Battle of Arcis, 1814

[valleyboy]

the 1814 campaign offers great opportunities to get out that French Guard

[ochoin]

I think this battle is practical & interesting.

It will fight like a mini-Leipzig. Outnumbered French, backs to a river, need to retreat. I will have to think through several conditions eg if the Austrians & Russians attack in a co-ordinated manner, there'll just be a French stain left on the table.
Also, I would not want it to be just a staged retreat for the French - probably get them to hold for X turns before withdrawing.

Schwarzenberg was evidently worried Nap. would get round his flank & cut his supply lines. Seems a bit daft to me & Nap. does not seem to have contemplated such a suicidal move. At any rate, more reading & thought before I pen a scenario.

donald

[MarshalNey]

Enjoy!

I played a couple of the battles with my son some years ago using Grande Armee ruleset. Napoleon on top form in this campaign.

[FreddBloggs]

If I remember rightly the only thing that stopped Napoleon turning battlefield victories into decesive ones were the lack of good cavalry.

[ochoin]

Enjoy!

I played a couple of the battles with my son some years ago using Grande Armee ruleset. Napoleon on top form in this campaign.

From what I've read so far, the French cav. (a lot of it was Guard) did really well at this battle and continually drove off the Austrians & Russian mounted but couldn't do more because of numbers.
Roughly, Nap was outnumbered 3:1. The problem will be to create a game that's worth playing and not a walkover.

If I increase French numbers much, it stops being Arcis. It helps that the French will be defending but I might improve their chances by tweaking the command rules (we use General d'Armee). Thus, if I give Nap. 2-3 more ADCs, the French will have better odds at controlling their forces. I could also allow the French players to freely discuss & plan the battle whilst only allow the Allies to communicate through written orders via ADCs or verbally if their command figures are in base to base contact.

This does seem to mimic history.

I may have to do a solo simulation before I present this to my pals.

donald

[FreddBloggs]

It was the lack of it, not the quality that was the issue.

One of the things to remember was that the Austrians and Russians did not really like each other, or trust each other, so were not a unified command, that piece of friction can greatly help Napoleon.

[RMD]

I've got a half-written scenario here somewhere. I'll dig it out.

[RMD]

Here's what I've got. It's been pieced together from various sources, often looking back or forward in time to find the basic organisation of a formation (which is of course fraught with danger, but I've detailed a lot of the inconsistencies and baffling bits at the bottom):

The French Army
The Emperor Napoleon

Command of Maréchal Michel Ney (8,000 Guard, 5,500 infantry)

1st Old Guard Division – Général de Division Louis Friant (3,800 at Craonne)
Cambronne’s Brigade (Chasseurs à Pied)
Petit’s Brigade (Grenadiers à Pied)

Provisional Young Guard Division – Général de Brigade Cristophe Henrion
8th Voltigeur Regiment
9th Voltigeur Regiment
Regiment de Marche

Provisional Young Guard Division – Général de Division Jan Willem Janssens
This formation was made up of Young Guard troops gathered up from the Mézières Region. The division joined Ney on 16th March and Janssen was wounded at Arcis, with his division being broken up soon after. Being so short-lived, there is zero information on organisation. Rousseau is listed as one of the Generals de Brigade.

9th Division – Général de Division Pierre François Xavier Boyer (Lefol?)
Gruyère’s Brigade (2e Légère and 24e, 36e & 122e de Ligne)
? Brigade (Vistula Legion and 12e & 34e de Ligne)
22/5th Foot Artillery (6pdr)
10/8th Foot Artillery (6pdr)

Command of Général de Division Horace Sébastiani (7,300 men)

1st Guard Cavalry Division – Général de Division Pierre David de Colbert-Chavenet
Pacz’s Duchy of Warsaw Brigade (600 men)
2e Chevauléger-Lanciers, Chasseurs à Cheval & Grenadiers à Cheval

2nd Guard Cavalry Division – Général de Division Remi Joseph Isidore Exelmans
1er Chevauléger-Lanciers
2e Éclaireurs
3e Éclaireurs
Dragoons (Line?)

