Napoleon in 1812

The reed forest south of the Arlanzón River was a terrain potentially advantageous for the Wellesley Corps.

The presence of reeds that grew well beyond adult height was limiting the movement of troops. Because the French could not easily enter the area, the Wellesley Corps concentrated its firepower on the front and right sides, completely excluding the left side.

The leaders of the Wellesley Corps were confident of winning, even if they had failed to capture Fort Burgos for some reasons. Their geographical advantage was large enough to offset the numerical advantage of the French. Of course, Wellesley was not negligent in defending the area, and did not only rely on the terrain of the reed forest.

A special unit was created to roam the area by selecting guerilla-experienced soldiers from Spain and Portugal. Their formation consisted of 14 battalions, to which Wellesley added a battalion of British light infantry to complete a total of 15 battalions.

“Our goal is to stop the French from crossing the river as much as possible. With the help of these reeds.”

Brigadier General Miguel Blake, who had led Spanish militias in the past and had experience in guerrilla warfare, was chosen to lead these division-level forces. While crossing the Arlanzón River and moving south, the French were forced to expose their right flank.

The purpose of the special forces hiding in the reed forest was to hold the right wing of the Napoleon Corps for as long as possible, while staging a guerrilla war against them. Brigadier General Blake set clear strategic goals for his officers, but respected their individual judgment on the tactics and operations of the lower levels.

“…And I have to give a ‘special order’ to the Lieutenant Colonel and his battalion.”

“You don’t have to say it. Our battalion members do not see it as an act of dishonor.”

Brigadier General Blake nodded heavily at the sight of Lieutenant Colonel Peterwood, the commander of the British light infantry battalion, who was tapping on his chest and saying that he could do anything to win the war. Lieutenant Colonel Peterwood saluted Brigadier General Blake, led the members of his battalion and disappeared through the reed forest.

The British light infantry battalion was the one added by Arthur Wellesley. Its soldiers were from the 95th Infantry Regiment. They were the best British riflemen, armed with Baker rifles, and were wearing dark green coats instead of the red coats symbolizing the British army. There was only one optimal way to use them.

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French troops were crossing the Arlanzón River and moving south through temporary bridges. Despite the artillery shelling of the Allied forces, they did not forget their discipline and moderation, and were stepping forward in time with the marching songs played by drummers and trumpeters.

As they watched the raging blue waves filling their front view, the troops hidden in the reed forest swallowed their saliva. French and Allied infantry were facing each other south of the Arlanzón River. The soldiers on both sides were now about 500 yards away, and the distance was narrowing quickly.

“From the 1st Battalion to the 7th Battalion! Advance!”

“Forward!”

It was finally time for the special forces to start a guerrilla war.

Appearing through the reed forest, they ran toward the right wing of the French army. The French soldiers, who were preparing for a historic battle against the coalition infantry, were greatly surprised by the sudden emergence of special forces.

Their expressions were the ones that Brigadier General Blake had hoped for.

“First row, aim!”

The same situation had unfolded exactly an hour ago. But this time, the offense and defense sides were reversed.

“Shoot!”

Tatatatatatata!

The guns that they were holding were rifles, not muskets.

Created by modifying the Kentucky rifle used by Americans in the American Revolutionary War, these Baker rifles had a hit rate and range that would overwhelm ordinary muskets, and were among the best rifles in existence.

Their first shots collapsed the French line. The faces of the survivors showed deep embarrassment.

“They’re riflemen! Don’t be scared, hold your bayonets! Forward!”

The rifle was heavier than the musket and slower to shoot. Riflemen were no match for the line infantry if they meet in an open field. The French officer of the unit, who knew this, ordered the advancement of the soldiers in order to engage in a close fight.

But this was also part of Brigadier General Blake’s expectations.

“Change of line!”

