Napoleon's Invasion of Russia
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3rd Grenadiers à Pied (Middle Guard) (Dutch)
1st Chasseurs à Pied (Old Guard)
2nd Chasseurs à Pied (Old Guard)
1st Veteran Company (Old Guard)
Fusilier Grenadier Regiment (Young Guard)
6 Tirailleur Regiments (Young Guard)
1 Fusilier Chasseur Regiment (Young Guard)
6 Voltigeur Regiments (Young Guard)
National Guard Regiment (Young Guard)
Flanquer-Chasseur Regiment (Young Guard)
Grenadier à Cheval Regiment (Old Guard)
Chasseur à Cheval Regiment (Old Guard)
Mameluke Squadron (Old Guard) (Egyptian)
1st Chevauléger-lancier Regiment (Old Guard) (Polish)
2nd Chevauléger-lancier Regiment (Old Guard) (Dutch)
Gendarmes d'Elite (Old Guard)
4 Horse Artillery Companies (Old Guard)
6 Foot Artillery Companies (Old Guard)
4 Conscrit-cannonier Artillery Companies (Young Guard)
1 Pontoonier Ouvrier Company (Old Guard)
2 Artillery Train Battalions (Old Guard)
1 Veteran Cannonier Company (Old Guard) 8 Marine Equipage Companies (Old Guard)
3 Ouvrier Companies (Old Guard)
6 Equipage Train Companies (Old Guard)
This listing of the Guard includes the Dutch Guard, which was incorporated into Napoleon's guard after Holland became part of metropolitan France. The Decree of 13 September 1810 redesignated the Dutch Guard and the 1st and 2nd companies of the Garde du Corps as the “2eme Grenadiers à Pied de la Garde Imperiale.” The 3rd and 4th companies of the Garde du Corps were distributed to the 1st Grenadiers and 1st Chasseurs à Pied. The same decree converted the Dutch hussars into the 2nd Chevauléger-lancier Regiment. The Dutch horse battery and train were incorporated as well.
The Dutch grenadiers remained the 2nd Grenadier Regiment until the Decree of 18 May 1811, which raised a new French grenadier regiment, naming it the 2nd, and redesignating the Dutch as the 3rd Grenadiers. This decree also raised the “2e Regiment de Chasseurs à Pied de la Garde Imperiale” (2nd Chasseur Regiment). The cadre of the new grenadier regiment came from the 1st Tirailleur Regiment and the new chasseur regiment came from the 1st Voltigeur Regiment.
Prior to 1811, there were velites attached to all of the guard cavalry regiments. The Decree of 1 August 1811 terminated the admission of men to the velites, and on 1 January 1812 the velites were absorbed into the other squadrons, bringing them to 250 men each.
The Decree of 18 May 1811 raised the 5th Voltigeurs and 5th Tirailleurs. The Flanquer-Chasseurs were raised by the Decree of 4 September 1811.
Serving with the Guard was a very great honor and privilege. The requirements for entry into the Guard were five years of service and participation in two campaigns. This meant that the Guard was an elite force of experienced, battle-hardened troopers. In addition to the honor of being so designated, there were very real material rewards to belonging to the Guard. An ordinary Guard grenadier received the pay of a sergeant in a line regiment. Guard corporals received the pay of sergeant-majors.
In addition, the Guard always received special rations and equipment. If any unit ever had its needs looked after first, it was Napoleon's “favorite children,” the Imperial Guard.
All Guard infantry was organized with two battalions. The chasseur battalions contained 800 men organized in four companies of 200 soldiers. The regimental staff consisted of ninety-four officers and men.
In 1810 the Guard cavalry consisted of a staff, the three cavalry regiments (the grenadiers, chasseurs, and dragoons), and the Mameluke company. Each regiment had four squadrons of cavalry and a fifth squadron of velites, the squadrons being organized with two companies each. The staff had fifty-one men. Each company was organized with 125 officers and men. The Mameluke company was organized with 159 officers and men.
On 2 March 1807 Napoleon ordered the raising of a pulk, or regiment, of light cavalry with four light squadrons. This was followed by the Decree of 6 April 1807, signed by Napoleon in the imperial camp at Finkenstein, which raised the “Regiment de chevaulégers polonaise de la garde.” It was formed with four squadrons, and each squadron had two companies. Its staff had 34 officers and men. Each company was organized with 125 officers and men.