3rd Guard Cavalry Division – Général de Division Louis-Michel Letort de Lorville
Lion’s Brigade (Chasseurs à Cheval & Empress’ Dragoons)
Letort’s Brigade (Grenadiers à Cheval & 1er Éclaireurs)

Gardes d’Honneur Division – Général de Division Jean-Marie Defrance
Piquet’s Brigade (1er Gardes d’Honneur & 10e Hussars)
De Ségur’s Brigade (2e, 3e & 4e Gardes d’Honneur)

Provisional Guard Cavalry Division – Général de Division Charles Lefebvre-Desnouëttes
Reinforcement squadrons

Cavalry Division of Général de Division Sigismond Frédéric de Berckheim
Curely’s Brigade (3x provisional regiments of Chasseurs & Lancers – 1,077)
Mourier’s Brigade (2x provisional regiments of Carabiniers, Cuirassiers & Dragoons – 730)

Command of Maréchal Nicolas Oudinot (2,500 in II Cavalry Corps, 6,500 in VII Corps)

II Cavalry Corps – Général de Division Antoine Louis Decrest de Saint-Germain

2nd Cuirassier Division – Général de Division Delort
Blancard’s Brigade (1er & 2e Carabiniers & 1er Cuirassiers)
Sopranzy’s Brigade (5e, 8e, 10e & 13e Cuirassiers)
-/6th Horse Artillery (6pdr half-battery)

2nd Light Cavalry Division – Général de Division Antoine Maurin
Dommanget’s Brigade (5e & 9e Hussars, 11e & 12e Chasseurs and 2e & 4e Chevauxlégers)
Jamin’s Brigade (6e & 7e Chevauxlégers and 20e, 23e & 24e Chasseurs)
-/5th Horse Artillery (6pdr)

Elements, VII Corps

7th Division – Général de Division Jean François Leval
Pinoteau’s Brigade (10e Légère and 3e, 15e & 130e de Ligne (6 bns) – 1,944)
Montfort’s Brigade (17e Légère and 101e, 105e & 118e de Ligne (5 bns) – 1,923)
Chassé’s Brigade (16e Légère and 8e, 28e & 54e de Ligne (6 bns) – 2,138)
19/1st Foot Artillery (6pdr)

Notes

1. The organisation of II Cavalry Corps is from 2nd March.

2. The 7th Infantry Division under Oudinot’s command came from VII Corps.

3. A list of casualties for Lefol’s Division at Arcis-sur-Aube shows the 2e Legere, 12e, 24e, 34e, 36e & 122e de Ligne, 4e Bataillon de Marche and Vistula Legion. However, Lefol isn’t shown in the orbat above. This seems to be 9th Division, as the 2e Legere and 24e, 36e and 122e de Ligne were with Gruyère’s Brigade of 9th Division at Craonne on 7th March. The composition of 9th Division is therefore conjectural, based on this information.

4. Berckheim’s strengths are taken from 15th March.

5. The Guard Cavalry organisation is massively confusing. The Guard cavalry was totally reorganised ostensibly at the end of February 1814 to the organisation shown here, though this doesn’t seem to have happened in time for Craonne on 7th March. Some orbats show Lefebvre-Desnouèttes as commanding the 2nd Guard Cavalry Division, but this seems to be incorrect. He did command that division earlier in the campaign, but the reorganisation transferred the division to Exelmans. Lefebvre-Desnouèttes arrived on 16th March with a large reinforcement contingent for the Guard and is mentioned as intervening during the Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube at a key moment with the massed reinforcement squadrons.

6. The organisation for 7th Division is from 5th March. However, the strength for 5th March only adds up to 5,259, so around 1,250 short of the 20th March total. There might therefore be a missing brigade, or perhaps Leval’s regiments added more battalions in the intervening weeks?

7. The only organisational information I can find for Henrion’s Provisional Guard Division is from 15th April, where it shows the 8th & 9th Voltigeurs, plus a Regiment de Marche.Henrion is also listed as commander of the 3rd Brigade of the 2nd Young Guard Division, again with the 8th & 9th Voltigeurs.

8. Note that a lot of artillery seems to be missing from the orbat. This is probably due to different arms of service making separate strength-returns.



The Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube, 20th March 1814

The Allied Army
Tsar Alexander I
Feldmarschall Karl Phillip, Prinz von Schwarzenberg

III Corps – Feldzeugmeister Ignaz Gyulai (10,800 infantry, 3,200 cavalry)

Austrian Division of Feldmarschalleutnant Louis Charles Folliot de Crenneville
Von Hecht’s Brigade (Klenau CR & Warasdiner St George GR- 7 sqns & 1 bn)
Von Trenck’s Brigade (Rosenberg DR & Warasdiner St George GR – 6 sqns & 1 bn)
Cavalry Battery

Austrian Division of Feldmarschalleutnant Jean Charles Hennequin de Fresnel
Von Pflüger’s Brigade (IR7 & IR8 - 7 bns)
Von Csollich’s Brigade (IR1 & IR 41 – 5 bns)
Brigade Battery
Brigade Battery

Austrian Division of Feldmarschalleutnant Prinz von Hohenlohe-Bartenstein
Von Splényi’s Brigade (IR37 & IR 60 – 4 bns)
Von Grimmer’s Brigade (IR 28 & IR36 – 5 bns)
Brigade Battery
Brigade Battery

Austrian Cavalry Division of Feldmarschalleutnant Johann Nepomuk von Nostitz-Rieneck
Von Rothkirch’s Brigade (EH Albert KR3 & Hohenzollern KR8)
Von Ruttalek’s Brigade (Lothringen KR7 & Kronprinz Ferdinand KR4)

Artillery Reserve
12pdr Position Battery
6pdr Position Battery
6pdr Position Battery

IV Corps – Crown Prince William of Württemberg (10,200 infantry & 3,600 cavalry)

Württemberg Advance Guard Division of Generalleutnant Prince Adam of Württemberg
1st Cavalry Brigade – von Walseben (CR5 Regt (4 sqns) & Austrian EH Ferdinand HR (5 sqns))
2nd Cavalry Brigade – von Jett (CR2, CR3 & CR4 (4 sqns each))
4th Infantry Brigade – von Stockmayer (9th JR & 10th LI – 3 bns)
1st 6pdr Horse Battery (Breithaupt)
2nd 6pdr Horse Battery (Bürgi)

Russian 3rd Cuirassier Division – Generallieutenant Ilya Mikhailovich Duka
Protassov’s Brigade (Military Order & Little Russia CRs – 9 sqns)
Lewaschoff’s Brigade (Novgorod & Starodoub CRs – 9 sqns)

Württemberg Main Body – Generalleutnant Friedrich von Franquemont

1st Württemberg Division – Generallieutenant von Koch
Prinz von Hohenlohe’s Brigade (IR2 & IR3 – 4 bns)
Von Misani’s Brigade (IR4 & IR5 – 4 bns)
Lalance’s Brigade (IR6 & LR6 – 3 bns)
1st 6pdr Foot Battery (Ehrenfeld)
2nd 6pdr Foot Battery (Diskau)

2nd Württemberg Division – Generallieutenant von Döring
Württemberg IR7 (2 bns)
Austrian Grenadier Brigade von Trenck (4 bns)
Austrian Cuirassier Brigade Graf von Desfours (Liechtenstein & Kaiser KRs – 12 sqns)
Austrian Cuirassier Brigade von Seymann (Konstantin & Sommariva KRs – 12 sqns)
Austrian 6pdr Brigade Battery
Austrian 6pdr Brigade Battery

Reserve Artillery
Austrian 12pdr Position Battery

V Corps – General der Kavallerie Karl-Phillipp von Wrede (22,100 infantry & 4,800 cavalry)

Austrian Division of Feldmarschalleutnant Anton Leonhard von Hardegg
Raigecourt’s Brigade (Deutsch-Banat GR (2 bns), Hessen-Homburg HR (6 sqns) & Reisch DR (6 sqns))
Scheither’s Brigade (JB5, Warasdiner-Kreuzer GR (2 bns), Kaiser HR (6 sqns) & Vincent CR (6 sqns))
Cavalry Battery (6pdr)
6pdr Brigade Battery

Austrian 2nd Light Division – Feldmarschalleutnant Ignaz Splényi von Miháldy
? Brigade (Jordis & EH Rudolph IRs (8 bns))
Von Linutillo’s Brigade (Szeckler HR (6 sqns) & Knesevich DR (6 sqns)
Cavalry Battery (6pdr)
6pdr Brigade Battery

1st Bavarian Division – Generalleutnant Joseph von Rechberg und Rothenlöwen
Prince Karl von Bayern’s Brigade (IR1, IR3, JB3, NFB10 – 5 bns)
Graf Spreti’s Brigade (IR2, IR10, NFB11 & NFB15 – 4 bns)
Freiherr von Vieregg’s Brigade (CR1, CR2 & CR7 – 11 sqns)
5th 6pdr Foot Battery
4th 6pdr Wurst Battery

