In the conflicts of the musket era, two wars stand out in particular amongst popular knowledge: The Napoleonic Wars and the American Civil War. I would like to compare two outstanding commanders of these two eras, the famous Robert E. Lee of the Confederacy and Arthur Wellesley, Iron Duke of Wellington. My question today is, if these two commanders were to meet each other on the field of battle, who would emerge victorious?
Now, just a preliminary note: Technology is equal in this scenario, both sides being equipped with percussion cap smoothbore muskets (except for the Rifle regiments of the British and sharpshooters of the Confederates, who will have percussion cap rifles) and smoothbore cannon. For the British, this will be Pattern 1842 muskets, essentially a Brown Bess with a percussion cap mechanism, for the Confederates it will the Model 1842 Springfield musket. And there shall be no Minie ball. So in terms of technology, it is intermediary between the Civil War and the Napoleonic Wars. Now for the scenario:
Robert E. Lee's objective is to reach and capture a strategically important city, which we will refer to simply as Goal. Wellesley's objective is to prevent him from reaching Goal. The road to this city runs through a valley formed by two parallel ridges, with a dried riverbed in the center. The ridges are of equal height, rising about 20m above the surrounding landscape with a gentle slope. A cluster of rocky hills with deep dens in between connects the two gently sloping ridges on the south-east end (the ridges run from north-west to south-east for about 3.2km, or about the same length as Cemetery Ridge at Gettysburg). At the north-western end of the northern ridge, a large hill turns the ridge back, curving around to make a J shape. To the south and to the north of the valley there are several small hamlets, connected by roads. At the south-eastern and central parts of the valley, there are small abandoned homesteads (roughly the size of La Haye Sainte) with clusters of farming buildings. Knowing that Lee must pass over these ridges to reach Goal, Wellington marches his Army of the Peninsula (circa the Battle of Vitoria) and occupies the northern ridge. Lee arrives a day later with his Army of Northern Virginia (circa Fredericksburg), occupying the southern heights.
British Order of Battle: (from http://www.britishbattles.com/penins...la-vitoria.htm. Though, I did do some reorganizing as as Vitoria, the British army was organized in columns for the attack, and it would not be here)
Commander: Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington
Cavalry:
1st Brigade: commanded by Major General Victor von Alten: 14th Light Dragoons and 1st Hussars, King’s German Legion
2nd Brigade: commanded by Lieutenant General Fane: 3rd Dragoon Guards and 1st Royal Dragoons
3rd Brigade: commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Sir Robert Hill: 1st and 2nd Life Guards and Royal Horse Guards.
4th Brigade: commanded by Colonel Colquohon Grant: 10th, 15th and 18th Light Dragoons (Hussars)
5th Brigade: commanded by Major General William Ponsonby: 5th Dragoon Guards, 3rd and 4th Dragoons
1st Portuguese Brigade: commanded by Brigadier General D’Urban: 1st, 11th and 12th Portuguese Dragoons.
6th Brigade: commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Sir Robert Hill: 1st and 2nd Life Guards and Royal Horse Guards.
7th Brigade: commanded by Colonel Colquohon Grant: 10th, 15th and 18th Light Dragoons (Hussars)
8th Brigade: commanded by Major General William Ponsonby: 5th Dragoon Guards, 3rd and 4th Dragoons
2nd Portuguese Brigade: commanded by Brigadier General D’Urban: 1st, 11th and 12th Portuguese Dragoons.
9th Brigade: commanded by Major General George Anson: 12th and 16th Light Dragoons
10th Brigade: commanded by Major General Baron Bock: 1st and 2nd Dragoons, King’s German Legion
Infantry:
1st Division: commanded by Major General Kenneth Howard
1st Brigade: commanded by Major General Kenneth Stopford: 1st/Coldstream, 1st/3rd Guards, Co 5th/60th Foot
2nd Brigade: commanded by Colonel Collin Halkett: 1st, 2nd and 5th Line Battalions, 1st and 2nd Light Battalions, King’s German Legion.
2nd Division: commanded by Lieutenant General William Stewart
1st Brigade: commanded by Colonel Cadogan: 1st/50th, 1st/71st and 1st/91st Foot Co 5th/60th Foot
2nd Brigade: commanded by Major General Byng: 1st/3rd, 1st/57th Foot, 1st Provisional Battn. (2nd/31st and 2nd/66th Foot) and Co 5th/60th Foot.