The Allied special forces moved in unison with his order. Soldiers with rifles fell back to load. And in the vacancy stood soldiers with muskets who had been waiting behind them. The French infantrymen, who were approaching for a close-range firing battle, were hit hard by the second round of shots of the special forces that had finished aiming. Once again, the French line was broken.

Brigadier General Blake, who was watching all of this, put in the last move.

The light infantry battalion appeared, dressed in green coats.

“I take the one with the epaulets on.”

“Then I take the one with the shaggy beard.”

“The fattest on the outside is mine.”

There was a word used in the British army to describe the shooting skills of the green coats.

‘Ghosts’

The British soldiers, who were said to have the best average shooting skills in the world, praised them like this. Brigadier General Blake knew it, but he was able to confirm it again today. Officers and non-commissioned officers were struggling to recover the lines of the French unit that was hit by consecutive shots and panicked.

They jumped out of the ranks and shouted, but those actions made them easier targets for the green coats.

Tatatata! Tatata! Tata!

“Hold your position!”

“Re-regiment commander!”

Unlike line infantry, which typically required 60 to 70 yards to cause significant damage, British infantrymen were able to shoot bullets into the enemies’ chests from 200 yards away. And 300 yards was not a problem for the green coats called ghosts, armed with Baker rifles. Targeting the officers and non-commissioned officers was a vicious and dishonorable move that Britain had learned in the American Revolutionary War. As such, the effect was tremendous.

As nearly half of those who would command and control them disappeared at once, the chaos of the French troops led to a total collapse of their unit. They scattered, unable to even speak of their cowardice. The special battalions, which removed one entire French regiment like this, continued to shoot and harass other French troops, using their rifles’ range and accuracy.

If they could not resist fighting, they stepped down to the reed forest and responded with guerrilla warfare and irregular warfare.

“Now!”

Tata! Tatata! Tata! Tata!

“Where are these guys… Ugh!”

“Argh!”

Due to the nature of the reed forest, in which it was impossible to move together by battalion or regiment, the French troops chasing the Allied special forces had no choice but to be divided. The soldiers torn in front of the special forces with a lot of experience in guerrilla warfare were nothing but prey. They hunted the French excitedly.

However, they were so absorbed in hunting that they could not figure out what was going on outside the reed forest.

===

As expected, Arthur Wellesley came up with a strategy to make the most of the terrain and to stop the French army’s advance. The most representative part of this strategy was the formation of guerrilla units in the reed forest. Napoleon did not have much experience dealing with guerrilla units, but that did not mean he was ignorant of these kinds of fights.

He had already prepared himself.

“There are a lot of complaints from the officers, including the ones in charge, about memorizing maps and directions that will only be used once and then completely forgotten. I wonder how your Majesty will soothe this.”

“Oh, come on… My head hurts just dealing with the complaints and grumbles of the Old Guard. Are you doing this too? You may have to memorize it once and then forget it, but you should remember the efforts of the explorers who struggled through the reed forest for days and days to complete this map.”

The officers smiled playfully and saluted. The officers’ uniforms were surprisingly not blue, but had a yellow color close to gray. It was Napoleon’s trump card to beat the Allied special forces striding through the reed forest.

“We will not return to Your Majesty until we kill all the rats swarming in the reeds.”

“I wish you good luck, and will be waiting for you with Champagne.”

With a smile, Napoleon send off the guards. Their uniforms had changed, but there was a symbol hanging on the left breast that proved who they were.

French Imperial Guard – 2nd Grenadier Regiment

French Imperial Guard – 2nd Chasseur Regiment

It was the emergence of the Middle Guard, which was next to the Old Guard in the French Imperial Army.

===

They were informed that a new French unit had been found in the reed forest. The officers of the battalions of the special forces, including Brigadier General Blake, had a grotesque smile. The reed forest was their playground. No one was able to beat their troops, who had light clothing, a specialized formation, and abundant experience in guerrilla warfare.

“I’ll have to make these fearless preys pay the price.”

“This time, my battalion will go out first.”

“What are you talking about? Of course it’s our turn!”

