On consideration of a scenario for trying out some hitherto unplayed Napoleonic wargames rules, I decided that Albuera was perhaps better suited to a second game with some or all of the sets, and began looking for a different scenario, preferably one I haven't gamed before. With my ongoing participation in Jon's Rivoli game, a battle from Napoleon's first Italian campaign seemed attractive. Thus I settled on the Battle of Castiglione
This Map is from https://wikivisually.com/wiki/Castiglione_1796_campaign_order_of_battle
Revised OOB and naps based information provided by Michael:
Castiglione August 1796
1 Infantry - 1,000 1 Cavalry = 600, 1 Artillery = 10 guns
French Army of Italy, Napoleon Bonaparte commanding
Division Massena
Brigade Joubert
3 Light Infantry
Brigade Valette
3 Light Infantry
Brigade Victor
Brigade Rampon
2 Light Infantry
1 Battery
Division Augereau
4 Line Infantry, 1 Battery
Division Despinois
3 Line Infantry
Division Fiorella
4 Line Infantry
Division Kilmaine
2 Grenadier, 2 Chasseurs, 1 Hussar, 1 Dragoon
2 Horse Artillery
TOTAL: 8 Light Inf, 17 Line, 2 Grenadiers, 4 Cavalry, 4 Batteries
(20,000 Inf rising to 27,000 at end of battle, 2400 cavalry, 40 guns)
Austrian Army, FM Dagobert von Wurmser
Right Wing, FML Davidovich
Col Schubirz
1 Jager, 1 Grenz
GM Spiegel
1 Line 1 Grenadier (actually Deutschmeister IR #3), 1 6# Foot Battery
GM Liptay
4 Line Infantry, 1 6# Foot Battery
GM Mittrowsky (2nd Line)
4 Line Infantry, 1 6# Foot battery
Left Wing, FML Sebottendorf
GM Gummer
2 Line Infantry
Col. Piazczek
2 Hussar, 1 Uhlan
1 x 3# Cavalry Battery
2 x 12# Foot Batteries (at Monte Medolano)
TOTAL: 1 Jager, 1 Grenz, 1 “Grenadier”,11 Line, 2 Hussar, 1 Huhlan, 6 Batteries
14,000 Infantry 1800 Cavalry, 60 guns
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Original version:
Finding a good Order of Battle proved much more difficult. The best I could find was this one from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castiglione_1796_campaign_order_of_battle
French Army
- Army of Italy: Napoleon Bonaparte (42,049)
- Division: General of Division André Masséna (15,391)
- Brigade: General of Brigade Barthélemy Catherine Joubert
- Brigade: General of Brigade Antoine La Valette
- Brigade: General of Brigade Antoine-Guillaume Rampon
- Brigade: General of Brigade Claude Perrin Victor
- Brigade: General of Brigade Jean Joseph Magdeleine Pijon
- Brigade: General of Brigade Paul Guillaume
- Division: General of Division Pierre Augereau (5,368)
- Brigade: General of Brigade Martial Beyrand †
- Brigade: General of Brigade Jean Gilles André Robert
- Brigade: General of Brigade Gaspard Amédée Gardanne
- Division: General of Division Pierre Francois Sauret (4,462)
- Brigade: General of Brigade Jean Joseph Guieu
- Brigade: General of Brigade Jean-Baptiste Dominique Rusca
- Division: General of Division Jean-Mathieu-Philibert Sérurier vice Pascal Antoine Fiorella (10,521)
- Brigade: General of Brigade Louis Pelletier
- Brigade: General of Brigade Charles François Charton
- Brigade: General of Brigade Emmanuel Gervais de Roergaz de Serviez
- Brigade: General of Brigade Claude Dallemagne
- Division: General of Division Hyacinthe Francois Joseph Despinoy (4,772)
- Brigade: General of Brigade Nicolas Bertin
- Brigade: General of Brigade Jean-Baptiste Cervoni
- Cavalry: General of Division Charles Edward Jennings de Kilmaine (1,535)
- Brigade: General of Brigade Marc Antoine de Beaumont
- Division: General of Division André Masséna (15,391)
Austrian Army
