Lusitania
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Peninsula Ibérica War (Encore) (1 of 2)
Napoleão’s Return
All great performers whose performance are cut short always feel cheated and clamor for another chance to prove themselves. Napoleão’s fall from power in França in 1812 had left him a bitter man. The revolt of França against his rule and his ouster following his forces defeats in Europa Oriental and the Peninsula Ibérica when he felt he still had the ability to defeat his enemies provided him with determination to extract revenge on those who had betrayed him along with his enemies during his year in captivity on the island of Elba off the Italian coast.
On June 15, 1813 Napoleão made his escape from Elba and returned to the mainland on June 19. King Louis XVIII sent the 5th Regiment of the Line, led by Marshal Ney who had formerly served under Napoleão in Rússia, to meet him at Grenoble on June 23.
The restored French Bourbons’ king and the aristocrats were not popular with the French people and army so when Napoleão encountered a regiment sent to stop him he would approach the regiment alone, dismount his horse and, when he was within earshot of regiments forces shouted "Soldiers of França, you recognize me. If any man would shoot his emperor, he may do so now". Following a brief silence, the soldiers shouted "Vive L'Empereur!" and marched with Napoleão to Paris. He arrived on June 28, quickly raising a regular army of 140,000 and a volunteer force of around 200,000 and governed for a Hundred Days.
He felt chafed by the constrain put on him, the people of França in his absence and under King Louis XVIII had grown intolerant of despotism and he had agreed to reforms and constitutional role on his way to Paris. Napoleão fretted at having to compromise with the men who had been under his command and the limits of a constitutional monarch.
The French chamber was a sore point with Napoleão but until he had defeated França’s enemies he dared not dissolve the chamber for fear of inciting riots and possibly inciting a civil war as França’s enemies closed in.
The powers of the Congress of Vienna had declared him an outlaw following his escape and Great Britain, Portugal, Prússia, Áustria and Rússia had bound themselves to put 250,000 men in the field to end his rule. His efforts to detach Áustria from the coalition were met with iron resolution to see his disposition from power. The only diplomatic success was the Kingdom of Espanha’s initial support for him but that too was short lived when they too turned against him due to strong internal opposition.
Napoleão having failed diplomatically to dissuade one of more allies from invading França decided that the only change of his remaining in power was to attack and defeat the allies before they put together an overwhelming force. Napoleão’s strategy was to destroy the growing Allied forces in Sul dos Países Baixos “Low Countries” before they were reinforced then defeat the Portuguese force marshalling in the Peninsula Ibérica and the Áustrian force in Norte d’Itália.
War
The Áustrian’s readied their forces in Norte d’Itália and started moving into the Renânia, while Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher of Prússia started moving his forces into the Países Baixos. The Portuguese sent both the Minho and the Guadiana armies to the Pirenéus while they transported their Tejo Army by ship to the Países Baixos where they would coordinate with the reinforced English force there to attack França.
At the end of September Napoleão decided to move against the British and Prússian forces in Sul dos Países Baixos before they were reinforced, his goal was to drive the English back to the sea and knock the Prússians out of the war just like he had successfully done before. Then he could move against the Portuguese and Áustrians on his southern border.
Napoleão moved two armies, the Army of the North and the Reserve Army up to the French Países Baixos frontier without alerting the allies. He also sent his southern army towards the massing Portuguese threat in the Pirenéus which seemed more of a direct threat than the Áustrians. Napoleão crossed the frontier and split his Army of the North into two and took the Reserve Army and the right wing of Army of the North and attacked the Prússians under the command of Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher at the Battle of Ligny on September 30. The left wing of the Army of the North under Marshal Ney blocked the Nivelles-Namur road at the crossroads of the Quatre Bras preventing the English under the Duke of Wellington from going to the aid of the Prússians.
On September 30, several things happened simultaneously; Napoleão defeated the Prússians at the Battle of Ligny but was unable to destroy them, and the Prússians were forced to retreat in disarray, while Ney was able to stop the English forces from aiding Blücher forces. Unbeknown to the Duke of Wellington and his forces as well as Napoleão the Portuguese Army under the command of the Marshal Silveira, Duke de Salamanca had already disembarked and had secretly traveled east and was on the outskirts of Brussels.
On September 30 Napoleão sent the right wing of the Army of the North under the command of Marshal Grouchy to pursue the Prússians and prevent them from reforming. He set off with the RA and combined his forces with the left wing of the Army of the North to pursue Wellington’s forces, which were retreating towards Brussels. In the early morning hours of September 30 the Portuguese and English forces met and the Duke of Wellington and the Duke de Salamanca held a joint session to plan strategy for the oncoming battle with Napoleão in the village of Waterloo.
The two commanders decided to keep the Portuguese forces concealed until Napoleão had committed his forces. The Duke of Wellington deployed most of his forces on the rear side of an escarpment. The Portuguese force which was as large as the English force would be kept out of sight and when Napoleão had committed his forces they would attack the French on the right flank. Marshal Grouchy who was negligent in the pursuit of the Prússians failed to stop them regrouping after their defeat at Ligny attacked the Prússian III corps believing he was attacking the rear guard of the retreating Prússian force. However only one corps remained behind, the other three Prússian Corps were marching towards Waterloo.
