Tag: Königsberg

• Captain Puffeney’s recollections of the 1806-1807 Campaigns …

  

  The son of humble farmers from the Franche-Comté region, Captain Pierre-François Puffeney was born in Les Planches, near Arbois, on 5 December 1772. He was not yet twenty when he enlisted as a volunteer in the 2nd Battalion of the Jura, to fly, as it was then called, to the defence of the Fatherland. A…

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  April 4, 2024

  1806 Campaign, 1807 Campaign, Anecdotes, Artillery, Battle, Cavalry, General staff, Generals, Infantry, Logistics – War Commissionary – Intendancy, Marshals, Memoirs, Officer, Soldier

  Accomodation, Arbois, Baggage, Battle of Eylau, Battle of Friedland, Battle of Ostrołęka, Billet, Bivouac, Captain, Chief of Staff, Contusion, Corporal, Czarnowo, Daily life, Danzig, Decorations, Discipline, Duchy, Emperor, Erlangen, Eylau, Family, Fatigue, France, Franche-Comté, General Bennigsen, General Campana, General Essen, General Gazan, General Reille, General Savary, Glogau, Grenadiers, Grodno, Host, Hussars, Injuries, Jura, Königsberg, Legion of Honour, Lieutenant, Light Infantry, Line infantry, Lissa, Locals, Marshal Davout, Marshal Lannes, Marshal Masséna, Marshal Oudinot, Marshal Suchet, Mittellangdorff, Mud, Napoleon, Ostrolenka, Poland, Pregel, Prussia, Pultusk, Retreat, Rhine, River, Russia, Second Lieutenant, Sergeant-major, Siege of Danzig (1807), Silesia, Spain, Supplies, Tilsit, Town, Transport, Tsar Alexander, Village, Warsaw, Wartenberg, Winter, Woods

• The Military Life of Bruno d’Ast … (II)

  

  Moscow, 20 September 1812. My dear father, you must have received my letter from Smolensk by now. I hope that it finds you in as good health as I am at the moment, despite the fatigue and hardship we had to endure before arriving in this city. I spoke to you in my last letter…

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  April 3, 2024

  1812 Campaign, 1813 Campaign, Aide-de-camp, Anecdotes, Artillery, Battle, General staff, Generals, Imperial Guard, Infantry, Letters – Correspondence, Logistics – War Commissionary – Intendancy, Marshals, Officer, Soldier

  1812, Aachen, Accomodation, Aide-de-camp, Aix la-Chapelle, Appointment, Battle of Bautzen, Battle of Borodino, Battle of Lützen, Billet, Bivouac, Borodino, Breslau, Burning of Moscow, Captain, Captivity, Cold, Conscription, Daily life, Emperor, Family, Fatigue, General Lanusse, General Ricard, General Roguet, Grenade, Haute-Garonne, Imperial Guard, Königsberg, Legion of Honour, Leipzig, Liegnitz, Line infantry, Lintz, Loan, Mainz, Major, Marriage, Marshal Berthier, Marshal Ney, Marshal Pérignon, Money, Moscow, Moskva, Mounts, Mozhaysk, Naples, Napoleon, Neumark, Oder, Paris, Périgord, Périgueux, Pillage, Prisoner of war, Promotion, Prussia, Russia, Supplies, Tirailleurs, Toulouse, Vilna, Voltigeurs, Wine, Winter

• Dedicated to the Imperial Cause – Letters of the Dandalle Family (V) …

  

  In September 1811, Alphonse, now definitively released from his clothing employment, sent a detachment by boat from Huningue to Wesel to join the regiment. He travelled to Hamburg, made contact with Hubert and returned to the Huningue depot, bidding it farewell on 20 April 1812 when he left for Cologne with another detachment. It is…

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  March 13, 2024

  1812 Campaign, Anecdotes, Battle, Cavalry, General staff, Infantry, Letters – Correspondence, Logistics – War Commissionary – Intendancy, Officer, Soldier

  1812, Austria, Barclay de Tolly, Battle of Borodino, Battle of Maloyaroslavets, Battle of Smolensk, Battle of the Berezina, Berlin, Bivouac, Borodino, Borovsk, Brandy, Bulletin, Burning of Moscow, Captain, Cold, Cologne, Cossacks, Croatia, Cuirassier, Daily life, Danzig, Depot, Dnieper, Dvina, Foodstuffs, France, General Moreau, General Nansouty, Germany, Grants, Hamburg, Hanover, Huningue, Italy, Kaluga, Königsberg, Kovno, Kremlin, Legion of Honour, Light Infantry, Lithuania, Magdeburg, Marshal Bernadotte, Marshal Mortier, Marshal Victor, Minsk, Money, Moscow, Moskva, Napoleon, Niemen, Poland, Polotsk, Prince Bagration, Prisoner of war, River, Russia, Studienka, Supplies, Sweden, Swiss, Tilsit, Tsar Alexander, Vanguard, Vilna, Vitebsk, Voltigeurs, Vyazma, Water, Wesel

