Background
The Battle of Seneffe took place on 11 August 1674 during the Franco-Dutch War, near Seneffe in Belgium, then part of the Spanish Netherlands. A French army commanded by Condé and a combined Dutch, Imperial, and Spanish force under William of Orange. One of the bloodiest battles of the war, over 20% of those engaged on both sides became casualties, and the result is disputed.
By 1674, Allied forces in the Spanish Netherlands were numerically superior to the French army under Condé, which was based along the Piéton river near Charleroi. William took the offensive and sought to bring on a battle by outflanking the French positions, but the broken ground forced him to divide his army into three separate columns.
Condé launched a cavalry attack on the Allied vanguard, and by midday on 11 August had halted their advance. Against the advice of his subordinates, he then ordered a series of frontal assaults which led to heavy casualties on both sides with no concrete result. Fighting continued until nightfall, when the French withdrew to their original positions, and William retired the next day in good order.
Despite heavier casualties, the Allies retained their numerical advantage, and for the rest of the campaign Condé largely remained on the defensive. Of the two other battles in Flanders before the war ended in 1678, Cassel was sparked by an Allied attempt to relieve Saint-Omer, and Saint-Denis to prevent the French capture of Mons.
At 4:00 am on 11 August, the Allies set out in three columns, each marching parallel to the French positions, a formation dictated by the poor roads. The left column was commanded by de Souches, the right by the Marqués de Assentar, commander of the Spanish Army of Flanders, with the bulk of the infantry and artillery in the centre under William. A vanguard of 2,000 cavalry covered the gaps between the columns, with another 5,200 bringing up the rear led by Vaudémont.
At 5:30 am, Condé rode out to observe the Allied movement, and quickly perceived their intention. The terrain they were crossing was marshy and broken up by numerous hedges, walls and woods, with limited exit points; gambling these factors would negate their superior numbers, Condé decided to attack. He sent 400 light cavalry under Saint Clar to skirmish with the Allied rearguard and slow down their march, while also dispatching a cavalry brigade under the Marquis de Rannes to seize the high ground north of Seneffe.
Around 10:00 am, de Rannes came into contact with Vaudémont, who asked for infantry support and was sent three battalions under William Maurice. These were placed near the bridge over the Zenne river that flowed through Seneffe, with his cavalry just behind.
Simultaneous assaults by de Rannes and the duc de Luxembourg eventually overwhelmed the Allied infantry in Seneffe, who were either killed or taken prisoner. By midday, Condé had inflicted significant losses and gained a clear, if minor, victory. However, he then persisted with a series of frontal assaults against the advice of his subordinates, and the battle degenerated into a number of confused and costly firefights.
Both sides claimed victory on the basis of “holding their ground” at the end of the fighting, but neither gained a clear advantage, and the overall strategic position remained largely unchanged. Condé had failed to take advantage of his initial success, and his poorly judged attacks rescued William from a serious defeat. Historians are divided on the result; it has variously been described as a French victory, an Allied success or essentially inconclusive.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Seneffe
The Game
I had a doctors appointment in the morning, so I had to leave the game set up to one of my Tuesday gaming buddies. He set up the scenario and provided all the troops and terrain. I just need to show up with my rules, dice and a measuring tape. What is not to like!
The game was based on the first phase of the battle, to make sure we got it done in time for happy hour. Basically, it represented the initial Imperial attack on the French rear guard (the only part of the Wikipedia article I copies). We may play the second part at some point, or not…. Not exactly a shortage of fights to choose from in the 17th century!
The set up was with the French garrisoning the village at the stream and having cavalry covering both flanks. An additional cavalry command was responsible for covering the wagon train and helping it escape.
The Imperials would get a victory if they were able to pillage some of the train and the French French would get a point for holding Seneffe. In addition, there would be the normal points for causing Waver failures specified in the rules. We decided V&F TYW variant would work out for this game, like the others. My buddy made some updated unit sheets to represent the forces.
The Imperials started on the opposite side of the stream. The stream had plenty of fords, so it would just slow down units crossing by two inches (15mm scale movement). The woods around the back were impassible, except along the road. Each town provided cover.
We got going with the Imperials attacking across the front and approaching the river. They slowly started to cross and attempt to clear the town and the baggage train. Due to some bad luck on Action tests and concern about counter attacks, the advance struggled to get going and hold formation.
The Imperials had a quick initial victory, by wiping out a unit of dismounted dragoons covering the left flank of the town (this is when I found out the stream provided no defensive bonus!). However, I quick counter attack by the French Cavalry stabled the situation. There were some back and forth fights on the French left, as the French Guard Cavalry tired to slow down the advance and refuse the flank. The was generally successful, with the French cavalry holding off the advance and forcing the Imperials to do a number of rallies and reforms.
On the heights, the wagon train was vulnerable, as it was not allowed to move until turn three. The imperial cavalry engaged the covering cavalry and continued to push them back and back. The French launched a number of spirited counter attacks and ensured the wagon train held out for over eight turns. Unfortunately, that was the best they could do and the Imperial got their victory point. On the positive side for the French, they had delayed this effort the entire game and ensured the Imperials would not get a chance to help out their brethren in the center.
On the Imperial left flank, the strategy was just to hold the line versus the superior number of French cavalry. As such, this was pretty much just a dance, as the French could not afford to get pulled out of position. However, late in the battle, with the Imperial assault in the center reaching their high point, the French went into the attack to cat the Imperials before they could reorganize. This charge proved very successful, wiping out the Imperial cavalry and the infantry supporting the attack on the town.
In the center, the Imperial attack was having all kinds of problems. They rolled a number of ones and just could not advance. This along with the stream, slowed the initial attack to a crawl. This allowed the French infantry to hold on for quite some time. The initial attacked by the Imperials were worn down and thrown back. However, this was at the cost of wearing out the defenders.
Unfortunately for the French, the Imperials had the numbers and just brought up the next wave. The next Imperial wave of infantry moved forward and were able to clear Seneffe, but with some losses. It was late in the day and the Imperials were trying to rearrange their forces, but they were too late and the French launched a counter attack with all their forces around the town. This resulted in the entire Imperial infantry bridge being sent packing from the field, due to valor and fortitude checks.
With that, the Imperials threw in the towel, as they just did not have the forces left to carry the day. With that, we ended with an un-historic French victory!
- Manteuffel