FIELDS OF RYE, WALLED FARMS AND BOSSU WOOD, OH MY I had a number of sources to weigh and consider while developing the orders of battle for this historical refight. I had an equal number of sources to consider with respect to constructing the terrain for the wargame table (floor actually). As mentioned above, in finalizing the orders of battle, the database from FIELDS OF GLORY was the main resource. In determining the layout of the gaming area, I decided upon the Quatre Bras "situation map" in the Hamilton-William text. [Mr. Rayner supplies two maps in his article. The first map I presume was adopted from one of the Chandler references he lists. The second map is a wargamer's adaptation of the former. FOG does offer a "moving" map, but nothing by which I can really make a studied comparison.] Using the map scale to measure the map in this text, I found the battlefield to cover some 7,000 yards on an East-West axis by just over 4,000 yards on a North-South axis. At a ground scale of one inch represents 50 yards, the wargame table (floor) would measure some 12 feet by roughly seven feet. With every set of Mr. Conliffe's rules that I've had the pleasure of reading and playing wargames, I have used the 15mm. figure scales for unit construction and adjudication of movement and firing ranges. At this scale then, a French line infantry battalion, marching in column formation, would take some 14 game turns to cross from one table edge to the other (by the Brussels road). This proves problematic of course, given one account of the first hour or so of the battle, where the French advance 1,000 or so yards toward the pivotal cross roads. (Waterloo, 200) SHAKO has no firm ground scale per se, nor a "true" figure scale. The ranges of artillery and musket have are "distorted ... to allow for proper relationships between fire and movement on the tabletop." So, the question was: how to resolve the apparent conflict between the size of the field of battle, the movement rate of troops, and the time scale, so as to allow opposing sides to come into contact, and more importantly, recreate the ebb and flow that marked the historical battle? I started by reducing the size of the field that I wanted to represent. Study of the Hamilton-Williams map and repeated readings of the chapter on the battle convinced me that the majority of the tactical action took place between Pierrepoint and Piraumont, and in front of the village of Quatre Bras. Bossu Wood was a factor as well, but to its front and within its boundaries; nothing happened on the north or western edges. My battlefield measured (by the Hamilton-Williams map scale) 4,000 yards across, and just 3,000 yards deep. In SHAKO 15 mm scale, I translated this into a 6' x 8' surface, with the French jumping-off point just 12 inches (66% reduced ruler) in front of a line drawn from Pierrepoint east to the farm of Piraumont. Included on this scaled down wargame table then, would be all the major terrain features: Bossu Wood, the three farm complexes, Lac Materne, and the village of Quatre Bras itself. The Hamilton-Williams map is so detailed that is shows contour lines through the battlefield. The Bois de Bossu and the village of Quatre Bras are on a slight rise, roughly 30 feet higher than the even ground between the Brussels Road and the Bois de Bossu. The farm buildings of Germoncourt are located in a shallow valley, made more difficult by the creek and rough terrain along its banks. On the French left-front, they seem to enjoy an initial height advantage over the Nassau battalions covering Pierrepoint. I do not have the resources to terra form my wargame table, so in this one respect, I do refer to and borrow from the wargame terrain map in Mr. Rayner's article. He places the few houses of Quatre Bras on a small hillock, while situating Gernioncourt between two long, low ridges. In modem terms, for lack of a better analogy, these ridges are a kind of speed bump along the route of the French advance. (Please see accompanying Map I.) The SHAKO rules cover the effects, both adverse and positive, of terrain on the Napoleonic field of battle. Some modifications had to made, however, as Bossu Wood could not really be represented by an 8" x 8" irregularly shaped piece of green felt and a few model trees. And then, combing through Keegan's text for mentions of the Battle of Quatre Bras, I was impressed by the following passage: "At Quatre Bras, 'the rye in the field was so high', Llewellyn of the 28th Regiment remembered, 'that ... the Enemy, even in attacking our Squares, were obliged to make a daring person desperately ride forward to