3rd Brigade: commanded by Colonel O’Callaghan: 1st/28th, 2nd/34th, 1st/39th Foot and Co 5th/60th Foot.
Portuguese Brigade: commanded by Brigadier General Ashworth: 1st and 2nd/6th, 1st and 2nd/18th Portuguese Line and 6th Caçadores.
Portuguese Division: commanded by Major General Silveira, Conde de Amaranthe.
1st Brigade: commanded by Brigadier General de Costa: 1st and 2nd/2nd, 1st and 2nd/14th Portuguese Line.
2nd Brigade: commanded by Brigadier General Archibald Campbell: 1st and 2nd/4th, 1st and 2nd/10th Portuguese Line and 10th Caçadores.
3rd Division: commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Picton.
1st Brigade: commanded by Major General Thomas Brisbane: 1st/45th, 74th, 1st/88th and 3 Cos 5th/60th Foot.
2nd Brigade: commanded by Major General Colville: 1st/5th, 2nd/83rd, 2nd/87th and 94th Foot.
Portuguese Brigade: commanded by Major General Manley Power: 1st and 2nd/9th, 1st and 2nd/21st Portuguese Line and 11th Caçadores.
4th Division: commanded by Major General (local Lieutenant General) Lowry Cole
1st Brigade: commanded by Major General William Anson: 3rd/27th, 1st/40th, 1st/48th, Provisional Battn. (2nd and 2nd/53rd Foot) and Co 5th/60th Foot.
2nd Brigade: commanded by Major General Skerrett: 1st/7th, 20th, 1st/23rd, and Co Brunswick Oels.
Portuguese Brigade: commanded by Colonel George Stubbs: 1st and 2nd/11th and 1st and 2nd/23rd Portuguese Line and 7th Caçadores.
5th Division: commanded by Major General Oswald.
1st Brigade: commanded by Major General Hay: 3rd/1st, 1st/9th, 1st/38th Foot and Co Brunswick Oels.
2nd Brigade: commanded by Major General Robinson: 1st/4th, 2nd/47th, 2nd/59th Foot and Co Brunswick Oels.
Portuguese Brigade: commanded by Brigadier General Spry: 1st and 2nd/3rd, 1st and 2nd/15th Portuguese Line and 8th Caçadores.
Light Division: commanded by Lieutenant General Charles, Baron von Alten.
1st Brigade: commanded by Major General Kempt: 1st/43rd Foot, 1st/95th Rifles (8 Cos), 3rd/95th Rifles (5 Cos) and 3rd Caçadores.
2nd Brigade: commanded by Major General John Ormesby Vandeleur: 1st/52nd Foot, 2nd/95th Rifles (6Cos) and 1st Caçadores.
7th Division: commanded by Lieutenant General Lord Dalhousie.
1st Brigade: commanded by Major General Barnes: 1st/6th Foot, 3rd Provisional Battalion (2nd/24th and 2nd/58th Foot), Brunswick Oels (7 Cos)
2nd Brigade: commanded by Colonel William Grant: 51st, 68th, 1st/82nd Foot and Chasseurs Britanniques.
Portuguese Brigade: commanded by Major General Le Cor: 1st and 2nd/7th, 1st and 2nd/19th Portuguese Line and 2nd Caçadores.
Independent Brigades:
1st Brigade: commanded by Brigadier General Pack: 1st and 2nd/1st, 1st and 2nd/16th Portuguese Line and 4th Caçadores.
2nd Brigade: commanded by Brigadier General Bradford: 1st and 2nd/13th, 1st and 2nd/24th Portuguese Line and 5th Caçadores
Artillery: commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Dickson
Webber Smith’s troop Royal Horse Artillery
Parker’s battery Royal Artillery
Arriaga’s battery Portuguese Artillery.
Ross’s, Gardiner’s and Ramsay’s Troops, Royal Horse Artillery
Sympher’s Battery, King’s German Artillery.
Batteries of Cairnes and Douglas.
Dubordieu’s and Lawson’s batteries Royal Artillery
Beane’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery
Maxwell’s Battery Royal Artillery
2 Portuguese batteries under Major Tulloh
Confederate Order of Battle
Too long to post in it's entirety here, but there is an excellent wikipedia page on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederi...rder_of_battle
Overall, 80,000 British and Portugese and 96 guns will face 85,000 Confederates and I don't know how many artillery (can't find that number, will be grateful to anyone who knows how many guns Lee deployed at Fredericksburg).
