouty
1st Guard Cavalry Division – Général de Division d’Ornano
Berg Lancers (4 squadrons)
2nd (‘Red’) Lancers” (4 Old Guard + 6 Young Guard squadrons)
Empress’ Dragoons (2 Young Guard squadrons)
2nd Guard Cavalry Division – Général de Division Lefebvre-Desnouëttes
1st (Polish) Lancers (4 Old Guard + 3 Young Guard squadrons)
Chasseurs à Cheval (4 Young Guard squadrons)*
Grenadiers à Cheval (2 Young Guard squadrons)
3rd Guard Cavalry Division – Général de Division Walther
Chasseurs à Cheval (4 Old Guard + 2 Young Guard squadrons)*
Empress’ Dragoons (4 Old Guard squadrons)
Grenadiers à Cheval (4 Old Guard squadrons)
Gendarmes d’Élite (2 squadrons detached to Headquarters)
1st Gardes d’Honneur (2 squadrons)
2nd Gardes d’Honneur (2 squadrons)
3rd Gardes d’Honneur (1 squadron)
4th Gardes d’Honneur (1 squadron)
Order of Battle of the Guard Cavalry at Leipzig, 16-19 October 1813
Général de Division Nansouty
Gendarmes d’Élite (2 squadrons detached to Headquarters)
1st Guard Cavalry Division – Général de Division d’Ornano
1st Brigade – Général de Brigade Colbert
Berg Lancers (6 squadrons)
2nd (‘Red’) Lancers” (4 Old Guard + 6 Young Guard squadrons)
2nd Brigade – Général de Brigade Pinteville
Empress’ Dragoons (2 Young Guard squadrons)
2nd Guard Cavalry Division – Général de Division Lefebvre-Desnouëttes
1st Brigade – Général de Brigade Krasinski
1st (Polish) Lancers (4 Young Guard squadrons)
Chasseurs à Cheval (4 Young Guard squadrons)*
2nd Brigade – Général de Brigade Castex
Grenadiers à Cheval (2 Young Guard squadrons)
3rd Guard Cavalry Division – Général de Division Walther
1st Brigade – Général de Brigade Lyon
1st (Polish) Lancers (4 Old Guard squadrons)
4th Gardes d’Honneur (2 squadrons)
Chasseurs à Cheval (4 Old Guard + 2 Young Guard squadrons)*
1st Gardes d’Honneur (2 squadrons)
2nd Brigade – Général de Brigade Letort
Empress’ Dragoons (4 Old Guard squadrons)
2nd Gardes d’Honneur (2 squadrons)
3rd Brigade – Général de Brigade Laferrière
Grenadiers à Cheval (4 Old Guard squadrons)
3rd Gardes d’Honneur (1 squadron)
Order of Battle of the Guard Cavalry at La Rothière, 1st February 1814
Général de Division Nansouty
1st Old Guard Cavalry Division – Général de Division Colbert
1st Brigade – Général de Division Krasinski
1st (Polish) Lancers (4 Old Guard + 4 Young Guard squadrons)
2nd Éclaireurs (Éclaireurs-Dragons) (4 squadrons)
2nd Old Guard Cavalry Division – Général de Division Guyot
1st Brigade – Général de Division Guyot
Grenadiers à Cheval (4 Old Guard squadrons)
2nd Brigade – Général de Division d’Ornano
Empress’ Dragoons (4 Old Guard squadrons)
3rd Brigade – Général de Division Lefebvre-Desnouëttes
Chasseurs à Cheval (4 Old Guard squadrons)*
1st Young Guard Cavalry Division – Général de Division Laferrière
Chasseurs à Cheval (4 or 6 Young Guard squadrons [accounts vary])*
Empress’ Dragoons (2 Young Guard squadrons)
Grenadiers à Cheval (2 Young Guard squadrons)
2nd Young Guard Cavalry Division – Général de Division Defrance
1st Gardes d’Honneur (4 squadrons)
2nd Gardes d’Honneur (2 squadrons)
3rd Gardes d’Honneur (2 squadrons)
4th Gardes d’Honneur (2 squadrons)
* One company (i.e. half-squadron) of the Guard Chasseurs à Cheval was formed by the Mamelukes of the Guard. However, I’m not sure if this company was grouped with an Old Guard or Young Guard squadron.
The Young Guard Squadrons of the Chasseurs à Cheval of the Guard
Disclaimer: Details of uniforms for the squadrons of the Young Guard are sparse, fragmentary, contradictory and sometimes non-existent, but here’s my best stab…
The uniform of the Young Guard Chasseurs à Cheval differed from that of the Old Guard squadrons in several areas, though did wear some matching items of dress. The dolman jacket was the same, being dark green with green collar and scarlet cuffs, decorated in hussar style with aurore braid and brass buttons (gold braid and buttons for officers). This was worn with the same green & scarlet barrel-sash. They also wore the same undress green breeches with aurore braid as the Old Guard squadrons and on campaign wore the same green campaign overalls with aurore side-stripes (some sources show red stripes and even grey overalls with red stripes).
Only officers were permitted to wear the distinctive scarlet pelisse over-jacket and those of the Young Guard had black fur edging, instead of the white fur worn by officers of the Old Guard squadrons. However, some officers seconded from the Old Guard are depicted in art wearing their white fur-edged pelisse and even scarlet full-dress breeches.
Chef d’Escadron Jacques de Trobriand was seconded to the Young Guard from the Old Guard and is depicted here wearing the white-edged pelisse, scarlet breeches and brass sabre-scabbard of the Old Guard with the officers’ pattern shako of the Young Guard.
Instead of a fur colpack, the Young Guard squadrons wore a scarlet shako trimmed with a band of aurore lace at the top and bottom edges and aurore cords. The peak was black leather, trimmed with brass. Chinscales were brass, as was the crowned eagle badge of the Young Guard. The national cockade was worn above the eagle badge and the whole ensemble was topped off with an aurore pompom (some sources show scarlet pompoms). A green plume with scarlet tip was added in full dress.
The classic bell-topped shako soon gave way to the slightly taller, cylindrical shako-rouleau, which was probably the main type of shako worn by 1814. The shako-rouleau retained the scarlet colouring, again decorated with bands of aurore lace and brass fittings. However, it only had a pompom instead of the full dress plume and cords. Instead of the brass eagle badge was a large national cockade, secured by an aurore strap and brass button. At the rear was a false rear peak of black leather. The top was waterproofed with black oilskin or leather and this might also have been true of the earlier shako. The AB Figures Young Guard Chasseurs are modelled wearing the later shako-rouleau.
Belts were of whitened leather and sabretaches were of plain black leather, decorated with the brass eagle and crown badge of the Young Guard. Some artistic depictions do show more ornately-decorated sabretaches, but these seem to have been officers’ items and perhaps belonged to officers seconded from the Old Guard and/or saved for parade best?
In contrast to the distinctive brass sabre scabbards of the Old Guard, the squadrons of the Young Guard were only issued with plain steel scabbards. However, again it would seem that officers and trumpeters seconded from the Old Guard continued to wear their old brass scabbards.
Shabraques were in ‘reversed colours’ when compared to those of the squadrons of the Old Guard, being scarlet with plain green edging. They also lacked ornamentation. The round valise fixed behind the saddle matched those colours, being scarlet with green lace rings at the ends. Unusually, officers were meant to use exactly the same pattern of shabraque and valise, though there are depictions of officers adding at least a little gold lace to the edging and even using ostentatious animal-skin shabraques in the style of the Old Guard Chasseurs. Again, this may have been an affectation used by seconded Old Guard officers.
Cloaks were green and are often depicted in art as being worn rolled over the shoulder en bandolier, as protection against sword-cuts.
White sheepskin saddle-covers could also be used but as with all Guard cavalry regiments, the full shabraque seems to have been universally used, even when on campaign. Line cavalry regiments by contrast, often dispensed with the shabraque and just used the sheepskin saddle-cover on campaign. The full shabraque is therefore one of the key features marking the figures out as Young Guard. The AB Figures French Hussars (which I used for my Gardes d’Honneur) are just modelled with the sheepskin saddle-cover, so aren’t suitable. I was just about to paint some AB Figures Dutch Hussars as Young Guard Chasseurs (as they have the full shabraque and rolled cloak en bandolier, albeit with a boring covered shako) when AB released the pukka Young Guard Chasseurs.