plant a flag, as a mark, at the very point of our bayonets."' (130) Wheat fields and plowed fields are listed in the Terrain Effects Chart on page 25 of SHAKO, but there is nothing about very high crops and the impact they would have on visibility, surprise, misdirection, and morale. I ask the reader not to take this comment as negative toward the rules. I think the rules are very, very good. And in this respect, they seem to invite amendment or modification for these special circumstances. I look forward to an exciting historical re-fight of this battle. Following then, are the few rule amendments concerning terrain that I would suggest for use in recreating this historical battle as a wargame. Farms: Gemioncourt was typical of Belgian farms of the period: it was built strongly of stone, with the main house and subsidiary buildings grouped around a central courtyard entered by a single wooden gate, so that from without the farm presented the thick, windowless outer walls of its buildings and high connecting walls. With the simple addition of loopholes, such a farm became a formidable bastion. (Waterloo, 204) For this historical scenario, the farms of Gemioncourt and Piraumont are considered one- sector towns. Due to its size, Pierrepoint will be represented by two separate town sectors. All other rules under Section 13.6 remain in effect. Streams and Standing Water: Units crossing streams are considered to be Staggered, and will incur a -1 modifier to any combat or morale roll. This is a terrain induced condition and not the result of combat. The end effect, however, is much the same. The Lac Materne is not passable / fordable by any type of unit. Units that are forced to fall back or rout toward this terrain feature will wheel either right or left (which ever direction takes them away from the enemy) and continue their retreat. Neither streams or standing water interfere with visibility, musket or artillery fire. (Reference Sections 13.7 and 13.8) Tall Crops: LOS is blocked by this terrain feature. Apply the Woods and Artillery / Musket Fire Rule (under Section 13.4.1) with the modification that there is no cover advantage provided by the stalks of rye, wheat or corn. Units moving into or through any field become Staggered. Units exiting a field and finding themselves within four inches (4") of any enemy unit (except skirmishers) must roll with a -2 modifier to their Frontal MR. Passing means that the unit can continue forward movement. Failing the die roll results in a three inch (3") move to the rear - backs to the enemy. There is an excellent passage in the Flamilton-Williams text which served as an inspiration for this rule addendum. It reads: We were ready and in Line ... and forward we hastened, though we saw no enemy in front. The stalks of Rye, like the reeds that grow on the margins of some swamp, opposed our advance; the tops were up to our bonnets, and we strode and groped our way through as fast as we could. By the time we reached a field of clover on the other side we were very much straggled; however, we united in line as fast as time and our speedy advance would permit. ( ... ) Our sudden appearance seemed to paralyse their advance. The singular appearance of our dress, combined no doubt with our sudden Debut, tended to stagger their resolution: we were on them, our pieces loaded, and our bayonets glittered ... (207) AND NOW, PRESENTING... The dispositions of the Dutch-Belgian Division are shown on Map I. The reinforcement / arrival schedule and point of entry, reveals that an initial French advantage is slowly countered by Anglo-Allied strength. I used the table in Mr. Rayner's article as a basis for this schedule. I amended the same based on what I read in the Hamilton-Williams text. While Mr. Rayner makes an convincing point about Ney starting the attack earlier (had he known the Emperor's plans for D'Erlon's Corps), the historical start time of the engagement will be the start time of this refight. The SHAKO sequence of play dovetails nicely, then, for Hamilton-Williams relates: "At 2 p.m. a French cannonade opened the French attack to take the Quatre Bras crossroads." (197) Artillery resolution is the first step of SHAKO'S five-step game move sequence. In a previous section, I related some concern over ground scale and troop movement rates. This concern came back to me again, as I reread the Hamilton-Williams account. It appeared that the French would need at least some time to dent or perhaps even overthrow the thinly-spread 2nd Division of Dutch-Belgian troops. So, instead of one turn representing 20 or 30 minutes of time, one turn