It is 1813 in Saxony. Marshal Massena, recalled from retirement, has been given a reinforced Franco-Bavarian corps and directed by the Emperor to advance upon Berlin in order to divert attention form the main French effort in the Dresden area. Advancing to intercept is a Russo-Prussian force commanded by Blucher himself. Near the village of Rodigen, light cavalry patrols clash late in the afternoon of September 12. As night falls the two armies encamp; the French in the Racknitz area and the Allies along the Mulbach. Candles burn late into the night as Blucher and Massena plot the next day's movements. This battle was fought at the ORIGINS '80 in Chester Pennsylvania. For the battle a new set of Napoleonic rules, GENERALSHIP NAPOLEONICS, was used. The rules are marketed as an alternative to existing, overly complex rules that fail to permit battle resolution in a reasonable amount of time. Thus they claim to create "realistic resolution of corps sized battles in three to four hours". The Battle of Rodigen, fought by ten participants who had never heard of the rule system before arriving at the convention, was an attempt to demonstrate this claim. INITIAL DISPOSITIONS (MAP 1) Marshall Massena (Bob Lohman) deployed his forces east and west of Racknik. He initially planned to commit Lasalle's light cavalry and Vandamme's infantry (Matt Taylor) supported by the Bavarians under Wrede (Dave Cochran) in a sweep over the Landgrafenberg toward Sonnenkuppe Hill. In the middle, General Theilmann's Saxons (Ted Furey) would attack Rodigen while a holding action would be conducted on the right in the area of Racknitz by Morand's infantry (Dave McDanels) and Nansouty's heavy cavalry. Massena would retain Oudinot's infantry brigade and a converged "grand battery" on the Flomberg. Thus, using the heights as a pivot, Massena planned on crushing the Allied right. The wily Blucher (Jack Hipkens) seeing the defensive advantages of the Mulback, planned to refuse his right flank and concentrate on stoutly defending the Mulbach and its crossings. Pirch and Yorck (under the inspired leadership of the badly hung over Dan Burkley) would defend the University Copse; the Russian infantry of Langeron and Doctoruv (Ramon Ross and Jim Walsh) would hold the orchard and chateau; Zieten's Silesian infantry and Bulow's Guards (Tim Turner) deployed on the Bissam in reserve. A further reserve under Blucher's direct control was also maintained in this area consisting of the light and heavy cavalry. Compactly positioned in favorable terrain, Blucher planned a counterstroke once the French attacks used themselves up. As the mists rose on the dawn of the 13th, Massena quickly realized that his heavy left flank attack would strike air and thus began the laborious countermarch redirecting his forces upon University Copse. The grand battery from the Flomberg covered this redeployment. However, an initial error in deployment can seldom be completely rectified on the battlefield and the French never fully recovered from Massena's error. THE TREACHERY OF THE SAXONS With the French in Racknitz and the Russians along the Mulbach neutralizing one another, the first combat occured in the University Copse. Here the Saxons, with their shorter approach march, reached the Prussian line in the woods before the toiling columns of Wrede and Vandamme could close up. As the French general staff trained their telescopes upon Thielmann to watch the first attack this Saxon general dispatched a courier to complete arrangements with the Prussians for his desertion! Unbeknownst to Massena, the perfidious Saxons had secretely received an order from their King instructing them to act for the greater glory of the Saxon crown by going over to the Allied cause. As the Saxon skirmishers approached the woods they broke into a run and entered the Prussian lines followed by the remainder of their brigade. BLUCHER'S DILEMMA Meanwhile, Blucher was observing the Russians advancing over the Mulbach in order to secure the river crossings. A galloping civilian courier spurred up to him at this point and delivered a potentially fateful message: an Allied sympathizier in an adjacent village (off map to the west) reported French troops had camped the previous evening in his town. Blucher inexplicably inferred that these troops were French reinforcements under Napoleon himself and considered a general withdrawal! However, a timely report from Bulow regarding the Saxon defection bolstered Blucher's weakening resolve. Therefore, he stopped the advance of the Russian left and awaited further information (failing to send out light cavalry patrols to scout the reported French encampment). Map I shows the army's positions at this juncture. THE GALLANT ASSAULT OF THE BAVARIANS The