Historical Background
After several years of war in the Iberian Peninsula, the Anglo-Portuguese Allied army, reinforced by Spanish contingents, advanced into northern Spain in the spring of 1813. The French army, which had maintained Napoleonic control over the peninsula, was retreating toward the French border. In June, the Allied forces under the command of Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, caught up with the French army in the vicinity of Vitoria.
On June 21, 1813, the Battle of Vitoria took place. Wellington deployed his forces in several columns to attack the French positions simultaneously from different directions. Fighting spread throughout the areas surrounding the city, and the French lines of communication began to be compromised as the various Allied columns put increasing pressure on the defensive positions.
The French army was nominally under the command of King Joseph I Bonaparte, while Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jourdan served as the principal military commander. During the battle, the French forces were unable to contain the Allied advance and began a general retreat to the east. The pressure from Wellington's troops forced the abandonment of Vitoria and a hurried retreat toward the routes leading to the border.
The defeat at Vitoria dealt a decisive blow to French control of Spain. The French army abandoned much of its supplies and baggage during the retreat, while Joseph I and the remnants of his forces attempted to reach the retreat routes toward the north and east. The Allied victory marked one of the major turning points of the Peninsular War.
The stage is set. The battle lines are drawn and you are in command. Can you change history?
Battle Notes
Allies Army
• Commander: Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington
• 5 Command Cards.
French Army
• Commander: Joseph I Bonaparte and Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jourdan
• 5 Command Cards
• Move First 
Victory
Allies: Joseph I must be captured.
France: Joseph I must leave the battlefield through the exit hex of the escape route.
Special Rules
• The Leader unit located in Vitoria represents Joseph I Bonaparte.
• At the beginning of each French turn, before playing the Command Card, Joseph I automatically moves 1 hex along the escape route marked on the scenario, provided that the hex is unoccupied.
• The Light Cavalry of the Guard unit positioned next to the king represents his personal escort and moves automatically with him, maintaining its relative position, except when it is forced to fight in order to prevent his capture.
• Joseph I cannot move through a unit occupying the next hex of his route.
• Any French or Allied unit occupying the next hex of the route blocks Joseph's automatic movement, preventing him from advancing.
• If the hex is occupied by an Allied unit, Joseph is likewise stopped. The French forces must eliminate or displace the unit blocking the route before Joseph can continue his advance.
• Joseph I is captured when an Allied unit enters the hex preventing his advance and there is no French escort or protective unit preventing his capture.
• Joseph is eliminated according to the standard Leader combat rules if he is attacked at range or in melee.
• If Joseph I reaches the exit hex at the end of the escape route, he immediately leaves the battlefield and is considered to have escaped.
Escape Route
• Joseph I's escape route consists of 8 hexes and is represented on the map by the arrangement of the terrain features.
• Joseph must follow this route and cannot deviate from it during his automatic movement.
The Guerrilla token is not active.