3rd Bavarian Division – Generalleutnant Peter de Lamotte
Jason von der Stockh’s Brigade (IR11, IR7 & 2x Kreis-Bns – 5 Bns)
Von Deroy’s Brigade (IR5, IR8, IR9, NFB5 & NFB6 – 5 bns)
Diez’s Brigade (CR4 & CR? – 6 sqns)
9th 6pdr foot Battery
1st 6pdr Wurst Battery

Russian 1st Grenadier Division – Generalmajor Pavel Nikolaevich Choglokov
Kniaschnin II’s Brigade (Count Arakcheyev & Ekaterinoslav GRs – 4 bns)
Jemilianov’s Brigade (Kexholm & Pernau GRs – 4 bns)
Jäger Brigade (1st & 3rd)

Artillery Reserve
Austrian 12pdr Position Battery
Bavarian 3rd 12pdr Foot Battery
Bavarian 8th 12pdr Foot Battery
Bavarian 11th 12pdr Foot Battery
Bavarian 12th 12pdr Foot Battery
Bavarian 30pdr Mortar Battery
Bavarian ? 6pdr Foot Battery

VI Corps – Generallieutenant Nikolay Raevsky (16,500 infantry & 3,500 cavalry)

Russian Cavalry Corps – Generallieutenant Peter Petrovich Pahlen
Delajanov’s Brigade (Soumy & Grodno HRs – 577)
Dechterev’s Brigade (Loubny & Olviopol HRs – 546)
Lissanewitz’s Brigade (Tchougouiev UR – 763)
Horse Battery #3 (absent)
Horse Battery #6 (only 8 guns)

I Russian Infantry Corps – Generallieutenant Andrei Ivanovich Gorchakov

5th Division – Generalmajor Mezenzov
Nabokov’s Brigade (Perm & Sieversk IRs – 1,825)
Milavanov’s Brigade (Mohilev & Kalouga IRs – 2,056)
Vlassov’s Brigade (23rd & 24th Jäger – 2,012)

14th Division – Generalmajor von Helfreich
Ljallin’s Brigade (Tenguinsk & Estonia IRs – 932)
? Brigade (Tula & Navaguinsk Converged Regts – 775)
Roth’s Brigade (25th & 26th Jäger – 1,452)

Reserve Artillery
Light Battery #27
Position Battery #14

II Russian Infantry Corps – Generallieutenant Duke Eugene of Württemberg

3rd Division – Generalmajor Schachovsky
Von Wolff’s Brigade (Tchernigov & Mourmansk IRs – 2,003)
Schelwinsky’s Brigade – absent
Kapustin’s Brigade (20th & 21st Jäger – 1,447)

4th Division – Generalmajor Puschnizky
Von Rosen’s Brigade (Tobolsk & Krementchug IRs – 1,651)
Kursonov’s Brigade (Minsk & Volhynie IRs – 1,354)
Stepanov’s Brigade (4th & 34th Jäger – 1,157)

Reserve Artillery
Light Battery #6


Reserve – General Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly (8,000 grenadiers, 1,600 cuirassiers, 15,800 guards, 4,800 guard cavalry & 3,000 cossacks)

Austrian Grenadier Division – Feldmarschalleutnant Nikolaus Weissenwolff
Fürstenwerther’s Brigade (4 bns)
Von Beigel’s Brigade (4 bns)
Von Klenau’s Brigade (3 bns)
Von Luz’s Brigade (3 bns)
Position Battery Battery (6pdr)
Position Battery Battery (6pdr)
Position Battery Battery (6pdr)
Position Battery Battery (6pdr)
Position Battery Battery (6pdr)

Russian 2nd Grenadier Division – Generalmajor Ivan Paskevich
Pissarev’s Brigade (Kiev & Moscow GRs – 4 bns)
Sulima’s Brigade (Tauride & St Petersburg GRs – 4 bns)
Jäger Brigade (8th & 14th)

Russian 2nd Cuirassier Division – Generallieutenant Nikolay Vasilyevich Kretov
Leontiev’s Brigade (Gluchov & Pskov CRs – 940)
Stahl II’s Brigade (Ekaterinoslav & Astrakhan CRs – 659)

