Snappy Nappy Campaign-in-a-Day 2022; Pregame, Turn 4

 Results for the Snappy Nappy 2022 Pre-Game Reconnaissance Turns, Part 4 of 4.

This post includes the mechanical results for each Turn 4 movement  point and the corresponding story piece results with the latter being titled in blue for what the French received, in green for what the Russians received, and in red for what both sides received.

Also, their are associated maps, and these have been coded with colored arrows, 2 Blues and Purple for the French with Red for their spy, 2 Greens and Yellow for the Russians with Orange for their spy.  The following is a list of the units with their corresponding colors on the maps.

For the French ... 

Castex's Chasseurs ... Dark Blue

Corbineaux's Chasseurs ... Medium Blue

Doumerc's/Oudinot's Light Cavalry ... Purple

The French Spy ... Red

For the Russians ...

Kulnieff's Hussars ... Medium Green

Balk's Dragoons ... Light Green

Wittgenstein's Light Cavalry ... Yellow

The Russian Spy ... Orange

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PRE-GAME RECON, TURN FOUR

Movement Point 1 ...

French ...

1.  Castex's Chasseur Scouts in Kochanowichi move to Mushino without incident.

2.  Corbineau's Chasseur Scouts in Disna move to Leonpoul via the the South bank of the Dwina river looking for bridging attempts, find no bridging attempt, as well as a ford at Leonpol that can be passed by cavalry, although infantry and artillery wouldn't be able to cross there.

3.  Doumerc's/Oudinot's Light Cav scouts in Kochanowichi move to Palikusechina-Mumonitschina, and are bounced back to Kochanowichi where they encounter Balk's Dragoon Scouts, a skirmish occurs, 2 dice are rolled for each side's killed and wounded, resulting in the French holding the village.

4.  Spy moves from Drissa to Swolna, finds infantry, cavalry and artillery.

Russian ...

1.  Kulnieffs Hussar Scouts move from Danowiczy to Bieloe without incident.

2.   Balk's Dragoon Scouts move from Drissa to Kochanowichi, and are bounced back after encountering French Light Cavalry scouts, and skirmish occurs with 2 dice rolled for each side's killed and wounded, resulting in the French holding the village.

3.  Wittgenstein's Light Cav Scouts move from Danowiczy to Bieloe without incident.

4.  Spy from Ropna to Gamzelov without incident.

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Story Piece Results ...

Spys At Swolna ...

The three men on horseback reached the T intersection, and took the path that would allow them to get to Swolna.  As they proceeded beyond the connection of those two roads, the light cavalryman who trailed behind Doumerc's Aide De Camp with the anti-Czarist Russian guide out in front of both, heard noise behind them.

As the light cavalry man looked over his shoulder, he let the two ahead of him know of the sounds he heard, and it didn't take the guide long to get them off the trail to one side, and out of sight as best as possible.  Shortly afterwards Russian dragoons were seen coming from Drissa and heading in the direction of the village of Kochanowichi.

Having successfully stayed out of sight, the team of three continued on their journey.  When they arrived at a good distance from the bridge that crossed the Swolna River and into the village there, this time it was the guide who noticed the next group of Russians, and these were infantry guarding the crossing point and spread out along the edge of the river.

It didn't take the Aide De Camp long to motion the group for backing up.  Then after using the same disposition the three had used in the woods at Drissa, out came the Aide De Camp's spy glass, and he was able to locate blue coated Hussars, along with additional cavalry and infantry located in the village of Swolna itself.

However, with very little cover in the area, they decided not to push their luck, and retreated further back down the road from which they came.

The Spy, and the Scouts ...

Filip rode Apostol out to the main road that went between Polotsk and all the way north to Drissa.  As he proceeded north to Gamzelov he couldn't help but notice the amount of foot prints, horse hooves, and even artillery wheel ruts that led north.