will represent 15 minutes of time. Four turns then, make up an hour. With a two o'clock start and an end with the late setting of the June sun (around 8 p.m.), this gives 25 full turns in the wargame. Of course, the collapse of Army / Division Morale or the taking (and holding) of Quatre Bras by the French, could result in a shorter wargame. Note: Turns that had no unit(s) arriving on either side of the field are not listed. TURN TIME UNIT(S) AND POINT OF ENTRY 1 14:00 (F)Marshal Ney and Lt. Gen. Reille (east of Charleroi Road) (F)Bachelu's 5th Division (east of Charleroi Road) (F)Foy's 9th Division (On Charleroi Road and west of same)(F)Pire's 2nd Cavalry Division (Chasseurs to the right rear of Bachelu) (Lancers between Bachelu and Foy) (F)II Corps Artillery (unlimbered east of Charleroi Road) (F)2nd Brigade / Cuirassiers / 11th Division / III Cavalry (F)11th Division Horse Artillery (F)III Cavalry Command: Kellermann (Both to the left rear of Foy's Division) 1 On Table The Prince of Orange (within 9" of Gernioncourt) 2nd Netherlands Division 2nd Brigade (anywhere between Gernioncourt and Bossu; may deploy in Pierrepoint if so desired) 1st Brigade (anywhere between / in front of Gernioncourt and Piraumont) Note: Both the deployment of the D-B Division and the advance of the French "violate" the Command Zone rules of SHAKO. This transgression is explained in a following section on rule amendments for the scenario. 3 14:30 (F)Prince Jerome's 6th Division (12" to either side of Charleroi Road) 5 15:00 The Duke of Wellington (Thyle Road; Point C) 2nd Light Cavalry Brigade / Dutch-Belgian (Nivelles Road) Picton's 5th Division (Brussels Road and 12" east of same) 7 15:30 The Brunswick Contingent (Brussels Road; following Picton) 12 16:45 Sir Charles Alten's 3rd Division (Nivelles Road) 16 17:45 1st Division / Guards (Brussels Road) (F) 1st Brigade / Dragoons / 11th Division / III Cavalry (Charleroi Road) 19 18:30 (F)Remainder of III Corps Cavalry (Charleroi Road) 25 20:00 Last move of Game . . . darkness falls with resolution of Artillery and Musket Fire. COMMAND ZONES, GENERALS AND OTHER CONCERNS The sub-title of this article is: The Research and Development of a SHAKO Solo Wargame. In the previous 17 pages, I have concentrated my effort on everything but the mechanics of conducting this historical refight as a solo wargame. The single reason I would offer in explanation - late as it may be - is that SHAKO appears to be a set of Napoleonic Rules well suited for solo gaming. Orders, be they written and sent for attack, defense, or flank marches, are the "essential feature" of this rules set. (Page 6, Section 7.0) I can therefore assume the roles of both Wellington and Ney, without having to worry about favoring one side over the other. The orders I give to the divisions under my command will "set things in motion". With the exception of dictating new orders for those same divisions, there is little that I can do to change the direction or outcome once battle is joined. (Page 9, Section 7.8) But let me come back to this point. First, I would like to expand upon a note made in the Game Turn / Reinforcement Arrival Schedule. In the Game Turn Notes for the deployment of the 2nd Dutch-Belgian Division, it was stated that following the historical deployment ran contrary to Mr. Conliffe's rules. It also runs contrary to his advice, for in Note 6 of the Waterloo orders of battle, Mr. ConlitTe makes the following recommendation: "in refighting historical battles, we recommend players not use the actual battlefield deployments." (32) Section 7.9, Command Zone, states clearly, simply, and reasonably, that all units of a division must be within 18 inches of the division commander. (9) For good or bad, I just could not accept this rule given what the sources related about the deployment of the Dutch-Belgians. For a couple of days, I debated the merits of my stubbornness, and reached the unappealing conclusion that if I allowed it (no command zone integrity) for the Dutch-Belgians, than why shouldn't the same apply for all the units involved? So, instead of a general amendment, I decided upon a specific exception. The Dutch-Belgian Exception: Brigade Commanders have a command zone radius of nine (9) inches. All other rules for the command zone apply. As I reread the Hamilton-Williams chapter, I discovered that an exception would also have to made for the one brigade of Kellermann's Cuirassiers, that was present at the start of the battle. In this case however, it was simply the re-designation of Kellermann as the Division Commander for this lone brigade of heavy cavalry. When