The Battle of Maria
June 15, 1809
Wargaming the Battle:
OOB and Situation
by Todd Fisher, USA
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Order of Battle ForcesSpanish Army of Aragon (Ancien Regime Army), ( Poor Staff) General Blake commanding (Average-Inspirational 1st-Division (General Roca) (each battalion-12 Figures)
2nd Division (Marquis d’ Lazan)
Vanguard Brigade (General Creagh)
Cavalry Brigade
Artillery
3rd Division (General Areizaga) (Does not take part in Battle)
Cavalry
Artillery
French Army of Aragon(Divisional Army)(Good Staff) General Suchet commanding (Excellent-Impersonal) 1st Division (General Habert) (1st Brigade)
2nd Division (General Musnier)
Reserve (Directly under Suchet)
Cavalry (General Walthier)
Tudela re-enforcements (General Robert)
Force watching Areizaga 1st Division (General Laval) (2nd Brigade)
Independent Brigade (General Haxo)
The WargameStart the game at noon and treat the weather as light rain. The game can go until 9PM so this means up to 18 turns. The French receive Robert’s command on the battlefield on turn three and it arrives in “condensed campaign column.” It appears on the Zaragoza road. At the judge’s discretion he may allow Areizaga to arrive any time after turn 5. Perhaps your could explain the situation and see if the Blake player comes up with either having Areizaga attack to his front or join the main battle. Either way, the French under Leval will arrive at Santa Fe the turn following Areizaga’s arrival. Both groups will be in “condensed campaign column,” when they hit the table. If you plan to include the troops, then I would suggest that a roll on a D6 of a 6 would be needed. Victory ConditionsFrench Minor Victory -They must cause more casualties than received and control the battlefield. Major Victory- They must cause more casualties, control the battlefield and capture at least three standards or 6 guns or more. Dramatic Victory- They must cause more casualties, capture at least three standards, and 12 guns or more. Spanish Minor Victory- They must control the battlefield. Major Victory- They must cause more casualties than received and control the battlefield. Dramatic Victory- They must cause more casualties than received, control the battlefield and capture at least three standards or 4 guns. All other results are a draw. Revolution and EmpireThe field for Revolution and Empire is as follows: All rough terrain and scrub is treated as Rough. All other terrain is treated as Rolling. The stream disorders unit charging across it, but not maneuvering across it. The Huerta can only be crossed at Cadrete. All building in Maria and Cadrete are light cover building. The Abbey/Convent of Santa Fe is Heavy cover. Our Re-fightThe French commander was less cautious than Suchet and immediately went into the attack. It appeared to be working as the French cavalry made short work of their counterparts and another Spanish battalion was ridden down as well. But after this the cavalry was spent and unable to make much of an impact for the rest of the game. The French attack was all across the line and the superior French firepower was able to initially drive back much of the Spanish line through a series of “firefights.” When it appeared that the whole of the Spanish line might give way, Blake attached himself to the most threatened part of the line and stabilized the wavering troops. Several batteries were pulled out of reserve and delivered a devastating fire on the advancing French that stalled their attack. As the game progressed, several of the French battalions ran low on ammunition. The Spanish commander did a passage of lines and brought forward his reserve. The fresh troops were telling and now, as the Spanish advanced, several French battalions gave way. Several charges were made by the Spanish with the result of several fatigued and decimated French battalions were routed and their standards captured. Suchet was needed to “snap” rally two of these units. It was only when Robert arrived that a rearguard was formed and the French army was able to withdraw from the field. Roberts was put on a rearguard order and slowly gave way in front on the more numerous Spanish. The Spanish were now suffering from losses themselves and felt that it was best to leave well enough alone, lest the situation once more reverse itself. The Spanish scored a Major victory, just missing a Dramatic victory by capturing only two standards. I think our French player was suffering from culture shock. In most games the Spanish are rated so abysmally that most gamers find it not worthwhile to play them. Generally the French are allowed to walk right over them without having to do much work. But head on the Spanish could be tough. By the time our player remembered the proper French tactics of maneuver and conserving the cavalry for the right moment, his army was too spent to recover. The Battle of Maria June 15, 1809 Back to Table of Contents -- First Empire # 73 Back to First Empire List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2003 by First Empire. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com |