Spain vs. France

Ballasteros orders his right flank brigade to assault the French position on the hilll west of the town, but they can see the strength of the French position and are reluctant to start forward. The central brigades a forward feinting movement while the artillery battery opens fire on the troops in the village to little effect.

The French maintain their position awaiting the Spanish assault. The artillery battery opens fire on Ballasteros' 3 Brigada causing minor casualities.

Ballasteros despatches two ADC to demand the flank brigade starts to move forwards. Meanwhile the centre brigades push their skirmishers forward and follow themselves towards the middle of the French position. The artillery battery continues to fire on the village, but realises that they are short on ammunition. The skirmish lines now in range begin bickering causing minor casualties.

The French maintain their position with the 21e Legere skirmishers starting to bicker with the Spanish skirmishers, and the artillery continuing to fire on the advancing Spanish line causing a few casualties.

The Spanish right flank brigade continue to be reluctant to move forward despite the urging of Ballasteros' ADC. They start to fall behind the advance of the centre brigades. Ballasteros also deploys his ADC to bring ammunition forward to the artillery so that it can continue to fire on the village, although that fire remains ineffective.

The French artillery continues to fire on the advancing Spanish, causing the forward battalion to lose formation

The advancing Spanish brigades continue taking casualties from the well directed artillery fire while the skirmishers snipe at each other. 3 Brigade's leading battalion tries to reform loses more men to the artillery directly to its front and remains unformed. The flanking maneouvre remains halted as the brigade hesitates.

The French can now see the extent of the Spanish assault and a ripple runs down the ranks. Still, the voltigeurs are starting to take a toll on the less experienced Spanish skirmishers, and the artillery is playing with effect on the Spanish to the front of the village.

Finally overcoming their nerves the Spanish press forward. The centre battalions forming up and pressing on to the village. The flanking brigade moving into the rougher wooded ground as the skirmishers move to the bottom of the hill.

Pepin orders his artillery to redouble its fire on the advancing Spanish, shaking the morale of the lead battalion as their wounded mount. He can see the brigade reaching around his left flank and considers how to respond.

The Spanish flanking movement starts to make headway, unsettling the French on the hill while with both brigades of Spanish skirmishers at the bottom of the hill, the French Legere voltigeurs are under pressure. In the centre, 3 Brigada steady themselves under artillery fire and Contreras brigade trade volleys with the French battalion in the village, although the Spanish artillery fire remains ineffective.

21e Legere begin to manouevre their third battalion to the left, mindful of the advancing Spanish. The artillery continues to fire at the Spanish to their front.

The Spanish troops making the flanking move continue to hesitant. They're not under threat and seem to be reluctant to press home their attack. The Spanish skirmishers are making little impression on the voltigeurs across the French position, and the artillery again finds that it doesn't have enough ammunition brought forward to the guns.

The French continue to watch the Spanish flanking movement warily. But the more skilled voltigeurs are taking their toll on the Spanish skirmishers. The ligne battalion, facing seemingly overwhelming numbers loses its fire discipline and continues blazing away at the enemy to the front.

The Spanish flanking brigade finally starts to mount the hill and prepare to assault the French light infantry regiment while the centre holds firm. The skirmisher firing on the lower slopes of the hill intensifies as the main forces near each other. The Spanish artillery, low on ammunition, becomes ineffective as the gunners get more tired.

The 21e Legere shift position and formation to face the threat to their flank. The French artillery shifts focus to Contreras' brigade attacking the village and starts to cause significant damage.

The Spanish assault on the right flank climbs the hill and approaches the French, while in the centre 3 Brigade shift forward to protect their flank, while continuing to suffer under the barrage from the French artillery leading to another of their battalions losing formation.

The 21e Legere prepare to receive the Spanish assault, firing musketry volleys that cause casualties on the leading Spanish battalions. The artillery continues to cause significant disruption to the Spanish to its front.

The Spanish 2 Brigada charge up the hill towards the French. 21e Legere resond with volleys that fell the leading ranks and halt the Spanish in their tracks. The Villiviciosa regiment on the left are devastated and fall back down the hill pulling both battalions back in retreat. Candas y Luanco on the right halt before the reach the French line and fire a feeble volley.

21e Legere blaze away at the approaching Spanish from the crest of the hill and prevent them from closing. The artillery in the centre and 100e Ligne on the right in the village continue to hold off the Spanish to their front.

While the Villaviciosa regiment reforms at the bottom of the hill, the Candas y Luanco regiment try to push forward to the French line again urged on by their brigadier and Ballasteros' ADC. Once again they encounter a volley from the 21e Legere and stop short without pressing their attack home.

