The Arvergnian cavalry has swooped like an overweight eagle* upon a lamb**, catching the might of Kruppfalz on the march. They missed their primary target, the supply wagons, and caught the column just abaft that, with the last of the supply-guard, the venerable Ostergotland infantry, marching away, and the head of the column of rearguard, the 4th Kalkreuth and 5th Bayreuth Dragoons, marching up.
First to arrive was Martell's*** brigade, the Maistre de Camp Generale, and the Allemands Dragoons.
Lavoissier and Der Bayreutern leading the way
As they trotted forward eagerly, the leading regiments of Coirvoissier and von Rieslings' brigades followed up. Meanwhile, as the Ostergotlanders wheeled to face, and the Dragoons hurriedly deployed, the leading element of von Zieten's cuirassier brigade, the 3rd von Seelhorst, hustled up at the canter.
Les Mousquetaires lower left, Kurfurst Kurasserie upper left
Followed by the 6th von Lentulus, as the Bourbons, and Kornberg's Cuirassiers made their advent on the Arvergnian side.
The Arvergnian Dragoon brigade spurred forward quickly, cantering up and readying for a mad gallop into their enemies, ignoring the wheeling infantry on their flank, while von Riesling's brigade started manouevring with a view to overrunning these infantry, prior to galloping after the wagon trains to the northeast
Der Ostergotlandern wheel, ready to pour fire into the flank of les Allemands
Alas for Les Allemands, Colonel Bohrs kept a cool head, and the Ostergotlanders fire was sharp and accurate - a first volley in enfilade, emptying half their saddles. The Bayreuth Dragoons crossed sabres with them briefly, then held their tempers, and their reins, when the Allemands fled for the rear. The Kalkreuth Dragoons had a sharper tussle with the Maistre de Camp Generales, but after a brief exchange of blows, these also deemed it wiser to urgently retire to previously prepared positions.
Meanwhile, von Seelhorst's Kurasserie, disdaining to deploy out of column(4*), trotted up the small rise of Kuhberg only to meet, blade to blade, the wildly galloping Mousquetaires sweeping down from the hillcrest, and fought these to a draw.
On the Krup right, the heroic and somewhat inept(5*) Kornberg led his brigade into a charge directly into the infantry, having failed to find their flank, while the broken dragoons swarming past them caused the Bourbons to check their pace, rather than being entangled and disordered. The final Krup regiment, 8th von Seydlitz Kurasserie, also deployed in support of the Seelhorst Cuirassiers, while the broken Arvergnian dragoons, ignoring the pleas of both Brigadier Martell, and Major General Dubonnet, trotted steadily homewards.
Kornberg seeking conclusions against the infantry on the right
Once their friends had cleaned the way, Les Bourbons trotted forwardto support their brigade-mates, only to encounter the advancing Kalkreuth Dragoons, while the rather-bemused Bayreuth Dragoons wheeled around to menace their open flank.
In the foreground, the Lentulus Cuirassiers form column and start aiming for Kornberg's flank
Meanwhile, poor old Kornberg found the undamaged Ostergotlanders too tough a meat to chew. Although the closing fire was wild and ineffective, the wall of bayonets proved too much for his gallant sabres (*6), and one regiment broke and fled after the first exchange of blows, leaving more than half their men behind. The valiant Kornberg, to add insult to injury, had his horse bayonetted, and his favourite hat seized by a doughty infantryman, so fled afoot, calling his men to rally for another charge.
On the left, the Bayreuth Dragoons delivered their threatened insult to the flank of the Bourbons, but too late to save their sister regiment - both the Kalkreuth and the Bourbons broke and ran: while beside them, the Seydlitz Cuirassiers delivered a charge in fine style, breaking the victorious (but understrength) Mousquetaires
And on the right, Kornbergs' men, reduced to a moiety, finally ran from overwhelming odds.
The final flight of the Arvergnian mounted
Just as the dust was settling from the charges, General Lentulus trotted briefly onto the field of battle, peering around less than soberly and exclaiming, 'Enemy? I see no enemy here!'
Next time I need to make the rolls for arrival a little more difficult to make I think.
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*Apologies to the spirit of Peter Young for the stolen imagery
** A lamb armed with an AK47 mind you...
*** with the advent of reading EvE regularly, I notice that my generals nomenclature has become considerably more bibulous, not to mention comestible!
*4 This is definitely a problem basing in 3s, when the regiments are so small - the 'march column' is only a 3x4, leading to too advantageous a battle formation. I need to think about addressing this.
*5 It seems a bit cruel to condemn him for my ineptitude - I was angling to take the infantry in flank, but hadn't allowed for how relatively quickly a 9" move allows them to wheel
