Pontvieux: a scenario for the Grand Alliance period

Steve and I managed to fit in this game just before the Britcon show and with one thing and another, it has taken two weeks to find the time to post a battle report.  I must first say that the scenario is 'lifted' from the "Scenarios for all ages" book by Stuart Asquith and C S Grant and that I 'tweaked' it in some ways (not always for the better!).

The old adversaries the Comte de Salle Forde and Graf von Grommit featured once again in this scenario.  Late in the campaigning season, Von Grommit has made a move to besiege a small, but strategically important fortress.  Caught off guard, the Comte has hastily gathered a force together and taken up a position at Pontvieux, covering a ford of the river Bonne.  Von Gronmmit has reached the Bonne and recognised that a frontal attack would be very costly.  Therfore he has sent Graf Von Wentzel upstream to cross the Bonne and then move against Salle Forde's flank; at which point a frontal attack would be launched.   Fortunately for the Comte, Wentzel's move had been spotted and he had ordered the Marquis d' Haute Brie to take a mixed force, (2 battalions, 2 squadrons and a light gun) to hold off the flank attack.  The Marquis thus took up a position behind some boggy ground which Wentzel would have to cross.

View from behind Von Wentzel's force

Seeing the enemy lines around Pontvieux thinned by the Marquis' move to oppose Wentzel's attack, Von Grommit ordered Major General Boome to advance his infantry brigade over the Bonne and  seize Pontvieux village.  A cavalry brigade commanded by Hofburg-Riesling was to cover Boome's flank against any advance by the French cavalry commanded by Chevalier Auguste Dupleix.  Supported by fire from the Allied artillery Boome's infantry advanced to the Bonne and began to cross.  Leading the way were the Prince Max Grenadiers, who lost formation as they struggled across the river and were swept by French musketry as they reformed on the far bank.

Boome's brigade prepares to advance.

To the grenadiers' left regiment Blitzen-Kron had also crossed the Bonne.  They suffered casualties from the French artillery and a volley from regiment d'Humieres and before they could recover Dupleix unleashed his cavalry on them.  led by the Spanish Horse the French cavalry swept down on the allied infantry and drove them back over the river with heavy losses.  Before the supporting allied battalions could fire in support of their colleagues, the French cavalry rallied back to their own lines, ready to charge again.

Dupleix orders the French cavalry forward

Wentzel had made some progress but the boggy ground was proving tricky to cross.  Regiment Metternich had found itself ahead of Furstenburg and thus received the undivided attention of the French infantry and artillery.  Reeling under the losses it had to fall back to reform.  Wentzel ordered forward Herberstein  to support Furstenburg and together with the light artillery they struggled forward through the boggy ground.  The allied cavalry had so far played no part as there was no room for them to deploy, the French cavalry was merely waiting for the disordered allied infantry to emerge from the poor ground before charging them.

Blzen-Kron driven back in disorder

By Pontvieux, Boome was struggling to get his second line of troops over the river.  The grenadiers were hanging on, but they could not advance without support.  Eventually there was enough room for Hofburg-Riesling to thread the troopers of his leading regiment through the milling throng and cross the river with the intention of opposing Dupleix's troopers.  The Austrian cuirassiers had just formed up when Dupleix launched his second charge.  Surprised, the Austrians didn't counter-charge and were unable to resist the French cavalry.  Once again allied troops were pushed back over the Bonne and once again the French cavalry fell back to await another opportunity.  Von Grommit was glad to see the reserve brigade of infantry (commanded by the English aristocrat, Lord Brentcliffe) enter the field.  He took the opportunity to remark to General Boome that if his troops were not up for a fight, perhaps he should make way for Brentcliffe's men?  Incensed, Boome drew his sword and personally led his second line over the river.  He was just in time, as the grenadiers were wilting under the fire from the French battalions and the dragoons holding Pontvieux.  Boome galloped forward to steady the grenadiers, but was felled by shot from the dragoons.  Seriously wounded, he was carried from the field and seeing him fall broke the grenadiers who ran back towards the river.  The one crumb of comfort for Von Grommit was that the allied artillery managed to drive the French dragoons from the Pontvieux village with their accurate fire.  All now seemed to depend on Lord Brentcliffe and Graf von Wentzel.

The Austrian infantry advance

For his part von Wentzel was desperately trying to force back the French infantry to give his men the space to form up after crossing the boggy ground.  He had had some success, but maintaining the firing line whilst crossing the boggy ground was proving difficult.  Also, his artillery had to keep moving or it would simply sink into the quagmire.  Eventually, the Austrian infantry crossed the boggy ground and formed up with Herberstein, with the artillery on the right and Furstenburg on the left.  Behind Herberstein one of Wentzel's cavalry units was picking its way forward.  Controlled volleys from the Austrians forced the French infantry to fall back, perhaps the door was beginning to open?  d'Haute Brie turned to his cavalry and ordered them to charge.  Led by regiment Aubusson the French troopers moved forward.  Although swept by close range artillery fire and a scattered volley from the infantry, the Frenchmen would not be denied.  On they charged and crashed into the grey-clad lines.  Regiment Herberstein resisted at first, but eventually was broken by the French charge.  The scattered remnants struggled back through the boggy ground and from the field.  Before the allied cavalry could intervene, the second French regiment, Vaillac overran the artillery.  When charged by the allied cavalry, which had at last reached solid ground, Vaillac responded with elan and drove these assailants back in the same manner as they had the infantry.  Von Wentzel's attack was over, he had only one serviceable battalion and one regiment of cavalry, (the commander of which pointed out the futility of any further attacks without any artillery support).

The furthest advance of the Allied forces

Back at Pontvieux, Lord Brentcliffe's battalions had entered the fray.  The leading battalion had occupied the village and was now firing at regiments Royal Italien and Toulouse.  Two more had moved to the left of the village and were adding their fire to the pressure on the French line.  On the far left, the remains of Boome's brigade had also recrossed the river and with Hofburg-Riesling also moving forward again Von Grommit had hopes that he may yet prevail.  However, those hopes were dashed as scouts reported that d'Haute Brie's command was returning to the Pontvieux  battlefield.  The prospect of facing a more numerous foe with his back to a river was not one which Von Grommit wished to undertake and so he ordered a retreat whilst there was still time.

An mixed game, with perhaps too much in the favour of the French.  I had 'beefed up' the difficulties facing von Wentzel and gone too far, making his task almost impossible.  The river crossing carried the risk of disorder which occurred roughly 50% of the time, not too bad in the circumstances.  Once again I was too ambitious with the table, trying to cram too much in.  In retrospect it may have been better to concentrate on the river crossing, giving more space to manoeuvre, and have the outcome of the flank attack randomised.  That being said we both enjoyed the game, there being just enough 'bright spots' to encourage me (as Von Grommit) to continue with the attack.  Of course all I needed were a few more allied units and the attack may have prevailed.  As many readers will have recognised this is a 'disguised'? Boyne scenario.