The Battle of Waterloo June 18 1815 Braine l’Aleud - Changing History

Editors Note:

With the two-hundredth and eighth anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, fought on the Sunday 18th June 1815, what better way to commemorate this very significant famous battle than a post from David covering his game, run this month at the club, and focussing on one of the Allied contingents that formed the army commanded by the Duke of Wellington, namely the Dutch-Belgians.  

. . . . . . 

The first army I ever collected in the mid 1980’s was an 1815 Dutch-Belgium one. In my defence, in the club I belonged to then, there were British, Austrian, Prussian and Russian armies and of course, like at any re-enactment, pot loads of French with a weighty Guard component. I wanted to collect something different, so, because of my love of Waterloo, Dutch-Belgians it was. 

What I hadn’t realised in my naivety was that you fielded your own army in the club games, so I was soundly thrashed every time I took to the field. Not surprising as we were playing Peter Gilder rules (which I still have a nostalgic soft spot for) which gave a blanket -2 modifier if a Dutch-Belgian unit so much as sneezed. I was very popular with my enemy opponents and most unpopular with my Allies.

Fast forward to the present and the opportunity came to run a Waterloo themed game at DWG. I had already dusted off my Brunswickers in a previous game, Engagement at Genappe - Seig oder Tod! (link below).

Devon Wargames Group - Seig Oder Tod!.html

So I decided to let the Dutch-Belgian’s loose and see what happened.

There was no getting away from the fact that Dutch-Belgian troops were more B.S. than sliced bread. They were raw and supplied with whatever firearms were left in the arsenal. 

Their officers, however, were another matter. Take Luitenant-Generaal Baron David Hendrik Chassé for example. Chassé served in the army from the age of 10, first in the Dutch army and from 1788 in the French army, eventually fighting in Spain at Talavera and being made a général de brigade under, of all people, Jean-Baptiste Drouet, Comte d'Erlon. He fought at the battle of Vitoria and the battle of Maya and so distinguished himself that Napoleon affectionately named him “général baionette" for his fondness of the bayonet charge. 

Fighting underway around Braine l’Aleud, Jerome's French VI Division v Chassé's 3rd Netherlands Division

Or the much-maligned Generaal-Majoor Albert Trip van Zoudtlandt, who led the three Carabinier regiments at Waterloo. He entered the service of the Dutch Republic in 1791, as a cadet in an infantry regiment but soon changed to the cavalry becoming a commander of a regiment of cuirassiers. 

On the amalgamation of the Dutch Army into the Imperial French Army Trip's regiment became the 14th Cuirassier Regiment. With this regiment Trip took part in the French invasion of Russia in 1812. His regiment distinguished itself at the Battle of Berezina, during the harrowing retreat of the French army from Moscow. Trip also took part in the final campaigns of Napoleon and distinguished himself again at the battle of Leipzig. 

It wasn’t only the high-ranking officers who commanded respect. Luitenant-Kolonel Wijlbrandis Augustus de Jongh, who commanded the 8th National Militia at Quatre Bras was severely wounded but ordered his staff to tie him to the saddle so he could stay with his battalion. These men demanded respect and must have generated considerable fear. Their very presence must have strengthened the resolve of the raw recruits, and it was this I wanted to test in this scenario. Could a poorly equipped raw force commanded by such officers as these stand up to a professional, experienced French Army.

I had some guiding advice from Nigel Marsh, the designer of the excellent computer moderated game Carnage & Glory. Allow ten units for each playing hour e.g. a game with thirty units would last about three hours, and make sure the sides are in effective artillery range of each other. Following this simple rule of thumb, with 34 units on the board and the players still getting used to the rules, the game lasted just over four hours and we got a result.

So having got the game length sorted, would the inspirational elan of the Dutch-Belgian commanders be enough to offset the more than questionable quality of their troops?

The scenario would be set around the village of Braine l’Aleud on the extreme west flank of the Allied army at Waterloo. It was the position taken up by Chassé’s division on the day of the battle. 

A French Division under Prince Jérôme Bonaparte would advance up the hidden valley to the west of Hougoumont and fall on the Dutch-Belgian position around Braine l’Aleud. 

During the game various routing Allied units would enter from the direction of Hougoumont, culminating in the Coldstream Guards (not routing, but ‘called away’) and finally the Old Guard would make their appearance to provide the coup de grace. 