The 2nd Chevauléger-lanciers de la Garde (Hollondaise) was formed by the Decree of 13 September 1810, which incorporated the Dutch Guard into the French Imperial Guard. The Dutch Guard hussars were converted to lancers and organized into eight companies. On 21 September the regiment had a strength of 58 officers and 881 men.
On 1 October 1810 the regimental staff of the 2e Chevauléger-lanciers was reorganized. Its staff had twenty officers and men. The four squadrons were raised to five by the Decree of 11 March 1812. The regiment now had a total of 1,212 men, and each company had a strength of 118 men, in contrast to the 123 men of the other guard cavalry companies. The Dutch lancer companies were organized with 118 officers and men.
The Decree of 1 August 1811 raised a fifth squadron in the Grenadiers à Cheval, the Chasseurs à Cheval, and the Dragoon Regiments. In addition, it restated Napoleon's desire to stop the admission of velites into the guard cavalry. Those velites who remained were absorbed into the 2e Chevauléger-lanciers de la Garde. The squadrons of velites were to remain in three corps, but as of 1 January 1812 they were to be broken up and distributed amongst the other squadrons of the grenadiers, chas-seurs, and dragoons in order to bring them up to a total of five squadrons of 250 men.
The decree went on to say that the 2e Chevauléger-lanciers were to be completed entirely from the velites. In addition, every cavalier sent from the line cavalry regiments who did not have ten years of service was to be incorporated into the 2e Chevauléger-lanciers until such time as he had the required time in service. The decree also made the 2e Chevauléger-lanciers part of the Middle Guard.
A report from the minister of war to Napoleon relating to the status of the various Guard units and their designations as Old, Middle, and Young Guard, dated 11 October 1811, indicates that only the 2e Chevauléger-lanciers were considered Middle Guard and that all of the other Guard cavalry units were Old Guard.
The Decree of 11 March 1812 added a fifth squadron to the 2e Chevauléger-lanciers de la Garde and the Decree of 12 March added a fifth squadron to the ler Regiment de Chevauléger-lanciers de la Garde.
On 9 June 1809 three companies of conscripted gunners were established: the compagnie d'artillerie des conscrits de la Garde, the compagnie d'artillerie des tirailleurs de la Garde, and the compagnie d'artillerie des fusiliers. These companies were known as “Nouvelle Garde,” the first of the “Young Guard” of later years. Each of these batteries had eight guns manned by 140 officers and men. These units formed the first Young Guard artillery companies to be attached to the Guard. To support these three artillery companies, three new artillery train companies were established by the Decree of 21 October 1809. They were known collectively as the “conscrits-cannoniers.”
In preparation for the 1812 campaign, foot artillery companies were raised to 124 officers and men, but the horse artillery retained its 1808 organization of 84 officers and men per company.
The conscrits-cannoniers were not reorganized by this decree. The equipment assigned to the Guard was distributed as follows:
Horse Artillery Companies
4 6pdrs
2 Howitzers
Reserve Foot Companies
6 12pdrs
2 Howitzers
Foot Companies
6 6pdrs
2 Howitzers
Consents à pied
8 3pdrs or 4pdrs Total
16 guns
By 16 December, the foot artillery had two 12pdr batteries and four 6pdr batteries, as well as four batteries of eight 4pdr guns.
The Decree of 12 December 1811 established a 4th Company of Young Guard Foot Artillery. It was organized with the same establishment as the first three c
ompanies. This decree also added two brigadiers and fourteen gunners to the establishments of the Guard horse artillery companies.
The Order of 26 December 1811 fixed the artillery served the line that was to operate with the Guard artillery. This auxiliary artillery was to consist of four horse companies and six foot companies equipped with 72 guns, which brought the total artillery operating with the Guard to 166. To this was joined the 32 pieces of Italian Guard artillery, which brought the total that was to operate with the Guard to 208 guns.
