20H Engagement at Soave (HTH) - WDS Campaign Eckmuhl

29 April 1809 - Historical - Intended for Head to Head play. After the Battle of Sacile, Eugene retreated westward to regroup his army and await reinforcements. Meanwhile, the Archduke John followed cautiously after the battle and probably missed an opportunity to press Eugene further back. Advancing from Vicenza on the 26th through the 28th the Austrian army neared Caldiero where the French had prepared a strong position. Halting near Soave (approximately 8-10 miles east of Verona) John drew up his forces on the river. On the morrow, Eugene decided on a plan of action and had MacDonald with two divisions march on the Austrian left while Grenier with two divisions attacked the center. Sorbier with seven battalions and a cavalry regiment would explore the hills that formed the Austrian right. Around noon the French began their advance. MacDonald found that there were no crossing points at the river, all of the bridges having been dismantled. Grenier's assault on Soave made some progress but his troops were pressed back over the river with some loss. Meanwhile, Sorbier found that there were few Hapsburg forces on his front. He advanced through the vineyards with his Italians and pushed back the few battalions facing him. However, his orders had not been to exploit any opening he found and by darkness he had pulled back to his original start line. Thus ended the first day of the action at Soave. Note: added in were French engineers for use in bridging the river. While its doubtful that it can be done in the face of the Austrian artillery the option is there for the players. The engineers enter with a percentage chance of 10 percent to reflect their unhistorical appearance.