Trumpeters wore a sky-blue dolman with deep crimson-pink collar and cuffs and braiding in mixed crimson/gold-yellow. Campaign coveralls were in matching sky-blue with a crimson-pink stripe (or double-stripe). Barrel-sashes were gold-yellow with deep crimson-pink barrels. Some Young Guard trumpeters are depicted wearing the deep crimson-pink pelisse of the Old Guard trumpeters, decorated with mixed sky-blue and gold-yellow braid, though these may again be seconded trumpeters from the Old Guard.
The trumpeters’ shako or shako-rouleau was of the same pattern as the rank and file, though had lace and cords in mixed sky-blue/gold-yellow. Some depictions show trumpeters wearing colpacks in black or white fur, though once again, this may have been an affectation worn by seconded trumpeters of the Old Guard.
Trumpeters’ equipment was the same as the rank-and-file, though again brass scabbards may have been worn by seconded trumpeters of the Old Guard. Somewhat unusually, their horse furniture was exactly the same as that of the rank-and-file, namely scarlet with green edging.
As they were not regiments in their own right, the squadrons of the Young Guard were not issued with Eagles and no guidon or standard of any type, official or unofficial is recorded.
In 1815 a 2nd Regiment of Chasseurs à Cheval of the Guard was raised and wore essentially the same uniform as described here. However, the regiment did not see action and was disbanded following Napoleon’s second abdication. I mention it here as the title ‘2nd Regiment’ is sometimes used in relation to the Young Guard squadrons of the Chasseurs à Cheval during the campaigns of 1813 and 1814 (most notably on the AB Figures website!). This is incorrect and while the Young Guard squadrons may have fought as a de facto regiment 1813-1814, that title was not awarded until 1815.
The Young Guard Squadrons of the 2nd (‘Red’) Light Horse Lancers of the Guard
Do not adjust your set… Yes, the Young Guard squadrons of the Red Lancers wore BLUE coats!
Of all the known Young Guard cavalry uniforms (those of the 1st (Polish) Lancers remain curiously unknown), those of the 2nd Light Horse Lancers of the Guard were the most radically different from their parent regiment. As mentioned above, the Young Guard squadrons of the Chasseurs à Cheval had reversed-colour shabraques, but the basic uniform colours remained the same and the Young Guard uniforms of the Grenadiers à Cheval and Empress’ Dragoons also remained very similar to those of their parent regiments. However, the Young Guard squadrons of the 2nd Lancers were dressed in coats of reversed colours (i.e. blue coats with scarlet facings instead of the scarlet with blue facings worn by the Old Guard).
My pet theory is that plenty of uniforms with very similar colourings were already in stock, thanks to the demise of the short-lived 3rd Regiment of (Lithuanian) Light Horse Lancers of the Guard, which was raised in 1812 and then wiped out soon after, possibly leaving a depot full of undelivered uniforms….
[Factoid: The 2nd (‘Red’) Lancers of the Guard were initially classed as Middle Guard, but on 17th March 1813 were elevated to the Old Guard by Imperial decree. Someone recently tried to correct my ‘mistake’ in calling them Old Guard…]
The dark blue Polish-style kurtka jacket had a plain scarlet collar, lapels, pointed cuffs and turnbacks, as well as scarlet piping on the back-seams, which continued down the back of the arms. Instead of the elaborate yellow epaulette and aiguillette worn by the Old Guard, the Young Guard just wore simple blue shoulder-straps, piped scarlet. However, NCOs wore the Old Guard-style epaulette and aiguillette in mixed crimson and gold cords (as shown on the right). Buttons were brass.
The full-dress trousers were scarlet with a double dark blue stripe. However, dark blue coveralls with a single scarlet stripe were worn on campaign. As my figures are in campaign dress, I’ve gone with the campaign coveralls (as I did with my Old Guard ‘Red’ Lancers). Depictions of the campaign coveralls vary from source to source, but most show black leather reinforcing and white metal buttons down the scarlet stripe.
The czapka cap followed the colouring of the Old Guard ‘Red’ Lancers, being a black leather cap with a black leather peak trimmed in brass, with brass chinscales and a scarlet cloth ‘box’ piped yellow, with a wide yellow band of lace separating the ‘box’ from the black leather cap. Yellow cords and a white plume were worn in full dress. Sources vary re the front-plate; most depictions show the Old Guard-style ‘sunburst’ plate, while some show just a simple brass ‘N’. There is actually a surviving example of a Young Guard czapka of the 2nd Lancers with the simple brass ‘N’ badge, which adds considerable weight to that depiction of the uniform. It is of course possible that both types were worn and the ‘N’ badge might have been a late-war ‘austerity’ item. In my case this is all academic, as my lads are wearing black oilskin czapka-covers.
Belts were whitened leather and the waist-belt had a large brass buckle-plate. Scabbards were plain steel, though again some brass scabbards appear in art and may have been worn by personnel seconded from the Old Guard. Cloaks were white with a red collar.
The lances had WHITE-OVER-SCARLET pennants, which were the same as the Old Guard squadrons of the 2nd Lancers. (NOT scarlet-over-white, as used by the Line Lancers!)
The horse furniture was essentially the same as that of the Old Guard squadrons, namely a dark blue shabraque edged yellow and a scarlet round valise, also edged yellow. However, they seem to have lacked the ornamentation (eagle badges, etc) added to the shabraques of the Old Guard.
The details of officers’ uniforms for the Young Guard squadrons of the 2nd Lancers seems to be lost to history, though if a specific uniform existed it was probably much the same, except with the addition of a gold epaulette and aiguillette, plus gold lace on the czapka and shabraque. However, I’ve opted to use an officer seconded from the Old Guard squadrons, wearing his scarlet kurtka.
Evidence for trumpeters’ uniforms is fragmentary, but they seem to have worn a sky-blue kurtka with scarlet collar, cuffs and turnbacks, edged in mixed crimson/gold-yellow lace. The back-seams were also edged in this lace. The lapels are invariably depicted as plain sky-blue without edging, though its possible that in full dress these were reversed to show scarlet and lace. The shoulders were decorated with an epaulette and aiguillette in mixed crimson/gold-yellow lace and the trumpet had matching cords. Full-dress trousers were scarlet, but on campaign they wore the same dark blue campaign coveralls as the rank-and-file. The czapka had a white ‘box’, edged scarlet with cords matching the aiguillette.
Again, Eagles and standards were not awarded to the squadrons of the Young Guard and no unofficial standards are recorded.
AB Figures don’t produce any specific figures for the Young Guard Lancers. Their Guard Lancer figures have the epaulette and aiguillette, so are only suitable for officers, NCOs and trumpeters. However, their Vistula Legion Lancer figures are spot-on, having full shabraques and shoulder-straps. That said, these figures are a touch on the small side, having been originally designed for the Battle Honours range. Cue the usual internet wailing and gnashing of teeth about ‘incompatibility’, ‘scale-creep’, ’18mm’, etc, but I’m willing to bet that hardly anyone noticed until I pointed it out… 😉
Other Squadrons of the Young Guard
As I play Napoleonics at a high command-level, where each unit represents a brigade (using Napoleon’s Battles rules), I don’t really need to paint any more Young Guard. This is fortunate in the case of the Young Guard squadrons of the 1st (Polish) Lancers, as there seems to be nothing known about their uniforms.
However, if you’re interested, the Young Guard squadrons of the Grenadiers à Cheval simply wore the undress, single-breasted surtout coat of the Old Guard squadrons, though deleting the aurore aiguillette, replacing it instead with a second aurore contre-epaulette. All other uniform details were the same as the Old Guard squadrons. If I were going to model these, I would use the AB Figures Early Carabinier figures and carefully file the fringes off their epaulettes to make contre-epaulettes.
The Young Guard squadrons of the Empress’ Dragoons seem to have worn exactly the same uniform as the Old Guard squadrons, though again replacing the aurore aiguillette of the Old Guard with a second contre-epaulette.
