The Campaigns of Napoleon
Page 134
Nevertheless, although Napoleon’s original strategy now lay in ruins, the Emperor’s military position was not necessarily hopeless, providing he continued to enjoy the support of the army, the French populace and government. Soult eventually rallied more than 55,000 troops of l’Armée du Nord around Philippeville (including Grouchy’s wing), and by the end of June there were no less than 117,000 troops available for the defense of Paris and to oppose the advance of the victorious Allies from the direction of the Belgian frontier. There were also sizeable numbers of men garrisoning the many important fortresses between the capital and the frontier, while a further 170,000 conscripts were presently undergoing training in depots situated in the northeast. Indeed, the need to mask these fortresses and depot towns caused a great diminution in Allied armed strength, and by the time all necessary detachments had been made Blücher was left with a bare 66,000 and Wellington with only 52,000 men (including many “suspect” units of dubious value) for the final advance on the French capital.
On the secondary fronts, too, fortune had not by any means deserted French arms. Suchet’s Army of the Alps had severely mauled General Frimont’s troops in Piedmont; Generals Lemarque and Clausel had successfully brought the rebels in La Vendée under control; and when the Austrian commander in chief Schwarzenberg began to cross the middle Rhine in late June, his advance guard received a definite check at the hands of plucky General Rapp and his handful of troops at the battle of Le Souffel. There were grounds for belief, therefore, that a staunch defense of French soil was still a possibility even after the cataclysm of Waterloo.
However, the vital requirement of government backing for the Emperor was wholly lacking. It is quite probable that the ordinary people of Paris were ready to fight on, but although Davout urged his master to seize control of the ministries and purge the disloyal Chambers with the large and still reliable garrison of the capital, Napoleon hesitated to make this final gamble. The politicians and civil servants, led by the arch-intriguer Fouché, proceeded to make the most of their opportunity. While their exhausted Emperor snatched some overdue rest following his return to Paris on the morning of 21st June, the conspirators acted: the Chambers unconstitutionally declared themselves indissoluble save of their own free will, summoned the National Guard for their protection, and then started a clamor for Napoleon’s renewed abdication. Rather than see violence again in the streets of his capital, Napoleon gave way, and on June 22, 1815, formally renounced his Imperial rights in favor of his son, the King of Rome—just four days after the battle of Waterloo. A few days later the ex-Emperor retired to Malmaison.
The political events that followed do not directly concern this book; as the Chambers wasted time discussing constitutional trivialities, Fouché negotiated with the Allies, looking for the highest bidder. Meanwhile the Allies advanced along the River Oise, Grouchy retreating through Laon and Soissons toward Paris. Blücher reached the gates of the city on June 30, only to be repulsed by Davout’s 117,000 troops. The Allies became dangerously strung out in the final stages of this advance and Napoleon proffered his services to the provisional government—offering to serve in the capacity of a simple general—in the hope that this golden opportunity of destroying the Allies piecemeal and thus avenging Waterloo would not be wasted. Not altogether surprisingly, however, the government refused to employ their old master, but Fouché at least agreed to place a frigate at his disposal. Hoping to escape to the United States of America for sanctuary, Napoleon of his own free will set out for Rochefort, where the vessel lay, but on arriving at the port on July 3 he found a British naval squadron off the port.
For 12 days a variety of plans and schemes were successively considered, but after being warned that Louis XVIII had ordered the city authorities to arrest his person, Napoleon at length agreed to board HMS Bellerophon, throwing himself on the charity and generosity of the British Prince Regent. Hopeful to the last that his British adversaries would either permit him to sail to America or alternatively to settle in England, Napoleon set himself to charm the British naval officers and sailors. The Prince Regent and Lord Liverpool’s government thought otherwise, however, and before many days were out Napoleon Bonaparte was on his way to the rocky fastness of St. Helena in the South Atlantic, there to pass the remaining years of his life.
The flight of the eagle was over; the “ogre” was safely caged at last, and an exhausted Europe settled down once more to attempt a return to former ways of life and government. But the shade of Napoleon lingered on irresistibly for many years after his death in 1821. It lingers yet.
Appendices
References
Bibliography
Glossary of Military Terms
Indexes
LIST OF APPENDICES
A. Order of Battle of the Army of Italy, April 12, 1796
B. Examples of Napoleon’s Chief Manoeuvres sur les Derriéres
C. The Strength and Positions of L’Armée de Reserve, June 14, 1800
D. The Formations of La Grande Armée, August 29, 1805
E. The Organization of L’Armée d’Espagne in November 1808
F. The Formations of the Re-formed Grande Armée on March 30, 1809
G. Organization of La Grande Armée for the Campaign of 1812
H. Organization of L’Armé du Nord for the Campaign of 1815
I. Summary of Selected Battles
J. The Imperial Nobility
Appendices
A. ORDER OF BATTLE OF THE ARMY OF ITALY, APRIL 12, 1796
HEADQUARTERS
General Bonaparte, Commander in Chief
General Berthier, Chief of Staff
General Chasseloup, Chief Engineer
Citizens Chauvet and Saliceti, Commissaries-General
Colonel Murat, Captains Louis Bonaparte, Marmont, Sulkowski and Junot, Aides-de-Camp (inter alii)
Unit Commander Component Formations Strength
Division Massena* Division la Harpe
(70th, 99th, 14th, 1st Light and 1 battalion of the 21st) 9,400
Division Meynier†
(Brigade Ménard: 8th Light and 2nd battalion of the 21st 3,400
Brigade Joubert: 51st, 55th, 3rd Light 2,250
Brigade Dommartin: 84th) 2,970
_______
TOTAL 18,020
_______
Division Sérurier (19th, 46th, 56th Demi-Brigades) 9,450
Division Augereau (39th and 69th Demi-Brigades) 6,200
Brigade Rusca* (4th Light and 18th Light) 2,600
Cavalry—General Stengel 3,500
Artillery and Engineers 3,800
Divisions Macquard et Gamier 800
Lines of communication troops (1st, 2nd and 3rd Coastal Divisions) 10,500
16th Light Demi-Brigade troops 1,400
TOTAL STRENGTH:
62,270 and 60 guns (plus 24 light mountain pieces)
EFFECTIVE STRENGTH:
41,570 after deduction of lines of communication troops
IN THE FIELD:
37,600 after deduction of sick, absentees, etc.
Massena’s command, consisting of two divisions, might be termed a weak corps, but there was no corps headquarters.
General Meynier was removed from command very early in the campaign; thereafter Massena led the division in person, or left it to the brigadier-generals.
Brigade Rusca was originally a part of Augereau’s command, but was detached on 5th April to perform a liaison role linking Sérurier’s and Massena’s divisions.
(Information drawn in part from Commandant J. Colin, Études sur la Campagne de 1796-97, Paris, 1898.)
B. EXAMPLES OF NAPOLEON’S CHIEF MANOEUVRES SUR LES DERRIÈRES
Name of Maneuver Date and Duration Enemy Position and Depot Strategic Barrier to be Occupied French Starting Line Name of Maneuver Curtain of Maneuver Center of Operations Battle Outcome
Turin 12-28 April, 1796 Foothills of Alps and Appenines; Turin Mombarco escarpment Ligurian coast Turin Alps and Apennines Savona-Cev
a-Coni Mondovi Armistice of Cherasco
Lodi 5-11 May, 1796 Around Valenza; Milan River Adda Near Cherasco Lodi Right bank of River Po Piacenza Lodi Evacuation of Lombardy
Villanova 15-17 November, 1796 The Heights of Caldiero; Vicenza River Alpone Verona Villanova Right bank of River Adige Piacenza Arcola Retreat of Alvintzi
Stradella 14 May-14 June, 1800 Around Genoa; Piacenza Stradella defile Switzerland (Geneva) Stradella Alps and then left bank of River Po Milan Marengo Convention of Alessandria
Ulm 25 September-20 October, 1805 Vicinity of Ulm and Black Forest; Augsburg River Lech Along the Rhine Ulm Black Forest and Danube Augsburg Ulm Capitulation of General Mack
Jena 8-14 October, 1806 On move towards Thüringerwald, Berlin and Dresden River Saale Camps in Bavaria Jena Thüringerwald Forest Würzburg-Auma Jena-Auerstadt Destruction of Prussian Army