the rest of his III Corps arrives on the table, he turns over division command and resumes overall command. The experience of Kellermarm on the field that June afternoon "Kellermann and his fine cavalry, having cleared away all opposition, reached Quatre Bras only to be met by a murderous fire of point-blank canister and musketry from all sides. Horses and men fell and died. Kellermann had his horse shot out from under him and only escaped death or capture by grasping the stirrup leathers of the horses of two troopers who carried him to safety." (Hamilton-Williarns, 220), gave me reason to reconsider the SHAKO rules governing the loss of division commanders in combat. The loss of division commanders or higher generals is treated only in the Optional Rules of SHAKO. I can appreciate this treatment with respect to simplicity of game mechanics, and indeed, Wellington often had to evade French Cavalry during the course of the day. It seems that Wellington and Kellermann were in close proximity, for Wellington directed fire against Kellermann's charges, after seeking refuge in an infantry square. (Ibid, 220) In the SHAKO rules, commanders threatened by any enemy unit simply evade that threat. However, as suggested by the Dutch-Belgian Exception, I am a solo wargamer who will often "tweak" the written rules in order to allow for a more complete historical reconstruction. The argument for "tweaking" is a fairly strong one I think, given the wounding of Picton on the same afternoon, the death of the Duke of Brunswick (shot from the saddle while leading a counter-attack against Bossu Wood), and the fact that the Marquess of Anglesey - riding with the Duke of Wellington - lost a leg to cannon fire. Hamilton-Williams, 209, and FIELDS OF GLORY Game Reference Manual, 7 1. The record of the exchange reads: The Marquess: "By God Sir, I've lost my leg!" Wellington: "By God, Sir, so you have!" But the question was: How to put in place a system for determining general/command casualties from artillery or musket fire without detracting from or slowing down the established rules? In "Has He Luck?", MWAN 105, Gerard W. Quinn correctly points out that in the attempt to create realism on the table top, we often "shoot ourselves in the foot" with the resulting rules addenda that really only serve to slow down the game. As this SHAKO solo wargame is an attempt at the recreation of The Battle of Quatre, I do not see a way around a rules addendum that might provide for The Duke of Brunswick getting shot off his horse. This is not to suggest, with all respect to Featherstone, that The Duke must perish in the contest for Bossu Wood. Please see his well written Battle Notes-for Wargamers, in which historical battles are reconstructed on the wargaming table. I found the answer in my FIRE AND FURY rule book. Command Casualties: Unattached and attached command elements (brigade, division, corps or army level) may become casualties due to artillery and / or musket fire. Unattached command elements are only subject to the following table when they are within the ball shot or canister pattern of an artillery battery, or within the six (6) inch flank lines of a battalion volley. Unattached command elements may be singled-out by skirmishers. The command element has to be the closest enemy / target unit however. On a roll of 6 (unmodified) on a 1d6, the command element has been hit. Another roll is made with 2d6, and the table below is consulted. Commander Casualty Table (Table adapted from page 41, FIRE AND FURY) Die Roll Result 1-2 Killed 3-5 Seriously wounded 6-8 Lightly wounded 9-10 Horse shot from under him 11-12 Staff Officer struck A commander who is killed or seriously wounded is removed from play. The unit(s) in his command become Staggered. This is a morale result. If a Division Commander is felled, all units in the Division are considered to adopt Defend Orders. If a Corps Commander falls, all Divisions in the Corps adopt Defend Orders. If an Army Commander is rendered hors de combat, all units within 18" adopt Defend Orders. On the next turn, units 18" outside of that radius will adopt Defend Orders. And so forth. This, to reflect the "ripple effect" as news of an Army Commander's demise is spread through the ranks. Additionally, a morale result of Staggered will follow the spread of the Defend orders. A Brigade Commander may take the place of a felled Division Commander. The commander has to be from the same Division. This promoted Brigade Commander may continue to command his own unit(s). A Division Commander may take the place of either a Brigade Commander or a Corps Commander. He