There isn’t really an easy modelling work-around for these fellas, as the helmet shape of Line Dragoons is rather different and they lack epaulettes to file down into contre-epaulettes. The triple-holstered horse furniture of the Empress’ Dragoons is also very distinctive and is a feature shared only with the Gendarmes d’Élite. The only option therefore seems to be to use the Old Guard Empress’ Dragoons and somehow carve away the aiguillettes… Sod that for a game of soldiers…
Anyway, that’s it for now. I’ll sign off with another photo I took while the Imperial Guard toys were out of the box…
This regiment was initially raised at the start of the Seven Years War in 1756 as a German ‘Free Corps’ of only 300 men in two squadrons. Titled the ‘Volontaires de Nassau-Saarbruck’, the regiment was rated by the Prince de Soubise as ‘poor’. However, it survived the catastrophe of 
The regiment was dressed in the typical Hungarian Hussar style; the dolman jacket was royal blue, with standing collar and pointed cuffs faced in ventre de biche (pale yellow-buff), white braid (silver for officers) and white metal buttons. The pelisse was red with black fur edging, white braid and white metal buttons. Officers has white fur and silver braid. The barrel-sash was coloured white and aurore. Breeches were yellow deerskin and were usually worn with chashkiry (leggings) in royal blue edged with white lace and boots cut in Hungarian style, edged with white lace and tassels. Cross-belts were white, with a black leather cartridge-box.
The sabretache was red, displaying the arms of Nassau (a gold lion rampant on a gold-edged blue oval scattered with gold ‘billets’) and edged in aurore and white lace. The scabbard was black leather with iron fittings and the sabre had a steel hilt. The sabretache and scabbard were hung from red leather belts, but I mistakenly painted them white, like the cross-belts.
Shabraques were red, edged in aurore and white lace and decorated with a white fleur-de-lys at the front and rear corners. 
It only seems like a few weeks since I was sitting here writing my 
So while Minipigs was continuing to rant away to the other spammers in the spam folder, I cracked on with the month of ‘Marsch!’, the intention of which had been to paint some more SYW Prussian and Imperial troops and perhaps finally paint the Reichsarmee cavalry. However, I was having so much fun with the French, I decided to paint 
So not including the Murfreesboro terrain, my grand painting total for 2020 was: 963x 15mm Foot, 114x 15mm Horse, 17x 15mm Guns, 588x 10mm Foot, 82x 10mm Horse, 21x 10mm guns and 13x 10mm Horse-Drawn Vehicles. Out of idle curiosity, I totaled up the value at today’s prices (which have admittedly risen quite a bit in the last year) and rather worryingly, that weighs in at £1,080.23… 
A slightly belated Merry Christmas to one and all! 🙂
Above: Phil’s table laid out for the game. The map is actually the opposite way up – the Austrians are on the left, the Prussians are on the right and the Jäckelsberg Redoubt is near the top.
Above: The view from behind the main Prussian position on the Lange-Berg. Kursell’s flank-guard of two grenadier battalions is nearest the camera, then the eight battalions of the main infantry line with the ‘Zieten’ Hussars in front of the right flank and the rest of the cavalry under Zieten himself in front of the left flank.
Above: The Prussian army as seen from the front. We actually realised that the Lange-Berg ridge had been placed about 9 inches too far back, so the whole lot was pushed forward before the game started.
Above: Over on the Prussian left flank is Kleist’s flank-guard division, consisting of two battalions of grenadiers and the ‘Werner’ Hussars. This regiment actually wore brown uniforms with yellow facings and lace and mirliton caps. However, I’ve only got half of that regiment painted, so instead used the ‘Szekely’ Hussars.
Above: Nádasdy’s main Austrian army. The main body of infantry is divided into three divisions, each arrayed in three lines; Clerici’s Division of six battalions is on the left (nearest the camera), Esterházy’s Division of six battalions is in the centre and Wied’s Division of nine battalions is on the right. There are a lot of regimental 1st battalions present, hence the unusually large number of white Leibfahne flags.
Above: The vanguard of the Austrian army is formed by d’Arenberg’s seven battalions of massed grenadiers. These are formed into a single large column on a two-battalion frontage, aimed squarely at the Jäckelsberg Redoubt.
Above: As d’Arenberg’s grenadiers advance toward the redoubt, a battery of 12pdrs positioned on the Galgenberg Hill opens fire in support of the attack.
Above: Another, smaller battery of Austrian 12pdrs opens fire from the Busch-Berg.
Above: On the extreme Austrian left flank, Pálffy’s corps of light troops approaches Ober-Moys.
Above: On the opposite flank, Petazzi’s light troops have seized the vital river-crossing at Leopoldshayn and considerably outnumber Kleist’s Prussian flank-guard.
Above: As the Austrian grenadiers approach the redoubt, the Prussian guns open fire. Austrian grenadiers go down like skittles, but they keep on coming.
Above: As Pálffy’s hussars dash forward to seize a river-crossing at Moys, his Grenzer begin skirmishing with the ‘Manteuffel’ Grenadiers in Ober-Moys. However, the Prussian standard of marksmanship, honed by endless days on the drill-square, is excellent and they manage to pick off some of the annoying skirmishers.
Above: On the opposite flank, Grenzer skirmishers boldly push forward to annoy Kleist as further troops cross the bridge at Leopoldshayn.
Above: The first Austrian assault hits the Jäckelsberg Redoubt! Nearest the camera, the ‘Dieringshofen’ Grenadiers manage to halt the Austrian assault with fire, but two Austrian grenadier battalions manage to push through the flame, smoke and shot to charge home on the ‘Beneckendorff’ Grenadiers!
Above: The Prussian grenadiers have a deservedly impressive fighting reputation and the ‘Beneckendorff’ Battalion proves its mettle by repulsing the two assaulting battalions. The officers of one Austrian grenadier battalion completely lose control of their men and they are soon streaming away from the fight in complete disorder. 
Above: At Ober-Moys, life is getting hot for the ‘Manteuffel’ Grenadiers as the Grenzer engage them more closely.
Above: Over on the opposite flank, the Grenzer are getting the better of Kleist’s grenadiers, with the ‘Hacke’ Grenadier Battalion in particular, becoming the main target of the enemy skirmishers.
Above: The second Austrian assault erupts on the redoubt! However, long-range fire from the supporting Austrian 12pdrs has this time managed to suppress the defenders, giving the Austrian grenadiers their best chance yet.
Above: All Austrian grenadiers this time manage to charge home on the fieldworks. Nevertheless, the ‘Dieringshofen’ Grenadiers again stand their ground, utterly destroying the Austrian battalion assaulting their sector of the defences. However, the ‘Beneckendorff’ Grenadiers this time are ejected from the redoubt and the gunners are swept away with them! With two Austrian grenadier battalions now inside the defences, things are looking very dicey for the ‘Dieringshofen’ Battalion! However, Bevern quickly manages to rally the ‘Beneckendorff’ Battalion and prepares to throw them back into the fight!
Above: At Ober-Moys, Pálffy has brought more Grenzer across the river to join the fight for the village. His hussars meanwhile, have halted their advance, as Kursell now commands the river crossings at Moys with his two battalions of Prussian grenadiers and some battalion guns.
Above: Back at the redoubt, all had seemed lost for a moment, but the superb ‘Beneckendorff’ Grenadiers fight their way back in, smashing one Austrian grenadier battalion at bayonet-point and destroying a second battalion by fire! D’Arenberg has now lost three of his seven grenadier battalions and the Austrian grenadiers’ confidence begins to waver.
Above: Back at Ober-Moys, the Grenzer’s fire is finally starting to have an effect on the ‘Manteuffel’ Grenadiers and so Pálffy launches a direct assault with two formed battalions. However, the assault is halted by Prussian fire before it reaches the barricades.
Above: With the Austrian grenadiers wavering, Bevern throws the rallied ‘Dieringshofen’ Grenadiers back into the fight!
Above: At Leopoldshayn, a bold assault by Petazzi’s Grenzer pushes back the ‘Hacke’ Grenadier Battalion, but a charge by part of the ‘Werner’ Hussars crushes the valiant Grenzer battalion!
Above: Bevern’s counter-attack succeeds in ejecting the Austrian interlopers and yet another Austrian grenadier battalion is destroyed!
Above: However, the Austrian grenadiers are swift to rally and launch yet another assault against the defences. This time the Prussian ‘Dieringshofen’ Grenadiers are swept from the field, leaving Bevern and the ‘Beneckendorff’ Grenadiers feeling rather lonely. Thankfully, the Austrian main body seems to have its sights fixed on the main Prussian position and hasn’t detached any troops to reinforce d’Arenberg.