Cossack Corps of Generalmajor Paisiy Sergeievich Kaisarov
Ataman Don Cossack Regiment
Grekov V Don Cossack Regiment
Illowaisky X Don Cossack Regiment
Kortin IV Cossack Regiment
Tschernomoren Cossack Regiment
Scheltonoskin Cossack Regiment
Don Cossack Horse Battery

Reserve Artillery
Position Battery #2
Position Battery #5
Position Battery #7
Position Battery #13
Position Battery #28
Position Battery #29
Position Battery #34
Horse Battery #1
Horse Battery #2
Horse Battery #10
Horse Battery #18

Russian Guard Cavalry Corps – Generallieutenant Mikhail Miloradovich

1st Cuirassier Division – Generallieutenant Depreradovich
Arsenjeff’s Brigade (Chevalier-Garde & Lifeguard Horse CRs – 12 sqns)
Von Rosen’s Brigade (Emperor’s & Empress’ CRs – 12 sqns)

Guard Light Cavalry Division – Generalmajor Schevich
Guard Hussars (6 sqns)
Guard Dragoons (6 sqns)
Guard Uhlans (6 sqns)
Guard Horse Battery #1
Guard Horse Battery #2

Russian Guard Infantry Corps – Generallieutenant Alexei Petrovich Yermolov

Russian 1st Guard Infantry Division – Generallieutenant Rose
Potemkin’s Brigade (Preobrajensky & Semenovski – 6 bns)
Chrapowitzky’s Brigade (Ismailov,& Jäger – 6 bns)

Russian 2nd Guard Infantry Division – Generalmajor Udom I
Scheltuchin’s Brigade (Lithuania, Leib, Finland & Pavlov – 10 bns)
Guard Position Battery #1
Guard Position Battery #2
Guard Light Battery #1
Guard Light Battery #2

Prussian Guard Cavalry – Generalmajor Friedrich von Laroche-Starkenfels
Garde du Korps (5 sqns)
Guard Light Cavalry (4 sqns)
Guard 6pdr Horse Battery

Prussian Guard Infantry – Oberst Johann Friedrich von Alvensleben
1st Garde-Regiment zu Fuss
2nd Garde-Regiment zu Fuss
Garde-Jäger
Guard 6pdr Foot Battery
Baden Leibgarde-Grenadier-Bataillon
Baden horse Battery (6pdr)

Notes

1. The strengths of Gorchakov’s I Corps, Württemberg’s II Corps, Pahlen’s Cavalry Corps and Kretov’s 2nd Cuirassier Division are from 18th March.

2. The strengths for IV Corps are taken from 13th March. The 2nd Division had reinforcements on the march who may have reached the division by the 20th; IR1 (2 bns) and three Land Regiments (probably 1 bn each).

3. The organisations for Gyulai’s III Corps, the Russian & Prussian Guards, the Russian Cuirassier Divisions and the Russian Grenadier Divisions are taken from the Battle of Paris, 30-31 March.

4. Note that some of the Russian reserve artillery batteries may have been assigned to the detached Cuirassier and Grenadier Divisions.

5. Kaisarov seems to have been commanding Platov’s Cossack Corps during Platov’s absence. Lacking any further detail, I’ve therefore listed the regiments belonging to Platov’s corps. Generalmajor Seslavin is also listed as a Cossack commander, but he seems to have been subordinate to Kaisarov. Seslavin is also listed as commanding a detachment of Pahlen’s 1st Hussar Division, though only had around 250 men of the Soumy Hussars present.

6. The organisation of Hardegg’s Austrian Division is from 1st March. It had a very different organisation at La Rothière on 1st February:
Von Geramb’s Brigade (EH Joseph HR (6 sqns) & 1st Szeckler GR (2 bns))
Von Mengen’s Brigade (Schwarzenberg UR (6 sqns) & Jäger Bn)

7. The organisation of Splényi’s Austrian 2nd Light Division is taken from the Battle of La Rothière on 1st February.

[valleyboy]

Great stuff Mark - I have copied that info for my own future use if that's ok - I've always intended to play out a series of the 1814 battles but as yet never got around to it

[ochoin]

Excellent, Mark.

I am going to have an enjoyable time cutting that down to manageable numbers. I may elevate the second day at Arcis to a Show game ie two days of wargaming.

donald