So, who will emerge the victor?
Now, just a preliminary note: Technology is equal in this scenario, both sides being equipped with percussion cap smoothbore muskets (except for the Rifle regiments of the British and sharpshooters of the Confederates, who will have percussion cap rifles) and smoothbore cannon. For the British, this will be Pattern 1842 muskets, essentially a Brown Bess with a percussion cap mechanism, for the Confederates it will the Model 1842 Springfield musket. And there shall be no Minie ball. So in terms of technology, it is intermediary between the Civil War and the Napoleonic Wars. Now for the scenario:
Robert E. Lee's objective is to reach and capture a strategically important city, which we will refer to simply as Goal. Wellesley's objective is to prevent him from reaching Goal. The road to this city runs through a valley formed by two parallel ridges, with a dried riverbed in the center. The ridges are of equal height, rising about 20m above the surrounding landscape with a gentle slope. A cluster of rocky hills with deep dens in between connects the two gently sloping ridges on the south-east end (the ridges run from north-west to south-east for about 3.2km, or about the same length as Cemetery Ridge at Gettysburg). At the north-western end of the northern ridge, a large hill turns the ridge back, curving around to make a J shape. To the south and to the north of the valley there are several small hamlets, connected by roads. At the south-eastern and central parts of the valley, there are small abandoned homesteads (roughly the size of La Haye Sainte) with clusters of farming buildings. Knowing that Lee must pass over these ridges to reach Goal, Wellington marches his Army of the Peninsula (circa the Battle of Vitoria) and occupies the northern ridge. Lee arrives a day later with his Army of Northern Virginia (circa Fredericksburg), occupying the southern heights.
British Order of Battle: (from http://www.britishbattles.com/penins...la-vitoria.htm. Though, I did do some reorganizing as as Vitoria, the British army was organized in columns for the attack, and it would not be here)
Commander: Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington
Cavalry:
1st Brigade: commanded by Major General Victor von Alten: 14th Light Dragoons and 1st Hussars, King’s German Legion
2nd Brigade: commanded by Lieutenant General Fane: 3rd Dragoon Guards and 1st Royal Dragoons
3rd Brigade: commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Sir Robert Hill: 1st and 2nd Life Guards and Royal Horse Guards.
4th Brigade: commanded by Colonel Colquohon Grant: 10th, 15th and 18th Light Dragoons (Hussars)
5th Brigade: commanded by Major General William Ponsonby: 5th Dragoon Guards, 3rd and 4th Dragoons
1st Portuguese Brigade: commanded by Brigadier General D’Urban: 1st, 11th and 12th Portuguese Dragoons.
6th Brigade: commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Sir Robert Hill: 1st and 2nd Life Guards and Royal Horse Guards.
7th Brigade: commanded by Colonel Colquohon Grant: 10th, 15th and 18th Light Dragoons (Hussars)
8th Brigade: commanded by Major General William Ponsonby: 5th Dragoon Guards, 3rd and 4th Dragoons
2nd Portuguese Brigade: commanded by Brigadier General D’Urban: 1st, 11th and 12th Portuguese Dragoons.
9th Brigade: commanded by Major General George Anson: 12th and 16th Light Dragoons
10th Brigade: commanded by Major General Baron Bock: 1st and 2nd Dragoons, King’s German Legion
Infantry:
1st Division: commanded by Major General Kenneth Howard
1st Brigade: commanded by Major General Kenneth Stopford: 1st/Coldstream, 1st/3rd Guards, Co 5th/60th Foot
2nd Brigade: commanded by Colonel Collin Halkett: 1st, 2nd and 5th Line Battalions, 1st and 2nd Light Battalions, King’s German Legion.
2nd Division: commanded by Lieutenant General William Stewart
1st Brigade: commanded by Colonel Cadogan: 1st/50th, 1st/71st and 1st/91st Foot Co 5th/60th Foot
2nd Brigade: commanded by Major General Byng: 1st/3rd, 1st/57th Foot, 1st Provisional Battn. (2nd/31st and 2nd/66th Foot) and Co 5th/60th Foot.
3rd Brigade: commanded by Colonel O’Callaghan: 1st/28th, 2nd/34th, 1st/39th Foot and Co 5th/60th Foot.
