TURN 4:

Just after the French move. On the right Tissot supports a units of Jamin who attack Bylandt’s large Belgian force. The attack fails and the Belgians break a unit of Jamin, and one other supporting unit also breaks (4 VPs).

French 4 VPs, Allies 6VPs.

Campi’s skirmish fire cause a hit on Pack’s foot artillery. Bachelu sends Campi’s Brigade up to cover the vacant space left by defeated Bylandt militia. Another Campi unit and the 2 units of Husson defeat the other Bylandt militia (2 VPs).

French 6 VPs, Allies 6VPs.

Then Pire’s Lancers charge over them and hit Pack’s Highlanders, who not expecting a cavalry charge at that range held their line – they disordered them in the closing fire, bloodied the lancers in melee but broke (2 VPs) (-1 for being hit by a lance). This is a modification of ACVC rules in that if the cavalry charging are more than 1 move away the unit can choose to stay in formation, which the Highlanders did. BP2 allows formed cavalry units to freely move across other friendly formed units provided there is space for them to deploy no penalties occur! In our play test we never considered this as with all other Napoleonic rules we have used you cannot do this. It didn’t sit well with the theme, but if the French had charged the lancers first, then moved Campi to support then the result would be the same – it would have been more of a risk for the French as Campi could have failed the orders, but the Highlanders would have been more likely to form square form the direct cavalry charge! In ACVC house rules the line needs to pass a command orders check (it is not automatic as in BP2).

French 8 VPs, Allies 6VPs.

View from Vinke and Pack’s side. Pire’s victorious lancers Disordered and shaken are stuck in place. After the fact I consider that the Lancers could have pulled back but Stewart (ACVC) was firm that the unit status left them stuck in place.

Pire sends up his horse artillery, as the rest of the cavalry stall!

View from North West on Allies right flank across the woods. J Bonaparte starts to break through.

On the Allies side the Duke of Brunswick appears! Wellington orders Brunswick’s small light units to help support in the woods, the infantry to shore up the right flank and support Kempt in Quatre Bras, and the cavalry move off to take on Pire on the left flank.

View from top over Quatre Bras, Allies at the bottom French at the top. At this point Bylandt has lost 2 units out of 6 but the large Belgian unit close to being shaken and the Jagers in the woods also taking casualties and disordered it was decided to pull the Begian’s back and similarly with the Jagers in the future. The French Lancers are fired upon by 2 lines and the artillery and unsurprisingly break (2pts).

French 8 VPs, Allies 8VPs.

Allies left flank. Vinke’s unit in the woods and foot battery Disorder and make the Horse battery of Wathiez Shaken.

End of turn 4.

French 8 VPs Allies 8 VPs.