Since the first battle of Alcantara (In which Wellington's vanguard, commanded by General Cuts, met on the banks of the Tagus with Marshal Victor's Vanguard, commanded by Brigadier Dubreton, and were bloodily repulsed in a French victory which saw Brigadier Fitsmashel fall in battle) nothing much has changed. For more than two weeks now Brigadier Raymond Dubreton's battalion supported by an artillery battery has faced off against Wellington's vanguard, under General Cuts, over the dry plains outside Alcantara.
At last Wellington's main force is but a few days away and to open up Wellesley's sweeping campaign up the Tagus, General Cuts is leading forwards his Vanguard to destroy the Dubreton's Garrison at Alcantara before it can hold up the main army for too much longer.
Marshal Dubreton surveys the Battalion from atop his white charger.
All seems to be in order here with the Bavarian Dragoons and old guard
General cuts makes the opening move of the battle, personally ordering the Scots Greys on his right flank to charge the French Cavalry, but the Birdcatchers misunderstood the order and instead ended up riding straight down the British line, right through the Norfolks sending redcoats scattering in every direction to get out the way of the charging horses.
The other Scots Greys, commanded by Brigadier Sir Geoffrey Barck, had much more luck, riding straight towards the French Artillery battery in the centre of the line. However, as the charging horsemen crested the craggy rocks in the middle of the field, the French 12 pdrs opened up on them blasting horses and men alike from atop the high ground.
The Royal artillery piece on the British right then opened up on the Old guard positioned in front of their hill top fixture, landing an almost direct hit on the French eagle and sending earth and man flying. But the eagle stayed standing and so to did the men.
The Highlanders also charged the other old guard on the British right. However despite their famed ferocious bayonet charge they received fierce resistance from the french men and failed to do them much damage. Though, despite heavy casualties, they themselves did not flee either.
Once the shots and shells had echoed away and the smoke drifting across the battlefield had turned to mist the battle so far could be seen in full. The old guard on the left had taken a battering from the grenadiers of the 42nd and royal artillery, but they had stood firm, eagle proudly held aloft. The other old guard had taken just as much of a battering in combat with the 42nd centre company, but even though they got the best of the fight they seemed less inclined to shout Vive l'emperuer than the guardsmen around the eagle and fled the field.
The scots greys, who had doggedly followed orders, charged for the artillery battery and been bombarded by the Frenchmen, fled back towards their own lines to rally and attempt it again next turn.
Seeing their British counterparts racing from the flank straight along the line, the Dragoons ignore orders to charge the royal artillery and instead ride straight through the ranks of french infantry, directly shadowing the Scots Greys opposite them.
Seeing the Highlanders punch through their flank, the French fusiliers wheel to protect the line's flank and inadvertentlyfind themselves enfilading the cheering scots, who have not reformed to threaten the french flank as would have been sensible. The French line erupts with shots, supported by an artillery piece, and the Scots flank is torn to pieces.
The French turn ended with the Bavarian landwehr storming towards the British centre. It was a mixed turn, with the artillery out of range for most firing and the Left flank entirely stationary after the disaster with the Dragoons. However the Scots on the right were in a bad way and could probably be broken with another volley.
The Scots greys, considering themselves far enough down the line of Norfolks, now turned for the charge, hurtling straight for the Dragoons. Seeing the British cavalry charging towards them, the Bavarian Dragoons turn and counter charge, heading straight across the field but falling short of engaging them.
The other Scots Greys again attempt their charge over the rocks towards the French Artillery Battery. But again as they crest the top of the hill, the French open up with a devestating barrage that haults the Cavalry charge in its tracks atop the hill.
The Royal artillery, under General Cuts, too opens fire on their opposite cavalry, firing a shot straight into the centre of the Dragoons as they realign their counter charge to head straight for the 42nd Grenadiers. The shot fails to dmage the morale of the Bavarians, but it does stop them from reaching the Scots, allowing them a volley before they would have to form a square.