Above: Back at Ober-Moys, the ‘Manteuffel’ Grenadiers are having a hot time of it as they beat off a second attack by Pálffy’s Grenzer.
Above: Observing the unfolding battle from a vantage point across the River Neisse, the army C-in-C is growing increasingly concerned and has therefore ordered a brigade of the Görlitz garrison to march to Winterfeldt’s aid.
Above: The ‘Beneckendorff’ Grenadiers continue to fight on alone at the redoubt and beat off yet another Austrian assault.
Above: General von Katte The Younger joins the battle!
Above: The Austrian main body marches past the ongoing struggle for the Jäckelsberg, aiming for the main prize.
Above: Nostitz’s cavalry just manage to squeeze through the gap on the right flank.
Above: Pálffy’s Grenzer launch a final, all-or-nothing assault on Ober-Moys.
Above: The ‘Zieten’ Hussars move to cover gaps on the right flank, just in case Ober-Moys falls and the Austrian hussars cross the river.
Above: But there is no need to worry, as Pálffy’s assault fails and his last formed units of Grenzer are broken, leaving only the hussars and a few detached companies of skirmishers. Certainly not enough to force the crossings. The battle for the Prussian right flank now hinges upon the fight for the Jäckelsberg.
Above: The Prussian reinforcements arrive at Moys, with the intention of forming a back-stop position, should Ober-Moys and/or the Jäckelsberg position fall.
Above: However, the ‘Manteuffel’ Grenadiers are now totally secure in Ober-Moys, though could still be forced to withdraw if the ‘Beneckendorff’ Grenadiers lose the Jäckelsberg, thereby causing Bevern to panic.
Above: However, the Beneckendorff Grenadiers seem to have the luck of the Devil and continue to beat off attack after attack! The Austrian grenadier losses are now catastrophic.
Above: As the Austrian main body passes the Jäckelsberg, the Austrian fourth line under Forgách appears in the distance. Nádasdy orders Forgách to assault the Jäckelsberg at once and end the débâcle!
Above: The Austrian main body is now well within range of the small battery of Prussian 12pdrs on the Lange-Berg and roundshot begins to bound through the serried ranks of whitecoats.
Above: Over at Leopoldshayn meanwhile, Kleist is struggling to contain the Austrian bridgehead. Both Prussian grenadier battalions have taken losses, with the ‘Hacke’ Grenadiers on the right getting the worst of it. To make matters worse, Petazzi has managed to deploy the ‘Kálnoky’ Hussars beyond the bridgehead and they quickly drive back the 2nd Battalion of the Prussian ‘Werner’ Hussars, enabling yet more of their comrades to deploy from Leopoldshayn. However, Grenzer losses have been high and the sight of so many dead and wounded troops streaming to the rear can’t be good for the Austrian hussars’ morale.
Above: Despite losing the line of the fortifications and being heavily outnumbered, the heroic ‘Beneckendorff’ Grenadiers beat off yet another attack by the Austrian grenadiers!
Above: At Moys, the ‘Zieten’ Hussars find themselves about to becoming the filling in an infantry sandwich and wisely move off to find a better position.
Above: At Leopoldshayn, Kleist attempts to push forward, in order to close off the bridgehead. His battalion guns successfully disrupt the ‘Kaiser’ Hussars as they deploy from Leopoldshayn, but a brave Grenzer battalion launches a frontal charge on the ‘Hacke’ Grenadiers! The Prussian Grenadiers have already suffered heavy losses to enemy fire and shamefully break in the face of the Croats’ charge! Prussian revenge is swift however, as the ‘Werner’ Hussars counter-attack on both flanks, destroying a Grenzer battalion and throwing the ‘Kálnoky’ Hussars back across the river.
Above: Another gratuitous shot of the magnificent Austrian army…
Above: “I can do this all day!” shouts Bevern, as yet another Austrian grenadier assault fails to break the ‘Beneckendorff’ Grenadiers…
Above: With Nostitz’s Austro-Saxon cavalry rapidly approaching from the south, Kleist desperately needs to remove the threat posed by Petazzi’s light corps. The ‘Werner’ Hussars therefore charge again!
Above: The 1st Battalion of the ‘Werner’ Hussars smashes through the last remaining (and bravest) Grenzer battalion and rides on to break the ‘Desewffy’ Hussars, who are just deploying from Leopoldshayn. The 2nd Battalion of the ‘Werner’ Hussars meanwhile, sweeps up the last of the Grenzer skirmishers. Petazzi finally loses his nerve and he, along with the surviving hussars, follow the fugitive Grenzer back over the river.
Above: And not a moment too soon, as Nostitz’s cavalry are almost upon them!
Above: Despite seeing the Austrian army approaching from flippin’ miles away, Zieten suddenly seems surprised and realises that he is deployed in a terrible position! Cue much faffing about , as the Prussian cavalry attempt to redeploy and get out of the infantry’s way…
Above: Winterfeldt also realises that he has for some reason forgotten to bring his infantry forward from the rear slope…
Above: On the Prussian right flank, things are looking rosy. Moys is occupied by Kursell’s two grenadier battalions, while the reinforcement brigade has formed up behind the village, with two grenadier battalions to the fore and a third battalion in reserve, hoping to enfilade the Austrian left. The ‘Zieten’ Hussars are also standing by, ready to pounce on any opportunity that might present itself.
Above: That opportunity quickly arises as the ‘Zieten’ Hussars strike at the vulnerable Austrian flank!
Above: The 2nd Battalion of the ‘Zieten’ Hussars smashes into the first line of Austrian infantry, breaking the 1st Battalion of the ‘De Ligne’ Regiment!
Above: The drama continues at the Jäckelsberg as the Austrian grenadiers are beaten off yet again!
Above: Suddenly, the main body of Winterfeldt’s army surges forward to meet the Austrians on the crest of the Lange-Berg! As the Prussian ‘Württemberg’ Dragoons strike at the vulnerable 1st Battalion of the ‘Los Rios’ Regiment on the right flank of the Austrian infantry, the ‘Brandenburg’ and ‘Normann’ Dragoons make a massed assault on the Saxon ‘Graf Brühl’ Chevauxlégers.
Above: Out on the far flank meanwhile, the 1st Battalion of the ‘Werner’ Hussars are still rallying from their earlier fight with the Grenzer when they are struck from behind by the Saxon ‘Prinz Albrecht’ Chevauxlégers! The hussars are quickly routed, but the damage is not as bad as it might have been and they rally behind the line of the ‘Unruh’ Grenadier Battalion. Faced with grenadiers backed by artillery, the chevauxlégers wisely recall to rally behind the Austrian dragoons.
Above: Zieten’s counter-attack meanwhile, is a complete disaster! The ‘Württemberg’ Dragoons destroy themselves on the bayonets of the ‘Los Rios’ Regiment, while the rest of the Prussian Dragoons, despite having a considerable advantage in numbers, are beaten off by the heroic ‘Graf Brühl’ Chevauxlégers with heavy losses!
Above: Back at the Jäckelsberg Redoubt, the ‘Beneckendorff’ Grenadiers repulse yet another assault by d’Arenberg’s grenadiers and brace themselves for yet another attack… Yet none is forthcoming and as the musket-smoke begins to clear, the surviving grenadiers can be seen fleeing for the hills! However, a fresh assault is approaching in the form of Forgách’s Division. As the Prussian gunners rush forward to reclaim their guns, the grenadiers line the parapet once again and prepare to meet the new attack.
Above: Back at the Lange-Berg, the ‘Zieten’ Hussars strike again at the Austrian left flank, demolishing another of Clerici’s battalions (the 1st Battalion of the ‘Platz’ Regiment). This thankfully clears the front of the Prussian ‘Tresckow’ Regiment, which being filled with unwilling Catholic troops, is the weak-link in the Prussian line.
Above: On the left wing of the Prussian line, the battle quickly bogs down into an attritional firefight between the Prussian ‘Lestwitz’ and ‘Pannewitz’ Regiments and Esterházy’s first line (the 1st Battalions of the Austrian ‘D’Arberg’ Regiment and the Imperial ‘Mainz-Lamberg’ Regiment). This is a battle that the Prussians can’t hope to win, as the Austrians simply have more troops to feed into the fight, while the Prussians have no reserves whatsoever. In order to try to reinforce the left flank, Wied pulls the 2nd Battalion of the ‘Pannewitz’ Regiment, along with some battalion guns, back to refuse the flank.
