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Tussle at Teugen-Hausen
A Napoleonic engagement set during the 1809 Danube campaign,
for the Shako rule set.
Introduction
In 1809 the restless Austrian dragon awoke. After months of military
reforms, planning and diplomatic subterfuge, the Austrian army
crossed the Bavarian border on April 10, 1809. Due to combination
of misunderstood intelligence and confusing orders sent to the various
French corps from Marshal Berthier, the French army was spread out
over a wide stretch of the Danube river valley.
At the eastern end of the army, veteran Marshal Louis Davout occupied
the Danube river town of Ratisbonne and the surrounding areas.
Leaving a small garrison under the command of his cousin to defend
this vital crossing, Davout attempted a very tricky maneuver: the
withdrawal of his corps across the front of the main body of the
Austrian army.
The dense terrain of this area served Davout well. Unable to get a
clear picture of the French dispositions in the hilly, forested river
basin, the Austrian army felt its way forward cautiously. Their newly
organized Corps searched out the French, littering small garrisons in
their wake to secure each town, bridge and strategic location.
On the morning of April 19, 1809, Marshal Davout's corps advanced in
four elements. The baggage train and artillery marched down the
Ratisbonne - Abensberg road, and three fighting elements struggled over
the muddy secondary roads on either flank. The Division under General
Saint-Hilaire bumped into the advanced guard elements of Austrian
General Hohenzollern on a ridge between the twin towns of Teugen and
Hausen. French and Austrian forces joined the growing fight throughout
the day.
Terrain
The scenario is played on a 4' x 6' table in 15mm. The map above is
divided into 1' x 1' sections. Expand the table to 6' x 9' and use
1.5' x 1.5' map sections for 25mm play.
Both ridges are Gentle Rises. The larger ridge is mostly covered
with Woods. There are two Streams on the table (from A2 to B4, and
from F1 to F4). There are bridges where the road crosses each stream.
The roads count as Open Ground and give no movement bonus. Units
marching in Column on the Road through the Woods move at Open Ground
rates. The Town Sectors which make up Teugen and Hausen should be
arranged in a 2 x 1 rectangle to form each of the towns.
Order of battle and schedule of arrival
Each group of troops described below has constraints on the orders
they may begin the game under. See the descriptions of individual
units for these constraints. Initial orders for ALL Divisions must
be written before the game begins.
Certain individual units (the Austrian Hussar regiment and the French
8lbr battery) may be assigned to any Division on the table. This
assignment is done when the unit enters the table, not at the
beginning of the game.
Scenario begins at 9:30 AM, and continues until 5:00 PM, with 1/2
hour turns (a total of 15 turns).
Order of entry is as follows:
Setup (9:30 AM)
French
Set up anywhere in map sections A2 or A3, in any formation.
This Division must set up under Attack orders which make the small ridge
their objective.
Marechal Louis Davout, commander of III Corps
(Shako Commander-in-chief)
2 Aides
Chief of staff Compans
(Special rule: Average Inspirational leader, may attach to any
battalion in the Army)
Division commander Saint-Hilaire
(Average Generalship, Average Inspirational, Commands the Lorencez
Brigade only, for game purposes)
Lorencez Brigade (a Shako Division)
in road column, in the following order:
3 Ligne (3 Elite battalions)
Special Rule: All of the 3rd Ligne battalions may deploy as
Skirmishers. If they do so, they may take 4 Kills each before
becoming Broken.
57 Ligne (3 Elite battalions - "The Terrible 57th")
10 Legere (3 Light battalions)
1 Voltigeur skirmisher stand
Austrian
Set up anywhere on the larger ridge in map sections numbered
2 or 3. This Division must set up under Defend orders.
FML Friedrich Hohenzollern, commander of III ArmeeKorps
(the Shako Commander-in-chief)
2 Aides
Division commander FML Vukassovich
(Average Generalship, Average Inspirational)
Brigade commander GM M. Liechtenstein
(Special Rule: Average Inspirational leader, may attach to any
battalion in the Division)
Elements of Vukassovich's Division
3lb Brigade Battery (1 Foot battery)
1st Btn. E. Karl Legion (1 Regular battalion)
3rd Btn. E. Karl Legion (1 Regular battalion)
3lb Grenz Battery (1 Foot battery)
Peterwardeiner Grenz #9 (2 Grenz battalions)
10:00 AM (Turn 2)
French
Enter in Column formation on the road entering the table in map
section A2. This Division must be under Attack orders. The target of
the Attack is up to the controlling player. If it is impossible to get
all of these units onto the table in Turn 2, the remaining units may
follow as space becomes available.
