About the battle:
Prussian side (defender)
Me CiC
Sandman
Jakmin
French side (Attacker)
Presy63 CiC
Colbert
Neil
SamuelGim
This was a bit more than a training sandbox, so not a scenario. First time Presy63 as commander in chief and oob balanced by the game engine, so a bit more difficult for the attacker. Also, as you can see from the replay, the objective was placed in a corner, another point against the attacker.
Both forces consisting of about 30,000 men, the French had more cavalry and of best quality, Prussian had more infantry, guns were the same in number but the Prussian had some heavy batteries.
Our plan was quite easy: Jakmin deployed south of the objective to guard the crossing points on the river, sandman had the same order but looking towards southeast. Both had big divisions. I also sent them one cavalry division. The last two divisions of my corps were under my direct control and I deployed them, facing east, on a gentle slope where I placed heavy batteries too. In support of this side, the second cavalry division. The last bigger cavalry division was held in reserve in order to be able to quickly join south or east, depending on the situation.
Our forces were spread out so it took a while before having everyone in the correct position, especially cavalry, which started to the south.
When the battle started, the first thing we spotted was the mass of French heavy cavalry corps moving from the east towards our "grand battery". The ground where they were moving was in between two woods.
Our batteries opened fire on those horses. On the ridge we had something like 60/70 guns. To protect them I also deployed two brigades in square because there was no infantry following the cavalry advance.
In the meantime, the first French infantry division appears to the north where I deployed my smaller division which was my extreme left. I immediately sent a cavalry regiment to support that flank (in the centre the situation was stable, the heavy cavalry had withdrawn).
No news from south and southeast.
In the east the situation didn't developed too much but the pressure was increasing. I ordered sandman to move closer to my flank to hit the cavalry so I could concentrate on the north which seemed the sector more in danger to collapse. Another cavalry regiment was sent to hold against the enemy.
At a certain point I saw big infantry movements behind the first line, marching diagonally from north to the southwest. I wrongly supposed that that was the second corps under Colbert trying to attack the position held by the heavy batteries and the division under my control.
Sandman helped me a lot in this situation keeping pressure on the enemy flank. I also ordered Jakmin to leave his position on the south (because I was sure about three position of all the French forces) and move behind the northern flank, ready for a counterattack.
While Jakmin was in movement, I realize that Colbert corps was not the one I spotted moving behind the first line but was moving more to the north, near the map edge, unopposed
I immediately sent one cavalry regiment to delay his advance and ordered Jakmin to intercept Colbert and buy time to defeat the enemy in the east and turn back to help him.
In the east the things were going better and better for us, the french heavy cavalry slowly dissolved under the fire of our guns and some cavalry fight,
and once they completely retreated, sandman started to push hard against the enemy flank which seemed near to collapse.
I was preparing to move my reserves to help Jakmin when the battle was interrupted by a drop of the host.
As sandman said, 3000 casualties in our favour and the feeling that we could held Colbert attack until the end.
Good game.