In the Centre the Coldstream guards bring their line forwards to within range of the landwehr and open up a thumping volley into the ranks of Bavarians. Earth is sent flying by the force of the salvo and the Bavarians dive for cover in every direction.
Terrified by the Royal Artillery's bombardment, the dragoons race for their own lines, diving through the gap opened up for them by the Infantry. Brigadier Dubreton quickly races over to rally the cavalry and send it back onto the field.
Dubreton's Battle plan is too blast a hole in the British centre with his guns, but the guns are threatened by the Scots Greys who can only be countered by his own cavalry.
The British force is no longer a nice neat line, its companies scattered across the field of battle. The French Artillery seemed to be enough to put the wind up the tails of the Scots greys and they have gone hearing from the field of smoke. The other scots greys, together with the highland Grenadiers, are pressing home their advantage on the British right, supported by a royal artillery 18pdr.
After rallying his Dragoons, Brigadier Dubreton personally leads the charge on the Scots Greys, diving in with his Sabre and cutting down Brits with each well placed stroke. However despite their courageous leader and the presence of their eagle, the Dragoons fail to make much of a dent in the Birdcatchers. The Dragoons definatley take the harder battering in the combat and they are quick to make their exit through the same gap in the Infantry line that they had just charged from.
With one last enfilading Barrage from their gun line and Artillery battery, the French, under a royal artillery traitor, on the right flank send a devestating wave of shots smacking into the confused and disordered Highlander centre company. The panicked highlanders are gunned down to a man leaving naught but grey smoke and the lifeless bodies of a company of Highlanders.
The Landwehr managed to reorganise and redress their lines to return the volley on the Coldstream guards. Draw, bite, spit, prime, drop, ram, ram, cock, shoulder and Fire! The volley spurted out of the Bavarian's muskets, with supporting fire from the entire Artillery battery. Coldstream guardsmen flew in every direction as the blasts pummelled the line and the shots tore through earth and flesh.
The most elite soldiers of one army began to scatter and fall back as the shots of the most unreliable dogs of the other army shattered their ranks.
The Scots Greys redressed themselves into a line and began the pursuit of Brigadier Dubreton and the Dragoons back through their own lines.
The battlefield was now scattered with the dead and fleeing. The Coldstream guards were gone, the Scots Greys were gone, the 42nd centre company was gone and the old guard light company was gone. The Dragoons and the French Brigadier was in flight whilst the rest of their army was begining to turn the line, pressing forward on the Left flank, whilst also defeating the Highlanders on the right and shattering the centre with an artillery barrage.
The Scots greys burst forward in pursuit of Dubreton and the Dragoons, charging through the gap in the French lines and into combat with the retreating Line cavalry. A fierce combat is fought with Carbines blasting off and sabres meeting other sabres as well as flesh of man and horse.
The Norfolks, with the Royal artillery 18pdrs, now open up from all directions upon the Bavarians stranded in the centre of the battlefield. The Bavarians attempt to stand, but with the cannon balls ripping through their ranks it is doubhtfull that the Bavarians will even remain on the field till the smoke clears.
One of the Scots Greys, an ex-green jacket, shoulders his carbine, aims straight down the barrel at the French Brigadier and pulls the trigger. The Carbine recoils sharply into the shoulder of the cavalryman and smoke fills the air infront of him, as it clears he can see the blue coated officer slipping from atop his white charger to lie in the mud and bodies beneath its hooves.
The cavalryman reaches for another cartridge and begins the loading process again.
Utterly spent after so many engagements across the field, both cavalry units brake from the combat and retire back to their own lines to regroup, gather their wits and clean their sabres. It is only when they have regrouped and are patting each other on the backs for their sucess that the Bavarians realise their Brigadier is no longer amongst them. Revenge must be had.
The British Infantry line regroups itself just out of range of the French muskets preparing for an advance on the French positions, to remove the Frenchmen once and for all. But not all is good news for the British. The 16th Bedfords on the hill in the middle of the field fired an enfilading volley upon the French line infantry, however the volley had suprisingly little (no) effect on the Frenchmen. On the French Left the Old guard eagle company advanced and delivered a salvo into the Attack column of Highland Grenadiers, sending the scots packing from the field.
