La Bataille de Ligny: Another post already? Inconceivable!

First things, well, first things was trying to pin down all the scenario errata. That was more work than I expected. Let me leave that for a follow-up post. But here's my first shot at a setup for the Prussians in the first scenario of Ligny.

The Prussian forces include parts of three brigades of the Prussian I Korps. This forms the right-center of the Prussian line in the battle, holding some of the more defensible village/towns on the western side of the Prussian position. Troops arrived in a bit of a jumble the day before, and no one detangled them on the morning of the 16th, so here they are. 

Prussian brigades were sized somewhere between other armies' brigades and divisions. Their basic pattern was two regiments of infantry (like some other brigades), but then they usually had another regiment of landwehr (essentially militia), some skirmish troops (companies of jaeger and/or schuetzen), and artillery, sometimes even some (again landwehr) cavalry. Three or four of these brigades of infantry, plus several brigades of cavalry and a reserve force of artillery, would make up an armee korps.

Here, the greater part of Generalleutnant von Ziethen's korps is deployed to hold the cluster of villages that make up the town of St Amand. As in many parts of western Europe, the town is composed of several sections, each with its own identity. 

Furthest to the northwest is St Amand Le Hameau ("the hamlet"). It holds one battalion of 2nd Brigade's 28th Infantry Regiment (its fusilier, or light infantry, battalion) and a company of jaegers. The fusiliers (heavily depleted) are holding one of the village's two hexes in general order (spread out as effectively as possible in terrain not suited for regular formations), while the jaegers are in skirmish formation in the cultivated areas that form the outskirts of the village.

Next is the central village, St Amand La Haye ("the hedge"), which is the focus of the scenario. This is being held by a regiment of the 1st Brigade, some rifle companies, and a single battalion of landwehr from the 3rd Brigade that landed off course. As in Le Hameau, some of the infantry are mostly in general order, holding a village hex and a town hex in the center of the town. Two battalions are holding the two walled farms at the south end of La Haye; technically they are in square formation, as that's the best way of describing the all-around defense of buildings like these (called "special structures" in the game). I've not put square markers on them but instead faced the counter fronts toward the gates of each structure, as a reminder that the gates are the only direction from which enemy can try to force their way into the compounds--an ultra-detailed game! Schuetzen and jaegers are again deployed in skirmish formation in the gardens and field on the perimeter of the village. Majorgeneral von Steimetz and his staff are positioned in the rear of the village where they can keep in contact with as much of the brigade as possible.

"Behind" La Haye, on the east side of the Ligny Stream, is the rest of 1st Brigade: a regular infantry regiment, a regiment of landwehr, some more jaegers, a foot artillery battery, and I Korps commander von Ziethen himself. The artillery is limbered, the infantry are all in column, waiting to move wherever they are needed. 

Not visible behind them, clustered near the Windmill of Bussy, is the korps reserve, its 2nd Brigade--the better part of two regiments of infantry, a regiment of landwehr, and some jaegers. One of their fusilier battalions is the beat-up one in Hameau, but the rest are fresh and ready to go. Furst (Prince) von Bluecher, the army commander, is chatting with 2nd Brigade's commander, General Otto Karl Lorenz von Pirch (called "Pirch II" because there was another, more senior officer in the army named Pirch--his brother, Generalmajor Georg Dubislav Ludwig von Pirch I, the commander of II Korps). The prince is not likely to allow von Ziethen to call in this reserve brigade unless the situation in St Amand gets bad. The Prussian center, off to the east, is weak and may need these troops to reinforce it instead. All these troops are in road column, waiting to be directed into combat (or, most likely in reality, fallen out of ranks and sitting or lying about near where they will form up if the drums start beating).

Lastly, south of La Haye is the last of the three villages of St Amand, Le Chateau. This is another jumble of village hexes with one town hex at its center and cultivated area all around. This is held by the better part of the korps' 3rd Brigade: two battalions of infantry and two of landwehr, plus more jaegers and schutzen. The riflemen are all deployed in skirmish order and the other foot in line in the gardens and pastures on the edge of the village, in a vain hope that they can inflict some musketry on passing Frenchmen, Per the scenario's special rules, 3rd Brigade are not allowed to move from their starting positions, and the French are not allowed to fire on or assault them, the idea being that by occupying this village, 3rd Brigade prevents the French from marching through it and simply outflanking St Amand La Haye. During the battle, the battalions of 3rd Brigade were actually fighting troops of another French division than the one that takes part in this scenario.

So the Prussians west of Ligny Stream are hoping to inflict some damage on the attacking French then get relief from the remainder of 1st Brigade and, if necessary, 2nd Brigade. In the historical battle, Bluecher himself led 2nd Brigade troops into La Haye to throw out the French in a spirited charge!

Next time: the French deploy and attack.