Brigade commander Destabenrath (a Shako Divisional commander)
(Average Generalship, Average Inspirational)
Destabenrath's Brigade (a Shako Division), in road column
72 Ligne (3 Regular battalions)
105 Ligne (3 Regular battalions)
1 Voltigeur skirmisher stand
(Special rule: Up to 1 Regular battalion may deploy as skirmishers)
11:00 AM (Turn 4)
Austrian
Enter in Column formation on the road entering the table in
map section F3. These Divisions must be under Attack orders. The target
of the Attack is up to the controlling player. If it impossible to get
all of these units onto the table in Turn 4, the remaining units may
follow as space becomes available.
12:30 AM (Turn 7)
Austrian
Enter in Column formation on the road entering the table in map
section F3. These Divisions must be under Attack orders. The target
of the Attack is up to the controlling player. If it impossible to
get all of these units onto the table in Turn 7, the remaining
units may follow as space becomes available.
1:30 PM (Turn 9)
Austrian
Enter anywhere on the Austrian base line. This unit may be attached
to any Division on the table. The regiment must move to join the
assigned Division. Once it has joined the assigned Division, it
follows the Division orders normally.
Elements of Vukassovich's Division
E. Ferdinand Hussars #3 (1 Hussar regiment)
2:30 PM (Turn 11)
French
Enter anywhere on the French base line.
8lb baty(1 Foot battery)
(This unit may be attached to any Division on the table. The battery
must move to join the assigned Division. Once it has joined the
assigned Division, it follows the Division orders normally.)
Colonel Seruzier
(Excellent Inspirational horse artillery commander, attached to
the horse artillery battery)
Colonel Seruzier's 6lb horse bty (1 Horse battery)
(This unit is an Army Gun, and so operates independently.)
3:00 PM (Turn 12)
French
These Divisions may enter in one of two ways (both Divisions must use
the same entry option):
- These Divisions may enter in Column formation on the road entering
the table in map section A2. If this option is chosen the Divisions
must enter under Attack orders. The target of the Attack is up to
the controlling player. If it is impossible to enter all of these
units in Turn 12, remaining units may enter the table as space
becomes available.
- These Divisions may be assigned to a Shallow Flank March, entering
the table at the junction of map sections B4 and C4 in any formation.
If this option is chosen, the controlling player must announce their
imminent arrival in the 2:30 PM turn (Turn 11). Roll normally to see
if each Division arrives, adding +1 to the die roll each turn after
Turn 12. If this option is chosen, these Divisions must enter the
table under Attack orders. The target of the Attack is left up to
the controlling player.
Special Rules
The men of Davout's 3rd Corps were the last remnants of the legendary Grande
Armee. This Corps has been preserved from the Peninsula and major
engagements while assigned to garrison Germany. Therefore, their cadre of
seasoned veterans were still intact by the time of this battle. All of the
French Divisions get a +1 on their Divisional Morale to reflect these
troops.
Several other special rules are included in the orders of battle above.
Please read them carefully.
Victory Conditions
| Victory | Condition |
|---|
| French Decisive Victory |
Capture/hold the town of Hausen. |
| French Tactical Victory |
Capture/hold the large ridge. |
| French Marginal Victory |
Break more Austrian Divisions than the French lose. |
| Austrian Marginal Victory |
Break more French Divisions than the Austrians lose. |
| Austrian Tactical Victory |
Drive the French off of the small ridge. |
| Austrian Decisive Victory |
Drive the French back beyond the town of Teugen. |
Historical outcome of the battle.
The French Divisions of Saint-Hilaire and Friant battled three Austrian
Divisions for most of the day in a see-saw battle over the two ridges
between the towns. Both sides felt as though they attacked uphill all day,
due to the unusual arrangement of the two ridges so close together.
Early in the afternoon, the French had lost the small ridge and the
Austrians felt the battle was theirs. Austrians had beat the French in a
stand up fight! But it was not so. The French rallied around Teugen and
attacked again. The daring Colonel Seruzier led his horse artillery
battery into position on the flank of the Austrain line and opened fire
with cannister. Friant's Division appeared, further menacing the Austrian
right flank. The renewed French attack and the surprise at being
flanked by artillery sent the Austrians into a panic. But the battle was
still not over. Austrian Prince Moritz Liechtenstein led the Kaunitz
regiment in a counterattack and the fighting continued until a thunderstorm
put an end to the battle at 5:00 PM.
