Napoleonic Wargame Club (NWC)

A Prussian Battle
2400 hours June 15 1815, as I was looking at ole Marshal Forward, he looked my way. “You there yaw you, Haitian come at the double”!
“Take all the Jagers that you can round up and locate the Frenchies”!
“Oui Monsieur at the double, I said”.

0415hrs Rumors spread through the country side even at this early hour of the morn-The L’ Armee du Nord has crossed the border into Belgium, and begins their guest to seek out and confront the Prussian Horde 0430 Napoleon gazes upon the campaign map and wonders where the old fire eater Blucher and his Armee will be found?
O445 The Eagles of the Emperor are sweeping the countryside of Belgium seeking their implacable foe!
0445 Leaving as fast as my horse would take me I headed south towards the III Corps to find my minions!
0500 Word was sent to every command asking for volunteers in the Jager companies to rendezvous at a certain point. I was to command this elite command …
0515 L’ Empereur studies the campaign map, gazing intently upon the markings of the great Pikes and the web of secondary roads… of the flow of the land , the hills, the woods , and the streams… In his mind’s eye he was picturing what old Blucher would be up to… making its own plans out there in the Belgian countryside…

*0515 I was on my way to rendezvous with my new command, I felt bon that the Commander felt that I was the man for it. I knew that it would be a very dangerous assignment, my first with the Jagers and Infantry command. But I knew that the men under my command were the best in the Armee. I had to pick a second to be my number one. Not knowing any of the officers personally would be hard!
0530 I was made to know that my second in command would be an Oberst Kleist who would meet me at the rendezvous with most of the command. I would also have 250 Hussars of the 2/11 plus 6 horse guns.
0545 L’ Empereur Napoleon eagerly anticipates the dramatic clash with the Ole war dog FM. Blucher to settle all out standing accounts with the most determined of his opponents… Well does L’ Empereur recall the bitter days of 1814, and among them the events of the one week where he personally, led his outnumbered Armee to victory after victory, sending the old Prussian knight and his forces back in hasty retreat after defeat. Now that the crown of France is back upon his head, placed there by a beseeching populace so quick to regret the return of the formerly deposed Monarchy… Let Blucher or any of the Coalition try and knock it off!

0600 It’s been six hours and the enemy is no where in sight. My small command continues in its own long journey with high hopes of great success. We are a mixed group of the Elite of the Prussian Armee, with all arms of the Army. 0600 As the French Cavalier rides though the country villages they search in every mailbox for letters, from the Prussian Soldat’s which might give evidence of their dispositions. We speak with local inhabitants, swapping rumors to gain similar intelligence.
0615 “Such a find summer day for campaigning, not too hot, not too cold… keep the rain at bay” said FM Ney!
0615 I was still with the Field Marshal, six hours of hard riding; I knew that it was harder on the Jagers who were all on foot. And I knew that they had six more hours before we would rendezvous!

Salute!

07:30 hrs: Having seen the approach of the Prussian kavalerie platoon as it moved south through the crossroads at Quatre-Bras, the French Dragon scout followed his orders and withdrew back down the pike with confused commotion.

The rest of the Dragon Regt (such a sorry term in these lean days of the Return from Exile) remained concealed... in eager anticipation.

07:45 hrs: The Prussian platoon came trotting down the pike and right into the trap which the Dragon's sounded with bugles as they closed on their foe in furious melee!

First blood is shed upon the battle map, foretelling the dreadful bane to follow...

Regards,

0630 Fm Blucher sent a courier to me at this half hour and said that he had a surprise for me! I was overwhelmed with joy knowing that he not only knew me but that he respected me. The surprise was a regiment of dead head Hussars know as the Totenkopf –husaren 2nd Life Regt. What an honor to have the foremost Regt. in the Armee to accompany me. I was not to command them but use them to support my Command. 0645 My small unit of 50 stop at a farm that we went pass for some morning breakfast, the farmer was more then glad to feed us. He told us that his six sons were all killed in 1812 serving the French and he would one day kill Napoleon! We laugh and told him that the thief of Europe was head his way and if he had a chance to kill him here’s a musket to kill him with.
I had some enterprising garcons in this detail; they found a keg of Belgium wine. After drinking their full they sheared what was left with 35 others in the detail. I now had 35 drunken Germans and I spoke very little German.
I was horrified, knowing that the FM trusted me with this command and now most of it was drunken bunch of Huns!

My second was a Prussian who spoke French he was my, Talleyrand said” that speech was a faculty given to man to conceal his thoughts”. He and the 15 others who were also Prussians did what ever they could to get the unit mounted but it would take and hour before we were able to move again.
I was beyond worried as troops of the I Corps pass us laughing at these drunken Huns!

0700 On the crests of the hills and ridges the scouts scan the horizon for the tell tale signs that will show the presence of the Prussian Armee to their front…0730 The weight of a grave doom hangs o’er the Belgian country side men who moved across the landscape carrying their hopes and fears within beating hearts…
0730 It was made know to me later that day that a small patrol ran into a mounted French Dragoons Regt…

0745 My unit regrouped and the men were sobering up, I knew that it would still be some time before they where all ready to ride at the double! I was made aware that French Dragoons where about and be on the look out! 0800 My unit was in ship shape by the top of the hour most of the garcons still could barely ride, we have not slept in 12 hours and the drunkenness and the bon food that the farmer gave us made matters worst, we caught up with our supply train and we were to escort them also to the rendezvous…
We saw no signs of the French Dragoons who are a menace in them selves, you can smell them before you see them do to the saddle rout..

0815my unit was now with in range of the others of the command we greeted one another many were surprise to see me “I could hear them now talking between them selves ““It’s the Haitian”{ ! My Interpreter told me it was nothing bad; he said that the older soldats told the younger men that I was a legend in the Army. Know far and wide as the “the Noir General who stood at the bridge”
I was a hero oui not only to them but to my people! The soldats told of my exploits during the Revolution and in Italy and Egypt.
Many Germans served in the Austrian Army some are even here among us.

0830 In every village and town the sight of the lame and the
Crippled, disable lose of sight so many young men used up before their time in the Emperor wars from Spain to Russia they served and now they are nothing but baggers and vagabonds…
0845 the command rendezvous at this half an hour most of the command was here all but the II Corps and dead head Hussars, we moved closer to them. As we came to a large farm we set our camp up and most of the garcons of the Jagers went and took a nap in the large barn all but my thirty-five who I set to labor.0900 eight battalions of French Infantry were seen by our scouts from Genappe. La Armee du Nord continues to march everywhere is activity, and with a lack of immediate battle the civilian populations begin to line the roads offering flowers and water to the columns of fantassins..

0930 the advanced scouts of the Gran Armee du Nord press further into the Belgian countryside seeking for signs of the Prussian Armee.
0900 My Artillerymen were about their job and the rest of us that is where now sleeping in the large barn and the thirty five were busy helping the farmer with his plowing and other farm jobs for the French sweep the country side last year for recruits and the garcons who were lucky to get away are now in the Belgian Army.0915 moving north to join up with the others in this command we still see and hear no cannon fire from the south. I can only guess that the French are moving at a snails place!
0930 we reach the first of our objectives still no French???
0945 The lone survivor of the Prussian platoon that had met a grim fate at Quatre- Bras after they retreated in great haste northwest along the pike that leads to the town of Nivelles.
His route was observed by our Cavalry shadowing him, and it came about that the lone rider was met on that pike by Mounted Chasseurs with Lancers captured him from the flanks.