may retain command of the Division while leading a Brigade, but not while leading a Corps. His original command must be transferred. A Corps Commander may take the place of either a Division Commander or an Army Commander. If either new command is assumed, then the original command has to he transferred to an available alternate commander. The reader may develop the opinion that I'm needlessly complicating a perfectly good set of Napoleonic Rules with this tinkering. I will admit that the saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" crossed my mind more than once as I went through the rule book, sources, rule book again and page after page of notes. At the risk of cementing that opinion in the mind of the reader (or even turning it into constructive argument), I offer these additional amendments. Initial Volley: Infantry battalions, regardless of class of troop, or formation (excepting column) will add a + 1 modifier to the die roll when they fire their first volley. This modifier is intended to reflect the time and care taken in loading that first musket ball. See Chapter 12, "Small Arms Fire", in Brent Nosworthy's text, With Musket, Cannon and Sword: Battle Tactics of Napoleon and His Enemics. Orders - Changing them and otherwise: As per the SHAKO rules, each division should have an initial order based upon the overall battle plan. As the plan develops (or falls apart in the face of unexpected enemy action), the orders will have to be changed. Instead of just two Aides available to a Corps Commander or Army General, the supply should be considered unlimited. And it's a good thing too, for one cannot always be certain that a dispatched courier / Aide will arrive at his directed destination. With each courier sent with orders to a Division Commander, roll a 1d6 to determine if the orders / message arrived. On a roll of 1 - 3, consult the following table. On a roll of 4 - 6, the courier arrives without any problems. Die Roll Result 1 Aide / courier killed en route. 2 Horse pulls up lame after one move. Courier must walk the rest of the way. 3 Courier is confused and gallops one full move in opposite direction before realizing error. 4 Courier's horse is exhausted after first 12 inches of move, May move nine (9) inches only on subsequent moves. 5 Courier is thrown from horse upon arrival. He is knocked and the Division Commander must wait one full turn before he can get his orders. 6 Aide overshoots destination by one full move. Turns around on next turn and then finds his way. If this extra move takes the courier off the gaming area, he is considered lost. Division commanders may send messages back and forth between themselves and to their higher command. The same rules for mis-directed messengers apply. Commanders may only engage in direct conversation when their stands are within 1" of another. In a solo wargame, this would be impossible. Nevertheless, inch a rule helps to prohibit the overall commander from having an "eye in the sky" ability with respect to joinng and reacting. Movement of Generals: The overall commander of each side may move either during the Movement Phase or during the Command Phase of the same move, but not during both. Their susceptibility to death, wounds, or capture by fire and melee has already been covered. Note: In this specific scenario, Wellington is the Anglo-Allied Commander. Though he does not arrive until an hour after fighting has commenced, he is still considered the overall commander. The Prince of Orange and the Duke of Brunswick are under Wellington's control. On page 75 of the FIELDS OF GLORY Reference Manual, it is reported that the Prince of Orange was upset that an officer from another command ordered one of his units into square. He ordered them to reform, and in the midst of the formation change, the battalion was attacked by French Cavalry. For the French, Marshal Ney has overall command. He is supported in his efforts by the commander of II Corps Lt. Gen. Reille, and Lt. Gen. Kellermann, commander of the III Cavalry Corps. Orders then, for a single division may be from either Ney, Reille, or for the cavalry, Kellermann. Ney's orders should take precedence, but as explored above, his orders / messages may not always arrive. Division Morale: Here, the process is as per that detailed in SHAKO (page 24) but with morale checks being completed at 20%, 40% and 60% loss levels. Further, the loss levels are reached when that percent of division morale ratings has been Killed, not Broken. For example, the Brunswicker Division / Contingent (not counting the artillery) would have a total MR of 33. The