The Austrians were dejected. They had been unable to break the fighting
spirit of Davout's Third Corps veterans. The French felt themselves the
victors but the battle was, at best, a stalemate.
Conservatism in the Austrian high command led to the withdrawal of
Hohenzollern's Corps further east. As a result, Davout successfully made
contact with the main French army a day later and soon went over to
the offensive.
Painting Guide
Austrian Units
All Artillery
The gunners of the artillery wore a "deer brown" coat with red collars,
cuffs and piping on the turnbacks. Their belts were white as were their
breeches. The carriages of the guns were painted a yellow-ochre and the
metal fittings on the guns were of blackened iron. The barrels of the guns
were polished brass.
Erzherzog Karl Legion
The legion wore a dark brown coat with red facings, collar and cuffs and
decorated with white lace. A black hat with a white feather and white
band (gold for officers) was their headgear. The unit wore blue Hungarian
style breeches with hungarian knots on the thighs and stripes down the
outsides of the legs in yellow and black braided cording. Their belts and
equipment were black. There were no distinctions used to differentiate the
battalions within the Legion.
Grenz Infantry
The Grenz units wore a black shako, a brown coat with facings, cuffs and
collars in the regimental color, and pale blue Hungarian trousers with the
usual hungarian thigh knots and stripe down the legs. Their belts and
equipment were sometimes white, sometimes black.
The Peterwardeiner Grenz (Grenz regiment #9) used a light pike gray
regimental color and yellow buttons.
"German" Infantry
"German" infantry units (as opposed to "Hungarian" infantry) wore a white
jacket, white trousers and knee high black gaiters. The jacket had
turnbacks, collar and cuffs in the regimental color. Some units at this
time were still wearing the leather helmet with its yellow and black crest,
but many had transitioned to the black shako.
The regimental colors and button colors used to distinguish regiments
featured in this scenario are as follows:
| Regimental Name | Number | Facing Color | Button Color |
|---|
| Wenzel Kaunitz | 20 | steel-green | yellow |
| Wurtemmberg | 38 | rose pink | yellow |
| Manfredini | 12 | dark brown | yellow |
| Wurzburg | 23 | poppy-red | white |
| Wenzel Colloredo | 56 | steel-green | yellow |
| Karl Schroder | 7 | dark brown | white |
| Kaiser Franz | 1 | pompadour (dark red) | yellow |
| Lindenau | 29 | pale blue | white |
E. Ferdinand Hussars (Hussar regiment #3)
The Erzherzog Ferdinand Hussars wore dark blue dolman, pelisse and
breeches, a pike gray shako and yellow buttons.
French units
To be completed.
- Foot artillery
- Horse artillery
- Ligne infantry
- 3 Ligne
- 57 Ligne
- 72 Ligne
- 105 Ligne
- 108 Ligne
- 111 Ligne
- 48 Ligne
- 33 Ligne
- Legere Infantry
References
- Crisis on the Danube: Napoleon's Austrian Campaign of 1809, James Arnold.
Paragon House, New York, 1990. ISBN 1-55778-137-0
- Armies and Uniforms: The Napoleonic Wars Part 1, Liliane and Fred Funken.
Prentice-Hall, Inc., New Jersey, 1984. ISBN 0-13-046228-4
- Armies and Uniforms: The Napoleonic Wars Part 2, Liliane and Fred Funken.
Prentice-Hall, Inc., New Jersey, 1984. ISBN 0-13-046224-6
- Austrian Army of the Napoleonic Wars (1): Infantry, Philip
Haythornthwaite. Osprey Men-at-arms Series #176, Osprey Publishing,
London, 1986. ISBN 0-85045-689-4
- Austrian Army of the Napoleonic Wars (2): Cavalry, Philip
Haythornthwaite. Osprey Men-at-arms Series #181, Osprey Publishing,
London, 1986. ISBN 0-85045-726-2
- Austrian Specialist Troops of the Napoleonic Wars, Philip
Haythornthwaite. Osprey Men-at-arms Series #223, Osprey Publishing,
London, 1986. ISBN 0-85045-950-8
Page last updated: January 13, 2003
Copyright ©2003,
William Scarvie
Any advertisements below are placed there by Angelfire, not by me. Companies or links advertised below do not imply my endorsement of these places. For the places I like to visit, please see my Links or Rocketry Links pages.