The Decree of 12 January 1812 raised the “compagnie de cannoniers veterans de la garde.” This company had fifty-one officers and men. It was formed as an Old Guard unit with gunners with five years of service in the Guard. It was actually raised on 1 May 1812.
On 18 February 1812 the Guard artillery train companies received an augmentation of ten men to their establishments.
The Decree of 27 March 1809 which described this force as a “corps de Marines” directed that this force be reorganized as a single “equipage.” Its establishment was set at 148 officers and men. Each of the five squads was to consist of twenty-nine officers and men. On 1 March 1810 the Guard Marines had a total of 152 men, which had resulted from the escape of many of the men from the Spanish prisoner of war camps.
As Napoleon traveled about France, visiting Flessingue (Flushing) and other port cities, he was always accompanied by the Guard Marines. He decided that the 171 men that then comprised the Guard Marines were not adequate, and on 16 September 1810 he issued a decree from the palace of Saint Cloud that reorganized the Guard Marines with a total of 1,136 men. It consisted of a staff and eight companies. The staff consisted of eight officers and men. Each of the eight companies consisted of 141 officers and men.
The Légion d'Elite de la Gendarmerie, which was raised by the Arrèté of 28 Ventose Year X (19 March 1802) consisted of a staff, two squadrons of two companies and a demibattalion of two companies. The staff consisted of thirty-one officers and men. Each mounted corps consisted of eighty-nine officers and men. Each company of foot gendarmes consisted of 122 officers and men.
The Decree of 24 August 1811 stripped the regimental equipage from the various guard combat formations and organized the “Bataillon d' equipage de train de la garde.” This single battalion was to take care of the needs of the entire Guard. It was to consist of 17 officers and 755 men. The battalion was organized with six companies and had a total of 1,165 horses, including 117 mounts.
Nearly half of the Grande Armée that entered Russia was formed with the armies of France's allies. In order to understand the true nature of the forces that invaded Russia, it is necessary to consider them as well.
The Bavarian Army
The Bavarians were one of Napoleon's oldest and most reliable German allies. They had fought under his banner in many campaigns and their homeland had served as a battleground more than once.
During the period between the French Revolution and Napoleon's second abdication, the Bavarian army underwent a continuous evolution, and immediately before the 1812 campaign there was a major reorganization. The Army Order of 29 April 1811 directed that each of the 12 Bavarian infantry regiments was to have two field battalions and one reserve or depot battalion. Each battalion had four fusilier companies, one grenadier company, and a schutzen company. The regimental staff consisted of 35 officers and men, while each company had 148 officers and men. The four light infantry, or jàgers, existed only as independent battalions. These battalions had a staff of twenty-three officers and men. The companies had 151 officers and men.
The Bavarian army had six chevauxléger regiments. Each regiment was organized with four squadrons, each squadron with two companies. The regimental staff had eighteen officers and men. Each squadron had 149 officers and men.
The Bavarian artillery consisted of a single artillery regiment with four battalions. Each battalion had five companies. Four of these companies were foot companies, and the remaining one was a light, or wurst, battery. The wurst batteries served the same function as a horse battery, but were not given that specific name. Wurst is the German word for sausage, and for the padded seat between the trails of the gun carriage and atop the caissons. This seat, which was designed to provide the gunners with a method of riding into battle, looked like a sausage, hence the name.
The Bavarian foot and light artillery companies were organized with eight guns each. They had either six 6pdrs or 12pdrs and two 7pdr howitzers. These batteries each had 100 officers and men.
To support the artillery, there was a train and transport battalion which provided the same services as the French artillery train. It had a staff of twenty-one officers and men. Each of its eight companies had 150 officers and men. In addition, there was an artillery ouvrier company that had ninety-nine officers and men.
There was a small pontoonier corps with two companies. The staff had four officers and men, and each company had seventy-two officers and men.
The Army of Baden
The Grand Duchy of Baden formed an alliance with France in 1803 and supplied a small contingent to the French army during the 1805 campaign. Baden became part of the Confederation of the Rhine in 1806 and continued its affiliation and alliance with France until late 1813, when the allies overran its territories. When Baden joined the Confederation of the Rhine, its army underwent a reorganization, and its regimental structure was changed to conform with the French system.