When he reached the village of Gamzelov, where the main road leading north and eventually all the way to St. Petersburg was located, it didn't take him long to see that there was almost no traffic going in the direction of Drissa.  Instead, the road traffic that had come before him, and that he'd been observing along the way, it seemed to all pass off and along the road that branched off to the north.

Filip's original plan was to head for Baravucha, but now he wasn't so sure that such was the way to go to find more of the enemy.  Filip pulled out a bit of food for himself and Apostol before finalizing his choice.

Little did he know, but even the Wittgenstein's Light Cavalry scouts, and those from the Grodno Hussars, were also encountering the same kind of tracks heading north as they arrived in Bieloe to rest their horses while they all had their lunch as well.

From "The North Flank of The Russian Campaign in 1812",  by I.B. Storey ...

"Late in the morning, the French cavalry scouts reached Drissa on the south bank of the Dwina to find the bridge that had been burned earlier in July had not been replaced.  And for the moment, there didn't seem to be any Russian activity in the town.  At the same time, from both French and Russian reports, both sides noticed each other, with the French cavalry continuing on toward their goal in the north, and the Russians positioned south of the town being spotted with all the various military branches represented, and closely situated in their encampment.

Meanwhile, French light cavalry scouts descended into Palikuschina, and it wasn't long before a group of Cossacks were encountered near Mamonitschina, yet being backed up with some Russian infantry, the French returned to Kochanowichi accordingly.  However, as the light cavalry arrived, they found that scouts from Balk's dragoons were coming in from the direction of Drissa, and it appears that a sharp skirmish occurred, for both sides reported casualties in their reports on the fighting that occurred within the streets of the village.  The Russians had 6 killed and 4 wounded, the French had 2 killed and 5 wounded, and this brought the retreat of the Russian dragoons back to Drissa."

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Pre-Game Turn 4, Movement Point 2 ...

French ...

1.  Castex's Chasseur Scouts in Mushino to Kochanowichi, and arrive without incident, except to back up the Doumerc's/Oudinot's light cavalry that return here.

2.  Corbineau's Chasseur Scouts stay at Leonpoul establishing a screening position at the ford, and without incident. 

3.  Doumerc's/Oudinot's Light Cav Scouts in Kochanowichi move to Disna, fight a skirmish with Balk's dragoon scouts, are bumped back, and reinforced by Castex's scouts.

4.  Spy moves from Swolna to Wolinizi, and arrive without incident.

Russian ...

1.  Kulnieff's Hussar Scouts from Bielow to Boratchina, encountering an infantry and artillery encampment before going back to Bielow.

2.  Balk's Dragoon Scouts to Kochanowichi, encounter scouts form the 23rd Chasseurs, and are bumped back to Drissa.

3.  Wittgenstein's Light Cav Scouts from Bieloe to Boratchina encountering an infantry and artillery encampment before going back to Bielow.

4.  Spy moves from Gamzelov to Baravucha arrives without incident.

- - - - - -

More Story Piece Results ...

A Skirmish Between Drissa and Kochanowichi ...

Balk's cavalry scouts headed out from Drissa again.  As the dragoons were on the way to Kochanowichi, their captain saw scouts from the 23rd Chasseurs ahead under the mid afternoon sun, and this time blades were drawn, and horses sent into a gallop.

However, the French scouts saw it coming.  Their captain was just as quick with his commands as the Russians had been with theirs, and the clash in the middle was quick and brutal.

Six more Frenchmen died, 3 Russians.  One Chasseur that had been wounded kept himself on his horse, and managed to wound another dragoon, making the Russian total injured at six, although the French captain had enough, and a retreat was ordered.

What remained of Balk's scouts attempted to follow, yet as they and the French neared Kochanowichi, another group of French cavalry scouts had apparently arrived into the village ahead of them all.  It didn't take the Russian captain long to choose giving up the pursuit, and return in the direction they had started.

Pickets at Boratchina ...

