Quistello with the Rejects I

Back nearly three weeks ago (gosh, how time flies!), I hosted Postie's Rejects for a remote game during one of the regular Monday Paint & Chat sessions.  

For the game, we had six players present under arms.  Richard, Steve, and Colin commanded the Franco-Piedmontese (Allied) armies while Dan, Lee, and Ray commanded the Austrian Army.  The Franco-Austrians were headed up by Steve as de Broglie.  The Austrian Army was under the command of Dan as Konigsegg.  Army and troop dispositions are shown in the table photos below: 

Battlefield with Austrian attack plan.

Troop dispositions

As noted in the earlier introduction to the Battle of Quistello, the Allies begin the battle encamped when the Austrian attack strikes.  Allied formations may not respond straight away and some units may be surprised by this sudden disturbance.  Since this battle was fought over two Monday's, I will break the battle report up into two installments as well.

On to Part 1!

All is quiet in the early morning before sentries are alerted to the impending attack.

The battlefield

View from behind the Piedmontese lines.

As Konigsegg and Wurttemberg's columns approach the Secchia River south of Quistello, the French brigade under de Contades is none the wiser of the impending danger.  While the Austrians begin the approach to the Secchia River, a traffic jam quickly develops.  Units are stacking upon one another as the light is dim and the way forward uncertain. Von Waldeck waits astride the road to the north of Quistello until Konigsegg's attack begins.  Between San Benedetto and Mirasole, the Allies have no idea what is about to fall upon their comrades to the south. 

Austrians approach Secchia in the south...

and a traffic jam quickly develops!

Von Waldeck awaits his signal.

The Allies encamped in the north of the Austrian crossings.

Rather than attacking south of Quistello alongside Konigsegg as planned, Prince Wurttemberg veers to the north landing heavy blows on the French held village of Quistello.  Caught completely by surprise, the defenders are quickly overwhelmed and scattered by Austrian grenadiers.  The French artillery is overrun in this chaotic exchange, with the grenadiers suffering only minor losses.  With Quistello in Austrian hands, time to form up and cross the Secchia. 

Austrian grenadiers attack!

Defenders are overwhelmed and driven out.

With his march against Quistello cut short due to Wurttemberg's quick success against this village, von Waldeck turns his attention elsewhere.  Rather than cross the Secchia through Quistello, von Waldeck turns westward to cross the river farther downstream. 

To the south, having his cavalry coming up on the right of his two infantry brigades, Konigsegg sends Suchow across the river and against the defenders in Gaidellina.  Choosing to keep his brigade in column to cross the river more quickly, Suchow storms across the river.  De Broglie, situated in Gaidellina, barely has time to grab his clothes and his sons before the farmhouse is overrun.  Failing to change into line, Suchow attacks in column.  This was never going to be an easy task.  Suchow's Brigade takes heavy losses and is bloodily repulsed.  Reforming into line, Suchow attacks again.  This time, one of his regiments is destroyed and the survivors clamor back over the river to regroup.  This sharp action manages to break Suchow's Brigade but Wallsegg's Brigade is moving up in support.  

von Waldeck turns westward to cross.

Suchow attacks Gaidellina!

First attack is repulsed as is the second.
Suchow breaks!

Wallsegg moves up to take Suchow's place.

As de Contades begins to react to the attacks by moving infantry up to the river, Wallsegg crosses the Secchia above Gaidellina but remains in column.  The Austrians are not learning this lesson quickly enough!  De Contades infantry may be hard pressed to stop the wall of Austrians preparing to make the crossing to their front.  Help is on the way!  De Bonas brings his cavalry forward and then immediately pitches into the head of the enemy columns.  Without a chance to reform, the columns are destroyed as two waves of French horsemen crash into their formations.  Wallsegg's brigade breaks!  The situation is not looking good for the Austrians!

As Austrians cross upriver, the French respond.

The Thin White Line...

De Bonas attacks...

driving Wallsegg back into the river, breaking his brigade.

Back on the west bank of the Secchia opposite Quistello, Wurttemberg moves out of the bridgehead to attack the enemy astride the road to San Benedetto.  With grenadiers leading the way, the French are scattered in the attack.  A second French battery is overrun as the grenadiers advance down the road.  Having broken the obstacle holding up the advance, Austrians begin pouring across the Secchia.  The Allied Center is weakening!

Grenadiers overrun a battery and drive off the enemy.

General Austrian advance in the center.

Annoyed that both of his assaults against Gaidellina were heavily repulsed, Konigsegg calls upon his cavalry to clear the way.  With Sachsen-Gotha's cavalry brigade moving up, the Austrians attack across the river.  These attacks are met by de Bonas' recently victorious cavalry.  After a brief clash, the Austrian cavalry are sent back across the river from where they came!

Sachsen-Gotha's cavalry attack...

and are driven back with heavy casualties.

With Gaidellina reinforced and the Austrians thwarted repeatedly, attention turns northward.  Seeing that the Allied Center is ripe for exploitation, von Waldeck begins to cross in strength and advance toward the canal.  Prince Wurttemberg moves up on his left in support.  As pressure mounts on de Contades and losses increase, his brigade breaks.  Having broken the center, von Waldeck swings north to contest the canal as King Emmanuele's Piedmontese move into action.

Gaidellina reinforced.

Austrians cross the river in force.

The Allied Center is broken!

D'Aix's French cavalry final stirs to life and moves against Lanthieri's dragoons as the Austrians advance upon the Secchia River.  In what looks like a series of potentially successful attacks against the outnumbered Austrian dragoons, all of d'Aix's attacks are repulsed.  There is great joy in the Austrian camp.  Not so much from the Allied camp.

d'Aix attacks...

and is repulsed!

After about three and a half hours of play, we decide to stop the game upon the conclusion of the current turn.  We briefly discuss whether to carry on into another session or call the game where it stands.  The front line is illustrated in the table photo below:  

Front line at end of session.

The Austrians have made good progress and have reached the canal.  However, the Allies still hold Gaidellina and much of Konigsegg's Wing, in the south, is wrecked.  As for casualties, the Butcher's Bill shows,

Allied Losses

Austrian Losses

The Allies have suffered more heavily but the Austrians have two broken brigades to the Allied one broken brigade.  To claim a Sudden Death victory, each army must break two more brigades.

After several emails, the decision is made to fight on.  Unfortunately, in the next installment, Colin faces the Austrian trio alone as his comrades are otherwise engaged.  We will see if Colin is up to singular command against the masses in the conclusion.

Hopefully, the conclusion to this action will not take me so long to write as this one!  Thanks again to the Rejects for a very action-packed game!