The Old guard now wheeled straight into the fleeing British cavalry, catching them unawares and diving straight into the horsemen sabres and bayonets out and blood lust on their tongues.
Caught like this by infantry the cavalry really had little chance of doing much damage and could at best hope to get away with their morale intact.
The French Gunners now began a bombardment of the Norfolk line, the 12pdr round shots (with a bit of canister included) tearing and scarring the scorched earth and the thin red line. Such punishment from artillery was more than mortal hearts could stand and the Norfolks quickly broke and fled the field.
Having defeated the Scots Greys in combat, Colonel Ludwig Von Brandenburg personally didving in amongst the horsemen with his Jacobite broadsword drawn, the Old guard now marched on the British flank, delivering enfilading volleys upon the wavering Norfolks.
Having taken comand of the Battalion, Colonel Von Brandenburg was now moving his force round to crush the British in a deadly pincer manouvere. The French Cavalry had rallied and were preparing another charge on the Scots greys, should they threaten the flanks or artillery. The French Line infantry on the right flank were advancing on the Bedfords, stopping only to deliver a volley into the British Infantry. The French Artillery had utterly destroyed the morale of the Norfolks on the Left and sent them from teh field in shame.
The Bedfords and Royal artillery now began their retribution upon the French Line advancing towards the hill. The blasts rang out and earth sprayed across the white breeches of the Frenchmen, but still the French line that had defeated the highlanders and survived the most punishing enfilades possible was advancing on the British. This was no ordinary French line company, this was the Trailleur company of the 69e Ligne!
Unseen by Colonel Von Brandenburg, a British 18pdr had been creeping up on the Old guard and now, from the safety of the rocks, delivered a point blank enfilading shots straight down the line of Old guardsmen. These brave warriors began to scatter in every direction, the Colonel trying in vain to regroup them before suddenly bing taken down by a pistol shot from the artillerymen. The Old guard were gone with their eagle and wouded Colonel and the Left flank was no more.
The Scots Greys rode straight into Scottish Colonel Mc Hune, who quickly rallied them behind the Norfolk line and sent them back out towards the French horse.
The Battle had now changed directions again and the 69th were now at the forfront of the Battle, spearheading the French advance.
The French Dragoons now darted in for the charge on the lone royal artillery piece, sabres drawn. As the Cavalrymen approached the gun the light of the linstock could be seen pressing into the touch hole. With a magnificent explosion grape sprayed through the ranks of horsemen, sending dead and wounded Bavarians in every direction.
However it was not enough to save the gun crew and the Cavalrymen swept straight over their dead bodies.
But even with so many casualties sustained the huge German horsemen couldn't be haulted and swept straight into the Scots greys as they rallied behind the norfolks. The fight was a bitter one, a final showdown between the two units that had been stalking and engaging since the very begining of the battle. Fittingly it was also this battle that victory for either side rested on, if the Scots Greys broke then the French cavalry would be in behind British lines to capture the officers and harrow the men, but if it happened the opposite way the scots greys would be left open to take out the French battery.
In the end both foes, so evenly matched and so equally worn after such an exhausting battle, routed, scattering back to their camps and leaving the Infantry to maintain the field.
It was named a French victory, as with an artillery battery to their name they could hardly now be opposed by the bashed up units of Bedfords and norfolks.
General Cuts' force pulled back to Carabajo to set up a defensive position in which to make a stand should Victor push forwards with his force. Messengers were sent to Wellington with the news of the defeat and warning of the danger now aproaching Carabajo.
Brigadier Dubreton recovered from his Carbine wounds as did Colonel Von Brandenburg and, after resupplying the Battalion and drawing up more companies from Victor's main force, they began the slow advance along the ancient dry river bed to Crabajo.
No comments:
Post a Comment