Hougamont After Action Report

The Scenario

This is the third of our Waterloo scenario games - this time we started on the battle proper with Hougamont. As you will see from the pictures we went for a stylised Chateau using a more generic farm and some gardens.



Hougamont scenario 

The Battle

The scene was set with Allied troops in defence and the French massed to attack the Chateau in force. It featured a relatively rare massed attack in column as the French were shielded from the main Allied artillery

The French left

The British left 

The attack on Hougamont

The initial attack on Hougamont proved swift and pretty deadly. The columns pressed forward scattering the skirmishers and crashing into both the Guards and Germans with great initial success. The sheer weight of 2 full brigades breaching the defences.

The French initial attack

 The French then pressed forward across the line with cavalry on the left and infantry on the right.
After the fierce struggle in the centre the French secured Hougamont, but the troops were spent, so precious reinforcements were needed to secure the gains.

Hougamont secured

The French cavalry though met with much less success. They advanced smartly expecting to brush aside  the British hussars and fall upon the Allied lines. However great élan, and supporting fire from the Guards, the Hussars routed two regiments of French and went on to capture a gun battery. However in true British cavalry style they over-did things and end-up isolated in the French rear and eventually cornered.

Eek - the guns are lost

British cavalry over-extended again

On the French right the British launched a spoiling attack against the wary French advance. Some deadly shooting a suspect Hanoverian morale meant this was short-lived though

The thin blue line

 As the end of the game approached a draw was declared. The French held the chateau but lacked the strength to assault the ridge and the Allied troops were of too low a quality to assault Hougamont

Reflections

The initial attack was a great success with a flawless assault and fairly low casualties. However clearing the  chateau of the remaining defenders (and reinforcements) severely depleted the French. In the end the reinforcements were needed to hold the gains leaving nothing to assault the ridge. The unexpected success of the British Hussars also denied the French any chance of out flanking the British right flank.