first morale check for this Division would be conducted when it had lost a total of 33 x .20 = 6.6 or 7 kills to combat. The second morale check, when 13 kills had been scored against the Division. In the historical engagement, The Duke of Brunswick was killed in action. Most assuredly, this had an impact on his troops. Hamilton-Williams cites a calm Duke smoking his pipe and encouraging his men. In the attempt to sweep away the harassing French skirmishers, he was shot from his horse. The resulting effect on those troops nearest, was not at all good. (208-209) If, during the course of the refight, he is also killed in combat, then what kind of morale issue will that create in his men? Will there be any collateral impact on the other Anglo-Allied units? It was tempting to turn to the FIRE AND FURY rules again, and adapt the leadership ratings. SHAKO does provide for a ranking of General Officers, but for purposes of this refight, I decided not to rank them by quality / ability. In terms of morale impact, the loss of a Divisional Commander will count as two (2) kills. The loss of a Corps Commander: four (4) kills. And the loss of an overall commander: six (6) kills. Brigade Command: As the main reliance for the orders of battle was the database from FIELDS OF GLORY, it seemed a waste to not use all of the information provided. In addition to everything else about the regiment / brigade, the database also lists the unit commander. Hence, the 2nd Brigade of Guards in the British lst Division, is commanded by Major General Byng. The regiments in his brigade are commanded by Majors Woodford and Hepburn, respectively. With the noted exception of the Dutch-Belgian amendment, the Brigade Commanders, serve no greater purpose than to follow (or lead) their Brigades into battle. In the wargame refight, perhaps they will have to assume the role of a Division Commander. Perhaps unfairly, I have allowed these officers to run the risk of becoming a casualty without being able to provide advantages (penalties?) to the battalions and regiments under their direct control. This particular section was drafted on June 22, 2000. The refight is still some weeks in the future. If I have made any more concrete decisions regarding the role of the Brigade Commander by that time, I will endeavor to include it in the narrative of the wargame. FINAL THOUGHTS ... If I may paraphrase the quote used to preface Mr. Gerard W. Quinn's interesting piece, "Has He Luck?", in MWAN 105: "Typing and submitting this article to MWAN was the result, altogether, of accidents. Mr. Quinn's quote is taken from Napoleon, who stated: "War is composed altogether of accidents. . . A good friend of mine - and fellow wargamer, besides - surprised me by giving me a gift subscription to MWAN. My interest in the hobby rekindled, I dusted off and revised an ACW wargame report and sent it in for review by Hal. I was even more surprised to find that the article had been accepted and that Hal was interested in having me prepare a regular column or feature for the pages of MWAN. Flattering as this was, I flashed back to Freshman English in College. When an essay was assigned, I would argue for more direction with respect to length, topic, etc. Then, when that direction was provided, I would rail against the constraints of the assignment. I communicated as much to Hal, and then without waiting for his reply, decided to just give it a try. An accident? It just so happened that all this occurred while I was considering a wargame refight of The Battle of Quatre Bras using SHAKO. Yet another accident? For better or worse, this piece constitutes the first effort of a year-long project. Sources THE FACE OF BATTLE: A STUDY OF AGINCOURT, WATERLOO & THE SOMME, John Keegan, Random House, Inc. New York, 1977 (Only the referenced pages of the Index listing Quatre Bras) WATERLOO, NEW PERSPECTIVES: THE GREAT BATTLE REAPPRAISED, David Hamilton-Williams, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. New York, pp. 180-235. "THE BATTLE OF QUATRE BRAS, The Prelude to Waterloo", by Michael Rayner, in MINIATURE WARGAMES, No. 57, February 1988, pp 28-31. FIELDS OF GLORY, The Battlefield Action and Leadership Game, from Spectrum HoloByte - narrative of The Battle of Quatre Bras, pp 71-77 and Database from disk. SHAKO: Rules and Army Lists for Napoleonic Wargaming, by Arty Conliffe, Quantum Printing, New York, copyright 1995. Quatre Bras Considered Introduction Jumbo Quatre Bras Map (Slow: 100K) Back to MWAN #107 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2000 Hal Thinglum 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