101 Bailén (19 July 1808)

Oh dear - the return match was a French 7-0 whitewash. After some desultory artillery exchanges in which the Spanish came out on top, a bayonet charge by the Spanish Swiss against the French left was counter-attacked causing the Spanish Swiss and the Spanish light unit to disintegrate. A Spanish cavalry charge was beaten back and the coup de grace came from the French grenadiers destroying the Spanish heavy cavalry on the baseline.

Some bad luck for the French (played by M this time) leads to immobility on the right. After semi-successfully reforming, lose a leader to 2-saber save roll. Spanish 7-4.

A sad day for the Spanish. After some preliminary maneuvering, the French launched a cavalry charge against the artillery unit on the Spanish left. It was destroyed with minimal loss by heavy cavalry, although the accompanying light cavalry unit was bruised by the grenadiers. Meanwhile, the French had advanced their artillery towards the Spanish on the hill and were about to let rip with a short-range bombardment when the Spanish carried out a cavalry charge of their own. They were not so fortunate, destroying one artillery unit while all three cavalry units were reduced to one block. The guerrillas failed to blunt the French riposte which eliminated both Spanish heavy cavalry units. Another French cavalry charge put pressure on the Spanish left and centre, forcing a line infantry unit into square. Bereft of cards, the Spanish were not able to see off the French cavalry unit next to the square, and 2 bayonet charges against the Spanish right and centre later the French achieved a 7-3 victory. It could have gone the other way as 4 French units were down to their last block, so it was a closer game than the scoreline suggests.

7-4 to the French. The Spanish-Swiss were destroyed for the loss of one French-Swiss. The Spanish cavalry charged but were whittled away trying to plug the gaps and were destroyed. The Spanish Grenadiers and artillery on the left-flack hills caused some damage with shooting and repulsing attacks, led by the heroic Coupigny. Unfortunately, Coupigny fell, and the Grenadiers were also whittled away by repeated attacks. The French heavy cavalry rode through the gap on the Spanish left and destroyed the two Spanish cavalry units on the baseline, destroying both. It then rode back up the hills and took out the Spanish artillery battery.