The following is an account of a 9mm Napoleonic wargame conducted by the Down East Wargame Association during two consecutive Saturday evening meetings. The rules used were a preliminary version of GRAND ARMY, soon to be published by PANZERFAUST. In all, ten members of the association took part, but unfortunately not all were there on both nights.

The schizoid character of Napoleon during the Waterloo campaign - which this action simulates - is well demonstrated by the two personalities who commanded the French left wing during the actions. In point of fact, the left wing was commanded on consecutive nights by twin brothers - who have almost opposite personalities when the time comes to attack The first commander inched up on his opponent, only to see him fall back out of range. The second twin formed for assault when the allies were in a defense in depth and had his units cut to pieces by musketry. Here with is an account of the struggle.

The battle fought on 16-17 July, near the Belgian towns of Le Caillou and Quatre Bras, although small in numbers engaged, must rank as one of the decisive engagements of the Napoleonic conflicts. The Allies, attempting to concentrate their badly dispersed forces in front of the advancing French army, had to hold the Le Caillou-Quatre Bras crossroads. These crossroads are the major junction of the roads from Brussels, Wavre and Dunkirk.

The Anglo-Allied Corps were concentrated at Calais with advance units as far so theast as Papelotte and Quatre-Bras. Although strong in themselves, the corps were too spread out to influence the OLtcome of the battle of 16-17 July. The Russian Corps was south of Brussels at Rossome, but only the attached Prussian Landwehr and Bashkir!Cavalry were near Le Caillou. The Prussian Divisions with :)ne brigade west of Charleroi were the closest to the field and most able to influence the subsequent action, the French were in a much stronger position. Fate had put a heavy corps under Napoleon and Ney closer to Le Caillou than any of the Allied forces. The entire Guard Division under Cambronne was moving north screened by the First Infantry Division.

SPECIAL SITUATION: FRENCH 0700 HRS 16 JULY 1815

There is no time left for the Empire. The enemy is before us and must be destroyed.

Initial set-up and order of appearance is as follows:

LIGHT BDE - 3" from S. edge of table within 6" of road to Placenoit - any formation.

30TH LINE RGT-- 3" from S. edge of table within 6" of road to Nivelles - any formation,

LIGHT LINE BDE - immediately behind 30th Rgt -- any formation.

ITALIAN BDE - immediately behind Light Inf. Bde -- any formation.

CAV. DIV. within 8" S. edge of table -- any formation.

YOUNG GUARD - on Placenoit Rd. - Turn #2.

GUARD CHASSEURS - on Placenoit Rd. - Turn #4.

GREN. GO - on Nivelles Rd. Turn #3.

ARTY BDE - on Placeniot Rd. Turn #1.

MISSION: Seize the road north of Le Caillou to Rossome. You must brush aside any resistance you find south of Le Caillou and take the town. This will put us between the three Allied Armies, and we can defeat them in detail.

SPECIAL SITUATION: ANGLO/ALLIED GERMAN 0700 HRS 16 JULY 1815

The French Army is concentrating at Nivellies and Placenoit. They should not be on the table in force until at least turn 10. And by that time we should have been able to effect a link-up between the Anglo-Allied Brigade at Quatre-Bras and the Pomeranians coming west down the road from Charleroi. Initial set-up and order of appearance is as follows:

ANGLO-ALLIED BDE - at Quatre-Bras -- any formation.

POMERANIAN BDE - 16" from W. edge of board N. of Ligny-Charleroi Rd. - any formation.

LANDWEHR BDE - road to Rossome - Turn #2.

GERMAN CAV. BDE - road to Wavre - Turn 6.

BASHKIRS RGT - road to Rossome - Turn #8.

GUARD COSSACK RGT - road to Papelotte - Turn #10.

RUSSIAN GO DRAGOON RGT - road to Rossome - Turn #11.

CUIR., HORSE GREN., HANOVER LANCERS - road to Papelotte - Turn #13.

RUSSIAN GRENADIER DOE - road to Rossome - Turn #13.

SILESIAN BDE - road to Wavre - Turn #18.

2nd DIVISION - road to Wavre - Turn #24.

MISSION: Hold the crossroads of Quatre Bras/and Le Caillou and the road to Rossome. Destroy French Army and drive it off to the south.