Above: As the surviving Prussian dragoons rally, Zieten’s reserve regiment, the ‘Schönaich’ Cuirassiers, move forward to engage the Austrian infantry.
Above: On the Prussian left flank, there is a welcome pause, allowing the ‘Werner’ Hussars rally as the ‘Unruh’ Grenadiers, with their supporting battalion guns, wait for the next attack.
Above: As the victorious first line of Saxon chevauxlégers falls back to rally, Nostitz beings his second line forward into the attack. Nearest the camera, the ‘Jung-Modena’ Dragoons threaten Kleist, while the Saxon ‘Prinz Carl’ Chevauxlégers launch a charge to clear the ‘Bayreuth’ Dragoons away from the flank of the infantry.
Above: The view from the other end of the Prussian line.
Above: The ‘Zieten’ Hussars launch another charge against Clerici’s infantry, but Clerici has now turned part of his division to face the threat and the hussars’ charge is halted by fire. However, having lost two of his six battalions, Clerici’s Division is now demoralised.
Above: Over on the other flank, the charge of the Saxon ‘Prinz Carl’ Chevauxlégers is perfectly executed and the ‘Bayreuth’ Dragoons are thrown back with heavy losses.
Above: The Austrian ‘Jung-Modena’ Dragoons however, have surprised everyone by attempting to wheel across Kleist’s front. Kleist’s battalion guns treat them to a whiff of grapeshot as they ride past. The ‘Werner’ Hussars are also unlikely to let the Austrian manoeuvre go unchallenged!
Above: With the Prussian cavalry repulsed, (Austrian) Wied’s Division pushes past the flank of (Prussian) Wied’s line. There is now very little to prevent Winterfeldt’s left flank from being completely rolled up.
Above: Clerici’s Austrian infantry might be demoralised, but they’re continuing to push forward, forcing the ‘Zieten’ Hussars to once again escape being the horsemeat filling in an infantry sandwich! However, Clerici is also now taking some harassing fire from the ‘Anhalt’ Grenadier Battalion, emplaced among the houses and gardens of Moys.
Above: As battalion guns engage each other with point-blank canister fire, the Prussian ‘Manteuffel’ Regiment wheels forward to engage Clerici’s whitecoats more closely. An ADC meanwhile, gallops out from Winterfeldt’s headquarters, with orders for the Reserve Brigade to attack Clerici and roll up the Austrian left flank!
Above: As the Prussian dragoons rally, the ‘Schönaich’ Cuirassiers launch a charge on the Austrian infantry. (Austrian) Wied’s left-hand battalion has paused to engage in a firefight with Prussian infantry and has therefore left a Hungarian battalion exposed with an unsupported flank. The Prussian cuirassiers instantly seize the opportunity and launch a devastating charge, destroying the Hungarian battalion! 
Above: Having destroyed the Hungarian battalion, the ‘Schönaich’ Cuirassiers charge on into the ‘Los Rios’ Regiment. However, these heroic Walloon infantry, having already seen off one cavalry charge today, are made of sterner stuff and repulse the cuirassiers, who fall back to join the dragoons in licking their wounds.
Above: It’s a bad moment for the Hungarians, as two more Hungarian battalions, this time from Forgách’s Division, launch their assault on the Jäckelsberg Redoubt. Shredded by 12pdr canister fire and musketry from the seemingly unbeatable ‘Beneckendorff’ Grenadiers, the Hungarian battalions simply disintegrate!
Above: As the ‘Schönaich’ Cuirassiers rally, Zieten suddenly gets another rush of blood to the sabre and launches his rallied dragoons once again into the attack! 
Above: The 1st Battalion of the Prussian ‘Bayreuth’ Dragoons, with the ‘Württemberg’ Dragoons in support, runs into the as yet un-blooded Austrian ‘Sachsen-Götha’ Dragoons, who are supported by the ‘Prinz Carl’ Chevauxlégers and the heroic ‘Los Rios’ Regiment. Once again, the engagement ends in disaster as the ‘Bayreuth’ Dragoons are thrown back! The victorious ‘Sachsen-Götha’ Dragoons charge on to destroy the already-weakened ‘Württemberg’ Dragoons.
Above: The 2nd Battalion of the Prussian ‘Bayreuth’ Dragoons charges headlong into the midst of the Austrian infantry… and is annihilated.
Above: However, the Austrians don’t get it all their own way, as the ‘Jung-Modena’ Dragoons, having been stung by fire from the Prussian battalion guns, launch a charge on the ‘Werner’ Hussars. However, flanking fire from the ‘Unruh’ Grenadiers disorders the charge and the hussars have managed to bring the other half of the regiment up in support. The ‘Jung-Modena’ Dragoons are swept from the field! 
Above: The firefight in the centre continues unabated, though neither side seems to be gaining an advantage over the other. However, the 2nd Battalion of the Pannewitz Regiment is under extreme pressure on the left flank.
Above: The view from the Lange-Berg. Despite the extreme danger on the left flank, the Prussian infantry is still holding its ground and has only suffered very light casualties.
Above: At the Jäckelsberg Redoubt, Bevern’s men have been under attack in every single turn since Turn 2, but still hold their ground as they repulse yet another attack! 
Above: At Moys, Clerici has managed to make no progress in the face of extremely stiff Prussian opposition, which is hardly surprising, as his four battalions are faced by no fewer than seven elite battalions, backed by cavalry and artillery.
Above: However, on the Prussian left, Zieten’s cavalry division is demoralised and greatly depleted. One more charge by the ‘Sachsen-Götha’ Dragoons will probably see Zieten swept from the field entirely.
Above: Kleist however, has managed to hang on by the skin of his teeth and is in an excellent position to disrupt the Austrian attempt to roll up the Prussian infantry.
Above: The overall view of the Prussian left flank. Nostitz’ cavalry and Wied’s infantry have completely overrun the Prussian left wing, but Kleist (on the left) is still in position to cause serious trouble.
Above: As (Austrian) Wied’s Division pushes forward, their only remaining obstacle is the 2nd Battalion of the ‘Pannewitz’ Regiment, which is still standing firm to the rear of (Prussian) Wied’s left flank, along with a detachment of battalion guns. (Austrian) Wied has only lost one of his nine battalions and is still in very good shape to continue the attack.
Above: In the centre, Esterházy has suffered a few casualties, but has lost none of his six battalions, though is struggling to make headway against the Prussian infantry.
Above: As his latest attack fails, Forgách suffers a crisis of confidence and halts his attack on the Jäckelsberg! For their heroic defence of the redoubt, Major Beneckendorff and Prinz Carl von Bevern are both awarded the Pour le Mérite. 
Above: On the Austrian left, Clerici’s Division is demoralised and must withdraw to avoid destruction by the vastly superior Prussian forces around Moys.
We recently played another playtest of my ‘Tricorn’ Seven Years War variant for ‘Shako’ rules. The after-action report will be up soon, along with the finalised version of ‘Tricorn’, but for the time being here’s my scenario for the 
Prussian Order of Battle
Prussian Breakpoints
Austrian Order of Battle
Austrian Breakpoints
Game Length & Objectives
Above: My expanded version of the scenario map.
Above: We were able to get into the venue on the Friday night to set up the game, so this was the first time I’d seen the terrain all set up. 🙂 I must say that I was very, very pleased with how my ‘wintry palette’ of flock colours looked. However, the fact that we were in a badly-lit corner (tucked under the escalators) means that the contrast between the ‘Earth’ flock of the woodland areas doesn’t have high enough contrast with the ‘Burnt Grass’ and ‘Yellow Grass’ flock of the open fields to really stand out in photos. Another problem was that the tables were rather uneven and as a consequence, the joins between boards were often disappointingly visible.
Above: As we were in something of a rush on the Friday night, the fences were rather ‘plonked on’… I actually went around on the Saturday morning and placed them somewhat better, but then forgot to take another set of ‘overview’ photos.
