Napoleonic Wargame Club (NWC)

What is your favorite cavalry charge?

Mine is a regiment of Austrians that charged during the early wars with Rev. France. Ran over a couple of battalians and scattered several cavalry regiments as well.

Bill Peters
HPS Napoleonic Scenario Designer (Eckmuhl, Wagram, Jena-Auerstaedt and ... more to come)

[url="http://www.fireandmelee.net"]Fire and Melee Wargame site[/url]

Mine is the charge of polish guard lancers near Somosierra!


<b>general-feldmarshal Eugene Gulyaev
RA Chief of Staff
Leib-Gvardii Semenovskij Polk
Club Secretary
</b>

The Union Brigade at Waterloo, naturally! Well the first part of it anyway, up until the point when they ignored the sound of the recall.[:D][xx(]

<center>[url="http://homepage.ntlworld.com/a.r.barlow/Napoleonic/nap.htm"]Lieutenant Colonel Antony Barlow[/url]
~ [url="http://www.geocities.com/anglo_allied_army_stats/Anglo_Allied_Army_Cavalry_Corps.htm"]2nd British (Union) Brigade, Anglo-Allied Cavalry Corps[/url] ~
~ [url="http://www.geocities.com/militaireacademie/dragoons.html"]4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards[/url] ~
</center>

Murat at Eylau

<center>
[img]</center>
<center>Monsieur le Marechal Baron John Corbin
Duc de Paive
Commanding the Division de Cavalerie de la Jeune Garde
NWC President</center>

polish cavalry had a lot wonderful charges but the best was charge 3 squadrons Nadwislanski's Ulans ("los infernos picadores") against 3rd East Kent regiment (and almost one infantry brigade).



more http://web2.airmail.net/napoleon/Albuera_1811.html
[8D]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Jeka</i>
<br />Mine is the charge of polish guard lancers near Somosierra!


<b>general-feldmarshal Eugene Gulyaev
RA Chief of Staff
Leib-Gvardii Semenovskij Polk
Club Secretary
</b>
[img]

http://www.geocities.com/gen_kutusov/im ... sinf02.jpg[/img]

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">


Yes, that is mine also:

<i>The 3rd squadron attached to the Emperor’s duty squadron was ordered to charge up the Somosierra Pass where four Spanish batteries had been entrenched and supported by Spanish Infantry in the hills above. The Poles, without a second thought, charged up the pass taking fifteen cannons and captured the batteries, at the cost of more than half the squadron killed and wounded.</i>






Brigadier General Ed Blackburn
Commanding Second Div, II Corps, AAA
3rd Bn / 1st Regiment of Foot Guards

Mssrs.,

It never ceases to amaze me how attached people are to charges which are either pointless or end disastreously, simply because conspicuous bravery was displayed by the doomed participants. [:0] The charge at Somosierra, though clearly gallant, was completely unnecessary because the French infantry were already on the verge of outflanking the batteries and capturing them with nominal loss. [:(] And while the Union Bgs' charge was clearly necessary to halt D'Erlon's initial advance, their failure to recall snatched defeat from the jaws of what would have been a great tactical victory. On balance, the French got the better of that exchange because the I Corps' infantry soon rallied and returned to the fighting while the Union Bg was mauled and rendered <i>hors de combat</i> for the balance of the day[xx(].

For my money, the greatest charge of the period was that of Kellerman's dragoons at Marengo. In a matter of minutes a certain French defeat was transformed into a decisive victory that paved the way for Napoleon's investiture as Emperor. [8D]

Regards,

Paco

<i>Maréchal M. Francisco Palomo
Prince d'Essling, Grande Duc d'Abrantes et
Comte de Marseille
Commandant - Division de Cavalerie de la Vieille Garde </i>
AdC - <i>Ieré Corps de Armee</i>

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by pacowork</i>
It never ceases to amaze me how attached people are to charges which are either pointless or end disastreously, simply because conspicuous bravery was displayed by the doomed participants.
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Indeed. All I say is Bredow's Death Ride. [}:)]



<center>
D.S. "Green Horse" Walter, Maréchal d'Empire
Duc des Pyramides, Comte de Normandie
Commandant la [url="http://home.arcor.de/dierk_Walter/NWC/3_VI_AdR_Home.htm"]3e Division Bavaroise[/url], L'Armée du Rhin
Commandant [url="http://home.arcor.de/dierk_Walter/NWC/EdM_start.htm"]L'Ecole de Mars[/url], L'Armée du Rhin
Commandant les Grenadiers à Pied de la Vieille Garde, "les Grognards"
</center>

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">The charge at Somosierra, though clearly gallant, was completely unnecessary because the French infantry were already on the verge of outflanking them and capturing them all with nominal loss.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

maybe but this charge was happend and infantry were trudged along the rocky path [:p]



<center><font color="orange"><h4> Marechal Zbyszek Pietras
1er Regiment de Chasseurs a Cheval, Vieille Garde
16th Division V Corps Armee du Rhin</font id="orange">
<font color="orange">Duc de Danzig, Comte de Bourges</font id="orange"></h4></center>

Gentlemen
How could Murat's astounding charge at Eylau not immediately come to mind for everyone. This is surely the greatest in the Napoleonic period. Riding crop in hand he lead them to glorious victory. Well that is what the romantic period art shows I would suspect the truth is a little different. Either way it was a charge that saved the day for the French and must rate as not only brave but successful. I recall they actually reformed and charged back through the Russian lines unlike the British at Waterloo.

