A bit of a backstory to the Saxe-Märchen blog so far....
In essence we are building up to a big game (France v Prussia) in a few weeks time, and in the meantime we are going to have a smaller "Wargames Scenario" game between the Reichsarmee Brigade and some Unknown Furriners to try out Maurice Lite - the blogging here is the machinations to all that.
And in the meantime, the painting buildup of British forces is starting. They are based on Age of Reason organisation (like my French). The first British battalion is done but unflagged (centre pic, and there are 3 brigades now nearly based as follows:
- Centre of pic - British brigade, 3 line battalions, 1 fusilier
- Right - Hanoverian Brigade - 4 line battalions.
- Far right - Mixed Brigade - 2 Highlander battalions, 2 Legion Brtittanque battalions
- At the far rear is teh fisrt battalion of the German forces (Hessians, Brunswickers etc)
On the left is the start of the cavalry brigades, as follows:
Front - Hanoverian Garde du Corps and Grenadiers (1 squadron each). To be joined by British Dragoons and Brunswicker heavies.
- Centre - Royal North British Dragoons. To be joined by 2 more German Dragoon regiments
- Rear - British Light Dragoons - to be joined by 2 German Hussar regiments
On the front are 3 of 4 Light infantry detachments, and 2 of 3 planned combined Grenadier battalions.
Not shown are 2 Heavy Guns and 4 Medium Guns.
We are also awaiting drafts of Officers, Standard bearers and Musicians.
"Oh. Ah, Soubise told me he is assigning the Hohenzollern Kurassiers to you. There are 61 different states in their 2 squadrons. Wants you to lick 'em into shape. Byeee...must dash"
(When Soubise's army invaded Saxony, the thin Prussian forces scuttled away, Frederick had to make haste from the other side of Prussia.)
Leopold, commander of the Saxe-Märchen contingent, galloped up to the Comte de Syrah as the Reichsarmee Brigade marched up the North road. The cavalry was already a few hours gone to clear the way, and now the infantry battalions stretched in marching columns along the road, interspersed with guns, supplies, coaches of officers' mistreses and waggons loaded with everything including the kitchen sinks.
"So what is going on? - why North to the Hessian lands - Saxony is due North-East, surely"
Leopold was merely repeating word for word what Werther had asked him a while earlier.
"Well, I had a word with (Le Duc de) Pinotage last night" said the Comte de Syrah, "and its all very, well, confusing. Apparently, Soubise's main army - which moved off some days ago - found the countryside abandoned, the Prussian garrisons were ordered to send off the artillery and stores, to blow up any suitable works, and to join the "Britannic Army of Observation" which is apparently now assembling to the North. This army is under British pay and consists of various stripes of Hanoverians, Brunswickers, Bückeburgers, Hessians and Sachsen-Gothaers".
"I see - but what has this to do with us - why are we being sent to go stomping around up in the Hessian heart-and-hat lands?" Leopold was brave, energetic, and a fine figure of an officer, but without Werther he found the not-totally-obvious slipped tenuosly from his mental grasp.
"Well, Soubise is concerned as he doesn't know what this army will do, and he doesn't know what the Prussians are really up to. So, he has ordered the Corps du Vin to screen his main army from all this lot - until he hears from Richelieu about what is happeneing to the other invasion , of Hanover itself. And we have in turn been ordered to screen the Corps du Vin on its North West flank, by grabbing some strateghic river crossings - so here we are....."
"The other Invasion?"
"Ah, yes....You would not have known - another French army is due to invade Hanover from the Low Countries as well, with various Reichs armee contingents joining it too. It was actually a toss-up as to which army the Saxe-Märchen contingent would join, but it was decided you would come with us and then join the other Reichsarmee units against Prussia."
"Sir! Sir! Young Werther ran up to the Comte de Syrah, who was taking a walk with his mistress, the lovely Lady Charlotte.
"Yes?"
