Tactical Map at start of battle
3rd British division have
orders to attack hill
Cavalry brigade have orders to rejoin
division
4th British division have
orders to attack Palencia
7th French division have
orders to hold hill and garrison Palencia
15th Vistula
division have orders to move south and occupy hill
Table at start of battle
Palencia is the town centre right
Road on right leads to Aranda
Road left leads to Valladolid
Road top leads to Burgos
Road south leads to Madrid
3rd British division (top
left) have orders to attack hill
Their cavalry brigade will arrive top
centre at the start of move 5
4th British division
(centre left) have orders to attack Palencia
7th French division (top
right) have orders to hold hill and garrison Palencia
15th Vistula have orders to
move south and occupy hill bottom right
General Picton with 3rd
British division (less detached cavalry brigade)
Top – General Alten with 4th
British (light) division
Bottom – General Cole commander 2nd
British corps
General Darmagnac with 7th
French division, brigade on left is moving to garrison Palencia
General Chasse with 15th Vistula
division marching south through Palencia
Move 1 – 0800 to 0900
Top left – 3rd British
division advance behind an infantry screen
Centre left – British light division
advance behind a mixed cavalry and infantry screen
Centre
right – Vistula division have halted and deployed cavalry in front of Palencia
Top right – 7th French division have
deployed cavalry to slow British advance
Move 2 – 0900 to 1000
Top left – 3rd British
division continue to advance towards hill
Centre left – Light division deploy to
attack Palencia
Centre right – Vistula division
withdraw cavalry, garrison Palencia and deploy artillery
Top right – French complete deployment
and withdraw dragoon brigade
Move 3 – 1000 to 1100
Top left – 3rd division
have formed column of attack and unlimbered artillery
Centre left – Light division have
unlimbered artillery and formed square to protect the guns
Centre right – Polish lancers have
moved to hill on French left to threaten allied advance
Top right – French dragoons have
withdrawn behind infantry support
Move 4 – 1100 to 1200
Top left – 3rd division
have formed column of attack and advance towards hill
Centre left – light division have
moved their hussar brigade to counter Polish lancers
Centre right – Lancers have formed
line and moved to front of hill
Top right – French gunners have caused
first British casualties on leading infantry brigade
Move 5 – 1200 to 1300
Top left – Dragoon brigade has arrived
and moved to the counter French dragoons
Centre left – Light division prepare
to advance
Centre right – Polish gunners fail to
inflict any casualties
Top right – Infantry brigade moves
behind hill to support far right
Move 6 – 1300 to 1400
Top left – infantry approach hill
Centre left – leading rifle brigade
receive casualties but continue to advance
Centre right – Polish gunners continue
to fire on nearest enemy infantry
Top right – Dragoon brigade advance to
disrupt British attack
Move 7 – 1400 to 1500
Top left – Infantry have taken north
end of hill
Centre left – Despite 20% casualties
rifle brigade advance towards Palencia
Centre right – Polish gunners again
fail to hit rifle brigade
Top right – Gunners halt supporting
British brigade, which is shaken
Move 8 – 1500 to 1600
Top left – Infantry driven off hill,
but gunners win counter battery fire
Centre left – Gunners rout infantry
between hill and town
Centre right – One brigade in rout,
garrison shaken having lost skirmish with British Rifles
Top right – One infantry brigade
routed, another is shaken
Move 9 – 1600 to 1700
Conroux orders 8th French corps to break contact
and retreat
Top left – British infantry win fight
for the hill
Centre left – British lose fight for
Palencia and retire shaken
Centre right – Vistula hold their
ground in and around Palencia
Top right – Last French brigade covers
retreat from hill
Table at the end of the battle
Summary
French have to retreat because their
left flank have broken.
The French division have the cavalry
and one infantry brigade to cover the retreat
The Vistula division have beaten off
the light division and hold Palencia
7th French division have lost
400 infantry and 80 gunners.
Three of their four infantry brigade
are in rout and their artillery shaken
15th Vistula division have
lost 160 infantry
All of their brigades are in good
order and they hold their original position
3rd British division have
lost 480 infantry
Two of their three infantry brigades
are in rout
4th Light division have
lost 160 infantry
They have failed to take Palencia and
need to regroup
Casualties on each side have been
relatively light. The allies lost 480
infantry, only 80 of them Spanish. The
French lost 480 infantry, 40 cavalry and abandoned half of their guns, almost
all from the French division. At
nightfall two infantry and one cavalry brigades are in rout, plus the French
gunners.
The result is another minor victory
for the Allies
French Right Flank
Most of the fighting has taken part on
this part of the battlefield
Two French, and one Polish, infantry
brigades are in rout
Only one French brigade remains on the
hill to cover the retreat
The French dragoon brigade is also
available to cover the retreat
Two British infantry brigades are also
in rout
However there are still two infantry
brigades to take the hill
The British dragoons are positioned to
counter the French cavalry
Casualties have been pretty equal on
both sides.
But the British have taken the hill,
which has forced the French to retreat
No comments:
Post a Comment