Battle of Torrente – Move 11

1800-1900 10 August 1813

Table at the start of move 11

Top left – 4^th Spanish corps advance in square towards Italian cavalry

Right – Italian corps have suffered casualties to garrison and right hand brigade

Bottom – 3^rd Spanish corps are winning skirmish for farm

  16^th Italian corps

General Severoli (Poor)

9 Command Points

Orders – Hold Farm

Artillery retreat 8”

7^th brigade advance 2” and volley fire on 9^th and 10^th Spanish (total 8 - 7^th brigade win)

7^th brigade lose one casualty and are disordered

9^th Spanish lose one casualty, retire 4” and are shaken

10^th Spanish lose one casualty, retire 4” and are shaken

8^th brigade (in farm) skirmish 10^th Spanish (total 2 – no casualty)

 3^rd Spanish corps

General Rosche (Average)

9 Command Points

Orders– Engage Enemy

Change corps orders to “Hold”

Artillery are out of command range and unable to fire

General move to command range (8” of artillery)

Artillery limber and move 4” towards main corps

General return to centre of corps

10^th brigade skirmish with farm (total 2 – no casualty)

9^th brigade test morale for shaken (total 3 – rally to disordered)

11^th brigade test morale for shaken (total 1 – fail remain shaken

4^th Spanish corps

General O’Donnell (Poor)

8 Command Points

Orders – Engage Enemy

Artillery fire on enemy cavalry (total 12 – one casualty)

Italian cavalry test morale for casualty (total 4 – pass test)

13^th brigade turn left and advance 3”

14^th and 15^th brigade advance 2” in square

Artillery manhandle 2” towards enemy

Commander moves to command range of 16^th brigade

16^th brigade advance 4” on hill

Commander returns to centre of corps 

Game Notes

Rather than leave the advantage to the Spanish Severoli orders his battered 7^th brigade to advance to volley range (2”) and fire on the two Spanish brigades skirmishing with him.   He wins the volley exchange and the two enemy brigades retire 4” with two casualties and are shaken.   7^th brigade suffers a third casualty and are disordered.   The gamble has paid off.

Severoli is fortunate that there is only one more move to nightfall.   His cavalry have suffered casualties, as have the garrison of the farm.   His 7^th brigade has three casualties and are likely to rout if they have to test their morale.   If one of his brigades fail morale and rout it is very likely that his whole corps will fall apart.

He is retreating his artillery in preparation for a general retreat at nightfall.

Rule 12 covers infantry volley combat

Wargame rules can be found at

http://napoleonicwargamerules.blogspot.com/