Bonaparte in Italy IV: Borghetto

Back in early March the Fencibles played two games based the 1796 battle of Borghetto, where Bonaparte crossed the Mincio River. We were testing Chris Pringle’s scenario of the action. I then went off to ride out a couple Nor’easters on the Maine coast, so this report is posted more than two weeks later.

The first game saw me playing the hapless Austrian commander Beaulieu while Rick commanded my left flank, which would prove to be the Austrian weak point in both games. Jay played Bonaparte with Ken assisting him as Massena and Kilmaine. Below is the view from behind Austrian lines after the first French turn. Mantua and the outlying works are off-camera to the left.

Jay found the cumulative defensive modifiers for attacking a village across a deep river to be deadly.

Jay then made his crossing at a place vulnerable to Austrian counter-attack. I would make a similar error, but worse when we switched sides.

Things began to go wrong on our southern front.

The garrison of Mantua had attempted to bestir themselves but apparently was still forming ranks when the French cavalry cantered through the gates of the unguarded St. George outwork. I didn’t get a shot of this. Up north, the Austrians were thicker on the ground and putting on a better show.

Not so in the south.

The Austrians barely managed having 7 units in supply at game end, and by knocking out two French brigades squeaked out a tie, averting French victory. We played 6 turns in a little under two hours. Losses: French, 7 infantry with 1 run away, and Augereau out of action for some days. Austrian losses were 8 infantry, 1 ran away and 2 cavalry. We broke for dinner.

Afterwards we switched sides and began again. Rick went for a crossing that flanked the southern bridge, profiting from the first game. Ken, commanding opposite him, likewise learned and sent the garrison of Mantua to man the St. George outwork long before the French got near.

I made my northern crossing in a slightly different place than Jay had. My first brigade was chased back across the Mincio. I jammed three more across and sent all of my leaders right behind them.

I got a lesson in risk management.

Rick began bursting out from his bridgehead.

I was too stunned by the pounding I’d been taking to do anything but call for help. Rick noted the works of Mantua were properly manned and decided to swing north and rescue me. I needed rescuing. As it turned out, the Austrian units knocked out by the turn north made the difference.

We won a narrow French victory, based on cutting a lot of Austrians off from their supply lines at game end and having wiped out three Austrian units while losing only one French. The game took about 90 minutes. French losses were 8 infantry, while Austrian losses were 4 infantry with 1 run off and 2 cavalry with 2 run away. But with Augereau and Serurier out of action for some days and Bonaparte laid up for 4 months, I’d have to call it a pyrrhic victory. We enjoyed the game. It does look like this might be “solvable” though it would take more playing to bear this out.

Being a sanguinary player, I appreciate that these scenarios allow you to gain objectives by beating up the other side, in addition to geographic objectives. 

Next up, we play Castiglione this coming Thursday. Stay tuned.