Above: I’m really pleased with how the bare trees looked on the terrain, but I could have used at least another hundred! There are 100 of them on the board, plus around 60 trees with foliage, but it’s quite surprising how many you need and I’ll try to double the amount of trees for this game’s next outing. There were also areas of woodland near the table edges (e.g. the strip along the table edge either side of Asbury Church) where we decided not to stick any trees, as they’d just get broken or stuck to the jumpers of players leaning in to reach the middle of the table.
Above: The bulk of Hardee’s Confederate Corps (McCown’s Division in the first line and Cleburne’s Division in the second line), advances against the Union right flank.
Above: The extreme right flank of McCook’s Union Corps. Johnson’s division forms a fish-hook around the edge of woodland, while Baldwin’s Brigade is encamped well to the rear with a battery, covering the open ground on the flank. The seemingly lost artillery limber represents a horse-team belonging to one of Johnson’s batteries, whose horses were out to pasture when the Confederate assault struck and cannot therefore move or withdraw its guns during the first turn of the scenario.
Above: On the northern flank of the battle, Crittenden’s Union Corps had been ordered to mount its own flank attack on the Confederates and Van Cleve’s Division had already crossed over the Bull Run at McFadden’s Ford when the attack was cancelled due to the sudden crisis emerging on the opposite flank.
Above: The target for Crittenden’s cancelled attack was Wayne’s Hill, which is defended by the entrenched Hanson’s Brigade of Breckenridge’s Division. This division is detached from Hardee’s Corps.
Above: Breckenridge is separated from the rest of the Confederate army by the Stone River. South of the river, Withers’ Division of Polk’s Corps is dug in, defending the key arteries of the Nashville Turnpike, the Wilkinson Turnpike and the Nashville-Chattanooga Railroad.
Above: Withers’ Division faces the centre of the Union army at The Slaughter Pen.
Above: A view along the route of the Chattanooga Choo-Choo…
Above: At the northern end of the battlefield, the Union army commander, William Rosecrans, conflabs with Crittenden, the commander of the Left Wing Corps. Wood’s Division is formed up behind them, in column facing north, as until being halted they were originally heading for McFadden’s Ford to join Crittenden’s abortive attack. Deployed near McFadden’s Farm is the Chicago Board of Trade Battery, which is the only ‘pure’ battery of rifled artillery on the table. Most of the artillery on moth sides consists of obsolete smoothbore pieces, though some batteries (especially on the Union side) have a few rifles mixed in to provide some long-range hitting power.
Above: An overview of the northern end of the battlefield. At present it’s largely quiet in this sector as both sides wait to see what unfolds in the south, though the powerful Union artillery is quick to open fire on the few visible batteries in the Rebel entrenchments.
Above: As dawn breaks, the men of McCook’s Corps are still cooking their breakfast when the ‘Rebel Yell’ is heard! Willich’s Brigade, holding the ‘hook’ of the right flank, is quickly thrown out of its position and the Ohio battery, lacking horseflesh to move its guns, is captured by McCown’s jubilant men. Kirk’s Brigade meanwhile, is utterly smashed and is soon fleeing north in complete disorder, accompanied by General Johnson.
Above: Willich somehow manages to rally his men and forms up on the edge of woodland, on Baldwin’s left. Nothing however, can be done to halt Kirk’s flight and the Rebels start to roll up McCook’s Corps, quickly ejecting Post’s Brigade on the right of Davis’ Division.
Above: However, the Rebels don’t have everything their own way. In the north, the massive superiority of Union artillery immediately smashes Breckenridge’s artillery.
Above: Withers’ artillery is similarly destroyed in very short order and the Union guns turn their attention to the Rebel infantry. The shallow entrenchments provide scant cover and Hanson’s and Chalmers’ Brigades are soon suffering constant attritional losses.
Above: As more of Hardee’s brigades charge home, Davis’ Division, its flank now exposed by Johnson’s withdrawal, completely disintegrates!
Above: With Davis gone, the ridge is completely overrun by Hardee’s men and it’s now Sheridan’s turn to have his flank rolled up. The Confederates at last have sight of their initial objective; the hill between the Harding House and the Gresham House (McCook’s headquarters location – the hilltop command group with the red flag in the picture above). The Confederates plan to form a massed battery on the high ground and then use their local artillery superiority to batter the Slaughter Pen position into submission.
Above: Sheridan’s forward unit (Sill’s Brigade) still holds the end of the wooded ridge, but is outflanked and now has Cheatham’s Division of Polk’s Corps assaulting across the stream in front of him. Confident of victory, the Rebel artillery follows close behind Cheatham, who personally urges on his leading brigade (Loomis’ Brigade).
Above: Loomis is initially stalled by fire from Sill’s men, who sell their lives dearly in order to buy time for the artillery to withdraw. However, as a second brigade moves up to support Loomis, Sills is crushed and the remnants flee north across the Wilkinson Turnpike.
Above: Some remnants of Davis’ Division attempt to make a stand on the Gresham Lane, but are hard-pressed by Hardee’s men, who push them inexorably back toward the Gresham House (the large grey building) and the Wilkinson Turnpike.
Above: Some of Davis’ and Johnson’s Divisions have already reached the Gresham House!
Above: On the Union right flank, Johnson is making a stand with Baldwin’s Brigade and the 5th Indiana Light Artillery, who proceed to make life miserable for Rains’ Rebel Brigade and Wharton’s cavalry. However, the deteriorating situation across the rest of McCook’s Corps soon results in Baldwin retreating (albeit in reasonably good order) back to the line of the Wilkinson Turnpike.
Above: The arrival of an ambulance at McCook’s headquarters indicates that his corps has already taken heavy casualties [in game terms a permanent -1 on all Manoeuvre rolls by all brigades in the corps and also a Victory Point for the Rebels]. The shock and speed of the Rebel assault is indicated by the fact that Laiboldt’s Brigade in front of McCook’s HQ, is still deployed in column when they are struck by the seemingly unstoppable General Cleburne, at the head of L. E. Polk’s Brigade.
Above: By some miracle, McCook, Johnson, Davis and Sheridan keep managing to rally brigades and maintain a semblance of a line south of the Wilkinson Turnpike. They keep getting pushed back, but little by little are inflicting a steady trickle of casualties on the Rebels (every little helps…).
Above: Instead of collapsing, Sheridan’s division has wheeled back in the face of the Rebel assaults, its left flank anchored on The Slaughter Pen and bolstered by the artillery that somehow managed to escape the earlier slaughter in the woods. Casualties are heavy on both sides as the Bluebellies doggedly fall back in the face of ferocious attacks from Cleburne and Cheatham.
Above: As Hardee’s Corps continues its assault past the Gresham House, Hardee orders his artillery to unlimber on the Gresham Lane, just in case…
Above: While many of their comrades continue the fight, some of the Union troops have simply had enough…
Above: On the extreme western flank, Zahm’s Union cavalry and Wharton’s Rebel cavalry finally encounter each other. Zahm is outnumbered, but Wharton has already suffered 20% casualties thanks to long-range fire from Johnson’s Indiana battery.
Above: On the Rebel left flank, some of McCown’s and Cleburne’s men are dragging their heels.
Above: Another view of the intense battle around the Gresham House.
Above: A short while later, the Rebels have pushed the Bluebellies back to the Wilkinson Turnpike, but they seem to have found fresh spirit and are now giving almost as good as they get! Confederate casualties are mounting at an alarming rate and the assault is staring to stall just short of the turnpike [in scenario terms, the Wilkinson Turnpike is a key objective; as soon as a Rebel infantry brigade crosses the road, every Union brigade south of the road will attract an additional -1 Manoeuvre modifier (on top of the -1 already suffered due to heavy casualties)].
Above: Out to the west, Zahm has decided not to fight the Rebel cavalry while mounted and has instead ordered his green troopers to dismount and defend the woods on foot. As Wharton charges, Zahm’s carbines empty a few Rebel saddles but fail to stop the charge. Nevertheless, Wharton’s cavalry, now disordered by enemy fire, ‘Worn’ due to 25% casualties and struggling in the terrain, fail to make a great impact and only push the Union troopers back to the northern edge of the wood, where both sides take a pause to lick their wounds.
