Battle of Campo Fomagio

Following on from the success at Cochina, the Austrian forces followd up and the next battle was a division sized action at Campo Formagio.  Both armies were well matched about a division in strength.  II/1 and II/2 infantry regiments, the jaeger battalion and two squadrons each of the light dragoons and Sommerland horse. 

The line infantry saw little action, however the light dragoons and horse squadrons acquitted themselves magnificently as they first repulsed the French attacks and they led the counter attack that secured victory.  The jaegers were split between the two flanks and on the left they participated in a spoiling attack in conjunction with the Austrian Hussars, which although initially successful was driven off by larger French forces.  

However the effect of this intervention was to weaken the French main effort directed at the Austrian right where all their cavalry had been massed.  The Artillery and the Frundsberg LD managed to reach a dominating hill before this wave of horsemen arrived and drove them back in fine style.  The French then threw everything on this flank into the fray and for a moment a breakthrough looked possible as an Austrian infantry battalion routed.  This specific thrust by the French dragoons was ably stopped by the second Austrian battalion supported by the Frundsberg Jaegers.  Meanwhile on Austrian extreme right the French commander launched his light infantry in a spoiling attack, but the Austrian grenadiers and the Frundsberg horse sent them routing back towards the safety of some woods.  Further operations caused the remaining French forces to conduct a fighting a fighting withdrawal

As mentioned in dispatches the Frundsberg Light Dragoons captured General de Brigade Bonadventure as he led the French Hussars into combat,  subsequently General de Brigade Malvent was killed while leading the light infantry against the Austrian grenadiers.  50% command looses seem to be becoming the norm for the French command (perhaps it is the threat of the mobile guillotine that accompanies the French army HQ)

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Note that as play test second cavalry charges were not used to judge the reduction of effect.  If they had been retained then the French defeat would have been quicker and not so certain.  However it did leave some anomalies and for the next game I will test a 50/50 rule of "pursuit" or second charge.  The reason for not making these changes in the AWI rules is the much lower number of cavalry normally involved.

I had hoped to post a map of the deployment, but I'm running a bit behind at present.