Second Republic to Empire Game

[Rob Herrick]

I am also interested in a RtE for 15mm. All of my collection is in 15mm, and while optimized for another system, it's a whole lot easier to add 20 figures to an existing unit than to start from scratch!

[barr7430]

Robert,

whatever size your units are I am almost certain you would not have to add anything like 20 figures per unit. Even if they are currently 12 figures each, adding between 4 and 8 would suffice.

[Rob Herrick]

Robert,

whatever size your units are I am almost certain you would not have to add anything like 20 figures per unit. Even if they are currently 12 figures each, adding between 4 and 8 would suffice.

It's more a case of moving from a brigade scale game (with 24 figures to a brigade) to a battalion/squadron scale game, and being interested in a period where the French and the Italians had numerical superiority.

Eugene had some monster battalions and squadrons in Italy as late as 1814; most French battalions had between 700-1200 men, and many of his cavalry squadrons were 150-200 men. The only parts of the army that were really understrength were some of the Italian battalions, and even then they were ~500 men each.

It's kind of odd, the French having larger battalions than the Austrians, but that's what Nafziger's data seems to show!

The upside is that when I get done with them, the heterogeneous mix of a French 1813-1814 battalion (especially in a subsidiary theater) looks really good.

[barr7430]

French battalions of 1200 .. that means companies of 200...

is that really true.... establishement strengths were more in the region of 120.. why so big here?

thanks

[Rob Herrick]

French battalions of 1200 .. that means companies of 200...

is that really true.... establishement strengths were more in the region of 120.. why so big here?

thanks

That is what Nafziger's orders of battle consistently show, both in the online collection and his excellent The Defense of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Northern Italy, 1813-1814.

For example, the 2nd Division, 1 January 1814:
2nd Division: Général de division Rouyer

Brigade: Général de brigade Schmitz
1/9th Line Regiment (26/9l9)
2/9th Line Regiment (22/876)
3/9th Line Regiment (21/471)
Artillery Co/9th Line Regiment (2/54)
28th Demi-brigade provisoire
6/52nd Line (21/1,0l0)
6/67th Line (21/1,042)

Brigade: Général de brigade Darnaud
1/35th Line Regiment (24/796)
2/35th Line Regiment (24/796)
3/35th Line Regiment (25/852)
Artillery Co/35th Line regiment (2/43)
1/1st Regiment Etranger (33/659)
2/1st Regiment Etranger (18/646)
3/,4/1st Regiment Etranger (28/619)
Artillery Co/1st Regiment Etranger (2/66)

Artillery:
4/2nd Foot Artillery (2/118)
5/4th Horse Artillery (2/103)
6/10th Principal Train Battalion (0/33)
9th Equippage Militaire (1/52)

The largest battalion in the Armee d'Italie is 3/1st Légère (15/1,319), and the smallest are 1/Regiment of Volunteers (21/255) and 2/Regiment of Volunteers (17/230).

Even the cavalry is pretty strong, with 100-200 man squadrons!

It certainly doesn't hurt that Eugene was a good deal less prolifigate with lives than his stepfather. There are lots of skirmishes, and the potential for some VERY interesting fights (Franco-Italians vs Austrians, Franco-Italians vs Neopolitans, Franco-Italians vs British, etc) but not the kinds of wastage seen up north. Much more like a Seven Years War campaign, though the Mincio was pretty Napoleonic in concept.[/i]