The Baden infantry consisted of one jàger battalion and four line regiments, each with two battalions. The line infantry battalions had one grenadier, one voltigeur, and four fusilier battalions. The regimental staff had eighteen officers and men. Each company had 138 officers and men.
The Lingg Jàger Battalion had a smaller staff commanded by a major, but the battalion organization was identical to that of the line battalions.
Baden had two cavalry regiments, one hussar, and one light dragoon. Both regiments were organized identically. Their regimental staff had fourteen officers and men. Each of the five squadrons had two companies. Those companies had ninety-five officers and men each.
Baden had one foot and one horse artillery battery. These batteries had eight guns. The foot battery had six 12pdrs and two 5.5-inch howitzers. It was manned by 139 officers and men. The horse battery had eight 6pdrs and was manned by 134 officers and men. There was also a train company assigned to these batteries, which had two officers, eight sergeants, and about five hundred others.
The Army of Cleve-Berg
Prior to 1806, Cleve-Berg had been part of Bavaria. In that year there were some territorial realignments and exchanges which resulted in two smaller duchies being merged with Dusseldorf as their capital. The newly created principality was then presented to Joachim Murat, Napoleon's brother-in-law. In 1808, when Murat left Cleve-Berg to become king of Naples, the oldest son of Louis Bonaparte, then king of Holland, was given the duchy. The troops of Cleve-Berg fought with the French in 1806 and in every campaign until the duchy was dissolved in 1813.
When Cleve-Berg was handed over by the Bavarians, it came with the infantry regiment that had been raised in the province. After the institution of the conscription, this regiment was raised from the four battalions it had in 1808 to six battalions. In August 1808, it was divided into 2 three-battalion regiments that shared a common depot.
In October 1808 a third battalion was raised, and in 1811 a fourth battalion was raised with a single battalion taken from the first three regiments. This force was then massaged and each of the four regiments had only two battalions. These battalions had the French six-company organization. The regimental staff had nineteen officers and men. Each company had 140 officers and men.
Cleve-Berg had a single light cavalry regiment that was attached to the French Imperial Guard. In 1812 a cadre of fifty men returned to Cleve-Berg and began forming a second regiment. This new regiment did not become active until 1813.
Cleve-Berg had a single artillery battalion with two batteries: one h
orse and one foot battery. The foot battery had six 8pdrs and two 6-inch howitzers. The horse company had six 4pdrs. These two batteries were served by a train company. In addition, there was a company of engineers who encompassed the functions of sappers, pontooniers, and miners.
The Army of Hesse-Darmstadt
One of the smaller contingents to join the Grande Arrnee in Russia was the army of Hesse-Darmstadt, a member of the Confederation of the Rhine which had been elevated from a landgraviate to a grand duchy as a result of its alliance with France.
On 15 January 1809 the organization of the three infantry brigades or regiments was altered. The brigade staff consisted of thirteen officers and men. The four companies in each battalion had 3 officers and 165 noncommissioned officers and men. There were no elite companies. The number of wagons assigned to the regiments was increased to four wagons. Each battalion had four wagons and two pack horses.
Only the Gross und Erbprinz Regiment, which served in Spain, adopted the six-company ' Trench” organization. It had the same regimental staff, and the companies had 140 officers and men. A provisional light infantry regiment was formed from the Garde-Fusilier-Bataillon and the Leib-Fusilier-Bataillon. During 1813 this became the Garde-Fusilier-Regiment.
In preparation for the 1812 campaign, the Hesse-Darmstadt chevaux-léger regiment was reinforced and brought up to a strength of 12 officers, 2 middle staff personnel, 40 unteroffizier, 10 trumpeters, 375 chevauxlég-ers, 16 train soldiers, and 3 squadron smiths. It was organized in four squadrons.
The regiment was assigned to the IX Corps of Marshal Victor. As such it remained in Germany and Poland during the beginning of the campaign. The Garde-Chevauxlégers were assigned to the light cavalry brigade with the Baden Hussars under the command of Fournier.
In preparation for the 1812 campaign, a single battery was prepared on 30 May 1812 and assigned to the Grande Armée. This battery consisted of 3 officers and 100 noncommissioned officers and artillerists. It had a train of ninety men.