AAR - The Battle of Coutras, 20 October 1587

A few of the Rejects got together to do another playtest my French Wars of Religion rules.  This slightly amended version of the rules was put through its paces with the Battle of Coutras, 20th October 1587.

Background

The Catholic league had forced the French king, Henry III, to remove all tolerance of Protestants.  The leader of the Huguenots, Henry of Navarre, knew that the league would use the resources of the crown to eliminate the Huguenots.   However, the king resented the league's influence and launched his own campaign against Henry of Navarre, led by his favourite Ann, Duc de Joyeuse.  The royal army consisted of nobles and courtiers unused to the rigours of war.

In moving south, Joyeuse drew closer to Navarre and ordered another Catholic force under the command of Marshal Matignon to join him.  Henry of Navarre marched south and crossed the river Dronne at Coutras to put himself between the converging armies.  He took up a good defensive position.  However, his back was against the river which meant a defeat could be disastrous.

Joyeuse conducted a night march to surprise the Navarre.  However, the Huguenot commander was prepared, having sent out a strong reconnaissance.

The Forces

Royal/Catholic - Army Cohesion Level = 8

Right Wing (bataille) Duc de Joyeuse (Surjit)
Verduissant Pike and Shot regiment quality - 3
Cluseau Pike and Shot regiment quality - 3
6 units of gendarme's quality - 2

Left Wing (avant garde) Lavardin
4 units of gendarme's quality - 3
1 company of Stradiots quality - 2
Tiercellin Pike and Shot regiment quality - 4
Picardy Pike and Shot regiment quality - 4

Huguenot Army - Army Cohesion Level = 8

Left Wing (bataille), Henry of Navarre (Ray)
Artillery quality - 3
3 units of Enfants Perdus quality - 3
4 units of sword and pistol cavalry quality - 4
3 units of arquebusiers quality - 3

Right Wing (avant garde), Tremouille (Steve)
2 units of chevaux legers quality - 3
1 unit of reiters quality - 3
1 unit of arquebusiers quality - 2
2 regiments of Pike and Shot quality - 3
Reserve: 2 regiments of Pike and Shot quality - 2

Victory Conditions
The first army to reach its army cohesion limit will be forced to withdraw. 

Army cohesion points are based on half the number of units in an army.  

The army loses 1 point:

• for each melee lost
• for each unit morale undermined
• for each unit dispersed.

The Battle

The deployment is the historical one.

The Catholic Army has all its cavalry in the centre and the pike and shot infantry on the flanks.  They have no artillery.  Apparently, in the battle, the artillery was so badly deployed that it at no impact at all. 

The Huguenots have skirmishers (enfants perdus) in the Pallard Marsh and infantry in the Warren.  Both of which are difficult for the Catholic troops to cross.  Although the ditch and hedge of the Warren could be forced.  The centre is Henry of Navarre's preferred deployment of cavalry interspersed with arqubusiers in between to fire on approaching enemy gendarmes.

The view along the Huguenot line from the town of Coutras.

The Catholic commander, the Duc de Joyeuse, advanced his whole line.  However, he seemed to have made the decision to not wait for his much better infantry.

The Huguenot commanders were content to sit and wait whilst trying to annoy with artillery fire.  The only movement being the Enfants Perdus in the marsh

The Huguenot army maintained their posture and started swinging the skirmishers round to be able to harass the Catholic flank.  Their artillery fire was desultory.  As it would turn out to be for the whole of the game.

Joyeuse, enjoying good unit activation rolls, continued his advance with his cavalry.

With his infantry lagging behind, Joyeuse positioned his cavalry for contact with the Huguenot light cavalry by the Warren being a focus for attention.

However, the Huguenot commanders proved to be more adept at controlling and taking advantage of the fates; being able to counter Joyeuse action cards, and then playing this one which completely stole the initiative from the Catholic leader and blunted his attack.  This gave the Protestant arquebusiers extra time to pour more lead into the approaching royalist horse, seriously undermining the gendarmes cohesion.

With such an advantage the Huguenot light horse charged the confused gendarmes and sent them hurtling back.

Tremouille maintained discipline in his excitable horsemen.  However, their pursuit just fell short of immediately catching their prey.

Navarre now began to move his sword and pistol cavalry forward to meet the Catholic threat.

Cavalry clashes commenced along the line.

Superior Huguenot cavalry started ripping through the less experienced nobles that made up the Catholic gendarmes in the centre.

Whilst by the Warren, the Royalist cavalry threw back a unit of light horse.  But choosing discretion over valour, Joyeuse retired his victorious horse away from arquebus fire.

Both sides were losing army cohesion as lines creaked, strained and buckled.  However, Joyeuse seemed to be losing it faster than Navarre.

The centre saw a gendarme unit able to outflank an unsuspecting Huguenot cavalry, take advantage of an out of command and confused light horse unit and charge infantry and cavalry close to Coutras.  Perhaps Joyeuse can inflict significant damage to Huguenot hopes?

And so he does.  However, the valiant efforts of Joyeuse are too late.  Time is the ultimate enemy which draws the battle to an end.

The think bubble shows the melee which allowed a rule clarification to be ironed out.

Result

Each side had an army cohesion level of 8.  The Huguenots lost 4, but the Catholic had lost 7!  Navarre and Tremouille were declared the winners.

Historical Outcome

The actual battle saw the the Catholic infantry held at the Warren, and failing to advance at all across the Pallard Marsh.  Joyeuse threw his gendarmes at the Huguenot line.  They found their cohesion undermined by the arquebus fire and the superior sword and pistol tactics of Navarre's cavalry against the old fashioned lance armed gendarmes.  Joyeuse was killed and the Huguenots won their first major battle of the wars.

Conclusions

I guess the greatest praise is when the loser declares how much he enjoyed the game and the way the rules played. Both sides said they enjoyed the turn sequence and the decision making involved with the bidding and action cards.

There was the opportunity to clarify an aspect of the charge moves.  One which was about charge and terrain in context, which was always going to be an umpire call.  The other was about ensuring that charge ranges are applied at the start of charges, not applied by changes during.

The army cohesion worked well with the sides emptying their little bags of poker chips and handing them to me.  These bags were kept out of sight of the opposition so neither side could be certain of the other side's army cohesion level.  This was inspired by feedback from Keith at Bydand and it worked like a charm.

If I was to play this battle again, I would probably improve the quality of Joyeuse's cavalry.  It was interesting that Surjit did not advance in a more measured fashion in order to allow his superior infantry to play a part.

One really good idea that arose from the game was the notion that a side loses an army cohesion level when a certain proportion of its army is out of command radius.  I am looking at this, proportions etc., and how to implement for the next game.

Figures: Irregular Miniatures
Buildings: Brigade Models