The 21e Legere continue to hold the crest of the hill, firing volleys in line. In the centre, the artillery switch to canister and blast the lead battalion facing the village, knocking over many men. The remainder of the battalion take fright and run to the rear, leaving the remainder of the brigade shaken.

On the right flank, the critical engagement continues, but Candas y Luanco still can't push their attack home, stopped each time by disciplined volleys from the French. Castropol moves up and aims to move around the French left flank. In the centre, Contreras' brigade steady's after the flight of the General regiment. Ballasteros orders the brigade to fall back and his first brigade forward from the reserve.

21e Legere is holding the hill with disciplined volleys in line against a whole Spanish brigade. Seeing the weakness in the Spanish centre Pepin orders the dragoons forward with the reserve battalions of 100e Ligne in support.

The French dragoons charge the centre of the Spanish, and the shaken Pravia regiment refuses the order to form square and runs backwards leaving a gap in the Spanish line. The French artillery then pounds the depleted regiment and the troops simply melt away, leaving the brigade's remaining regiment faltering and with cavalry on its flank. On the right flank, Ballasteros' second brigade stands on the crest of the hill and ineffectively fires at the French, taking casualties from the more effective French fire.

Ballasteros moves up his reserve brigade to plug the gap in his centre and orders Contreras weakened brigade into square.

Contreras' brigade look shaky in square, but the Union regiment fire a volley and the 22nd Dragoons refuse to charge home. 1 Brigade continues to deploy in the centre, but on the flank the volleys of the Legere begin to take their toll, one battalion of Candas y Luanco falls back and flees, and the other is about to. The rest of the brigade starts to falter.

2 Brigada on the right flank falter, waver, and fall back down the hill as another battalion breaks and flees the field. 3 Brigada remains demoralised and steps back from the front line while Ballasteros' regular brigade (1 Brigada) swings into the front to shore it up. Contreras' brigade remains in square as the French dragoons threaten a further charge. Ballasteros orders his cavalry forward to prepare in case he needs to retreat.

The Dragoon brigade repostions for a further charge against the weakened Spanish centre with the 100e Ligne battalions coming forward behind. The Legere on the left flank hold on the hill rather than being tempted to pursue the Spanish as they fall back.

The repositioning in the Spanish centre continues as Ballasteros' 2 Brigada recover their composure and return to the advance, hoping to use their few remaining fresh battaltions to take advantage of the French focus on the centre. The cavalry division begins it's repositioning.

Both dragoon regiments charge the Spanish to their front, who successfully form square, so the French cavalry refuse to charge home and fall back behind the 100e as their infantry support.

Ballasteros pushes his centre forward in a last ditch assault. On his right flank, the Castropol regiment charges the French left but retreats before savage volley fire.

The French artillery pummels the Spanish in the centre, forcing one battalion to disperse, while the 21e Legere easily forces back the Spanish from the summit of the hill with disciplined fire.

Finally Ballasteros' achieves a breakthrough, while his depleted right flank brigade falls back spent, Contreras' brigade in the centre breaks into the village of El Ronquillo forcing out the French. Meanwhile the Spanish artillery punishes the exposed infantry to the right of the village.

The French stagger back from the village, and suddenly their position looks dangerous, with the 100e Ligne suffering signifcant casualties and with the Spanish now thrusting through the middle of their position, even while 21e Legere are close to beating the enemy to their front.

The Spanish now occupy the village, and Ballasteros tries to press home his advantage by pushing 1 Brigada forward in centre, only for them to fail to charge home against the French infantry. 2 Brigada renews the assault on the right but is stopped in its tracks by a disciplined volley from the French light infantry.

The French in the centre repulse the charge by 1 Brigada, but artillery fire from the Spanish battery finally pushes the third battalion of the French to flee the field. The French position to their centre and right is looking increasingly shaky. On the hill, 21e Legere are easily holding their own against the Spanish assault, stopping the weakening Spanish in their tracks.

On the Spanish right flank 2 Brigada cling on exchanging fire with the French. In the centre the troops continue to hesitate as the cavalry move forward.

In the centre 100e Ligne rallies fras 3e battalion flee, but Pepin realises that his centre is beaten and starts to think about how to safely extract his troops.

After taking heavy fire from the French, 2 Brigada on the right has finally had enough. It breaks and flees the field. The two brigades in the centre continue to press forward slowly but have taken enough casualties to mean they are reluctant to press the French too hard.

As the Spanish flee the field on the French left, Pepin realises that this likely the only opportunity for him to extract his troops from the field. 21e Legere reforms and starts to fall back. The artillery limber up and get ready to march off the field, and the dragoon brigade stands ready to cover their retreat back down the road to Sevilla.