Waterloo 25'

Five of us got together last Thursday to play Waterloo in the Hinton Hut. Matt sported the top hat of General Picton (Allied left) while Goya took the role of The Prince of Orange (Allied right). Nigel and Tony reprised their roles as Marshal Ney and Comte d'Erlon (French left and right respectively). I umpired and tried to remember how the rules worked with the idea that I would take command of the Prussians should they ever arrive. Here's how it went...

The table was extended to its maximum 4' x 8'. This is the view from Papelotte (bottom right) along the table towards Hougoumont in the distance. The battlefield looks sparsely populated as there are a lot of reserves off table but there are still over 600 figures deployed. 

We began with a round of artillery fire to get things rolling. This 'free fire' round doesn't result in any morale checks but is intended to start softening up the lines.

Picton's command stretched from Papelotte to La Haye Sainte while the Prince of Orange held the section from there to Hougoumont. The Duke and his staff gathered around Wellington's tree were purely ornamental and had no impact on gameplay.

Nigel's troops to the left of La Belle Alliance started as a fairly modest force but were to grow in numbers as the game progressed.

Tony gets things going for the French by advancing his infantry through his gun line with the intention of crossing the valley.

The Duke and his staff look on while Mercer's men work their guns.

The KGL in La Haye Sainte proved to be ternacious defenders of the property and their long-range rifle fire was a permanent annoyance to the French.

The view from the Allied right looking towards La Haye Sainte. The Allies had decided to pull back slightly from the top of the ridge.

The Emperor and his staff remained at La Belle Alliance all day enjoying the stirring music of the Guard Band.

Turn 3 and the Prussians arrive (well some of the Prussians). Reserves arrived on the turn of a card and there were two seperate Prussian forces but the playing of the 'Groucy card' resulted in the interception of one of them so I ended up with just four units.

The British hold steady as d'Erlon advances his columns towards them. Picton in his red coat waits calmly for their arrival.

Ney makes his first assault on La Haye Sainte but is thrown back by the KGL rifles - hurrah!

Another card delivered the entire French heavy cavalry between La Haye Sainte and Hougoumont. The force was so large that the riflemen from both farms were able to shoot at them in the flanks.

Silly Billy calmly ordered the men into square while Ramsay's men loaded with double cannister and let fly at the Guard cavalry to their front.

Nigel pulls his men back to regroup ready for another go at La Haye Sainte.

The Young Guard arrive and are deployed to meet the Prussians on the French right flank.

Here Tony's lancers clash with my Silesian Hussars (foreground).

This is how the game would have looked if Charles Grant was playing against Donald Featherstone.

Lobau's corps arrives and adds another 3 infantry units to Nigel's swelling command.

The arrival of the British Guard cavalry (top right) together with the losses inflicted by cannister and rifle fire have forced Ney to withdraw his own heavy troopers.

Another card and the Union Brigade appears right in front of d'Erlon.

"Those men on grey horses look terrifyingly drunk!"

However, the French eagles were safe this time as the cavalry got bounced and turned to engage with the French cavalry instead.

Ney is massing infantry in front of La Haye Sainte...

... and the Old Guard have turned up right outside the walls of Hougoumont - this is all looking a bit nasty for the Allies.

The Allied cavalry are however doing quite well.

On the other flank there's another cavalry clash and beyond that the Young Guard and Prussians are heavily engaged. D'Erlon's columns however have ground to a halt having been forced into square by the Union Brigade and whittled away by artillery fire.

The Guard Lancers - very pretty.

More of that cavalry melee.

The Silesian Fusiliers are routing but the Landwehr stand firm in square.

Matt's line is solid and he has hardly lost a man. The Greys appear to be galloping in the wrong direction.

Goya constructed this rather nice version of Papelotte using bits from an Airfix La Haye Sainte with scratch built sections added. The Nassauers seem quite safe and comfy inside the place.

You can't have Waterloo without squares and we had lots of them in this game.

The KGL have finally been forced to retire from La Haye Sainte as they were reduced to 11 figures. Here the 30th Cambridgeshires prepare to relieve them under the watchful eye of the Duke.

Captain Mainwaring encourages the Coldstream Guards to stand firm in Hougoumont - they don't like it up em! 

But the French have brought up the Guard Horse Artillery and open a terrific bombardment on the farm.

Meanwhile Nigel prepares to storm La Haye Sainte.

The Allied left flank is stabilised but is it too late?

Perhaps...Ney storms La Haye Sainte ejecting the Cambridgeshires.

And the Old Guard have taken Hougoumont!

The end of turn 7 and the end of play - the French have won!

The game had a remarkably similar narrative to the real battle - until the last turn of course. We had a massed French heavy cavalry charge and the Union brigade sweeping down upon d'Erlon's columns (albeit without any dramatic results). Throughout it all Wellington stayed nailed to his ridge and the British infantry took very few casualties but the fall of both Hougoumont and La Haye Sainte was enough to tip the balance to a French victory - 33VP's to the French and 16VP's to the Allies.

It was a lot of fun and my thanks goes to the visiting generals who had travelled from far and wide to take part and of course to Mrs S who as always ran a very efficient field kitchen.