- Austrian Army: Feldmarschall Dagobert von Wurmser (60,690, 98 position and 94 battalion guns)
- Right (I) Column: Feldmarschall-Leutnant Peter Vitus von Quosdanovich (17,621)
- Brigade: General-major Prince Heinrich XV of Reuss-Plauen
- Brigade: General-major Johann Rudolph Sporck
- Brigade: General-major Peter Karl Ott von Bátorkéz
- Brigade: General-major Joseph Ocskay von Ocsko
- 17 battalions (15,272), 13 squadrons (2,349), 24 position guns
- Right-Center (II) Column: Feldmarschall-Leutnant Michael von Melas (14,403)
- Brigade: General-major Peter Gummer
- Brigade: General-major Adam Bajalics von Bajahaza
- Division: Feldmarschallleutnant Karl Philipp Sebottendorf
- Brigade: General-major Franz Nicoletti
- Brigade: General-major Philipp Pittoni von Dannenfeld
- 19 battalions (13,676), 4 squadrons (727), 24 position guns
- Left-Center (III) Column: Feldmarschall-Leutnant Paul Davidovich (9,892)
- Brigade: General-major Anton Ferdinand Mittrowsky
- Brigade: General-major Anton Lipthay de Kisfalud
- Brigade: General-major Leberecht Spiegel
- 11 battalions (8,274), 10 squadrons (1,618), 40 position guns
- Left (IV) Column: Feldmarschall-Leutnant Johann Mészáros von Szoboszló (5,021)
- Brigade: General-major Prince Friedrich Franz Xaver of Hohenzollern-Hechingen
- Brigade: General-major Ferdinand Minckwitz
- 5 battalions (3,949), 7 squadrons (1,072), 10 position guns
- Mantua Garrison: Feldmarschall-Leutnant Joseph Canto d'Irles (13,753)
- Brigade: General-major Gerhard Rosselmini (3,666 in 5 battalions)
- Brigade: General-major Josef Philipp Vukassovich (2,449 in 3 battalions)
- Brigade: Oberst Karl Salisch (1,489 in 6 battalions)
- Brigade: General-major Mathias Rukavina von Boynograd (2,443 in 5 battalions)
- Brigade: Oberst Strurioni (2,298 in 2½ bns)
- Unattached: 434 cavalry in 3½ squadrons, 96 sappers, 701 artillerists
- Right (I) Column: Feldmarschall-Leutnant Peter Vitus von Quosdanovich (17,621)
However, it is completely lacking in any detail as to the kinds of troops contained within each formation. I was able to make a rough approximation from more detailed listings for battles earlier and later in the campaign, but in the end wound up just using what seemed reasoable to me from that data and the contents of my own collection.
I settled on the following somewhat generic OOB, which will have to be further adapted to the rules to be played. In any event, I used the following rough conversion of historical numbers to tabletop units: 1 Infantry unit = 1,000 men, 1 Cavalry unit = 600 men, 1 battery = 8 guns
French Army- Napoleon Bonaparte
Massena 8,000
6 Line Infantry, 2 Legere. 2 Batteries
Augereau 10,000
8 Line Infantry, 2 Legere, 2 Batteries
Despinoy 4,000
4 Line Infantry
Verdier 2,00 Grenadiers
2 Grenadier
Marmont 18 horse artillery
2 batteries
Kilmaine 1500 Cavalry
1 each Chasseur, Dragoon, Hussar
Fiorella 500 dragoons, 5,000 infantry
1 Dragoon, 1 Legere, 4 Line, 1 Battery
TOTAL: 29 infantry, 4 cavalry, 7 artillery
Austrian Army, Dagobert von Wurmser
Melas 8,000 Infantry, 24 guns
1 Light Infantry, 1 Grenadier, 6 Line Infantry, 3 x 6 lber Foot batteries
Sebottendorf 8,000 Infantry, 24 guns
1 Grenz, 1 Grenadier, 6 Line, 3 x 6 lber Foot batteries
Davidovich 7,000 Infantry, 2400 cavalry, 16 guns
1 Light Infantry, 6 Line Infantry, 2 Hussar, 1 Chevau-Leger, 1 Dragoon, 2 x 6 lber Foot batteries
TOTAL: 23 Infantry, 4 cavalry, 8 Artillery
Terrain map, 6 x 9 foot table
Looks good, Peter! Let me check my Castiglione book and see if it contains a more precise OB. I am pretty sure I have seen Castiglione scenarios. Let me look for those too.
