Each fighting alone was moderately successful on the French left with Reynier confronting Dokhtorov along the stream at the ridge’s base. By not deploying until the last moment Reynier was able to bring both of his divisions d’infanterie and his chasseurs à cheval into the fight together, unfortunately, also by waiting until the last minute to deploy, it meant that only half of his lead division would be arrayed for battle when it struck the Russian counter move. Dokhtorov favored gaining critical mass by deploying early and was able to bring equal numbers to the frontline fight and gained more staying power by being fully deployed by the time of contact. Meanwhile, his second division – which had been delayed in beginning its march – begins to arrive.
This time the French are the ones attempting to cross the river, and it does not go well. Vandamme wisely sent his right division d’infanterie around the wooded defile to ensure when his corps d’armée concentrated he would pinch the Russian’s lead element and not short himself the necessary frontage to deploy. Unfortunately for him, his timing was not up to his plan. Eugen’s lead pekhotniy diviziya beats Vandamme’s and deploys in the central position Vandamme had hoped to concentrate at. The result is Vandamme’s right division is pinned back, in an attempt to lockup Eugen’s Russians, Vandamme commits his artillerie à cheval, but it is jumped by the Russian kazachya. The French guns are saved but the initiative is lost and the Russians slip rightward towards the bridge – and Vandamme’s crossing. The second French division d’infanterie rushes to deploy but its lead régiment can’t hold back an entire Russian division and it is pushed back into the stream.
Checkout ESR Napoleonics, ESR Miniatures, and a variety of trees and ground cover.
