"Favorite battles of the French Revolutionary Wars" Topic

Just interested to see what battles of these often overlooked conflicts are the favorites to game or read about. Mine are Arcole, Rivoli, Marengo, and Valmy. I've gamed the first three and plan to do the fourth some day.

Don't forget Novi against Suvarov.

Or Trebbia with 20km front. Bigger territory than Wagram.

Hohenlinden

Würtzburg

Not forgetting the Battle of Texel in the winter of 1794-95

Jemappes, Neerwinden, Wattignies and Fleurus.

Lodi, Arcola, Marengo.

Recently gamed Marengo using Age of Eagles. Overly cautious Austrian game play led to a Mexican standoff, which I've never experienced before. Must replay it when our gaming group gets back together with players swapping sides.

Apart from some of those mentioned above, also on my list to fight some time:
Castiglione (1796)
Stockach (1799) – very unusual situation (could be a challenge for scenario design)
Zurich 1 & 2 (1799)
Verona (1799) – possibly the perfect stereotype balanced encounter battle, effectively symmetrical forces on symmetrical terrain;
Magnano (1799) – nice sprawling mobile action.
And a number of interesting smaller actions in Switzerland in 1799.

My list is all from 1796 or 1799 because I've got interested in them from translating Clausewitz's fine histories of those campaigns. The 1796 volume is published:
link

The 1799 volumes are in press for publication in a few months' time (sign up here to be notified):
kansaspress.ku.edu/newsletter

Chris

Bloody Big BATTLES!
groups.io/g/bloodybigbattles
bloodybigbattles.blogspot.com

One more for Novi

FLeurus, Zurich & Hohenlinden

We just played Castiglione (1796) with some rules we've been working on for the past few years. The outnumbered Austrians lost but Davidovitch was able to not only give Massena's command a bloody nose, but to capture Massena himself! Elsewhere they were forced to retire by the fast moving French, with Wurmser unable to efficiently command his scattered army.

Getting "dismayed" by the loss of some terrain features and having his flank turned made it even harder to command, leaving his divisional commanders to obey their own command characteristics. When they saw how the tide was turning around them they opted to keep falling back, and that was it. Orderly withdrawal, though.

Love this period! Ettlingen and Genola were also fun with some interesting decisions in them, and now we're playing out the Tourcoing campaign.

What I've begun for the French Revolutionary period is fighting the Vendee Rebellion. Lots of chaotic encounters in often close terrain with plenty of raw troops and a wide range of commanders from inspiring to abysmal.

Novi
Trebbia
Lecco

Wattignies, Tourcoing, Tournay, Fleurus and Würzburg.

My favourite period. Any battle without Buonaparte there is a good starter.

Suvorov in Italy, the 1793-95 Flanders Campaign and the 1799 Helier Campaign all have some great battles. And of course Suvorov won all his!

For me they include Castiglione, Wurzburg, Kaiserslautern and Hohenlinden. The conflict in Switzerland is also very intriguing during 1799.

Wurzburg, Kaiserslautern are both great situations

The Vendee has some interesting actions.

2nd Geldermalsen.

Was there a battle of Texel in 1794-95?

Vaux, Beaumont, Wattignies, Villers en Cauchie, Willems, Linselles, Fleurus…so many…

Neerwinden, Fleurus, Wurzburg in that order.

Rivoli
link

We have played a 1799 campaign for some years now. It is somewhat different to constantly have the French player complaining that the Austrians lines with battalion guns are to hard to crack :-) But this was in my opinion propably the best and most succesfull army the Austrians ever had.

So…from this list, apparently all the battles of the French Revolutionary Wars are favorited? Any of you want to describe exactly why you like a given battle?

So…from this list, apparently all the battles of the French Revolutionary Wars are favorited? Any of you want to describe exactly why you like a given battle?

I find Souvorov a fascinating general. A match up between him and Boney would have been extremely interesting.

MiniPigs

I think it would be hard to pick out just one battle from any period. They all have their own individual attractions in terms of troops involved, tactics and the battlefield itself.

Most of those mentioned are favourites of mine, and I can certainly understand why Castiglione, Arcole and Rivoli are favourites. They could almost be considered as the old versus the new, the challenger against the establishment. And the battlefields themselves are (or were when I walked them some years ago) in many parts, unchanged. They were certainly spectacular, especially Rivoli

I also I found it particularly moving when following the advance of the French at Arcole and imagining how the French troops must have felt marching towards the Austrian positions in clear sight, under fire and with nowhere to hide.

For some reason, I am also attracted to Caldiero, the action before Arcole. Sadly, I never got the chance to walk it. It was Napoleon's first defeat but, as we can see by what happened afterwards, it was obvious Napoleon learnt more from the loss than the Austrians did from their victory.

Castiglone and Tourcoing are some of my favourites
I was a big fan of the Italian campaigns but I recently bought into Flanders and the political influences on the coalition comanders

Marengo. No historical reason, really. I played it at a convention many years ago. Had my butt handed to me, (not unusual). But it was great fun and the best Napoleonic game I ever played at a convention.

John

Pont-a-chin

Well I have to suggest Boxtel; link

Garry

Castiglione of course. Time Bandits and Sir Ian Holm, bless him.

'That's what I like; little things, hitting each other'

'With you on one side and him on the other, it's like being at the bottom of a bloody well!'

Hello
I am finishing French, Austrian and Russian armies for this period. Apart from Nafziger, I am struggling to find OBs and useable maps for the period. I've got plenty of material for some battles, like Marengo and Hohenlinden, but others, not so much. So, I'm wondering if folk can suggest useful sources.
Thank you

Well I have to suggest Boxtel

Now, you didn't have to Garry, but I would lay down my life for your right to do so.

>>I am finishing French, Austrian and Russian armies for this period. Apart from Nafziger, I am struggling to find OBs and useable maps for the period.

Welcome to our world… been like that for years…
then you are stuck with Bonaparte-centric 'Italy '96/'97 campaign [or Egypte..].
Personally I'm a fan of Moreau and Hohenlinden (the battle)- has much greater strategic and tactical interest than others.

You should search :-
"site:theminiaturespage french revolution battles" or some such to get a long list of related; but expect commercial, figures etc. to appear as well.

cheers d

Thank you. I'll try that.

There are new maps for a number of the 1799 battles (Osterach, Stockach, Hohenlinden, 1st & 2nd Zurich, Novi, etc) in these new books about the 1799 campaign in Switzerland and Italy:
link
link

Try ‘Eagles over the Alps' by Duffy

>>I also I found it particularly moving when following the advance of the French at Arcole…

I daresay. I didn't 'follow' so much, but drove (in fine Autumn weather), after visiting Neuchatel Museum (Neufchatel in our period) across Switzerland via Geneve and over the Grande Saint Bernard via Bard to Turin. Just a quick(!_) one way drive but my what an experience.

It was exhiliarating in a vehicle on the sometimes narrow road; must have been hell in the places marching I could see where the tracks had been realiagned.

I agree- campaigns are far more interesting in toto than one off (so called set-piece! battles). You can measure the generalship by the moves and adjustments made…

regards d

My new book Throwing Thunderbolts has scenarios for Lincelles, Pirmasens, Toulon, Boxtel, Whiff of Grapeshot, Mondovi and Castiglione as well as three naval scenarios, so these are my favourites. youtu.be/CyW2x341iU4