Thursday 29 October 2009

The battle of Bergwald

TheAltsteiners deploy : the right wing.
The Altstein left wing.
Von Esslings left wing.

Von Essling was marginally outnumbered but massed his dragoons on his left flank destroying Captain Kranze’s jagers and routing the Altstein Hussars. Von Essling himself crossed swords with the hussars during this engagement. His centre held firm and Brigadier von Kurstein withdrew with substantial losses.


Von Bruckenheims folly.

Von Bruckenheim was berated most heatedly by Ludwig , Graf von Altstein in front of the General Staff.
However, Ludwig knew that von Bruckenheim was still one of his most able officers and refrained from sacking him once he had vented his anger.
Ludwig decided to give von Bruckenheim a chance to redeem himself by sending him to probe the Eisenburg forces with a reconnaissance in force.

The forces at his disposal were:-
The Blau Altstein Hussars
2 Infantry regiments
1 Squadron of Dragoons
A company of Jagers zu Fuss led by the redoubtable Captain Kranz.

Von Bruckenheim found Fritz von Essling on the march and immediately launched an attack upon the Eisenbuger column.
Von Esslings troops deployed from the march with great speed and repulsed the Altsteiners after a series of fierce firefights and melees.


Von Bruckenheim fell back in disarray after his impetuous attack and returned to Ludwig with his tail firmly between his legs. He was received by Graf Ludwig at camp, downgraded to Colonel and sent at once to the northern frontier to take command of a garrison battalion.


Fritz von Essling was resting while encamped close to the border when an exhausted messenger was brought to him by his guards. The messenger had grave news for the general, the elderly and infirm septuagenarian Herzog Eugen had passed away in his sleep.


The Duke had no male heir to the Dukedom and his daughter Katarina was now the Duchess of Eisenburg-Essling.
This news would encourage the Count of Altstein in his attempt to become the next Duke of Eisenburg-Essling by defeating von Essling and forcing Katarina to marry him.


Within days Fritz von Essling received orders from the Duchess to advance into Altstein and defeat Graf Ludwig in battle.
On his advance north von Essling came upon an Altstein force commanded by Brigadier Albrecht von Kurstein in the vicinity of the Bergwald forest.







Monday 26 October 2009

The battle of Klosewitz



The Eisenburg Dragoons chased off the Blau Hussars and took the Altstein gun crews from the flank , while the Eisenburg infantry got the better of the Altsteiners in the central firefight.


August von Bruckenheim and his battered force retreated in some haste while Fritz von Essling’s men licked their wounds holding the field of battle.
Von Bruckenheim reached the main body of the Altsteiners some 20 miles north of Klosewitz having abandoned his guns and leaving his wounded and dead behind.


The War of 1749

In the Year of our Lord 1749 war broke out between the County of Altstein and the Duchy of Eisenburg - Essling



















Count Ludwig, Graf von Altstein, a harsh and somewhat cruel ruler, insulted by the rejection of his advances by the daughter of the Duke of Eisenburg - Essling , declared war upon the elderly Duke Eugen Herzog von Eisenburg - Essling.

The Altstein army was mobilised and marched for the border, banners aloft. Panic however was the order of the day in the Dukedom’s principal town Eisenburg.

Feldgeneral Friedrich ( Fritz ) von Essling mustered his troops in the town square and headed for the border with some haste to meet the Altsteiners head on.

The Eisenburger’s small army consisted of the following:
The Essling Grenadiers
The Eisenburg Infantry Regiment
The Eisenburg Dragoons
A battery of Artillery
Fritz von Essling ran into the Altstein advance guard close to the border town of Klosewitz. The Altsteiners were commanded by Brigadier August von Bruckenheim and consisted of the following units:-
Infantry Regiment No.1
Infantry Regiment No.2
The Blau Altstein Hussars
A battery of Artillery

As a squadron of the Altstein Blau Hussars approached Klosewitz they spotted a squadron of Eisenburg Dragoons approaching from the south-east.
Both forces deployed from the march and battle was joined.