VI Corps under Lobau / Compt Georges Mouton de Lobau - with x2 AdC / Couriers Lobau rated as: (Excellent/Cautious/Average) 19th Infantry Division under Baron Francois-Martin-Vallentin Simmer - with x1 AdC / Courier Simmer rated as: (Average/Impetuous/Average) 1st Brigade - 2,147 Troops (under GDB Baron de Bellair)  5th Regiment of the Line - Col. Rousille (2 battalions) M R 4/1 11th Regiment of the Line - Col. Aubree (2 battalions) M R 4/1 2nd Brigade - 1,760 Troops (under GDB Chevalier Thevenet) 27th Regiment of the Line - Col. Gaudin (2 battalions) M R 4/1 84th Regiment of the Line - Col. Chevalier (2 battalions) M R 4/1 Artillery - 1 st Company of 8th Foot Battery (6x6lb, 2xHow) M R 3/0 Captain Parisot Notes: In his order of battle, Mr. Rayner suggests that there are five (5) battalions in the 1st Brigade. Dividing the total number of men by 5 and then 4, results in a strength difference of about 100 men per unit. Arguments can be made both ways for the number of battalions, the "sticky" part is justifying the Regulars class MR for the smaller units. Perhaps the answer is to create a separate class of troops, called Veterans - for lack of a better title - and place them between Regulars and Elites. Perhaps these troops could be given an MR of 5 / 1? For this particular historical reconstruction, the notion is perhaps better addressed in a subsequent section on rule amendments to SHAKO. 20th Infantry Division under Baron Jean Baptiste Jeanin - with x1 AdC / Courier Jeanin rated as: (Average/Average/Average) 1st Brigade - 2,317 Troops (under GDBChevalier Bony) 5th Light Infantry Regiment - Col. Cornier (2 battalions) M R 4/1 10th Regiment of the Line - Col. Roussel (2 battalions) M R 4/1 2nd Brigade - 735 Troops (under GDB Count Tramelin) 107th Regiment of the Line - Col. Drout (2 battalions) M R 4/1 Artillery - 2nd Company of 8th Foot Battery (6x61b, 2xHow) M R 3/0 Notes: The database from Fields of Glory did not list any commanding officer for the 2nd Company of the 8th Foot Battery. With respect to dividing the 735 troops of the 107th Line into 2 battalions and giving them an MR for Regulars, again, arguments can be made both for and against. All sources consulted refer to Lobau's infantry as veteran troops. However, is it "fair" to assign an MR of 4 / 1 to a battalion half the size of its Prussian counterpart? Is it realistic to have one "normal" sized French line battalion when it can hardly be expected that any battalion was at full strength for the battle? 21st Infantry Division under Teste Notes: There was no reference to this command in either the Hofschroer article or the scenario parameters set forth by Rayner. There is notation in the Fields of Glory database, that the commander of the 1st Brigade was wounded at Ligny and then killed in action at Wavre. Where the 1st Brigade is then, so will one find the rest of the Division. In a separate treatment of the battle at Wavre (Miniature Wargames, July 1988), Mr. Rayner's research shows that the 21st Division was with Grouchy's wing on June 18th. VI Corps Artillery Reserve - Baron Henri-Marie Noury - GDD Noury rated as: (Good/Cautious/Poor) Artillery - 4th Company of 8th Foot Battery (6x121b, 2xHow) MR 4/0 Notes: Again, there is no Battery Officer named in the database. I arbitrarily increased the MR of this company to a factor of 4, due to the fact that the battery is composed of 121b pieces. The Hofschroer narrative reports Lobau having 38 cannon at his command. The Osprey Campaign text lists four (4) foot batteries and one (1) horse battery. Rayner lists three (3) foot batteries. With two divisions on the field and the battery of the reserve under General of Division Noury, Lobau would have three (3) batteries for a total of 24 cannon. This is well short of the figure assigned by Hofschroer. As can be seen, the artillery support for the cavalry supporting the VI Corps consists of a lone six-piece horse battery. I Corps Cavalry - 1,487 Troopers 5th Division - Baron Jacques-Cervais Subervie - GDD - with x1 AdC / Courier Subervie rated as: (Mediocre/Cautious/Poor) 1st Brigade (Lancers) - 835 Troopers GDB Count Louis-Pierre-Alphonse de Colbert 1st Light Lancers - Col. Jacquinot M R 4/1 2nd Light Lancers - Col. Sourd M R 4/1 2nd Brigade - 485 Troopers GDB Chevalier Antoine Francois Eugene Merlin 11th Chasseurs - Col. Baron Nicolas MR 4/1 Artillery of 5th Cavalry Divison (Horse) 3rd Company of 1st Horse Artillery Regiment Captain Duchemin (4x61b, 2xHow) M R 3/0  Notes: The Osprey Campaign text does list two (2) horse batteries under the 5th Division of Cavalry. The same reference indicates a gentleman by the name of Douai, as commander of the 11th Chasscurs. 