Herbert von Plischke dared not wait any longer for his subordinate von Spülge's marching column. Thus he arrived at the front earlier with the troops under his direct command, hoping he would be not too late. News of the defeat of the Rebel army reached him while on the march, and at first there was conflicting evidence of his allied command disintegrating. As he neared the scene, he met troops rested and more or less well organised, and by then he knew the situation was not so dire as previously pictured.
Prince Hegyeshváry Szabolcs's army was falling back in good order on interior lines, and he could even commit a large part of his force to halt the advance of the other Medvetland column, for which von Spülge was grateful - it would have been a very uneven fight without any support from the locals.
After some milling about, the Allied army met the Medvetland regulars at the Battle of Bodros Hill. Von Plischke could deploy his superior artillery on the commanding height, and direct the battle from there.
The battle opened with cavalry skirmishes on the flanks. There, the Schultze-Böhnstadt heavy horse had proven their worth, chasing the inferior Medvetland troops off the field. The valiant stand of their allies had inspired the Rebel troops as well.
With his flanks now secure, von Plischke then directed his first line to attack the enemy in the center. This turned to a near disaster, as he had to learn that the Rebel infantry knew how to form line, but not to keep it during an attack march. The Rebel battalions bent and bowed, and the regimental commanders had to halt the S-B infantry to keep the formation tight enough, which gave the stoical Medvetland infantry ample time to prepare their first salvoes.
After exchanging ineffective fire, the frustrated Allied commander had ordered his first line to fall back. They made a dent in the enemy center, but nothing serious.
Now von Plischke had a decision to make. He was master of the field, but the Medvetland army could reform in one or two days to repeat the battle, perhaps concentrating more cavalry and enforce favourable conditions for the engagement. After some pondering, he ordered his grand battery to open fire, and threw in his reserves.
Now the steadfast nature of the Medvetland foot soldier was proven, as even under a hail of fire, their first line did not buckle, and all the weight of the Allied reserve battalions did not manage to break them. However, by giving them some battering, von Plischke could make sure they had to take more time to recuperate, time he desperately needed.
By dusk, under the cover of a few small batteries of horse artillery, the Allied troops withdrew in good order towards the nearest fortified town.
As the campaign advances, I find myself more comfortable with the rules, and the way they provide varying results quickly. The lack of Medvetland horse is still showing - but perhaps they will be able to mend that in the near future?
Terrain
Woods on the left flank, Hill in the center, no feature on the right flank.
Allied OOB
Left - KR1 (Elite), 2x Irregulars (Average) - Total VP 12
Center - IR3 (Average) + 2x Rebel Infantry (Average) + Rebel Militia (Raw) - Total VP 7
Reserve - 2x Elite Artillery, IR4 (Average), Rebel Infantry (Average) - Total VP 10
Right - DR4 (Average), Hussars (Average), Irregulars (Average) - Total VP 9
Medvetland OOB
Right - 2x Cavalry (Average) - Total VP 6
Center - 4x Infantry (Average) - Total VP 8
Reserve - 1x Artillery (Average), 3x Infantry (Average) - Total VP 8
Left - 2x Cavalry (Average) - Total VP 6
Battle
Allied left: A 2(14) M 4(10) - Allied victory, enemy routed
Allied right: A 7(16) M 8(14) - Allied victory, enemy routed
Allied Center: A 8(15) M 10(18) - Medvetland tactical victory
Reserve: Allies commit
A reserve vs. M first line - one infantry unit removed: A 10(20) M 14(20) - drawn - battle ends
Result: a minor tactical victory for the Allies.
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