The Peninsula Adventures of a French Dragoon Leo Sole: 1808 spring

"I think they are not too enthusiastic about being liberated from the tyranny of kings". - Leo Sole, 1808 spring

The spring is spent in and around Madrid. Army of 40 000 needs to eat... a lot. So Leo's company spends most of the time obtaining food and other supplies from the local population. Not exactly how Leo imagined war. Still it's better than gallows. Some soldiers seem to be enjoying that though. The locals are told that French are here to bring the end of the tyranny, but many locals don't seem to be grateful, on the contrary, there are more and more reports coming about civilians attacking soldiers. But the army needs to be fed, and orders have to be obeyed, the problem is that those people don't have much left to be confiscated. "Maybe I could slip away, loose my uniform and blend in as local?" Leo catches himself wondering, "And then I would starve...", and he kicks in another door leading into a dimly lit room where dirty peasant woman is is hugging two young girls. 

"Food! Where is it?!" shouts he in Spanish pointing his musket at the woman, "We mean no harm, we have orders..." 

On the first of May Leo's company marches out of Madrid's gates. As soon as city fades out of sight, there is a feeling of relief. "Hopefully we finally are going to face some music*, wherever that might be" thinks Leo. 

"March you footsloggers!" shouts sergeant Baptiste. 

Yeah, no horses still...

Rules and history: First I check if my company is supplied. It is! Then I roll to know what mission I will get: foraging. Not too exciting, but kinda makes sense. I decide that Leo's company is ordered with requisitioning supplies for the huge army stationed within Madrid's walls. The mission itself comes out uneventful: three PEFs, 3 supplies gathered.

"His Majesty may judge from this fact the comparison between their means and our's -we have not 4 day's food in any of our magazines, we have no transport, we cannot draw requisitions from the most wretched village without sending thither a foraging party of 200 strong." - Marshal Marmont

Historically the Dos de Mayo Uprising happened in spring of 1808, but I decide to go with what dice dictate - no battle event rolled, and so Leo leaves Madrid just a day before the events begin. 

 * I've found this site of Napoleonic French army slang, this is why I used the term "to face the music": (http://www.napoleonguide.com/slangfr.htm)