This is a large article and has been divided into smaller sections for ease of reading--RL

Note from Editor: The Battle of Liozno was fought with "Legacy of Glory" rules and 5mm figures. Part I was in EE&L #14--JAL

Relating the events of a battle is a confusing business. As Wellington said, one can no more remember all the details of a battle than those of a ball. It can also be pretty turgid stuff: not everything that happens is that interesting. The same is true of wargamers' battle reports. My goal here is to present a clear and lively description of the actions of the French and Russian forces at Liozno (Lancaster, PA) on August 7th, 1812 (Cold Wars, 1995). The focus is mostly on the "big picture", with details added to aid in the reader's understanding and (hopefully) appreciation of events.

Background to the Battle

My earlier article (EEL #13) presented the campaign situation which led to the momentous events of the day in question. The scenario was based upon the Smolensk phase of the campaign of 1812. Napoleon (Jim Mauro) had tried to confuse the Russians as to the direction of his push on Smolensk from Vitebsk. He had adopted a three pronged approach before ordering a concentration South of the Dnieper at Khomino, in order to take the Krasny-Lubnya road to Smolensk. This plan presumed a certain dilatoriness on the part of the Russians--hardly an unreasonable presumption.

However, Barclay de Tolly (Matt Delamater) was not in compliant mood. He ordered an aggressive push from Smolensk to Rudnya and, in doing so, identified the whereabouts of four French corps. Realizing these formations were isolated from Napoleon's chief strike force, 30 miles to the South, Barclay sought to smash these northern forces around Liozno while preventing Napoleon from interfering by blocking his way North. This was a classic piece of Napoleonic strategy, the assumption of the central position-- only this time it was the Russians who were carrying it out!

Realizing the danger, Napoleon prepared to make all speed to close the gap and catch the Russians in their flank and rear in an enormous anvil and hammer maneouvre. This was a major concern for the Russians at Liozno, who were obliged to keep one eye over their left shoulders at all times. However, for the French the question was: would the anvil be there when the hammer arrived? The situation was particularly satisfying because it had resulted from a week of campaigning before the convention. Without the umpires "massaging" it, we had a finely balanced scenario, involving 250,000 men fighting two distinct but intimately connected actions in one day on a 200 square mile stage. This is the stuff legends are made of, and the subsequent game did not disappoint!

The Battle of Liozno: Background
The Battle of Liozno: Initial Dispositions
The Battle of Liozno: Opening Gambit
The Battle of Liozno: Meanwhile, to the South...
The Battle of Liozno: The Crisis of the Day
The Battle of Liozno: Decision Time
The Battle of Liozno: Order of Battle

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