Santiago y cierra Espana!

A Blucher-Scharnhorst Campaign in the Peninsula

Pendraken Forum http://www.pendrakenforum.co.uk/ members Nosher and T13a are getting together to fight a second 'virtual' Napoleonic Campaign set in the Peninsula.

The campaign is inspired by and courtesy of http://www.peninsularwar.org/bailen.htm

I am aiming to use my blog to follow the campaign and resulting battle as it develops over the coming weeks.

Putting down the Andalusian Revolt - July 1808

As part of Napoleon's plan to subjugate Spain in 1808, Dupont was sent into Andalucia with 13,000 troops to take Cordoba and Sevilla. Dupont had few veteran troops and as such has been seen as as a force wholly inadequate for undertaking such an important expedition.

Dupont reached Andujar in mid-June to find Andalucia in a state of revolt. Pressing on to Sevilla, his troops ravaged Cordoba despite having taken it virtually unopposed. By this time Spanish insurgents had succeeded in cutting Dupont's lines of supply back to Madrid at the Despenaperros Pass which prompted Dupont to order an immediate withdrawal back to Andujar.

He stayed at Andujar largely inactive for almost a month - time which afforded the Spanish General Castanos to make good use of assembling a 34,000 strong Army of Andalucia.

The Campaign

The French forces under Dupont are outnumbered despite receiving reinforcements of 5,000 men. Undersetimating the Spanish capability, Dupont pressed forward intending to hold a line along the River Guadalquiver.

Buoyed by his superiority in numbers, Castanos forced the crossing and both sides are now vie for favourable battle terms between the towns of Villanueva and Bailen. Villanueva lies 5lm South of the Spanish Map edge on the road exiting F5. Bailen lies 5km North of the French Map edge on the road exiting A6.

The campaign is fought over Map 4, the Peninsula map with the French defending A1-A8 and the Spanish attacking from F1-F8. The towns of Estacia and Arbrancia are in fact villages and are only worth 1VP each.

French Forces 
CinC - Dupont (Paul 'T13a')

I Corps (under Lannes)
1x Elite Infantry, 3x Line Infantry, 1x Heavy Foot Massed Battery

II Corps
1x Elite Infantry, 3x Line Infantry, 1x Medium Foot Massed Battery

III Corps
3x French Model Allied Infantry, 1x Allied Cavalry

IV Corps
3x Other Allied Infantry, 1x Poor Cavalry


Spanish Forces
CinC - Castanos (Paul 'Nosher')

I Corps (under Ballesteros)
3x Regular Infantry, 3x Pronvincial Infantry, 1x Medium Foot Massed Battery

II Corps
3x Regular Infantry, 3x Pronvincial Infantry, 1x Medium Foot Massed Battery

III Corps
2x Elite Infantry, 2x Regular Infantry

Cavalry Corps
1x Heavy Cavalry, 1x Light Cavalry, 2x Irregular Cavalry

+20 points spent on La Guerilla tactics