"Orders from the Duc de Pinotage Sir, we are to move the ReichsArmee Brigade out in the morning, due North and to occupy the key bridges over the Vielenfisch River between Bad Salz and Pfeffernussenkirchen, and interdict all traffic on it, making sure no supplies get to Prussia. Also, we are to make sure that no Prussian spies pass through the area"
This came out as a single stream of words. Werther gulped a breath
"And sir, the Duc said that we were to take the Sarkozy Hussars. Arquebusiers de Bergerac and Malthus's Dragoons with us to demonstrate towards Hesse Fedora, whatever that means"
"I see. Thank you Werther. Can you go and tell your Uncle Leopold to make ready, and then tell Malthus to get all the cavalry saddled up, and the Arquebusiers to make ready. We will move out at Nine onto the North road, cavalry first. I will tell the Batalion Valais myself."
"Yessir. Will we see any action Sir"?
"Maybe, young Werther, maybe. But lets cross that bridge when we come to it. Aha aha...cross that bridge"
"Very Good Sir! Anything Else Sir"
"No Werther, go and tell the others"
"Are all your aides as keen?" asked the Lady Charlotte as Werther ran off into the distance.
"In fact, Werther is a bit of a dreamer" said Le Comte "I'll go and check with Pinotage later that we got the full message".
"Well, he seems to interrupt you an awful lot when I'm with you" thought the Lady Charlotte, a small smile playing on her lips......
Dancing the Minuet - an essential part of a French Officer's life!
On the French Army in the Seven Years war
"...there was no discipline, no subordination, no order on the march, in the camp, or even on the battlefield. The very subalterns had their mistresses with them, and the officers left their men to accompany them on their march in their carriages. Everything that could contribute to the luxury of the officers was found in the French camp..... Balls were given in camp, and officers left their post to dance the minuet."
The Saxe-Märchen contengent are loving camp life......
The Disposition of the Corps du Vin,spring 1757 - Saxe-Märchen forces in dark blue, other Imagi-Nation regiments in light blue
“Gentlemen” said the Duc de Pinotage “I have gathered you into the Big Tent to tell you about our orders from Marechald de Soubise, and thus the disposition of or forces.”
The big tent contained all the notables of the Corps du Vin and it’s ReichsArmee contingent - the Marechals, Brigadiers, Inhabers and various staff worthies. The Duc unveiled a large diagram on a board, and everyone craned their necks to see it:
“I have organised the force like this – I have two French brigades, made up of battalions as follows. On the right, the Brigade Champagne, comprising of the battalions from the Champagne, Medoc, Royal Italian and the new Beaujolais battalion. In the Centre, Brigade Touraine,comprising of battalions of the Touraine, Provence, Perigord and Alsace regiments. A third French brigade, mainly of militia, is due to reinforce us later to cover our lines of communications”
Murmerings and mutterings of precedence arose, but the Duc had broadly got it right.
“On the left in this campaig is the Reichsarmee Brigade; comprising of the two Saxe Marchen battalions, the Kreis Regt Mosel, and the Swiss Battalion Valais, which will be the senior battalion”
(And probably the only one that can fight, thought the Comte de Syrah, who had accompanied them all the way down the Fluss to their base here……)
Leopold, younger brother of the Duke of Saxe-Märchen and theoretically the commander of their forces, woke up from his hangover doze (darn, these French parties were good) at the mention of Saxe Märchen, saw that the Saxe Märchen forces were in the 2nd line, and that someone else would be commanding the brigade, briefly felt his honour slighted, quickly realised that the 2nd line meant less danger to his person, and no damage at all to pursuing les liasions dangereuse with the ladies of the French camp, and closed his eyes again.
“I have split the cavalry into 2 commands”, continued the Duc – the ChevauLegere Brigade comprising the Chevaulegers Bourgogne, Fleurie and Royal Rousillon,and the Dragoon Brigade, comprising the Languedoc and Schomberg dragoons,and the Saxe Märchen Malthus Leib-Dragoner Regiment. In reserve are the Grenadiers Royaux de Chantilly, the combined grenadiers of all the Reichsarmee regiments, and a Heavy Cavalry regiment, the Gendarmes d’Anjou.
More murmering, especially that Gendarmes had been attached to the command.
“The Volontaires de Fischer have been attached to us, and I have combined them, the Sarkozy Hussars, and the Arquebusiers de Bergerac into a Light brigade, they will be responsible for scouting and seizing forward positions”
“And seizing the Prussian women before we get there” grumbled the Royal Roussilon cavalry commander, who considered this sort of thing his droit de signeur and a perk of the job.