• A dragoon under Marshal Murat – Letters of the 1806-1807 Campaigns (II)

  

  Poland was a completely different country for the French soldiers. The miserable and often desolate appearance of certain areas surprised them by the contrast with the bountiful regions where they had long resided. However, they were cheerful and confident, and the change of regime gave them more cause for jest than complaint. Moreover, the cordial…

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  January 22, 2024

  1806 Campaign, 1807 Campaign, Artillery, Battle, Cavalry, Engineers, General staff, Generals, Imperial Guard, Infantry, Letters – Correspondence, Logistics – War Commissionary – Intendancy, Marshals, Officer

  Accomodation, Allenstein, Billet, Bivouac, Chasseur à Cheval de la Garde Impériale, Cossacks, Craconville, Custrin, Daily life, Deppen, Dokhturov, Dragoons, Emperor, Eylau, Family, Fatigue, Foodstuffs, General Beaumont, General Bennigsen, General Corbineau, General d'Hautpoul, General Lasalle, Germany, Golitsyn, Health, Hoff, Königsberg, Liebstadt, Locals, Mainz, Marriage, Marshal Augereau, Marshal Davout, Marshal Lannes, Marshal Murat, Moral, Mud, Napoleon, Poland, Praga, Prussia, Pultusk, River, Russia, Snow, Supplies, Ukra, Vistula, Warsaw

• Letters of Désiré Trefcon, quartermaster in the 22nd Dragoons – 1806-1807

  

  Désiré Trefcon was conscripted in Year VII and initially served with his brothers Pierre-Antoine and Toussaint-Jean in the 15th Demi-Brigade. Due to his frail health and poor tolerance of arduous stages, he was almost constantly assigned to the depot companies. He had therefore remained in Bitche (Moselle Department) during the brilliant campaign of 1800. Eager…

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  January 11, 2024

  1806 Campaign, 1807 Campaign, Aide-de-camp, Anecdotes, Artillery, Battle, Cavalry, General staff, Generals, Infantry, Letters – Correspondence, Logistics – War Commissionary – Intendancy, Marshals, Officer

  Battle of Austerlitz, Battle of Friedland, Berlin, Bitche, Bivouac, Captain, Daily life, Depot, Dragoons, Emperor, Family, Fatigue, General Carrié, Illness, Königsberg, Legion of Honour, Liège, Lieutenant, Line infantry, Locals, Marshal Grouchy, Marshal Murat, Misery, Mounts, Napoleon, NCO, Niemen, Ostrolenka, Paris, Poland, Prussia, Quartermaster, Rhine, Russia, Tilsit, Vanguard, Vistula, Warsaw

• Dedicated to the Imperial Cause – Letters of the Dandalle Family (II) …

  

  On 25 February 1807, Pierre quoted a passage from the Emperor’s proclamation: We pursued the enemy with bayonets at their backs for eighty leagues. We won three engagements and one battle. The enemy has lost 20,000 men. We are going to return to our billets and woe betide anyone who dares to disturb our respite.…

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  January 4, 2024

  1807 Campaign, Battle, Infantry, Letters – Correspondence, Logistics – War Commissionary – Intendancy, Officer, Soldier

  Accomodation, Allenstein, Austria, Bartenstein, Battle of Friedland, Battle of Guttstadt, Battle of Heilsberg, Bivouac, Chasseur, Continental System, Cossacks, Crossen, Daily life, Duchy of Warsaw, Emperor, Equipment, Execution, Family, Flag, Frankfurt, General Gudin, Germany, Grants, Grenadiers, Hohenstein, Homesick, Huningue, Imperial Guard, Inspection, Insubordination, Königsberg, King Frederick William III of Prussia, Legion of Honour, Light Infantry, Locals, Magdeburg, Marshal Davout, Marshal Murat, Money, Napoleon, Negotiations, Niemen, Oder, Peace, Poland, Police, Pregel, Provisioning, Prussia, Russia, Russian Imperial Guard, Silesia, Sonnenburg, Supplies, Tapiau, Tilsit, Tsar Alexander, Vistula, Wine

• A letter on the retreat from Russia, by an artillery officer …

  

  The author of the following letter, Jean-Michel-Marie Prévost, son of Henri-François, councillor to the King, judge, magistrate in the seneschal and presiding court of Clermont-Ferrand, and Marguerite Monestier, was born in Clermont-Ferrand on 26 July 1782. Prévost entered the École Polytechnique on 1 Frimaire Year 10, became a student second lieutenant on 1 Vendémiaire Year…

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  November 21, 2023

  1812 Campaign, Artillery, Engineers, General staff, Generals, Imperial Guard, Letters – Correspondence, Logistics – War Commissionary – Intendancy, Officer