Portuguese Brigade: commanded by Brigadier General Ashworth: 1st and 2nd/6th, 1st and 2nd/18th Portuguese Line and 6th Caçadores.
Portuguese Division: commanded by Major General Silveira, Conde de Amaranthe.
1st Brigade: commanded by Brigadier General de Costa: 1st and 2nd/2nd, 1st and 2nd/14th Portuguese Line.
2nd Brigade: commanded by Brigadier General Archibald Campbell: 1st and 2nd/4th, 1st and 2nd/10th Portuguese Line and 10th Caçadores.
3rd Division: commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Picton.
1st Brigade: commanded by Major General Thomas Brisbane: 1st/45th, 74th, 1st/88th and 3 Cos 5th/60th Foot.
2nd Brigade: commanded by Major General Colville: 1st/5th, 2nd/83rd, 2nd/87th and 94th Foot.
Portuguese Brigade: commanded by Major General Manley Power: 1st and 2nd/9th, 1st and 2nd/21st Portuguese Line and 11th Caçadores.
4th Division: commanded by Major General (local Lieutenant General) Lowry Cole
1st Brigade: commanded by Major General William Anson: 3rd/27th, 1st/40th, 1st/48th, Provisional Battn. (2nd and 2nd/53rd Foot) and Co 5th/60th Foot.
2nd Brigade: commanded by Major General Skerrett: 1st/7th, 20th, 1st/23rd, and Co Brunswick Oels.
Portuguese Brigade: commanded by Colonel George Stubbs: 1st and 2nd/11th and 1st and 2nd/23rd Portuguese Line and 7th Caçadores.
5th Division: commanded by Major General Oswald.
1st Brigade: commanded by Major General Hay: 3rd/1st, 1st/9th, 1st/38th Foot and Co Brunswick Oels.
2nd Brigade: commanded by Major General Robinson: 1st/4th, 2nd/47th, 2nd/59th Foot and Co Brunswick Oels.
Portuguese Brigade: commanded by Brigadier General Spry: 1st and 2nd/3rd, 1st and 2nd/15th Portuguese Line and 8th Caçadores.
Light Division: commanded by Lieutenant General Charles, Baron von Alten.
1st Brigade: commanded by Major General Kempt: 1st/43rd Foot, 1st/95th Rifles (8 Cos), 3rd/95th Rifles (5 Cos) and 3rd Caçadores.
2nd Brigade: commanded by Major General John Ormesby Vandeleur: 1st/52nd Foot, 2nd/95th Rifles (6Cos) and 1st Caçadores.
7th Division: commanded by Lieutenant General Lord Dalhousie.
1st Brigade: commanded by Major General Barnes: 1st/6th Foot, 3rd Provisional Battalion (2nd/24th and 2nd/58th Foot), Brunswick Oels (7 Cos)
2nd Brigade: commanded by Colonel William Grant: 51st, 68th, 1st/82nd Foot and Chasseurs Britanniques.
Portuguese Brigade: commanded by Major General Le Cor: 1st and 2nd/7th, 1st and 2nd/19th Portuguese Line and 2nd Caçadores.
Independent Brigades:
1st Brigade: commanded by Brigadier General Pack: 1st and 2nd/1st, 1st and 2nd/16th Portuguese Line and 4th Caçadores.
2nd Brigade: commanded by Brigadier General Bradford: 1st and 2nd/13th, 1st and 2nd/24th Portuguese Line and 5th Caçadores
Artillery: commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Dickson
Webber Smith’s troop Royal Horse Artillery
Parker’s battery Royal Artillery
Arriaga’s battery Portuguese Artillery.
Ross’s, Gardiner’s and Ramsay’s Troops, Royal Horse Artillery
Sympher’s Battery, King’s German Artillery.
Batteries of Cairnes and Douglas.
Dubordieu’s and Lawson’s batteries Royal Artillery
Beane’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery
Maxwell’s Battery Royal Artillery
2 Portuguese batteries under Major Tulloh
Confederate Order of Battle
Too long to post in it's entirety here, but there is an excellent wikipedia page on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederi...rder_of_battle
Overall, 80,000 British and Portugese and 96 guns will face 85,000 Confederates and I don't know how many artillery (can't find that number, will be grateful to anyone who knows how many guns Lee deployed at Fredericksburg).
So, who will emerge the victor?
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