Saxon treachery left Wrede's Bavarians with an exposed right flank. Wrede protected this flank by stationing a battalion in square and advanced in two heavy columns against University Copse. His tactical arrangements were admirable: skirmishers screened the majority of the Prussian line, an 8lb. battery bombarded the point of attack. Thus the Bavarian columns advan- ced without taking heavy casualties and charged home. The Prussian Kurmack Landwehr, though an untrained and recently organized regiment, repulsed one Bavarian column from the edge of the woodline. The second column broke through the Prussian line and seemingly achieved a major penetration. Now however the evils of Massena's initial deployment came to roost: close support to exploit the penetration was not at hand as Vandamme's infantry still were to the rear. Yorck skillfully summoned local reserves and counterattacked the Bavarians. The weight of the fresh troops drove the tired Bavarians from the woods and they retired in some disorder. Simultaneously, Saxon cavalry attacked the flank guard battalion. Coolly delivering a close range volley, these troops emptied many saddles yet, to the amazement of all the Zastrow Cuirassiers broke the square and scattered the infantry. Thus inspite of inspired leadership and great courage the Bavarians were repulsed in the first major French attack. A temporary lull came over the battlefield as French reserves approached University Copse. Blucher received new intelligence, that the supposed French concentration on the Allied left was in fact merely a collection of stragglers and posed no threat. His hussar's instinct reawakened, Blucher started the Russians forward again tsee Map 11) with the Paviov Grenadiers leading an attack upon Racknitz supported by cavalry; another Russian column to debouch from the chateau in support; and Bulow's Prussian Guard to the right in support of Yorck's defense of the woods. Thus Blucher committed his army to the planned counterstroke a bit sooner than originally planned since the bulk of the French army had yet to come into contact. Massena meanwhile seemed to exhibit some of the lassitude he demonstrated in the Peninsula not sending any important orders or advice to his subordinates apparently content to site the grand battery at targets of opportunity. VANDAMME GOES IN (MAP II) As Vandamme approached University Copse, the Saxon cavalry had a last bid for glory sucessfully overrunning a Wurttemburg battery before being neatly mousetrapped and destroyed by Lasalle. Throwing his infantry upon the flank of the advancing French, Thielmann retired from the field claiming indisposition and fatigue (apparently caused by the excesses of the previous all night EMPIRE game). Lasalle, screening both of Vandamme's flanks, personally led a charge upon the apparently now demoralized, leaderless Saxons. One Saxon square was shattered by artillery fire while another was penetrated and broken by the 13th Chasseurs a Cheval. On Vandamme's left flank the threat posed by Bulow's Prussian Guards was neutralized as they were forced into square by French light cavalry. Thus the decisive action again occured directly at the woods line. The Kurmack Landwehr particularly distinguished themselves by repulsing two battalion columns, one in a bloody fight at close quarters. However, a French column penetrated the woods adjacent to the brave Kurmackers and the situation looked grim for the Allies. Cheers broke out along the Allied line as Yorck made a timely return leading Prussian reserves to seal off the French penetration (staff officers reported that Yorck had taken ill for the second time and only now had been able to revive himself after apparently suffering the aftereffects of immoderate tippling). Just as the Bavarians before had made a break in the Prussian line and then been forced out for lack of reinforcements, Vandamme looked over his shoulder in vain and seeing no supporting troops was forced to retire. THE RUSSIAN ASSAULT BEGINS Blucher now released all of the Russians from their positions along the Mulbach and directed them toward the Heights of Racknitz (see Map III). The French in this area were well stationed in the village of Racknitz. However, Morand imprudently advanced one battalion to the forward slopes of the heights. This unit met the first assaulting columns and was bowled over by the eager Pavlov Grenadiers. The remaining Russian troops had to struggle across a plain dominating by enfilading fire of the well positioned grand battery. To further bolster his right, Massena called upon Nansouty's heavy cavalry who now trotted into position through the streets of Racknitz. To counter Nansouty's advance Blucher personally brought up the Russian cuirassiers and