  1812, Accomodation, Aide-de-camp, Battle of the Berezina, Bivouac, Clermont-Ferrand, Cold, Cossacks, Daily life, Dresden, Family, Foodstuffs, Foot Artillery, Horse Artillery, Injuries, Königsberg, Kovno, Krasnoi, Legion of Honour, Lyon, Magdeburg, Marriage, Moscow, National Guard, Pillage, Prisoner of war, Prussia, Rearguard, Retreat, Russia, Supplies, Thorn, Tilsit, Vilna, Vistula

• Letters of a battalion commander, Russia 1812 …

  

  The military operations of 1812 commenced in June. On the 15th, the 33rd Infantry Regiment numbered 4,252 men divided into five battalions. This is the unit of our officer, whose letters we reproduce. On the 18th, Napoleon, who was at Gumbinnen (Prussia), inspected the 33rd Regiment, part of the 2nd Division (led by General Friant)…

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  November 18, 2023

  1812 Campaign, Battle, Generals, Infantry, Letters – Correspondence, Logistics – War Commissionary – Intendancy, Medicine – Surgery, Officer

  1812, Accomodation, Ambulance, Battalion Commander, Battle of Borodino, Battle of Smolensk, Berlin, Bivouac, Certificate, Cold, Daily life, Danzig, Dysentery, Elbing, Emperor, Family, General Friant, General Nansouty, Gumbinnen, Gzhatsk, Illness, Injuries, Inspection, Königsberg, Legion of Honour, Line infantry, Mainz, Marshal Berthier, Marshal Davout, Minsk, Money, Moscow, Moskva, Mozhaysk, Napoleon, Oder, Promotion, Redoubts, Retreat, Russia, Smolensk, Stettin, Surgeon, Vilna, Wine

• An Italian, the Grande Armée and the campaign of 1812 …

  

  The Biblioteca Estense in Modena preserves the original copies of a substantial set of letters written by an unsung soldier of the Army of the Kingdom of Italy, Paolo Magelli, born at Pavullo in 1785. These were addressed to his elder brother Giustiniano. In contrast, the correspondence does not contain the letters written by Giustiniano…

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  September 13, 2023

  1812 Campaign, Anecdotes, Artillery, Battle, Cavalry, French-Allied forces, General staff, Generals, Imperial Guard, Infantry, Letters – Correspondence, Marshals, Officer, Soldier

  1812, Accomodation, Battle of Maloyaroslavets, Bavaria, Bivouac, Borodino, Burning of Moscow, Cold, Cossacks, Daily life, Dvina, Emperor, Eugène de Beauharnais, Fatigue, Foodstuffs, Frost, Grants, Hunger, Illness, Imperial Guard, Italy, Jérôme Bonaparte, Jews, Kaluga, Königsberg, Lithuania, Looting, Marienwerder, Marshal Murat, Milan, Modena, Money, Moscow, Mozhaysk, Napoleon, Niemen, Pillage, Poland, Prussia, Religion, Retreat, Royal Guard, Russia, Saxony, Silesia, Supplies, Surazh, Tsar Alexander, Vélite, Vermin, Vilna, Westphalia

• Eyewitness accounts of the campaign in Russia, 1812 (V) …

  

  General Georg von Scheler (1770-1826, from Württemberg) wrote the following: Moscow, 8 and 9 October 1812. Everyone found shelter, albeit packed and cramped, in the suburb on the road to Kazan. The horses of the artillery, the two regiments of chevau-légers and the regiment of the King’s Chasseurs No. 4 were accommodated in stables or…

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  September 12, 2023

  1812 Campaign, Aide-de-camp, Artillery, Battle, Cavalry, French-Allied forces, General staff, Generals, Imperial Guard, Infantry, Letters – Correspondence, Logistics – War Commissionary – Intendancy, Marshals, Officer, Reports, Soldier

  1812, Accomodation, Austria, Bivouac, Borodino, Brandy, Bug, Burning of Moscow, Chasseur à Cheval, Clothing, Conscript, Conscription, Cossacks, Daily life, Danzig, Draft evasion, Duchy of Warsaw, Duke of Bassano, Emperor, Foodstuffs, Galicia (Poland), General Chichagov, General Durutte, General Dutaillis, General Marchand, General Reynier, Germany, Grants, Grodno, Homesick, Hospital, Hugues-Bernard Maret, Illness, Kazan, Königsberg, Kiev, Kovno, Light Cavalry, Light Horse, Marshal Augereau, Marshal Berthier, Marshal Murat, Marshal Ney, Marshal St Cyr, Marshal Victor, Minister of War, Minsk, Money, Moral, Moscow, Napoleon, Orsha, Outpost, Peasants, Pinsk, Poland, Polotsk, Posen, Pultusk, Punishment, Rearguard, Recruitment, Retreat, River, Russia, Saxony, Schwarzenberg, Smolensk, Supplies, Ukraine, Vanguard, Vilna, Volhynia, Walcheren, Warsaw, Württemberg, Würzburg