They were so excited, and showed their motivation. If the battle continued like this, the first prize after the war would be won by the men in the reed forest here. If they stood out in such a special battalion, they would surely be rewarded, promoted and honored by the Allied command and the governments of each country. That was why they were so eager to fight.

But their expectations were soon shattered.

Tatata! Tata! Tata! Tatatata!

The special battalions engaged the fight against the newly found troops. As they had been doing before, they thought they could win the battle while saving their strengths.

However…

Swish! Slash!

“Cough!”

“Ugh!”

“W-where did these guys come from!?”

Battalion members standing by to attack the French troops approached them separately. But suddenly, they were surrounded by French soldiers who appeared behind them. In their words, it was a tragedy.

The same was repeated among the coalition special forces who were scattered around.

“The messenger sent to the 3rd Battalion has still not come back! Something seems to be going wrong!”

“We have also lost communication with the 8th Battalion. It looks like they’ve been taken down.”

“We announce the defeat of the 11th Battalion! Lieutenant Commander Jaros has died in battle!…”

It did not take them long to realize that they were being hunted in reverse, with simultaneous, blistering defeats and ominous news. The positions of hunter and prey had been reversed. When Brigadier General Blake was sweating in the unexpected situation, the light infantry battalion of the 95th Infantry Regiment was facing their old enemy.

“…Ha! You must have really wanted to beat us! The Guards are running around in such peasants’ uniforms with no sense of pride!”

Lieutenant Colonel Peterwood, the commander of the light infantry battalion, said so, smiling sadly. In front of Peterwood and his troops, were grenadiers and chasseurs in gray uniforms, waiting with bayonets.

“Is this uniform a big deal for the victory and glory of the Empire? I would even wear woman’s clothes! Hahaha!”

Lieutenant Colonel Temple, the highest rank among them, responded with a big smile. Lieutenant Colonel Peterwood and the other soldiers prepared their bayonets for the battle. But in fact, it was a pointless fight. The light infantry battalion was a unit specialized in scouting and shooting. But they had to fight back in close combat against the Grenadiers and Chasseurs of the Guard? They could never win.

“I have one question before the battle. How the hell could you locate us so quickly?”

“Our great Emperor had long foreseen that your commander would be playing tricks here. He sent a search party ahead to prepare for it, looking for hiding places, march routes inside the forest, ambushable locations… We looked into everything. The location information is all in our heads.”

“…”

“This grey uniform, which is indistinguishable from the color of the reeds, is a bonus. Thanks to it, your unit didn’t realize our existence until the end, right?”

“Ha… haha! From the beginning, we had our heads in the mouth of a lion.”

To Lieutenant Colonel Peterwood, who tilted his head and smiled sadly, Lieutenant Colonel Temple made a generous offer.

“It’s rare to meet a unit that can stand shoulder to shoulder with the Imperial Guard. I think of your unit as one of them. I acknowledge the honor of the Green Coats, and I urge you to surrender in honor.”

“No way! Would you accept an offer of surrender if we switched our positions!? Our honor in defending the kingdom comes from unbreakable pride and faith!”

Lieutenant Colonel Temple nodded. His subordinate officers understood it as a sign and drew their swords.

“Long live the French Empire! Long live the Emperor!!”

“Long live the United Kingdom of Britain! God save the King!”

The two armies, each with their own shouts, rushed towards each other. A close-quarters battle splattered with blood and flesh engulfed the surroundings. Red blood soaked the earth inside the reed forest, under screams, shouts and groans. Half an hour later, there was no green coat still standing on both feet. Lieutenant Colonel Temple closed the eyes of Lieutenant Colonel Peterwood, who had died with a hole in his chest.

“Let’s go! To celebrate the victory of this battle!”

The march of the Middle Guard through the reed forest was not over.

Here’s a lithography made by Henri Ganier Tanconville of soldiers of the Middle Guard:

Sorry not sorry for this: