Marengo: who needs Desaix?

For probably my last wargame of 2025, Malcolm kindly laid on the battle of Marengo for us.

Many readers will be familiar with this as one of Napoleon's most famous victories. Still, for those who aren't, a brief scene-setting: Napoleon's crossing of the Alps in May 1800 meant a large Austrian army was at risk of being cut off in northwestern Italy. The Austrian commander, Melas, concentrated his forces at the fortress of Alessandria. The French were spread out to cover several possible escape routes. On 14 June, Melas attempted to break out eastwards via Marengo. Despite the difficulty of debouching through the marshes surrounding the fortress, the Austrians achieved a degree of surprise and initial local superiority. They were able to take Castel Ceriolo on the French right, then Marengo. The French fell back on San Giuliano; Melas thought the battle was won. Then Desaix arrived and led a ferocious French counterattack that broke the Austrian army, though Desaix himself did not survive to see the victory completed.

How did our game go? Spoiler alert: Desaix was not required! Here are some pics of the action and a few post-battle reflections.

Initial confrontation: d'Herimont's brigade of the Austrian 'Right Wing' (perversely deployed on the left) prepares to assault Castel Ceriolo. All figures and terrain from Malcolm's collection. Fine brushwork. I believe the figures are 3D printed Turner Miniatures. First time I'd encountered these, and very crisp and smart they are too.

Overview of half of the battlefield. (The action all happened here - my Austrians never made it any further up the table.) Apart from that advance guard facing Castel Ceriolo on the left, all the Austrians have to enter along that road through the marshes in the foreground. Fortunately, Victor's French around Marengo are surprised and don't get to move until Turn 2. Castel Ceriolo is worth 2 VP; Marengo on the right is worth 1 VP; Spinetta (top right), 1 VP; San Giuliano (out of shot top right), 1 VP. Whoever has 3 VP at game end wins.

On Turn 1, d'Herimont attempts an assault on Castel Ceriolo, only to be greeted by Malcolm rolling 11 on the firing dice. D'Herimont's jaegers die and his attack is repulsed. Never mind, my cavalry are pouring across the stream ...

... though there is a horrendous traffic jam behind them.

Turn 2 and d'Herimont goes in again, this time with cavalry support. Another roll of 11 by Malcolm kills another of d'Herimont's bases and his infantry reel back spent. My hussars drive the French back but are then caught in disarray when the French counterattack. The hussars lose a base, flee into the marshes and are out of action for about the next 5 turns.

Surely things will go better at Marengo, where I have 3:1 odds and a cavalry charge onto the flank? Well, yes and no. Now Malcolm conjures up a 12 to kill a base and stop one of my infantry brigades. Consequently, although we do smash the first French brigade back with the loss of two bases, our exploitation into the second is not nearly so impressive and bounces off. I am left in possession of Marengo, but the ensuing French counterattacks again catch my cavalry in disarray. The Austrian heavies lose two bases, flee back across the Fontanone and do not feature significantly again.

As both sides bring up more troops around Marengo, the lines firm up and push to and fro for a couple of turns. However, further deadly French firing dice soon kill off nearly all my jaegers. Also, Murat's cavalry has arrived (top centre).

The French cavalry's turn to be deadly. As the French infantry assault frontally, Murat sweeps around my right to pounce on a large but disrupted brigade. What you can't see is the Austrian grand battery I had established in the centre, whose guns can play on the French cuirassiers - however, to no effect, and they sweep away my hapless infantry.

In fact, my guns that were supposedly my big advantage on paper were singularly ineffective in practice. I think they killed just one base all game, despite regularly getting shots on the 9 or 12 or 16 columns.

Once that right rear brigade was gone, the French cavalry was free to smash into the rear of the rest (ignoring my feeble artillery fire). That includes the two remaining bases of my once-mighty grenadier brigade that has just had its own charge into Marengo repelled and gone Spent because of another French musketry dice roll of 12 ...

All of the Austrian right is now wiped out and the French tide is lapping against the flank of the remaining couple of units on my left. I have finally had some small consolation: top left you can see the Austrian hussars and Advance Guard, who have just overrun a French brigade next to Castel Ceriolo and exploited into the rear.

Thus, had we played another turn, Castel Ceriolo might have been sandwiched and fallen to me again (briefly). As it was, I was saved from the ignominy of being swept entirely from the table by the broken clock in the village hall. This fooled us into packing up early when there were still two or three turns to play.

Oh, and did somebody mention Desaix? He was scheduled to arrive on Turn 8, but it was so obvious by then that he wouldn't be needed that Malcolm didn't even put him on the table.

Situation before the final French turn. I have Castel Ceriolo sandwiched, but a superior mass of French forces is bearing down on me from Marengo. Those Austrian guns with the red low ammo markers are about to be driven off by a French charge. My heavy cavalry have deigned to return to the battlefield (top right) but declined to charge.

Reflections

The 'Principle of Destruction'. How very Clausewitzian. Ultimately, possession of locations matters less than destruction of enemy forces. Sadly, my artillery let me down and forgot that Clausewitz says it is the main destructive arm. Meanwhile, Malcolm's dice were just lethal. Killing off my jaegers so early then made his firepower all the more relatively potent for the rest of the game.

The right flavour. Malcolm was rightly happy with how historically the scenario played out: the Austrians struggling out through the marshes, labouring to storm the villages, eventually managing to do so but then expelled and defeated by French counterattacks. At the tactical level it had the right feel too: lines forming up and pushing and shoving until something gives; sweeping maneuver on the flanks.

Season's Greetings! I'm glad I got this game in as it gives me a chance to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year. May 2026 bring you and your loved ones much joy (and hopefully plenty of good gaming).