My second choices would be the heavy cavalry around the great Redoubt at Borodino and the Guard cavalry at Austerlitz. Hmmm all French what does that tell you [:D]

Salute!



Capitaine Colin Knox,
4e Comp / 2e Artillerie a Cheval
2e Brigade
3e Division Cavalerie Legere
IIIe Corps
http://www.aspire.co.nz/colinknoxnwc.htm
Armee du Nord

Gentlemen, I would like to interject the KGL Hy Dragoons in Spain. I forget the battle, but they came upon a French Regt and broke at least one Battalion in square. The lucky break of a dying horse making like a bowling ball and taking out the corner of the square.

Lt Col Beric Kimball
Cdr, 2d Bde, Cheval Legere, II Cps, AdN

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Colin Knox</i>
<br />Gentlemen
How could Murat's astounding charge at Eylau not immediately come to mind for everyone. This is surely the greatest in the Napoleonic period. Riding crop in hand he lead them to glorious victory. Well that is what the romantic period art shows I would suspect the truth is a little different. Either way it was a charge that saved the day for the French and must rate as not only brave but successful. I recall they actually reformed and charged back through the Russian lines unlike the British at Waterloo.

My second choices would be the heavy cavalry around the great Redoubt at Borodino and the Guard cavalry at Austerlitz. Hmmm all French what does that tell you [:D]

Salute!



Capitaine Colin Knox,
4e Comp / 2e Artillerie a Cheval
2e Brigade
3e Division Cavalerie Legere
IIIe Corps
http://www.aspire.co.nz/colinknoxnwc.htm
Armee du Nord

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

John Corbin gets the credit for naming this charge first.

Its VERY popular but not always our favorite. Wasnt looking for the BEST charge per se .. just like to hear about charges that folks enjoyed reading about.

Now my charge on the icebox some nigts back during a Granada TV Sherlock Holmes show was incredible! [:D]

Brought back a Klondike bar, something to drink and yum it was good! Elementary deduction!

Bill Peters
HPS Napoleonic Scenario Designer (Eckmuhl, Wagram, Jena-Auerstaedt and ... more to come)

[url="http://www.fireandmelee.net"]Fire and Melee Wargame site[/url]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by bkimball</i>
<br />Gentlemen, I would like to interject the KGL Hy Dragoons in Spain. I forget the battle, but they came upon a French Regt and broke at least one Battalion in square. The lucky break of a dying horse making like a bowling ball and taking out the corner of the square.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Beric,

The charge occurred during the pursuit of the remnants of the French Army after the Battle of Vittoria and they actually crushed an entire Rgt[B)]!

As you noted, a dying horse punched a hole in the corner of one bn's square, leading to the collapse of that batallion. Unfortunately for the French, the panicked survivors fled to an adjoining bn, hotly pursued by the KGL Heavies. The men of the 2nd Bn did not have the heart to fire upon their comrades and/or skewer them with their bayonets, so the panicked survivors forced upon a gap in the 2nd Bn's ranks which the KGL Heavies used to crush the 2nd Bn. [:(] At this point, the panicked survivors of the 1st & 2nd Bns fled to the 3rd Bn's square, causing it to collapse also. [8]

Regards,

Paco

<i>Maréchal M. Francisco Palomo
Prince d'Essling, Grande Duc d'Abrantes et
Comte de Marseille
Commandant - Division de Cavalerie de la Vieille Garde </i>
AdC - <i>Ieré Corps de Armee</i>

Well, what about the fuzzy-wuzzies? [:0]

<center>
D.S. "Green Horse" Walter, Maréchal d'Empire
Duc des Pyramides, Comte de Normandie
Commandant la [url="http://home.arcor.de/dierk_Walter/NWC/3_VI_AdR_Home.htm"]3e Division Bavaroise[/url], L'Armée du Rhin
Commandant [url="http://home.arcor.de/dierk_Walter/NWC/EdM_start.htm"]L'Ecole de Mars[/url], L'Armée du Rhin
Commandant les Grenadiers à Pied de la Vieille Garde, "les Grognards"
</center>

D.S. - I believe the fuzzy were not riding horses nor carrying rifles - but they did break a British square....

My favorite is also the brave Polish cavalry in Spain.

As for our games, I think my opponent in one is about to sweep forward with 5-6,000 Austrian Heavies to run up the points after collecting (already) a French Major Victory. You guys know who you are...[:0][:(!][xx(]

General de Division Doug Fuller
Duc de Montmorail et Comte de Hainaut
2e' Grenadiers a' Pied de la Vielle Garde
I Corp Commander
AdN