4th Division Cavalry 2nd Brigade - 428 Troopers GDB Baron Ameil 5th Hussars - Col. Baron Liegard M R 4/1 Notes: The 5th Hussars are listed in the Rayner article, but under Subervie, who was in charge of the 5th Division. Soult was the commander of the 4th Cavalry Division, but I could find no reference to his direct involvement in the contest for Plancenoit. Hence, I have not assigned any commanding officer for the 4th Division. In contrast to the disagreement between sources for the command structure of the 5th Division, both the Osprey Campaign booklet and the database show Baron Ameil leading the 5th Hussars. The Young Guard - 4,781 Troops Comte Philbert Guillaume Duhesme - with x1 AdC / Courier Duhesme rated as: (Excellent/Impetuous/Inspirational) 1st Brigade - 2,328 Troops GDB Chevalier Chartrand 1st Tirailleurs - Col. Trappier de Malcolm (2 battalions) M R 5/2 1st Voltigeurs - Col. Seretran (2 battalions) M R 5/2 Artillery of 1st Brigade - Aux Line Foot Battery (6x61b, 2xHow) M R 3/0 2nd Brigade - 1,955 Troops GDB Baron Guye 3rd Tiralleurs - Col. Paihles (2 battalions) M R 5/2 3rd Voltigeurs - Col. Hurel (2 battalions) M R 5/2 Artillery of 2nd Brigade - Aux Line Foot Battery (6x61b, 2xHow) M R 3/0 Notes: The database did not list commanders for either supporting battery. The sources referenced agreed as to number of Young Guard Battalions present, if they did not agree on the exact number comprising those battalions. Rayner's order of battle places three (3) Guard foot batteries with the Young Guard. Old Guard (elements of) Under Friant 1st Brigade of the Divison of Grenadiers (Imperial Guard) - 2,371 Troops total 2nd Grenadiers / GDB Baron Christiani (1,150 Troops ?) MR 6/2 (1 battalion) Under Morand 1st Brigade of the Division of Chasseurs (Imperial Guard) - 2,470 Troops total 2nd Chasseurs / GDB Baron Pelet-Clozeu (1200 Troops ?) MR 6/2 (1 battalion) Notes: In the Rayner order of battle and narrative, the two battalions of the Old Guard are identified as 1 st/2nd Grenadiers and 1st/2nd Chasseurs. The Hofschroer narrative cites a Prussian regimental history: "Napoleon sent two regiments [actually only two battalions] of Old[Middle] Guard under General Morand from his reserves to Plancenoit." (31) The Fields of Glory database lists command elements and roster strengths, as previously noted. This can prove problematic as indicated by the question marks above. If the 1st Brigade of the Division of Chasseurs has 2,470 men, and there are two battalions in the Brigade, is it not logical to conclude that one battalion of that Brigade would number in the region of 1200 men? Or, is one to calculate that the 2nd Chasseurs is a regimental designation and that, there are two battalions in the regiment? This would give each battalion of Old Guard an average of 600 men. Under the SHAKO rules fortunately, for all intents and purposes, one battalion is one battalion is one battalion. General Notes on French Order of Battle at Plancenoit: As listed in the Fields of Glory database then, the total numbers present for Plancenoit are as follows: Infantry: (12,842 estimate) 12 Line Battalions 2 Light Battalions 8 Young Guard Battalions 2 Old [Middle] Guard Battalions Cavalry: (1,748 troopers) 4 Regiments Artillery: (46 cannon) 5 Foot Batteries (2 with Guard; 1 Reserve of 12pd) 1 Horse Battery Project: Plancenoit The Research and Development of Another SHAKO Solo Wargame Introduction, Sources, and Discovery Order of Battle: French Order of Battle: Prussians Terrain, Rules Modifications, and Scenario Parameters Wargaming the Prussian Advance of June 18, 1815 [MW126] Back to MWAN # 125 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2003 Hal Thinglum 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