Napoleão’s Return
All great performers whose performance are cut short always feel cheated and clamor for another chance to prove themselves. Napoleão’s fall from power in França in 1812 had left him a bitter man. The revolt of França against his rule and his ouster following his forces defeats in Europa Oriental and the Peninsula Ibérica when he felt he still had the ability to defeat his enemies provided him with determination to extract revenge on those who had betrayed him along with his enemies during his year in captivity on the island of Elba off the Italian coast.
On June 15, 1813 Napoleão made his escape from Elba and returned to the mainland on June 19. King Louis XVIII sent the 5th Regiment of the Line, led by Marshal Ney who had formerly served under Napoleão in Rússia, to meet him at Grenoble on June 23.
The restored French Bourbons’ king and the aristocrats were not popular with the French people and army so when Napoleão encountered a regiment sent to stop him he would approach the regiment alone, dismount his horse and, when he was within earshot of regiments forces shouted "Soldiers of França, you recognize me. If any man would shoot his emperor, he may do so now". Following a brief silence, the soldiers shouted "Vive L'Empereur!" and marched with Napoleão to Paris. He arrived on June 28, quickly raising a regular army of 140,000 and a volunteer force of around 200,000 and governed for a Hundred Days.
He felt chafed by the constrain put on him, the people of França in his absence and under King Louis XVIII had grown intolerant of despotism and he had agreed to reforms and constitutional role on his way to Paris. Napoleão fretted at having to compromise with the men who had been under his command and the limits of a constitutional monarch.
The French chamber was a sore point with Napoleão but until he had defeated França’s enemies he dared not dissolve the chamber for fear of inciting riots and possibly inciting a civil war as França’s enemies closed in.
The powers of the Congress of Vienna had declared him an outlaw following his escape and Great Britain, Portugal, Prússia, Áustria and Rússia had bound themselves to put 250,000 men in the field to end his rule. His efforts to detach Áustria from the coalition were met with iron resolution to see his disposition from power. The only diplomatic success was the Kingdom of Espanha’s initial support for him but that too was short lived when they too turned against him due to strong internal opposition.
Napoleão having failed diplomatically to dissuade one of more allies from invading França decided that the only change of his remaining in power was to attack and defeat the allies before they put together an overwhelming force. Napoleão’s strategy was to destroy the growing Allied forces in Sul dos Países Baixos “Low Countries” before they were reinforced then defeat the Portuguese force marshalling in the Peninsula Ibérica and the Áustrian force in Norte d’Itália.
War
The Áustrian’s readied their forces in Norte d’Itália and started moving into the Renânia, while Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher of Prússia started moving his forces into the Países Baixos. The Portuguese sent both the Minho and the Guadiana armies to the Pirenéus while they transported their Tejo Army by ship to the Países Baixos where they would coordinate with the reinforced English force there to attack França.
At the end of September Napoleão decided to move against the British and Prússian forces in Sul dos Países Baixos before they were reinforced, his goal was to drive the English back to the sea and knock the Prússians out of the war just like he had successfully done before. Then he could move against the Portuguese and Áustrians on his southern border.
Napoleão moved two armies, the Army of the North and the Reserve Army up to the French Países Baixos frontier without alerting the allies. He also sent his southern army towards the massing Portuguese threat in the Pirenéus which seemed more of a direct threat than the Áustrians. Napoleão crossed the frontier and split his Army of the North into two and took the Reserve Army and the right wing of Army of the North and attacked the Prússians under the command of Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher at the Battle of Ligny on September 30. The left wing of the Army of the North under Marshal Ney blocked the Nivelles-Namur road at the crossroads of the Quatre Bras preventing the English under the Duke of Wellington from going to the aid of the Prússians.
On September 30, several things happened simultaneously; Napoleão defeated the Prússians at the Battle of Ligny but was unable to destroy them, and the Prússians were forced to retreat in disarray, while Ney was able to stop the English forces from aiding Blücher forces. Unbeknown to the Duke of Wellington and his forces as well as Napoleão the Portuguese Army under the command of the Marshal Silveira, Duke de Salamanca had already disembarked and had secretly traveled east and was on the outskirts of Brussels.
On September 30 Napoleão sent the right wing of the Army of the North under the command of Marshal Grouchy to pursue the Prússians and prevent them from reforming. He set off with the RA and combined his forces with the left wing of the Army of the North to pursue Wellington’s forces, which were retreating towards Brussels. In the early morning hours of September 30 the Portuguese and English forces met and the Duke of Wellington and the Duke de Salamanca held a joint session to plan strategy for the oncoming battle with Napoleão in the village of Waterloo.
The two commanders decided to keep the Portuguese forces concealed until Napoleão had committed his forces. The Duke of Wellington deployed most of his forces on the rear side of an escarpment. The Portuguese force which was as large as the English force would be kept out of sight and when Napoleão had committed his forces they would attack the French on the right flank. Marshal Grouchy who was negligent in the pursuit of the Prússians failed to stop them regrouping after their defeat at Ligny attacked the Prússian III corps believing he was attacking the rear guard of the retreating Prússian force. However only one corps remained behind, the other three Prússian Corps were marching towards Waterloo.
