Battle At Gunnersburg: A MAURICE AAR

ABOVE: Stan's Notables for the Battle.

ABOVE: My Left Wing. Four Infantry Regiments "Vorwarts kinder"!

Hi Team

I thought I'd take the opportunity to share another After Action Report (AAR).

This time its a MAURICE Game report. I don't have any 'Lace War' armies in 18mm at present, but fortunatly MAURICE can be used for battles from The Monmouth Rebellion of 1685 right up to the Battles of the French Revolution. It's also a great set of rules to use with your Imagi-Nation Armies. So with that in mind Stan and I decided to create two late 18th century Imagi-Nations. For this game I'll be using my 1806 Prussians as the Imagi-Nation '1780ish Germanic' State I will call 'The Electorate of Clements Unt Edwarts'.

My 100 point Army will look like this:
6 REGULAR TRAINED Infantry
3 REGULAR TRAINED Cavalry
1 IRREGULAR Infantry (Volunteer Jaeger)
4 Artillery
National Advantages are:
Clerics (They are a pious lot)
Lethal Volleys
Artillery Academy
Notables:
We will draw the 'randomly' at the start of the game.

Some notes on Army composition. I made INFANTRY my dominate arm as I believe they are more powerful and versatile in this period than cavalry. 6 infantry Units (Regiments or Battalions) will give me ample firepower when combined with 4 Artillery units (Batteries). Add 'Artillery Academy' and 'Lethal Volleys'  to the mix (the ability to 'Re-Roll' and failed disruption) andI think defensivly the Army's firepower is quite deadly. All this firepower does come at a cost, and it means only 3 trained cavalry could be purchased and NO units could be upgraded to ELITE. What you end up with is a rather defensive army but with good firepower (and with some luck with terrain) I would be happy to defend with this army. If I did end up as an attacker, then as such I would be entitled to the support of a Mercenary unit on either Infantry of cavalry so would increase my stock of horsemen that way. The single unit of Irregular infantry would help me either garrison a town, village or bad terrain if defending, or support an attack.

Stan created the Free State of Northern Virginia, (FSoNV) looking very much like a mix of American Revolutionary War British and Continental Regiments? Apparently they have no issues with taxation without representation,.. meh.
BELOW: Stan's 'National Advantage' Cards:

We drew a 'PLAINS' battlefield card, and Stan chose to DEFEND. I selected an additional mercenary uint of Cavalry.  I drew the Notables Jaime de Laura and Thomas Burbess, Esq.

ABOVE: My National Advantage Cards: Artillery Academy and Lethal Volleys would be of assistance in ensuring that Hot Lead rather than Cold Steal would be the form of combat we would trust in, (other than God of course). The Clerics were to help ensure we got God's assistance also.

BELOW: My Left Wing. 4 Regiments of Electorate Infantry.

My Plan: As can be seen below the battlefield was rather open in the center. The enemy's right flank was dominated buy a large town (Gunnersburg) which was my objective for the battle. Stan garrisoned it with two ELITE Infantry regiments (Highlanders and Hessians) and placed another two TRAINED regiments (FSoNV'Continentals') directly behind the town. Next in line to the left of Gunnersburg was a Regiment of 'English' foot, neatly sitting between Gunnersburg and a hill in the center (called Battery Hill). On the hill was two small Artillery batteries with a Battalion of 'English' Foot and the enemy CinC. Stans final regular Infantry Regiment of English Foot were deployed behind the hill. Stan's left flank consisted of three regiments of Cavalry (Light Dragoons and Dragoons) in a '2 up and 1 in support' formation. Finaly on Stan's extreme left was a sole regiment of Irregulars, ('Rangers' I think).

BELOW: Deployment

I soon concluded that I was not going to try an win by taking the objective. Storming Gunnersburg with trained infantry against ELITES with Lethal Volleys was not my idea of a pleasant night at the Warrant Officers and Sergeant's Mess. No, I would win by destroying Stan's left flank and then rolling up the center. Once the garrison witnessed this they would simply 'leave Dodge (ok, Gunnersburg) and we would simplly march in and have warm beds and roofs over our heads.

THE BATTLE:

The Elector gathered his Officers and RSMs around him: "Hmmm ze Virginians and their English friends are very determined not to allow us to take ze town. He has all his best infantry in there. Ve have some superiority in Horse, and ve have good ground to mass our artillery in ze center. Our plan will be to threaten his left. If, when he weakens his center to sure up his left I will march two Regiments of Foot onto Battery Hill and swing either left or right. Right if our cavalry need support, or left to threaten the town. Mr Burgess Sir, you will have a great part to play in my plan. All hinges on ze Horse getting through ze bad terrain quickly. Do not tarry. Vorwarts Ja! Ja, a good plan"! 

BELOW: The two Regiments of Foot that would be tasked with siezing Battery Hill. Michael's Regiment of Foot (Red Flag) and supported by Mathilda's Musketeers (Green Flag). You can just see on of the batteries that formed my Grand Battery in the center of the battlefield to the left of the two Regiments of Foot).

BELOW: My Cavalry mass on my right. Their Notable was able to help them march through the bad going to their front without suffering any disruption. Vital to the success of my plan.