It had now been late in the day, and the sunlight was dropping off fast.  The French trooper had been in the saddle for a good while, and everyone was getting tired.

The grizzled captain had led his Hussars up the road, and north towards Boratchina.  The scouts from Wittgenstein's own unit brought up the rear, yet shortly along the ride found the Hussars had halted, and the captain of the light cavalry moved his men off to one side.

Then two captains met, and various pointing begins.  They see infantry and artillery positions silhouetted ahead in the last few minutes of the rapidly dimming daylight, and a good distance away up on the ridge in front of them.

Then French musket shots crack out, and in an uneven line of sound, one after another.  The two captain's heads turn immediately, see one cavalryman fall from his horse, a few more take bullets in arms and legs.

Orders are shouted, and various troopers frantically get their horses into motion again.  Two Hussars are daring enough to drop from their horse to pick up a fallen comrade, put him across one of their own horses, and one takes a bullet through his shoulder.

The grizzled captain takes a last look back towards the ridge they had been viewing, and sees men running here and there, while far off shouting is occurring.  He looks around one more time, and then follows his men into the darkness back towards Bieloe.  

Back at French Headquarters ...

General Doumerc had been operating as Chief of Staff for the last few days, and he had been receiving reports from the various cavalry scouts, which was giving him a good sense of where the Russians were encamped, as well as other information, and of course casualty reports, too.  He cringed for a moment, before shaking the ugliness of war from his mind, and instead back to his professional responsibility.

The cavalry scouts had apparently found significant forces near Drissa, and Swolna.  Beyond that, enemy scouting groups had been encountered multiple times near Disna, had almost caught some Hussars on the bad roads near Danowizcy, and there'd been some skirmishes more recently, plus the pickets taking out a few of those that had gotten as far as Boratchina.

However, the summer sun had returned, and Doumerc wiped his brow again as he viewed the completed second bridge.  Next there were rounds to be made with the various cavalry units under his command, a meeting to be had with Oudinot, and eventually ... he knew there'd be more casualties in the days ahead. 

Back at Russian Headquarters ...

General Wittgenstein was having another lunch under the white awning outside the front of his tent. It had most recently protected him from a summer rain, and as much as it had been from the hot sun that had now returned.

Over the last few days, the notes from the various cavalry scouts had kept coming in for his review.  They had found that the division of Swiss at Disna had now crossed the Dwina River.  And from the newest report said that another French division had already gotten all the way to Boratchina.

There had also been small skirmishes between the Russian scouts with similar enemy groups of cavalry.  Balk's troopers were the most recent, and had to break off from a minor victory when another French group had appeared on the scene, while the Grodno Hussars had nearly got their scouts caught a couple of days ago between the same two French scouting groups on the bad roads near Danowiczy.

So not only had Oudinot's forces not stayed south of the river, but his scouting units had gotten quite close, and the General knew that he would need to start moving his own men into motion soon.

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AFTERWARDS

Somewhere Between Drissa and Polotsk ...

A lone rider, looking more like a Russian farmer than anything else, had brought his mount to a halt as he reached the top of a slight slope well off to the north side of the road.  But the horse didn't look of typical farm stock, and instead the kind of horse that one would issue to a cavalryman. 

As that lone rider sat and watched, three riders were proceeding southeasterly along the road below, and a good distance south of the crest that he'd stopped his horse upon.  The front rider was in Russian peasant dress, and was looking towards him as the middle rider, dressed in a very dark blue overcoat, turned his head wearing a French officer's cockade hat, and then upwards to see the lone rider's position as well.

The trailing third rider, dressed in French cavalry green, stopped his horse, and turned his head to see what the front two riders were looking at.  Then the French officer reigned in his horse, reached for his side pouch, and pulled out his spy glass.

But before the long range viewing piece could be put to the French officer's eye, the lone rider kicked his horse into motion, then turned it quickly, disappeared behind the back side of the hill, and was gone.