Above: Sheridan’s Division earn their pay this day as they beat off repeated attacks by Cheatham’s Rebels (recognisable by their ‘Polk Battle Flags’, which look somewhat like the flag of Norway). Loomis’ Brigade in particular suffers considerable casualties in the face of point-blank musketry and canister fire from at least two batteries. Undaunted, Cheatham brings up two more brigades. 
Above: An overview of the battle at the end of Turn 5 (0800hrs). In the foreground the Rebel divisions of Withers and Breckenridge continue to suffer losses from incessant Union artillery fire, but in the distance McCook’s Union Corps has been rolled all the way back to the Wilkinson Turnpike.
Above: Negley’s Division, with their corps commander General Thomas in attendance, awaits developments at The Slaughter Pen.
Above: Davis, having rallied part of his broken division, managed to hold the Rebels at the Gresham House for a while, but has now been pushed back once again, conceding possession of the Wilkinson Turnpike to the enemy. Nevertheless, he once again manages to rally the shattered remnants of two brigades alongside one of Johnson’s brigades, in the woods north of the road. 
Above: Cleburne rallies the remnants of L. E. Polk’s Brigade, but they are now totally Spent thanks to the fruitless assaults against Roberts’ Union Brigade on the north slope of the hill. S. A. M. Wood manages to rally his brigade, but they are now worn and perhaps only have one charge left in them. Cheatham’s division continues to batter itself against Roberts, but to no avail. 
Above: The heroic last-ditch Union defence of the Wilkinson Turnpike finally crumbles and the Rebels surge forward once again to take this objective. McCown’s Division is the first to cross the road, smashing one of Davis’ rallied brigades as he does so. In the foreground, Zahm’s cavalry have remounted and fallen back across the Wilkinson Turnpike in some disorder.
Above: McCown’s Rebels may have taken the Turnpike, but the leading brigade has suffered terrible losses and soon becomes the target for Baldwin’s rallied brigade. However, McCown’s boys are made of stern stuff and repulse Baldwin.
Above: The central battle of attrition continues and the bodies are really starting to pile up; particularly on the Rebel side, as Cheatham struggles to make headway against Roberts’ fanatical defence, which is aided by three batteries. However, a mass of Rebel artillery has deployed on the high ground and immediately opens up with canister on Roberts’ supporting gunners.
Above: As the damaged Union batteries pull back past the Blanton House, Cheatham renews his assault. With the Wilkinson Turnpike now cut by Rebel infantry and his right flank being shredded by canister, Roberts at last withdraws. 
Above: With all of Cheatham’s Rebels sucked into the battle with Sheridan’s Division, Negley’s Division at The Slaughter Pen (which will now surely have to find a different name?) still haven’t fired a shot! Nevertheless, Stanley’s Zouaves extend their line in order to refuse their right flank. Just in case…
Above: At long last, the rest of the Union army is on the move. Rousseau’s veteran division, which had been held in reserve, is now on the march to stabilise the collapsing right wing.
Above: And not a moment to soon, as the landscape in front of Rousseau is filled with fugitives from McCook’s Corps.
Above: Meanwhile. back at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo, Chalmers’ Rebel Brigade has been steadily whittled down by incessant fire from four Union batteries deployed between the Slaughter Pen and the railroad. Chalmers’ entrenchments provide very little protection and the mounting casualties cause his men to waver. The Bluebellies seize their moment and three brigades (Cruft and Hazen from Palmer’s Division and Wagner from Wood’s Division) charge across No-Man’s Land , closely followed by the 6th Ohio Battery.
Above: Chalmers’ battered command doesn’t stand a chance and is completely smashed by the Union onslaught!
Above: As the jubilant Union troops overrun the entrenchments and deploy their artillery to enfilade Hanson’s entrenchments to the north, the shocked Confederate General Withers redeploys his division to face this new threat.
Above: The time is now 1000hrs (Turn 9). McCook’s Corps has suffered horrific casualties, but elements are still holding out against the Confederate assault, which is now starting to stagnate. On the left of the picture, McCook and Johnson rally some of the shattered remnants behind Baldwin’s Brigade, which is still managing to make a good show of things. In the woods to their left, Davis has once again managed to rally some of his survivors and form yet another rough line. Opposite them, Generals McCown and Cleburne of the late General Hardee’s Corps exhort their men to advance once again, but the ‘Rebel Yell’ is now starting to sound a little thin.
Above: Two of Cleburne’s brigades (next to the Gresham House) are now completely spent, but the other two are still reasonably fresh and Cleburne pushes them on, to finally smash Davis and break through to the Nashville Turnpike!
Above: With casualties rapidly mounting, Sheridan (with the red flag) has finally pulled the remnants of his division back to the north side of the Wilkinson Turnpike, but there is no let-up from the Confederate bombardment.
Above: On the extreme western flank, Zahm’s cavalry suffer a crisis of confidence and head to the rear, broken! Now is the ideal time for Wharton’s Confederate cavalry to make their long-awaited strike on the flank of the Union infantry…
Above: Oh dear, never mind… It seems that Wharton has also found urgent business to attend to in the rear…
Above: Rousseau has now arrived to shore up the right flank. Rosecrans has also ridden over to assess the situation for himself.
Above: Over on the Union left flank, Crittenden’s Corps is also on the move as T. Wood’s Division heads south. His guns continue to conduct a long-range bombardment of Breckenridge’s Rebels.
Above: Aside from losing Cobb’s Battery in the very early stages of the battle, as well as a few attritional losses to Hanson’s Brigade atop Wayne’s Hill, Breckenridge’s Division is still fresh and unengaged (there are another two brigades and a battery still off-table). However, Breckenridge remains stationary and dark rumours begin to circulate, suggesting that Breckenridge himself is rascally drunk in a Murfreesboro tavern! 
Above: Van Cleve’s Division doesn’t seem to be too inclined to get stuck into Breckenridge at the moment.
Above: As Sheridan pulls back over the Wilkinson Turnpike, some reinforcement columns arrive at his rear; Beatty’s Brigade from Rousseau’s Division and Grose’s Brigade from Palmer’s Division. However, they are already taking fire from the powerful Confederate battery on the high ground south of the Turnpike.
Above: Back at the entrenchments, Withers is organising a counter-attack with his two reserve brigades (Stewart’s and Donelson’s) on the Union incursion into his entrenchments. Carnes’ Battery (deployed on the Turnpike) is already doing damage to Hazen’s Brigade, while musketry from Anderson’s Brigade, in the entrenchments to the left, is discomfiting Cruft, whose men are already starting to waver.
Above: Sheridan makes his last stand at the Blanton House (which some bounder has removed from the table)! Closely observed by his corps commander, Cheatham throws everything he can into this final, desperate assault, including the seemingly unkillable Loomis! In addition to Roberts’ remarkable brigade, Sheridan has managed to rally the remnants of Sills’ Brigade, who form up on Roberts’ right, but they are now taken in the flank by Cleburne’s Rebels.
Above: Seeing Zahm’s cavalry fleeing to the rear, the army commander and his entourage ride over to steady them.
Above: As McCook attempts to rally the fleeing remnants of his corps, Rousseau deploys his division behind the crumbling right flank.
Above: Sheridan’s Division has been thrown back from the (missing) Blanton House and Cheatham urges his troops onward. However, Beatty and Grose have now deployed their brigades along the edge of the woodland and now open fire on the approaching Rebels. The supporting Rebel gunners do what they can, but Rebel brigades are now starting to intrude into the danger zone, forcing the gunners to cease fire or switch to a different target.
Above: Once again the gallant General Davis rallies his troops and once again is charged by Cleburne…
Above: By some miracle, Johnson is also still in the fight! He stands with the last remnants of Baldwin’s Brigade as McCown’s Rebels come on in the same old way.
Above: Over on the opposite flank, things are finally moving, as Van Cleve carefully exploits a flaw in the scenario design…
Above: Morton’s Independent Pioneer Brigade, recognisable by their blue & white headquarters flag, is also on the move, aiming to cross the ford in front of Breckenridge’s entrenchments and join Van Cleve’s assault.
Above: On the other side of the railroad, General Palmer has withdrawn Cruft’s and Hazen’s Brigades from the captured entrenchments. However, Wagner’s Brigade (from T. Wood’s Division) refuses to withdraw and becomes the target for Withers’ counter-attack!
Above: Outnumbered by odds of 2:1, Wagner is utterly smashed and Donelson’s Brigade breaks through to attack the Ohio battery beyond!