Below: Von Baily's Volunteer Jaeger. My only irregular troops.

The battle opend with a march by my massed cavalry under my notable. They didn't manage to completely clear the bad terrain to their front, but got far enough that thay would be able to get out of it befor having to confront the FSoNV horse. As expected, Stan countered by advancing his horse.

My next move saw my cavalry clear the bad terrain. I now had four Regiments of horse in Mass formation facing two of Stan's Horse Regiments in line, with one in support. Stan's Regiment spured themselves forward, playing a 'Stirrups In' card. The result was both of his Regiments recoiling, but not without inflicting some disruption. Stan's Infantry Regiment behind Battery Hill moved off in march column to come to the assistance of his Cavalry.

BELOW: The mighty clash of horse flesh on my right flank.

Now that the enemy was well committed to my right flank I opend up a bombardment on the lone English Regiment between the town of Gunnersburg and Battery Hill.  The results were impressive. 4 disreuptions! Obviously time spent at the Artillery Academy was well spent.

Above: The Grand Battery Opens Fire!

Below. The battle developes at the bottom of the picture we see the clash of cavalry. One of Stans small batteries on Battery Hill fires at canister range into my left most Regiments of horse, (Prince Peter's Cuirassiers). By contrast to my artillery, Stan's small battery did little harm. In the center my Grand Battery bombards the infantry between Gunnersburg and Battery Hill. Both of my Infantry Brigades are starting to advance.

After another round of combat on my right flank, both of Stan's lead Light Dragoon regiments were destroyed. Stan's last Horse Regiment charged forward into Prince Peter's Cuirassiers and routed them, but not before sustaining disruption of their own and the tragic loss of Michael von Pfanenstiel as the RSM of Prince Peter's Regiment decapitated him with a deft backhanded slash of his saber,... HUSSAR!! The Rash Saxon's headless body was last seen upright and still in the saddle heading towards Von Baily's Volunteer Jaegers!

Above and Below: The cavalry battle reaches it's climax!

Stan's brave Blue Coated Dragoons attempt to hold back the rampant Horse Regiment's of the Electorate of Clements Unt Edwarts. Behind the last brave FSoNV Blue Coated Dragoons you can see the English Foot Regiment coming to the rescue; "Stout Fellows!!! BRAVO"! 

Stan's Army Moral was looking shakey. I now committed my two central Infantry Regiments to the task at hand. "Vorwarts!! Schnell! Take the hill Mein Kindder"! Meanwhile, Stan decided the best form of defence was attack and calling on all the precision drill trickery he could must sent the two Regiments of Foot behind Gunnersburg on a flanking march to attempt to envelope my left. On my right flank he formed line with the sole English Regiment of Foot and unleashed crashing volley after crashing volley into my horse. The Mercenary Regiment of Von Stammer's Dragoons had had enough for the day and dashed off to the rear as fast as their horses could carry them, and soon the much depleated Electors Cuirassiers followed them. Only Raechel's Hussars remaind in position.

BELOW: My Regiments of Foot on my left flank demonstrate before Gunnersburg. These regiments spent the day singing hymes and looking menacing, but not much else.

 

BELOW: Looking through Gunnersburg towards my lines.

BELOW: The English Foot Regiment marches towards Stan's left flank in a vain attempt to either save the Blue Coated Dragoons or save the left flank.

Stan plated one last trick, and by that I mean a: "That's Not On The Map" card. Just as my lead Regiment got to the foot of Battery Hill they discovered a marsh. "S#&T!!! They halted and delivered a lethal volly into the small battery before them, killing or wounding almast every gunner present. Then, with a mighty "HURRAH" charged across the marsh and onto the hill, overrunning the 2nd battery. This was enough to break the FSoNV army, and victory was secure.

BELOW: "OK, whoever did recon is in sooooo much crap,..."!

ABOVE: Mathilda's Musketeers aproach the marsh. Ahead Michael's Regiment are on the hill. Micheal's Regiment took heavy casualties in the process. 

BELOW: My CinC advances to encourage the men.

ABOVE: End Game. Michael's Regiment of Foot (Red Flag) take the hill supported by Mathilda's Musketeers (Green Flag).

BELOW: Micheal's Regement of Foot on the hill. They were expecting a volley, but fortunatly the enemy retired from the hill. A good thing for them, as they already had 3 Disruption on them.

ABOVE: Von Baily's Volunteer Jaeger. They spent the entire battle as spectators. But they do have flash uniforms!

Another cracking good game of Maurice. All done and dusted in 2 hours and 10 minutes.

I can't recommend these rules highly enough.  

All my miniatures are the magnificent AB MINIATURES available from EUREKA MINIATURES. Stans army was a mix af MINIFIGS, ESSEX and some AB MINIATURES, (The brave Blue Coated Dragoon and his Officers).

Stan's army was painted predominatly by FERNANDO ENTERPRISE, (and most bases still require flocking)

I painted my army.

The FLAGS are free downloads available at WARFLAGS, (see link at right).

Comments welcomed.

P.S. Sorry for the poor quality of some of the photos. We played the game at our Warrant Officers and Sergeants Mess. A very plesant night was had.