“Soubise's plan isthat the main army will be pressing into Saxony , the orders for our Corps are to move out earlier and demonstrate on the Northern flank and so prevent any surprises from that quarter, and also seize major crossing and towns to deny the Prussians any logistical support from thereabouts”
At that, the most superb moustache in the Corps twitched agitatedly, as its owner exploded
“Bah – Effort mit dis Axe inter Otter Vase!" harrumphed the gruff Graf Malthus “Votter fokk iss diss “Demonstrate, In myday ve found der fokkers undt ve charged dem undt ve killt dem undtil dey voss all dedt”
“You What?
“He means he fought with de Saxe, and, er, they would seek out the enemy and try to destroy them where they found them“ said Young Werther helpfully, waking up from his own romantic daydreams about the lovely Charlotte, mistress of the Comte de Syrah..
“And who are you?” asked the Duc
“Furst Werther, sir, son of the Duke of Saxe Marchen”
“Ah - well, you look like a smart young chap – I’ll put you on my staff, you can be my Liaison with the ReichsBrigade – and the Graf’s dragoons.” Said the Duc. "Speak to the Comte, he’ll get you fixed up".
Turning to Graf Malthus then, “I am sure there will be action soon enough, Herr Graf” said the Duc soothingly, ”I can’t see the Prussians - or even the Hanoverians – letting us get away for long with strangling the supply routes from the Northwest.”
The moustache, still bristly, stilled.
Afterwards,the Duc and the Comte de Syrah were comparing notes:
“That briefing went as well as could be expected, Syrah, but what about that old moustachioed firebrand Malthus”
“Well Pinotage, It did occur to me we could do with having a force of our own, to “demonstrate” on our own exposed flank as it were, and all these tinpot Germans could do that, and get some bloody experience at the same time. At the worst we get to hear the Prussian guns going off earlier and have more time to get sorted out, at best this lot actually do some of the fighting and save French lives”
"Excellent idea, Syrah - and why don't you command it - get you out of all the logistics nonsense and into action again, I'll bet you are itching for that, eh, eh?
Syrah actually rather liked Logistics - as Marechal des Logis you have the power of saying "no" over the field generals,which meant favours owed, and staying comfortably in camp with your mistress (and theirs).....
"Erm, that's a great honour sir, but - who will look after logistics"
"Who indeed", said Pinotage - "maybe Brigadier Minion needs a chance at it, he is always whining about how things could be done better.Yes, Minion is the man.You command the damn Germans, take that young chapWerther in your staff to translate for you."
Syrah wondered how he was going to explain this new twist to his mistress, the lovely Charlotte.
Arquebusiers de Bergerac en route to their new bases
The buildup of the French army continues, the Arquebusiers de Bergerac (from St Maurice) moved through Saxe-Märchen this last weekend, en route to join the Corps du Vin. (see above, in pokalems and with jackets packed)
This has led to a certain amount of unease - a large body of armed men moving throught the Duchy, and with Saxe-Märchen's own main forces elsewhere, who shall protect Saxe-Märchen?
In the event the Duke's Garde du Corps squadron was mustered to escort them, but this just highlighted that Saxe-Märchen had nothing to defend itself with.
"We should start to call up the Schonberg regiment, sire"
"Bah - that's far too expensive, all we need is a few cavalry and Gendarmes"
"Well, we could always ask for volunteers among the wealthier young blades to serve as cavalry, give them something to do and a dandy uniform, make em serve for nothing - a Free Corps ahaha"
"Sire, that is not quite what Free Corps means"
"Why not, keep em out all teh taverns - and God knows there are enough hunters and mountain men in the GrimmWald and Sonneberg to set up one of these new-fangled Jäger units - couple of Thalers a year for service when necessary. Yes, the GrimmWald Jägers has a ring to it"
"Very good sire, but we do need some form of regular force just in case we need to deploy quickly. The Bergerac were friendly, imagine if they were not! And most of the field artillery went with the French force"
The argument is carrying on, and on. The Duke is caught between the twin desires to to keep his pockets full and his arse safe...
