Bassignana, Again

Having led the Piedmontese and Austrian armies to ignominious defeat last week to Matt (see There Was Such Great Promise) including the loss of King Emanuele III, I took to the field again.  This time, my Piedmontese/Austrian army would face Peter (see A Remote Wargame - Battle of Bassignana) on the fields of Bassignana.

Would I meet the same fate?

As a reminder, army dispositions and battlefield are illustrated in the photo below: 

Initial dispositions

Could I correct for the mistakes made in the previous battle?  Could I change my approach to the defense of Bassignana faced with seemingly overwhelming odds?

In all previous battles, the Piedmontese positions as Chiesa de San Germano and Montecastelle stood firm.  No French attacks could dislodge the defenders.  With little progess by the French against these fortified positions, I figured them to be relatively secure. So secure, in fact, that the defenders tore great swaths out of the French as they attacked up hill.  Unfortunately, there was no reserve at hand with which to capitalize on this success.  

The dragoons, under Liguane, maneuvered in my game with Matt to always be nowhere rather than somewhere.  They were marched along the road to the north in support of Bassignana.  Liguane never reached Bassignana before the battle was decided.  This time, Liguane would maintain his position on the right flank to take advantage of any opportunities that might arise.  

De la Chiesa's position at Rivarone looked too exposed to me.  As a salient, he may have slowed the attacks but his position and his brigade were eventually overrun.  I needed to try a different approach here.

Let's see if any of this worked against my Australian opponent.

Defenders of Montecastelle.

The defenders face tough odds. 

D'Aix' elites hold the Piedmontese right. 

The defenders of Rivarone at the ready.
Note: Red discs denote On Reserve.

de Gage's Spanish

Maillebois' French

de Gage's Spanish begin the crossing

as Arambou intends to cross the Tanaro
at the bend heading toward Rivarone.
De la Chiesa's brigade abandons Rivarone
 taking up position on the heights.  

Following a very successful bombardment of Montecastelle
 by de Montal's heavy battery, Senneterre attacks!
The Piedmontese defenders disperse.

Montecastelle falls!

To Senneterre's left, de Grammont splashes
 across the Tanaro.
He is met by Liguane's dragoons.

The Spanish cross the Tanaro River
and meet light resistance.

With Montecastelle in French hands and Rivarone empty,
 de Montal advances upon Rivarone.

Seeing Rivarone occupied by the French,
Arambou attacks the enemy on the heights. 

De Montal pushes through Rivarone and
 attacks the militia above the village

while Arambou pushes the enemy infantry
 back in a powerful attack. 

Having driven off D'Aix's guns to the east of Montecastelle,
 Senneterre turns attention against the Piedmontese Guard.

In support, de Grammont's infantry form up
and pour volleys in the church at San Germano.
Note: de Grammont has driven off Liguane's Dragoons.

While the firefight continues at Montecastelle,
Senneterre's cavalry overrun the guns
before they could deploy. 

De Gage with support from Arambou,
 begins his attack on Bassignana. 
Both sides suffer heavy casualties.

Arambou clears the heigths of enemy.
De la Chiesa' Brigade breaks.
King Emanuele III just manages to escape.

With the heights in enemy hands and his army split,
 King Emanuele III plots his escape.

Battle lines at end.

Faced with setbacks all across the battlefield, King Emanuele III sees the handwriting on the wall.  He orders the remants of his army to disengage and retire across the Po.  Hopefully, to safety!

When play stopped, the Franco-Spanish had not yet broken the Piedmontese army or taken all of the objectives to score a Major Victory.  Nevertheless, with all of the independent Piedmontese units destroyed, de la Chiesa's Brigade broken, and D'Aix's Brigade teetering on the edge, the result is without doubt.  Austrian cavalry were only now beginning to appear on the banks of the Po.  Their arrival would be too late.

Major Victory scored by Peter and his Franco-Spanish army.  Congratulations and well done!  The historical outcome is reaffirmed again in another fun and challenging contest. 

Game time:  About three hours.

Time to sit down and ponder a retrospective on my crushing defeat.  Sigh.