supporting light cavalry. Nonetheless, Nansouty got in the first blow detaching a dragoon regiment to cover his deployment in front of Racknitz. The dragoons charged the advancing Russian infantry but the Russians formed square and repulsed the attack. However, this charge succeeded in delaying the advance of the Allied left toward Racknitz and illustrates an excellent tactical charge simultaneously covering the deployment of the main body while freezing the enemy's main advance. THE CLASH OF CAVALRY Drawn up in two long lines, Nansouty's entire force of cuirassiers and carabiners - the elite of the French armyadvanced upon the waiting Russian cavalry. A titanic struggle ensued as first one side and then the other gained the advantage. Time and again the opportune committment of the fresh regiment turned a victorious pursuit into an inglorious rout. Since the contestants were roughly numerically equal and since neither kept a large enough reserve for an attack at the crucial moment, this battle devolved into an exhausted stalemate. Overall as both sides became depleted the superior service of the French cavalry, big men on big horses encased in metal breastplates, became apparent and the Russian cavalry was pushed back. Thus the French gained a modest tactical success on this portion of the battlefield, but was it enough to redress their setbacks in other areas? As the cavalry melee between the French and Russians was taking place Prussian heavy cavalry advanced upon the grand battery from the area of the church. And simultaneously yet another French attack went in against University Copsel In the woods Yorck's shrunken ranks were now stoutly supported by the Prussian Guard who had retired from in front of the copse in square and then deployed in line along the woods. This third French attack, composed of the rallied Bavarians and French from the earlier attacks, struck the hinge between Yorck and the remnants of the Saxons. It was vital that this attack make a clean breakthrough if Massena was to carry the day. Indeed as a previous attacks this one made initial progress shoving aside the weary defenders and advancing to the heart of University Copse. Yorck again led the Prussian reserves forward and halted the French advance. The gallant French, betrayed by their lack of reserves, retreated from the woods. It is notable that in each of the three French attacks the defense was initially penetrated but the attack was sealed off before it could be exploited. As this action ended Prussian cavalry approached the grand battery. They were intercepted by Lasalle who had previously been screening Vandamme's right. Lassalle's men were tired from earlier charges against the Saxons while the Prussians were fresh, including in their ranks such units as the Brandenburg Dragoons and the Guard du Corps. The resulting melee was a mismatch as the Prussians easily brushed aside the lighter Frenchmen. At this point the battle ended as a heavy thundershower rendered the infantry's muskets unusable and reduced visability to a few hundred meters. There could be no doubt the Allies had won. Their right in the woods was secure while the opposing French and Bavarian troops were fought out. The French center was badly exposed being held by the grand battery only. However, the Russian infantry was frozen by the threat of cavalry attacks and had suffered fearfully under the fire of the grand battery. The French right was secure in Racknitz and thus a French retreat could proceed unmolested. The Allied success had been aided greatly by the piecemeal nature of the French attacks against University Copse. These attacks had in turn been necessitated by the initial deployment of the rival corps. From a gaming standpoint the battle seemed to be a great success. Ten Napoleonic enthusiasts using an unfamiliar game system, GENERALSHIP NAPOLEONICS, had come together and fought a large scale battle to a realistic resolution in four hours. Thus Generalship's claim that it provides "realistic resolution of corps sized Napoleonic engagements in three to four hours" seemed justified. A future article will be devoted to the 'Basis of Generalship' describing the historical findings that influenced the crafting of these rules. Without a doubt, the very gentlemanly conduct of all participants contributed greatly to the battle's success. In addition the tactical skill of Wrede and Yorck and the strategic skill of Blucher must be commended. Large Maps of Replay (very slow: 260K) Generalship Tactics on the Napoleonic Battlefield (v2n4) Back to Table of Contents -- Courier Vol. 2 #1 To Courier List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1980 by The Courier Publishing Company. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com