ReplyDeleteThat woukld be super, Jon!
DeleteI do have a more precise OB. I will send it on.
DeleteThis all looks rather good and I enjoyed reading how oyu went about creating the OOB and table map:).
ReplyDeleteThanks, Steve. I am going to try to at least set up the table today.
DeleteInteresting scenario. So exciting waiting to find out which rules you will use !
ReplyDeleteYou do know FOB will likely be best anyhow :-)
If I use FoB3 for this secenario at all, it will likelybe the LAST set I use for it. :-)
DeleteImpressive research and background for scenarios, Peter.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dean; I really need a better source for more detailed OOB's, even though I will still convert them to a somewhat more abstract form. I don't worry about the strengths of individual battalions etc, as long as the total numbers of units and general balance of troop types is correct.
DeleteSuperb work - reminds me of some books that I need to pick up.
ReplyDelete...scenario lends itself to FoB3 I would say?
Thanks! It should work well with FoB, and (hopefully) with many other rules sets as well.
DeleteLooking forward to seeing this, Peter. The campaigns in Italy are some of my favorite. I re-read those chapters in Chandler's book over the Fall.
ReplyDeleteLikewise; read them many times myself. I'd love to see Gill tackle these campaigns!
DeleteWondergul campaign and looking forward to your battles Peter. I have a wonderful book on Castiglione I grabbed from Nic at Eureka many, many years ago.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Carlo. I don't suppose that book has anymore detailed information about the Orders of battle?
DeleteThis is the book that has the detailed OB.
DeleteCan't add to your OOB work, your sources are at least as good as mine for the Italian campaigns.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Joe!
DeleteI have gained a new-found interest in Napoleon's Italian campaign through Jonathan's Rivoli game, so will be following this one with keen interest.
ReplyDeleteThe uniforms won't be right (some of the French will be in Bicorne, but carrying 1804 flags, the rest more 1809... and the Austrians in helmets, which is also a 1796 uniform0, but the era is very interesting!
DeletePeter,
ReplyDeleteYou have the Castiglione 1796 book by Bernhard Voykowitsch pub 1998? It covers the campaign timeline and both August 3rd and 5th 1796 battles. I think Amazon has a copy. Michael WR
Will email tonight my finding from the OOB in book.
I will email you tonight
No, but iot looks like I may axquire it given the dearth of useful English language sources! :-)
DeletePeter,
ReplyDeleteJust emailed you with the OOB info I had on hand. Check you inbox. Michael.
Got it! Thanks so much.
DeleteExpect some revisions to the scenario based upon this information!
Disregard my earlier offer!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteExcellent very tempted to try this myself!! :)
ReplyDeleteWait for the revised scenario in the next few days. Meantime, your own rules are high on the play test list!
DeleteWonderful! I will wait thanks!
DeleteWill be interested to see if you can make sense of 321 rules :)
A few slight tweaks since last version six months ago, and I will put 5.1 up on my site shortly. 5.0 had a fairly major change in deleting the closing fire mechanic to speed up play, but we felt it needed a couple of balance tweaks after another six months of playing (mainly decreasing difficulty of charging artillery frontally, which is a hard interaction to balance!).
Let me know when 321, 5.1, is done!
DeleteI look forward to all your developments with this one Peter. Researching and compiling the orders of battle, map and other scenario information is a bit part of the interest and enjoyment for mine.
ReplyDeleteI can second Michael's mention of Bernhard Voykowitsch's book (not that that is needed, plus Michael's blog is a fabulous source in itself!). Voykowitsch is good for events from early June to immediately after Castiglione. In the intro. he tells of his grand plans to go through the entire campaign, but sadly this was the only one published (to my knowledge). You have Boycott-Brown's 'Road to Rivoli', yes?
Regards, James
I agree with you, James; I enjoy developing scenarios, although it can be time consuming. Yes. I have Road to Rivoli. It is good for narrative and background, but very lacking in maps and OOB's!
Delete