APPRECIATION (not shown to the players)

Both sides think that the enemy is farther from the field that they actually are. The allied concept that the French are at least 10 turns from concentrating is hopelessly inaccurate. But the French idea that there is no Allied force near Quatre-Bras is also optimistic. Both sides have been misled by faulty intelligence, and it only to be determined which force will be more affected by this misinformation.

The French have enough force on the board to crush the Pomeranians and KGL and then destroy any Allied force as it enters the board. The first Allied force of any consequence will be the Silesian Brigade on turn 18! The Landwehr, Cavalry and Prussian Grenadiers can be beaten in detail. The Allies must try to withdraw slowly in front of the advancing French. If they become heavily engaged, they certainly will be destroyed. The Landwehr will have to occupy the Chateau Hougoumont and try to hold it until help arrives.

Battle

The battle is perhaps best described by an actual participant - Herr Oberst Wilhelm Kunst Koeppel of the Pomeranian Musketeers. This letter was found by the author when doing research on the Napoleonic Period while in Europe. A translation follows:

My Dearest Heinreich,

I write this letter on the edge of sheer exhaustion. We have marched and countermarched, charged and been charged, and run away to fight again during the past two days. The only sustenance I have had since yesterday was a part of a scrawny chicken found in an abandoned farm west of here. That was yesterday morning, and after only half cooking it we were forced to eat and fight almost at the same time.

Them am so few of us Left. The Second Pomeranian Musketeers you cheered in the streets of Stettin has all but vanished. We were almost 1,000 strong in the Spring--bare ly 200 gather by the colors tonight. Killed, wounded, captured, lost-- but we suffered in our cause and we am proud, I do not know all of those who were lost, but here are the names of those I know so that their families may be told.

(The list is omitted for the sake of brevity in this account.)

We were roused early in the morning of 16 July from a comfortable billet near Charleroi and told to move by forced marches to join the English at Quatre Bras. But no sooner were we in eight of that town but we found a Large French force to our front =d on the left flank. No sooner were they seen but they opened a hot fire from 16 guns on our two 12# guns and soon had smashed them. Their cavalry attempted to get between us and our allies, but for some unexplained reason withdrew rather than run the fire of our battalion, That hesitation on their part saved us for had they gotten between the King's German Legion and us, we could have been pushed back into the streoun beds north of the road.

We linked up, and just in time. The French were valiant -- they came on and on, again and again. Even though we Were unsupported by cavalry or guns they could not break us. Them was something different about them this time. They were slow; no dash, no elan Like they would have had three years ago. The sketch map I include will indicate this action. This caution on the part of the French encouraged us to hold our ground, a course of action that proved fatal to many brave comrades. The pressure be came too great. Our flanks caved in, and we were pushed back until we were surrounded in the "Cauldron".

The noise was almost unbearable; the crash of muskets, the roar of the great guns, the moans and cries of the wounded, the screams of the horses. From all sides they assailed us. Rank after rank of their cavalry came against my batallion, and finally we broke. The Last I saw before the wave of French closed around the remnants of the two brigades was a cluster of flags held aloft aZmost as if by the smoke. Then they too were gone.

We fled north through the ranks of the Landwehr. They were old men, some were old at Jena ten years ago, but tears of rage and frustration poured down their cheeks as they saw us stagger past. They did not berate us, for they knew what great sacrifice we had made. They cheered us as we passed through them. And they stood! How I wish you could have seen them--it would have made you proud. They stood so well that even the Guard --The Old Guard!--hesitated to come against them.

As night fell the Silesians came in on the left. I knew as I saw them come that now we would not lose the crossroads of Le Caillou. The position had been saved. The sacrifice of our brave Pomeranians had not been in vain.

During the night the Prussians also arrived from Wavre. The French held their positions during the night, but we had turned their flank. The Bashkirs and Silesian Rifles were astride the road to the south. Beset in front and flank, the French now had to fight their way past a battalion of out rifles supported by irregular Light cavalry,

How we harried them! Shattered and broken, they fled to the south. our cavalry rode them down in droves. Our infantry, with bayonet and gun butt, made them pay for their folly and their pride. When the sun set on this past day, I found myself again in Quatre Bras--not a quarter of a mile from where I started yesterday mom.

The letter goes on, but what Herr Oberst Koeppel has to say is of no more interest to us. His account, though somewhat colored, is reasonably accurate. The French were driven from the field on the second day, the Allies united, and the chance of an established French Empire under the Corsican Artillerist faded in the dawn of reality.