Augereau victorious at Pedagiera


The French plan lacked subtlety but its execution was done with elan.

Augereau eschewed an attack on either of the Piedomontese flanks and elected instead to pierce their line in the centre by massing overwhelming force at the decisive point.

In doing so he hoped that the Piedmontese lack of mobility would prevent them from shoring up their position. Clausewitz would later describe the point of the attack as the schwerpunkt  and Boyd the Piedmontese inability to react as the French being inside their OODA loop.

The direction of the French attack would expose them to fire from the Piedmontese battalions entrenched near the tavern and would involve navigating farmland broken up by ploughed fields bound by hedges  and vineyards
Turn 1: Augereau: 'We chop a hole and the rest will follow" 
The 4th and 29th Legere are in the van and deployed in skirmish order. The 4th and 18th Ligne are drawn up behind the skirmish screen in depth in assault columns 

As the French drove forward the attack was in danger of losing cohesion as Piedmontese musketry and the rows of hedges disordered several of the assaulting battalions (I rolled a D^ for each battalion crossing a hedge, on a 1 it became disorderd). Beyrand's chasseurs were exhausted from their overnight approach march and did not benefit from the Elite 4+ rule.


The French skirmishers close with the Piedmontese as the Assault columns navigate the enclosed fields. Fortunately for the French the lack of rain mean they did not get bogged down in the ploughed fields. Green die indictae stamina hits, smoke disorder.

Finally the French ligne began to climb the ridge. Piedmontese infantry moved forward from the reverse slope to give fire but the French officers, sensing the danger, urged their men on. As the Pas de Charge sounded the French closed with the enemy at speed.

Baron Brempt frantically attempted to redeploy to meet the weight of the French attack as his centre buckled. With a staff rating of 7 this proved impossible and the French drove forwards. The trenches by the tavern fell but two battalions manged to get into a position to enfilade the French on the Piedmontese left. Poor musketry (perhaps a premature volley - in the heat of battle it was hard to tell) gave the French the opportunity to deploy an attack column into line and two battalions of Chasseurs to direct their fire at close range into the enemy ranks. This signalled the end for Brempt's command. Everywhere his men were routed. Those that were not killed or wounded fled the field or threw down their weapons and surrendered.

Citezens Caren, Thiriet, Gobe, Blondy, Hubert, Fossard, Bertu, Carre (Fabian), Carre (Jacques), Massarat, Gosset, Dureck, Pineaud didn't know how they'd done it. Marched all night on a mountain road, cold as a witche's tit, and kicked the pasta munchers up the arse. Easier, lads, if you remember what it's all about. These Sardinian bastards can't forgive us because we're free men and they're still in chains. They want us stuck back on the sea shore, starving and dying of fever, and to bring back stinking kings and unholy bishops. The columns will finish them off with the arme blanche, all you have to do is get in close and pick away at them with musket fire. Everyone get plenty of balls? Yes, that's exactly what I mean Fossard. Any questions? Yes, when do we get some fucking leave, how about our back pay, I've got this itch sergeant...

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