Above: There are however, still an awful lot of Bluebellies in front of Withers and presented with fresh targets, the Union guns once again open fire…
Above: As the Union line folds back, The Slaughter Pen becomes the corner bastion of the Union defence. Although The Slaughter Pen hasn’t yet been assaulted, it is now at last under Rebel artillery fire and Cheatham has kept his most powerful brigade fresh, in reserve and in position to mount an immediate assault on the rocks, should the opportunity arise.
Above: At long last, Cheatham pulls Loomis’ battered brigade out of the line. But what’s this? An ambulance has just arrived at Polk’s headquarters to signify that Polk’s Corps (Cheatham’s and Withers’ Divisions) has reached its Heavy Casualties threshold! 
Above: At long last, every one of McCook’s brigades are either destroyed, broken or spent and all his artillery has been destroyed or captured!
Above: With the pressure in front at last eased, Cleburne’s Division pushes on in pursuit of the defeated Bluebellies!
Above: However, on Cleburne’s right, the battle at the Blanton House bogs down into a battle of attrition. The two Union brigades are stronger and they’re fresh, while Cheatham’s men are worn and demoralised.
Above: The Rebel artillery continues to hammer away at the enemy while Cheatham’s last reserve prepares to assault the Slaughter Pen.
Above: As Davis’ and Johnson’s Divisions evaporate, the exhausted but jubilant Rebels pursue them to the far edge of the wood… where they find Rousseau’s two fresh, veteran brigades, supported by two batteries, waiting for them…
Above: Sheridan, with the spent remnants of Roberts’ Brigade, withdraws behind Beatty’s Brigade, duty done.
Above: Much to everyone’s surprise, T. Wood’s Division of Crittenden’s Corps, instead of continuing on to counter-attack on the right, turns left at the crossroads to join the attack on Withers and Breckenridge.
This is just a quick post, as I’ve arrived home from Warfare just in time to head off again for three days for a funeral in Derbyshire! Thanks to Mark, Paddy, Dave, Mike, Richard L and Richard de F for their excellent company and gentlemanly conduct during the game (none of which was apparent during the game of ‘Coup’ in the pub on the Saturday night)!
First my apologies for posting nothing over the past month! The month started well with a week’s holiday in the Peak District, but then went rapidly downhill with a family bereavement, my dad having another (thankfully minor) stroke and crashing his car, and then to top it all, a bloody awful cold/cough (completely unrelated to covid) that I’m only now shaking off! 🙁
Above: Photos of painted models rarely get more exciting than this!
Above: The two Confederate corps commanders; namely 
Above: The divisional commanders and brigade command stands for Polk’s Corps. General 
Above: The divisional commanders and brigade command stands for Hardee’s Corps. General 
Above: Some Union ‘Objective Markers’. These markers served as a visual reminder of which side presently has control of the game’s geographical objectives, which in most cases grant a Victory Point or a morale penalty on the opponent (or both).
Above: Some Confederate Objective Markers. The markers each consist of a 40mm MDF disc, with a broken cannon, two casualties from the opposite side and six attacking troops, including a standard bearer.
Above: I forgot to get some decent photographs of the rest of the newly-painted/made stuff before I packed them away in the car, but here’s three metres of rail-fencing (I’ve also done six metres of snake-fencing), six Damaged Battery markers, fourteen Disorder markers (seven for each side, including one cavalryman for each side and a Zouave for the Union) and four Heavy Casualty markers (two for each side). 
There was no universally-recognised sign such as the Red Cross for medical services at this time, so both sides made up their own unofficial signs and these often changed from one theatre of war to another. However, neither side made much effort in telling the opposition what these signs meant! Green cap-bands and green diagonal arm-stripes did become widespread across the Union Army, so I’ve painted those. Rosecrans also dictated that ambulances belonging to the Army of the Cumberland would have a yellow flag (with a green ‘H’ added for field hospitals). The Confederates are recorded as sometimes using red arm-bands, hat-bands and flags for the same purpose, which again I’ve painted on the figures. However, I decided not to add flags, as they wouldn’t then fit in the trays I use to store my ACW collection.
It’s now just one month to go until 
The last phase of the terrain-building was the addition of weeds and bushes to the riverbanks, for which I used more leftover scraps of 
I’m now in the process of building the ‘stick-on’ terrain, starting with these fences from 
With the Union troops finished, I’ve moved on to the last of the Confederate troops and in two weeks have painted over 100 infantry and 20 cavalry, plus the dismounted option for the cavalry. In the past I’ve found that the Rebs take around twice as long to paint, compared to the Bluebellies, but these came together surprisingly quickly. I did however, reduce my palette of greys and butternuts from around fifteen shades to eight or nine, so that probably speeded things up a bit. As usual, these figures are all by 
As mentioned before, I’m using the order of battle for Gettysburg as my painting ‘to do’ list, so this is actually Anderson’s Division from A.P. Hill’s III Corps and actually completes that corps. I’ve now ‘just’ got one division left to do from Ewell’s II Corps and all of Longstreet’s I Corps. 
Using 10mm figures and an increased ground-scale has enabled me to expand the map by 20%, compared to Troy Turner’s original scenario map and I’m therefore able to include the small cavalry clash that took place on the battle’s western flank. I’ve already got more than enough Union cavalry, but my only painted Confederate cavalry until now is the 1st Virginia Regiment, with their rather distinctive blue-grey uniforms, black hats, black facings and hussar-style lacing. I need something a bit more ‘Rebellious’ for the Western Theatre…
I’ve therefore done these fellas in a variety of grey and ‘butternut’ shades, like the infantry, with a few sporting the regulation yellow cavalry facings. I’ve mixed in a few Union cavalry figures, just for a bit of variety and for the colour provided by their forage caps, which are either painted plain grey with a yellow band or in the full regulation yellow with a dark blue band. For the officer I’ve used the Pendraken J.E.B. Stuart personality figure, with his very fashionable feathered hat and buttoned-back yellow plastron lapels. I do like these. 🙂
‘Dragoon Tactics’, i.e. dismounting to skirmish, became increasingly common during the Civil War, so painting the ‘dismounted option’ is somewhat essential. However, Confederate cavalry, often armed with pre-war muzzle-loading carbines or simply shotguns, pistols and hunting rifles, were frequently out-gunned by their Union opponents who were increasingly being supplied with modern breech-loading rifles and even repeating rifles. In game terms using 
This week I’ve been flocking like a belt-fed wombat and have flocked all the grassland and farmland areas of the boards. Sadly, the weather hasn’t been as good, so I haven’t been able to get them all out again, but I did set two up, complete with some troops and (Summer) trees…
Above: The Rebs man the barricades! In the actual game the trees will be mostly bare (
Above: For the grassland I again painted the area with PVA glue and then sprinkled on a few bits of Woodland Scenics ‘Undergrowth’ in olive green shade. That was followed by some irregular patches of Woodland Scenics fine-grade ‘Yellow Grass’ flock and the whole lot was then covered in fine-grade ‘Burnt Grass’ flock.
Above: Veteran flockers will know that you must ALWAYS tap off the excess when the flock has dried, as at least 50% of it (probably more) will be sitting loose on the top and can then be recycled. You can sieve out the bits of undergrowth and bush that also fall off.
Above: A bird’s-eye view. I’m really pleased with how the two shades of grass have worked together and I think it does look suitably dead and wintry. I wasn’t brave enough to make it all with Yellow Grass, which is probably how it looked in the dead of winter (as in the painting above), but the yellow patches do tone down the green tone of the Burnt Grass.
Above: I’m also really pleased with how the railway looks in the landscape. I thought that the brown ballast looked too red, but it’s actually blended into the terrain really. It looks suitably rusty and actually looks just the same colour as the railway line outside my house.
Above: The very last of the Union troops! I had previously miscounted the number I needed to paint for the game, but they’re finally done. As discussed last time, I’m actually working my way through the order of battle for Gettysburg and have now finished the Union I, II, III, XI ad XII Corps apart from two Zouave units, the US Sharp-Shooters and the generals for II & III Corps. The ‘Italian’ flag on the right is that of the 39th New York Infantry (‘Garibaldi Guard’), though they didn’t fight at Murfreesboro, so won’t be seen in this game!