Would the Dutch-Belgians last until the arrival of the Guard, thus gaining a moral victory, or would they yet again get a sound thrashing.

Advance of the French right

I used the excellent Ferraris map to make up the playing area and was pleasantly surprised to see that there were defensible positions as well as a potential strong point in the Church and graveyard of Braine l’Aleud. The valley to the west of Hougoumont was clearly marked as were the hedge lines and a small wood.

https://maps.arcanum.com/en/map/belgium-1777/?layers=37&bbox=473149.9823995092%2C6589064.735119662%2C498928.3701886849%2C6598026.976686099

The players received the following briefs and orders of battle.

TERRAINE – Pasture and arable with gentle slopes.

BRAINE l’ALEUD – Stone BUA with one stronghold, Max D.F.8. Present D.F.2. S.N.12

WOOD – Medium Cover

TREE LINE – Soft Cover and blocks LOS

HEDGES – Soft Cover and impassable to Cavalry and Artillery

VISIBILITY – Woods and BUA; 100mm and 40mm from their edge to units outside of them.

RIVER – No effect on Infantry movement; Difficult Terrain for Cavalry and Artillery unless crossing by ford to the west.

ROADS – No effect

d'Aubreme Brigade in front of Braine L'Alleud 

Général de Division Prince Jérôme Bonaparte

Having advanced along the hidden valley to the west of Château Goumont fall upon the enemy located in and around Braine l’Aleud.

VI DIV 1e CORPS

Général de Division Prince Jérôme Bonaparte

2e Companie 2e d'Artillerie a Pied (2x6lb 1x Med How.)

1er BDE Général de Brigade Baron Pierre-Francois Bauduine

1er Bn 1ére Régiment de Légère

2e Bn 1ére Régiment de Légère

1er Bn 3e Régiment de Ligne

2e Bn 3e Régiment de Ligne

3e Bn 3e Régiment de Ligne

4e Bn 3e Régiment de Ligne

2e BDE Général de Brigade Baron Jean-Louis Soye

1er Bn 1ére Régiment de Ligne

2e Bn 1ére Régiment de Ligne

3e Bn 1ére Régiment de Ligne

1er Bn 2e Régiment de Ligne

2e Bn 2e Régiment de Ligne

IIe CAVALRY DIV Général de Division Comte de Piré

2e Companie 4e d'Artillerie a Cheval (2x6lb)

1er BDE Général de Brigade Baron Huber

1er Régiment de Chasseurs-à-Cheval

6e Régiment de Hussars

2e BDE Général de Brigade Francois-Isidore Wathiez

5e Régt de Chevaux-légers (Lanciers)

4e Régiment de Hussars

DB occupy Braine L'Alleud

Luitenant-Generaal Baron David Hendrik Chassé

You are charged with protecting the right flank of the Allied Army and provide support when required. Your men may be inexperienced in battle but their resolve with be greatly strengthened by their officer’s Elan and Leadership.

3rd Netherlands Division

Luitenant-Generaal Baron David Hendrik Chassé

1st BDE Kolonel Hendrik Detmers

Bataljon jagers No. 35

Bataljon Infanterie van linie No. 2

Bataljon Nationale Militie No. 4

Bataljon Nationale Militie No. 6

Bataljon Nationale Militie No. 17

Batterij rijdende artillerie (H.A.) 2x6 pdr gun, 1xMed howitzer

2nd BDE Generaal-Majoor Alexander d'Aubremé

Bataljon jagers No. 36

Bataljon Infanterie van linie No. 3

Bataljon Infanterie van linie No. 13

Bataljon Nationale Militie No. 3

Batterij artillerie te voet (F.A.) 2x6 pdr gun, 1x Med howitzer

BRIGADE ZWARE CAVALERIE Generaal-Majoor Albert Trip van Zoudtlandt

Regiment karabiniers No. 1

Regiment karabiniers No. 2

Regiment karabiniers No. 3

INDEPENDENT UNIT Luitenant-Kolonel Ignance Louis, Baron Duvivier

Regiment huzaren No. 8

Dutch battery charged 

Because of the closeness of the setup, things got going pretty quickly. Both French infantry brigades threw out skirmishers and started their advance, slowly pushing back the Dutch-Belgian skirmish line There was already consternation in the Dutch-Belgian ranks.

‘There’re thousands of ‘em.’

