The largest battle of the Napoleonic Wars was fought between 16 and 19 October 1813 around the city of Leipzig, in Saxony (modern-day Germany). As this year’s Open Day happens during the anniversary, it seems an appropriate action to game today.
The battle was the culmination of the German campaign of 1813 and involved about 560,000 soldiers, 2,200 artillery pieces, the expenditure of 400,000 rounds of artillery ammunition, and 133,000 casualties. The Grande Armée had been virtually destroyed in the Russian Campaign of 1812, forcing Napoleon to rebuild his army with troops from across the Empire. As the coalition of Russia, Prussia, Austria, and Sweden pursued him into Germany, Leipzig is also known as the Battle of the Nations.
Napoleon attempted to defeat the advancing armies in detail, but the allies adopted a plan to avoid battle with the Emperor himself, focusing instead on his subordinates. Napoleon was forced to face the combined allies at Leipzig, although the position held some advantages. The rivers that converged there split the surrounding terrain into four separate sectors. Holding Leipzig and its bridges, Napoleon could shift troops from one sector to another far more rapidly than the Allies (see map).
The Austrian Karl von Schwarzenberg was the commander-in-chief of the coalition armies, but with three monarchs present on the battlefield, his plans were challenged. They eventually settled for attacks all around the French line, in an attempt to squeeze Napoleon back into Leipzig. By 18 October, Napoleon knew the battle was lost and started to extricate what was left of his army over the bridges near Leipzig. The early detonation of a key bridge left thousands of his troops stranded. The defeat was the beginning of the end for Napoleon.
A battle of this size is impractical with 28mm figures, although it can be done in smaller scales. We are loosely refighting part of the action on 16 October, with Austrian and Russian forces, commanded by Schwarzenberg, attacking Marshal MacDonald’s XI Corps in the south, in an effort to turn the French line. We have taken a few liberties with the units to fit our collections, while retaining the multi-national flavour of the battle. There was a small British contingent at the battle, built around a rocket battery. It wasn’t in the south, but we couldn’t resist the opportunity!
Please feel free to ask questions and roll some dice with us. The rules are Black Powder (Warlord Games), which are quickly picked up.
Further reading: Leipzig 1813 by Peter Hofschroer (Osprey 1993)
The battle was the culmination of the German campaign of 1813 and involved about 560,000 soldiers, 2,200 artillery pieces, the expenditure of 400,000 rounds of artillery ammunition, and 133,000 casualties. The Grande Armée had been virtually destroyed in the Russian Campaign of 1812, forcing Napoleon to rebuild his army with troops from across the Empire. As the coalition of Russia, Prussia, Austria, and Sweden pursued him into Germany, Leipzig is also known as the Battle of the Nations.
Napoleon attempted to defeat the advancing armies in detail, but the allies adopted a plan to avoid battle with the Emperor himself, focusing instead on his subordinates. Napoleon was forced to face the combined allies at Leipzig, although the position held some advantages. The rivers that converged there split the surrounding terrain into four separate sectors. Holding Leipzig and its bridges, Napoleon could shift troops from one sector to another far more rapidly than the Allies (see map).
The Austrian Karl von Schwarzenberg was the commander-in-chief of the coalition armies, but with three monarchs present on the battlefield, his plans were challenged. They eventually settled for attacks all around the French line, in an attempt to squeeze Napoleon back into Leipzig. By 18 October, Napoleon knew the battle was lost and started to extricate what was left of his army over the bridges near Leipzig. The early detonation of a key bridge left thousands of his troops stranded. The defeat was the beginning of the end for Napoleon.
A battle of this size is impractical with 28mm figures, although it can be done in smaller scales. We are loosely refighting part of the action on 16 October, with Austrian and Russian forces, commanded by Schwarzenberg, attacking Marshal MacDonald’s XI Corps in the south, in an effort to turn the French line. We have taken a few liberties with the units to fit our collections, while retaining the multi-national flavour of the battle. There was a small British contingent at the battle, built around a rocket battery. It wasn’t in the south, but we couldn’t resist the opportunity!
Please feel free to ask questions and roll some dice with us. The rules are Black Powder (Warlord Games), which are quickly picked up.
Further reading: Leipzig 1813 by Peter Hofschroer (Osprey 1993)
A gallery of photos from the Leipzig and other Napoleonic games at the open day. For the big game, the French held onto the Kolmberg Heights and started to work around the Austrian right flank by the end of the day. MacDonald earning his baton today.
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