Pultusk 22-29 December, 1806 West of the Narew Eastward Before Warsaw Pultusk Nil Warsaw Pultusk Russian retreat
Allenstein 25 January-3 February, 1807 West of the Alle Eastward West of River Narew Allenstein Nil Warsaw Allenstein Russian retreat
Eylau 5-7 February, 1807 West of the Alle Left bank of the Alle Left bank of River Alle Eylau Nil Warsaw Eylau Russian retreat but severe French check
Friedland 7-14 June, 1807 West of the Alle Left bank of the Alle West of River Alle Friedland Nil Warsaw Friedland Peace of Tilsit
Landshut 17-25 April, 1807 Landshut/Ratisbon area; Landshut and Vienna River Isar Ratisbon/Augsburg Landshut Lefebvre’s corps Augsburg Eckmühl, etc. Retreat of Archduke Charles
Wagram 23 April-6 July, 1809 Bohemia; Landshut and Vienna River Marche Near Ratisbon Wagram Right bank of Danube Isle of Lobau Wagram Retreat of Archduke Charles
Vilna 24 June-9 July, 1812 East of the Niemen; Vilna River Vilia Along the Niemen Vilna Nil Kovno Vilna Inconclusive
Smolensk 11-19 August, 1812 Right bank of River Dnieper; Vitebsk River Dnieper South of Vitebsk Smolensk Forest of Bieski Orcha Smolensk Russian retreat
Lützen 1-2 May, 1813 Left bank of River Elster; Dresden Right bank of River Saale Right bank of River Saale Lützen The River Saale Hanover Lützen Allied retreat
C. THE STRENGTH AND POSITIONS OF L’ ARMÉE DE RÉSERVE, JUNE 14, 1800
(Based upon Captain Brossier’s reproduction of the official strength return, printed in his Journal, Archives de la Guerre A II, d. 147.)
Lieutenant-Generals Divisional Commanders Strength Location
Includes some 250 mounted “guides.”
A.INFANTRY
Desaix Gardanne 3,638 Marengo
Lannes Chambarlhac 5,287 Marengo
Victor Monnier 3,614 Marengo
Watrin 5,083 Marengo
Boudet 5,316 Marengo
Consular Guard* 1,232 Marengo
Duhesme Loison 5,304 Piacenza
Lapoype 3,462 Ponte-Curone
Lorge 4,400 Créma
Gilly 3,300 Milan
Moncey Chabran 3,373 Left bank of River Po
Turreau 1,000 Turin
Bethencourt 500 Arona
Reinforcements en route 3,468 various
_______
Total 48,977
_______
B. CAVALRY
Murat Harville (heavy) 550
Marengo
Kellermann (dragoons) 1,551 Marengo, less two regiments at Spinetta
Rivaud (chasseurs) 699
Champeaux (hussars) 420
Duvignau (heavy) 1,112 Marching from Milan
(chasseurs) 850 Piacenza
(hussars) 420 Piacenza
Reinforcements en route 1,424
_______
Total 7,026
_______
C. ARTILLERY AND SAPPERS
Marmont À Pied 1,466
À Cheval 283
Marescot Engineers, sappers 269
_______
Total 2,018
_______
SUMMARY
(a) At Marengo (b) In garrisons or support (c) En route Totals
Includes some 250 mounted “guides.”
Infantry 22,938 21,339 3,468 47,745
Consular Guard* 1,232 --- --- 1,232
Cavalry 3,220 2,382 1,424 7,026
Artillery and Sappers 618 1,400 --- 2,018
_______ _______ _______ _______
Total 28,008 25,121 4,892 58,021
_______ _______ _______ _______
D. THE FORMATIONS OF LA GRANDE ARMÉE, AUGUST 29, 1805
Unit Commander Line Divisions Attached Light Cavalry Divisions Gross Strength
The Imperial Guard Bessières --- --- 7,000
First Corps Bernadotte Drouet and Rivaud Kellermann 17,000
Second Corps Marmont Boudet, Grouchy and Dumonceau* Lacoste 20,000
Third Corps Davout Friant, Gudin and Bisson† Vialannes 26,000
Fourth Corps Soult St. Hilaire, Suchet,§ Vandamme and Legrand Margaron 40,000
Fifth Corps Lannes Oudinot and Gazan* Treilhard 18,000
Sixth Corps Ney Dupont,* Loison and Mahler Tilly 24,000
Seventh Corps Augereau Desjardins and Mathieu No cavalry 14,000
Reserve Corps (assembling) Deroy (Bavarians) --- 26,000
Seeger (Württembergers)
Harrant (Badeners)
Reserve Cavalry Murat Nansouty’s and Hautpol’s cuirassiers --- 22,000
Klein,* Walther, Beaumont and Bourcier—dragoons
Baraguey d’Hilliers—dismounted dragoons
Reserve Artillery Dommartin --- --- 5,000
TOTAL STRENGTH: 219,000.
