Les Corps du Vin

In ye yeare of our Lorde 1635, La Belle Francais entered ye Thirtye Yeares Warre, and was to fight nearlye ceaselesslye until 1715, in Europe, ye Easte and Weste Indies and America. This is ye verrye Romantick period of Richelieu, Queen Anne, ye 3 Musketeers*, Mazarin, ye Fronde Revolts and ye Glorious reign of Louis XIV, Le Roi Soleil (aka ye Sunne Kinge)

Les Corps du Vin is mye Army of this periode, so named as it encompasses Regimentes from ye Wine producing Regiones of France . Mye 15mm "floppye hatte"armye was actually painted in France, I dranke a bottel of ye appropriate wine when painting each Regimente. I also tooke sand from ye garden of ye Gite so all these armyes are (literally) based on French soil.

This page traces the career of the Redoubtable (his words) Duc Le Pinotage, who in youth led the Corps du Vin in the protracted 30 yeras war, then the Fronde revolts (both sides), left in a hurry to the Caribbean where he amassed wealth among the Boucaniers, returning to favour (via bribery) to Louis XIV's court to fight in his later wars. This is also the tale of his long suffering No. 2, the Comte de Shiraz.

Action takes place in 4 main theatres-

*In fact, in 1673 one Comte D'Artaignan, Capitaine of Les Mousquetaires was killed at Maastricht, after leading the Regiment for 6 yeares. He was the model for Alexander Dumas' famous character in ye Novelles.)

Army Structure & Tactics

Les Ordre de Battaille pour Les Corps du Vin, 1645

Foote: Regiments of Champagne, Languedoc, Medoc, Alsace, Beaujolais, Provence, Touraine.

Horse: Gendarmes de Bourgogne, Chevaux Legeres de Anjou plus their Carabins, and the Languedoc Drgaoons

Guns: As available

La Garde: Of course, no Frenche armye could be complete without Le Garde Francais, Le Garde Suisse, Le Gendarmes Ecossais, and Les Mousquetaires. In Les Corps du Vin, these only appear with Le Dauphin, an annoying popinjay who "wants to be a soldier" and whose main qualification is to be Louis XIV's nephew and on occasion fights with the Corps.

Tactics

Vs Pike & Shot armies

I leave the pike with the baggage, the battle is won or last by the charge of the Shot, I use the Carabins to draw as much fire as I can before contact. The Horse's role is to keep the enemy off the flanks. The Garde if present is a tactical reserve, used as needed, similarly the pike are a backstop when needed

Vs Sipahi armies

Very similar, except that the pike are usually up with the shot and the Garde is used frontally, usually on the flanks.

Battles

A Battle against the formidable Catholic Confederacy......

The Duc de Pinotage sighed and sat down heavily in his camp chair. France's Thirty Years war seemed to be never ending. He had been heavily lampooned at Court following the heavy losses incurred facing the Danes and Venetians. Only the intercession of his cousin who was pleasuring the best friend of the King's favourite mistress had saved him....so Le Corps du Vin was at La Rochelle to rebuild. But today he had received two Unpleasant Shocks. The first was the reported arrival of an Irish army on French soil to aid the Fronde rebels, under the wily General Spratt, who had bested le Duc on a previous meeting. Le Duc's depleted force was the closest, and he had been ordered to bring the Irish to battle. But one more defeat and Le Duc was crepes suzette The second blow was a despatch announcing the imminent arrival of the Dauphin, the king's popinjay nephew who was bored with Court and wanted to do some real soldiering, and had got a Captain-Generals commission from uncle Louis.

But what was this! Mon Dieu! Swinging into camp were a battalion each of the Garde Francais & Garde Suisse, and 2 squadrons of Mousqetaires, to ensure le Dauphin's ide was safe. So there was some good in all this. Brightening up, le Duc got up to welcome le Dauphin....

The next morning the outriding Carabinier scouts found the Irish, and Les Corps du Vin deployed on the gently rolling Bordeaux fields, with their left anchored on a small hamlet. The battleffield was dotted with a few wooded copses. "Right", said Le Duc to the Comte de Siraz, "you will hold the right flank with the Chevalulegers de Anjou and Languedoc Dragoons, and 2 squadrons of Carabiniers. I will assault the Irish centre, the Nouvelle regiments of Medoc, Languedoc, Alsace and Beajolias will lead. In reserve will be the veteran Champagne. Dauphin, I will deploy la Garde Francais in the rear too. You, Dauphin, will take the Garde Suisse, the Gendarmes de Bourgogne and Mousqetaires, plus more Carabiniers, and hold the left. Now everyone, no adventures please, our plan is to hold the flanks and smash through the centre"

"Huh", though the Dauphin, surveying the Irish horse deploying to his front, "what an old fart le Duc is, no wonder everyone at court thinks he is a buffoon. I haven't spread all this cash on Mousqetaire kegs just to sit on a sideshow. I want La Gloire, and to boast of victorious Derring-Do at court, nothing gets knickers down faster". As the Corps rolled forward that sunny morning, the grizzled commander of the Mousqetaires, one D'artagnan, rode up to le Dauphin. "Your Grace", he said, "the Irish Horse, though greater in number to ours, looks much the poorer for the sea crossing, and a brave charge by our cavalry, pressed home with vigour, will surely settle the issue"

"Indeed sir", cried the Dauphin, "then give the order to charge!"....and 5 minutes later the horrified Duc de Pinotage observed the Gendarmes and Mousqetaires haring across the field to engage the Irish horse. Merde! The Idiot! My flank is left open! He hurriedly gave the order to advance at the double, and Les Corps du Vin's drums beat a quickening tattoo as the regiments picked up the pace. On the right, the Comte de Syraz swore and advanced out of his comfortable defensive stance to cover the right. Le Duc saw the gap, and moved the formidable Garde Francais between his centre and the Comte's Dragoons.

