Interlude: The Storm

Introduction

After crossing the Niemen, the Grande Armee captures Vilna without a fight. As it moves forward there is an enormous thunderstorm which creates terrible conditions for those troops caught out in the open.

Background

“Thereafter we endured three days of continuous and torrential rain, followed by alternating periods of unbearable heat and downpours whose like I've never known. Under skies now unbearably hot, now pouring forth freezing rain, we were either smothered in sand or knee-deep in mud.”

(Austin 2000 p.61)

That night the heavens opened again. And all along the Vilna road the rain comes pelting down, forcing Major Boulart to spend the night in one of his artillery wagons. In a freezing wet dawn… he climbs out to see in front of him 'a quarter of my horses lying on the ground, some dead or almost, the others shivering'.“

(Austin 2000 p.67)

Description

Dumont successfully led his mean across the Niemen and captured the crossing point from the Russians. Advancing with the army in pursuit of the retreating Russians, his company is able to find shelter as a huge storm crashes over the troops. Sheltering in a farm, Dumont must choose what to send his men off to do:

Glory: help the 2nd Lancers of the Imperial Guard as they struggle to protect their horses from the storm.
Resources: search the barn and outbuildings for food.
Wealth: pillage the farm for any lootable wealth.
Men: settle the wounded and ensure they are well looked after.

Choices

Dice role	Glory	Resources	Wealth	Men
1	Dumont's men make space for the cavalry in the barn as the rain lashes down. Finding some green oats they feed the horses, and wake in the morning to find the horses dying with distended bellies. Colonel Colbert is furious and threatens to report Dumont to the Emperor. -3 victory points.	The men disperse to search the farm, but forget to secure the wagons first. Returning they find that the rain has got into the sacks of flour. -5 sacks of supplies.	Seeing the men break every piece of furniture in the place looking for loot, the farmer decides he's had enough and starts taking potshots with his blunderbuss, wounding Bertrand. 1 additional man wounded.	The roof of the barn gives way as the rain crashes down, drenching the wounded who are huddled together on the straw. 3 wounded men die.
2-3	The rain pours down drenching both men and horses. Thunder spooks the horses and clumsy handling by Dumont's men means everyone is drenched and the horses are shivering by nightfall. Colonel Colbert berates Dumont for getting in the way. -1 victory point.	Cold, wet, and threatened by the farmer with a blunderbuss, the men draw a blank. +0 sacks of supplies.	Despite stripping the farm building bare, there's nothing to be found here. +0 items of loot.	There's no decent shelter and the rain makes for a miserable night for everyone, especially the wounded. The men awake in the morning to find that Bertrand has succumbed to his wounds. 1 wounded man dies.
4-7	As the rain starts to come down, the company help the lancers to bring their horses into shelter in the farm's outbuildings. +1 victory point.	Searching the outbuildings the company find the farm's winter stock of beetroot and potato. +3 sacks of supplies.	The farm doesn't have much movable wealth, but what there is the men take. +1 item of loot.	Dumont clears a dry section of the barn for his wounded and makes sure they have some warm soup and a good sleep. 1 wounded man can return to the ranks.
8-9	Working quickly, the company help the lancers bring their horses into shelter and finding the hayloft bring fodder to keep them well fed. Colonel Colbert thanks Dumont and his men effusively for their help. +2 victory points.	While dragging out sacks of beetroots and potato, the company hear squealing. There's a pig around here and it's bacon for breakfast. +5 sacks of supplies.	Turns out the farmer must have had a few good years, rifling through the dresser Bertrand finds the coins he'd put aside for a rainy day. +2 items of loot.	The straw is very warming, and a good bowl of soup does the wounded the power of good. 2 wounded men return to the ranks.
10	The Emperor passes the farm in the morning, commenting on how well his lancers look, Colonel Colbert points to Dumont's men as having found his horses shelter and food. Napoleon thanks Dumont personally. +5 victory points.	Ransacking the house, Bertrand hits the jackpot with a hidden door into the cellar which conceals a small barrel of vodka along with stored food of all kinds. +10 sacks of suppliers.	Breaking into the farmhouse, it turns out that the farmer is very devout keeping icons of the orthodox saints covered in gold. Bertrand acquires them for the glory of France. +3 items of loot.	The farmer's wife takes pity on the wounded men, caring for them personally and helping them settle for the night. 3 wounded men return to the ranks.

References

Austin (2000) page 67.

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