EFFECTIVE STRENGTH:
210,500 (and 396 guns).
Line Divisions marked * later formed into the Eighth Corps under Mortier.
Line Division marked † later commanded by General Caffarelli (the Younger).
Line Division marked § later attached to Lannes’ Fifth Corps.
N.B.—Each division comprised three regiments (nine battalions) and each light cavalry division, four regiments. Information mainly drawn from the Correspondance, Vol. XI, No. 9137, pp. 141-44.
E. THE ORGANIZATION OF L’ARMÉE D’ESP AGNE IN NOVEMBER 1808
Formation Commander Divisional Generals Strength*†
TOTAL STRENGTH,
October 10, 1808: 314,612; Effective 244,125. Approx. 600 guns
FIRST CORPS
Marshal Victor, Duke of Belluno Ruffin (1st Division)
Lapisse (2nd Division)
Villatte (3rd Division)
Beaumont (Light Cavalry)
_______
TOTAL:
33,937 (less 5,100 sick or detached)
_______
FOURTH CORPS
Marshal Lefebvre, Duke of Danzig Sébastiani (1st Division)
Leval (2nd Division)
Valence (3rd Division)
Maupetit (Light Cavalry)
_______
TOTAL:
22,895 (less 3,100 sick or detached)
_______
II. C
ENTER
IMPERIAL GUARD
Two regiments of Grenadiers (4 battalions)
Two regiments of Chasseurs (4 battalions)
Two regiments of Fusiliers (6 battalions) 8,000 Infantry
One regiment, each of Chasseurs-àcheval, Grenadiers, Dragoons, Gendarmes d’Élite, Polish Light Horse; one squadron of Mamelukes 3,500 Cavalry
_______
TOTAL
(incl. gunners): 12,100 (detachments, etc. uncertain)
_______
SECOND CORPS
Marshal Bessiéres (replaced by Marshal Soult, Duke of Dalmatia, w.e.f. 9 November) Mouton (1st Division)
Merle (2nd Division)
Bonnet (3rd Division)
Lasalle (Light Cavalry) later Franceschi, w.e.f. 10 November
Later additions:
January 1809
Delaborde (ex-Eighth Corps)
Heudelet (ex-Eighth Corps)
_______
TOTAL:
33,054 (less 12,900 sic
k or detached)
_______
(41,000)
SEVENTH CORPS
(Detached for service in Catalonia) General Gouvion St. Cyr Chabran (1st Division)
Lecchi (2nd Division)
Reille (3rd Division)
Souham (4th Division)
Pino (5th Division)
Chabot (6th Division)
3 brigades of Light Cavalry
_______
TOTAL:
42,382 (less 6,200 sick or detached)
_______
(50,000)
SIXTH CORPS
Marshal Ney, Duke of Elchingen Marchand (1st Division)
Lagrange (2nd Division)
Mermet (3rd Division)—see below
Colbert (Light Cavalry)
_______
TOTAL:
38,033 (less 8,400 sick or detached)
_______
(After transfer of Mermet’s Division in November to IInd and IIIrd Corps, operational strength 20,000)
RESERVE CAVALRY
Marshal Bessiéres, w.e.f. 9 November Latour-Maubourg (Dragoons)
Milhaud (Dragoons)
Lahoussaye (Dragoons)
Lorges (Dragoons)
Millet (Dragoons) (Kellermann, w.e.f. January 1809)
Franceschi (Light Cavalry); later transferred to Second Corps w.e.f. 10 November
_______
TOTAL:
17,069 (detachments, etc. uncertain)
_______
(Subject to considerable fluctuations)
CENTRAL RESERVE INFANTRY