"Huzzah! En Evance!" The Dauphin and the French horse crashed into the Irish, and rapidly bowled them over, smashing the whole command with the help of the drilling firepower of the Garde Suisse. "Ooooh, this is fun," squeaked le Dauphin, in the breathless excitement of a thundering, howling pursuit of the panicking Irish horsemen, " I can't think why le Duc loses so often, this is so easy. Perhaps I am a great general au naturel"....and then his face fell, because pouring out of the copses were hundreds of howling footmen, carrying vicious looking long swords, axes and clubs, and also heaving into view was a mass of pikemen and shot. They were being surrounded, and the cavalry had blown their horses. "Heeeeelp" shouted the Dauphin, as the disorganised French horse attempted to regroup amidst the wild Irish warbands. The Colonel of the Garde Suisse looked on, and with resignation realised that the Swiss Guards would yet again have to sell their lives to protect the impetuous French royal family, and signalled the advance.

In the centre, the first ripples of Irish musket fire were ineffective. The French drums beat the charge, and Languedoc, Medoc, Alsace and Beaujolais gave a single volley, then charged at the run with pikes, muskets and cutlasses. But the tough Irish resisted the onslaught of the inexperienced troops and threw back the French, and their next volleys were devastating, and their large number of pikemen proved to be deadly to the French infantry. On the centre-right, the Beajolais almost was wiped out. Mortal Danger beckoned, but then the solid Garde Francais stepped forward and poured fire at the Irish, forcing them back off the French main line's right flank.

On the left, the exhausted French horse attempted to retire from the Irish hordes, covered by their Carabiniers and the firepower of the Garde Suisse, but too late - they were overwhelmed in a flood of Irish Redhanks, and the Mousqetaires were wiped out to a man. Le Dauphin only just escaped, with D'Artagnan and 3 veteran Mousqetaires closing around him, cutting through the Irish throng and galloping for the hamlet. The Gendarmes de Bourgogne managed to reform and though exhausted charged the Irish again to cover the escape, but the Garde Suisse was now swarmed upon by the Irish, and a hand to hand melee started, the Garde going down where it stood. Its fate was sealed when the Irish pike and shot charged in. The French left was beaten, and the Irish warbands started to close down onto the flank of the French centre.

Le Duc was in dire straits, his left was beaten, and though he could see the remnant Gendarmes and Garde fighting on against massive odds, they could not last. In the centre, he was suffering massive losses - but then so had the Irish. One last push might do it. "The die is cast", he bellowed, and charged at the head of the veteran regiment Champagne, with the grimly capable Garde Ecossais horse on their other flank, into the Irish. The remnant French nouvelle line units in the fight saw the charge, and recovered their spirits, and pushed forward again with renewed elan. The Irish were too exhausted, the fresh French assault was too much, and they dropped their pikes and broke in confusion, closely pursued by the vengeful French foot.

But though the Irish centre had broken, the tough Celts were far from defeated, and their superior flank forces still pressed forward. The Irish warbands were closing on the French centre. On the right, the Comte de Sirah had skirmished all this while, but his Carabiniers were out of ammunition, and were finally caught by Irish horse and routed. Only the Chevaulegers d'Anjou and 2 companies of Dragoons stood between the Irish and total defeat. Le Comte's heart sank as he prepared to sell himself as dearly as he could for his country

But what was this? Sacre Bleu! Un miricale! C' est Magnifique! Le Duc and the Garde Francais, drums beating and flags flying, had swung right from the centre's melee and now advanced onto the Irish, pouring in volley after volley of disciplined fire and rocking the Irish advance. "Carpe Diem", cried le Comte, and at the head of the ChevauLegers d'Anjou charged the Irish horse, breaking straight through them. This, plus the withering fire from the Garde, was too much for the Irish. As the evening angelus sounded, with over 2/3 of their troops fallen on the field, the Irish were finally defeated. The French were in no mood for quarter, and the pursuit carried on through the evening.

".....and So", said le Duc in his After Battle DeBriefing (this was dreaded by his staff, they almost preferred losing because then the Duc was too busy running away for these long post battle soliloquoys), " the mass attack through the centre was successful, as the Irish could not come around our flanks in time. But we must in future beware of all those Irish pikemen, as they caused grevious loss even though their Shot had run. Also, the large numbers of Warband could not be held once we were disordered, Dauphin, and we have lost many brave men in the Mousqetaires and Swiss Garde due to that impetuosity". Le Duc shot a glance at Le Dauphin to press his point.

"Pah", retorted le Dauphin. Though frightened out of his wits in the rout, a flagon of wine in the hamlet and the requisite effect on the barmaid's knickers of a Mousqetaire uniform had returned his high opinion of himself. " I've written to Uncle Louis for another battalion of Swiss. Anyway, D'artagnan and I have been talking about using the horse better. Our rapid charge on the Irish horse broke them instantly. We call this nouvelle approach Pistoleering Rapide, and its far more exciting than your stuffy Ordinnaire Pistoleering . I asked Uncle for a commission as General de Cavalerie in your Corps, Dukie, so I can make it all happen. Anyway, I'm off to the inn for a drink, this is boring". The colonels of the Chevaulegers and Gendarmes leaped up to go with le Dauphin to discuss the new Rapide Pistoles. Le Comte de Siraz merely raised an eyebrow

Le Duc de Pinotage sighed and sat down heavily in his camp chair. This was going to be a looong war.

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