‘Look to your front. Mark your target when it comes’. (Okay, wrong movie but massed French columns do look very daunting)

Fire-fight 

A cry of ‘Charge the guns’ rang out (right movie this time) and the 4th Hussars lead by Général de Brigade Francois-Isidore Wathiez, thundered towards the Dutch foot battery. With the war-torn features of Kolonel Hendrik Detmers looking on, they unhurriedly loaded their pieces with double canister.

Much scorn was heaped on Wathiez for the naivety of such a tactical blunder, which quickly turned to admiration for such an audacious manoeuvre when the cavalry charged home despite severe loses, which in turn changed to disbelief when the Dutch gunners stood their ground, forcing the 4th Hussars to retire and reform. A case of Dutch courage, perhaps.

French centre advances

The cavalry Divisional Commander, Comte de Piré, attempted to turn the Dutch-Belgian right flank, but repeated charges and counter charges by the Carabinieres lead by the much-maligned Generaal-Majoor Albert Trip van Zoudtlandt, kept them at bay, forcing them to retire and reform, much to Piré’s frustration.

French right outflanking manoeuvre

The French right, under Général de Brigade Baron Jean-Louis Soye, were slowly pressing forward past the tree line, but suffering from nagging skirmish fire from the 36th Jagers and the unwelcome attention of d'Aubremé Foot Battery, deployed on the high ground to the Southeast of Braine l’Aleud. d'Aubremé Brigade had formed a defensive line in front of the village. 

That’s when ‘bad things’ started to happen. From nowhere it seemed, a routing mob of soldiers in black streamed from the direction of Hougoumont and headed towards his position. He considered rallying them but was reluctant to move far from his Brigade. ‘Let them go,’ he thought. If Hougoumont fell, he was going to have his work cut out.

Pire's Division

Pressure was building on the Dutch-Belgian line as it started to become heavily engaged with units from Bauduine’s Brigade who had pushed through the woods. A close-range musketry battle developed with neither side having the will to go in with the cold steel. 

Pire tries to turn Dutch-Belgian right flank

Suddenly the stalemate broke and 3e and 4e Bn of the Régiment de Ligne charged the Dutch Horse Battery. They looked around for the reassuring presence of Kolonel Hendrik Detmers but he had disappeared and pretty soon, so had they. Their 'Dutch Courage' had deserted them, and they fled to the rear. Lacking gun support and despite Trip’s strenuous efforts, the Carabinier Brigade was at last driven back by Baron Huber’s Light Cavalry. 

Soye's Brigade

Detmers brigade was also losing the musketry duel and the Dutch-Belgian line was starting to crumble. On the Dutch-Belgian left, despite routing two battalions of the 2e Régiment de Ligne, d'Aubremés Brigade was being forced back into Braine l’Aleud. They had also lost the 36th Jagers who had become isolated engaging the French Divisional Battery. Added to this, there was now a stream of Allied routed troops flowing around his position. 

One last charge and the Dutch-Belgian line would be swept away. Detmers took up his position behind his battered Brigade, to his front, the 8th National Militia, their Lieutenant-Colonel, Wijlbrandis Augustus de Jongh, still tied to his saddle. Two Battalions of Bauduine’s Brigade lowered their bayonets and charged the thin blue line (yes, all right). The crashing volley delivered by the 8th Militia routed one unit and halted the other in its tracks. 

To their rear they heard another cry of ‘Charge the Guns’. It was none other than Prince Jérôme Bonaparte. Not having endeared himself to his men, he charged into the wood alone to find that, first, there were no guns, and second, Dutch Belgian hospitality left much to be desired.

D'Aubremé knew that the game was up when none other than a battalion of Coldstream Guards joined the tidal wave engulfing his position. They must have been ‘called away,’ he thought.

La Guard Arrive

And then over the crest, emerging from the smoke of battle, he made out the tall bearskins he knew so well, accompanied by their drums beating the 'Pas de Charge'. The end was fast approaching. But then he heard another sound. It was the band of the 8th National Militia striking up their Regimental March, ‘I’m Still Standing’.

Who says history can’t be changed.

My thanks to Ian, Mike, Gregory, Luke and Ken for playing in such a generous and good humoured way, and for their continued positivity and enthusiasm.

Mat Tiny Wargames

Buildings Hovel

Roads Fat Frank

Figures AB, Minifigs, Battle Honours, Museum Miniatures, Fizzer Johnson