Tag: Light Infantry

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

  

  In the meantime, Bruno d’Ast’s family was delighted to receive the news that he had been promoted to the Legion of Honour: they knew that this was the award that their son sought above all else, and we will see in one of the following letters the emotion with which he received this distinction, the…

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  April 22, 2024

  1813 Campaign, 1814 Campaign, 1815 Campaign, Battle, Generals, Imperial Guard, Infantry, Letters – Correspondence, Marshals, Officer, Soldier

  Accomodation, Aide-de-camp, Auch, Battle of Dresden, Battle of Lützen, Battle of Leipzig, Battle of Waterloo, Billet, Bivouac, Cadre, Captain, Caroline Bonaparte, Chasseur, Corporal, Daily life, Dresden, Duke of Wellington, Emperor, Family, Folkwitz, Fontainebleau, General Lanusse, General Ricard, Gers, Glogau, Grants, Imperial Guard, Injuries, King Louis XVIII, Lützen, Legion of Honour, Light Infantry, Mainz, Marriage, Marshal Murat, Marshal Pérignon, Montech, Moscow, Naples, Napoleon, NCO, Neuf-Brisach, Old Guard, Orléans, Paris, Promotion, Prussia, Retirement, Rhine, Sergeant-major, Silesia, Steinau, Tirailleurs, Toulouse, Voltigeurs, Young Guard

• 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

• 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

• The battle of Fuentes de Oñoro, recounted by a staff officer …

  

  Here follows an excerpt from Emmanuel-Frédéric Sprünglin’s (1773-1844) exceptional memoirs, which he wrote based on his detailed journal he kept during his service in the Peninsular War. On 3 October 1810, our Swiss-born officer was appointed deputy (adjoint) battalion commander in the general staff of the Army of Portugal. When the decision was made for…

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  February 28, 2024

  Aide-de-camp, Artillery, Battle, Cavalry, General staff, Generals, Imperial Guard, Infantry, Logistics – War Commissionary – Intendancy, Marshals, Memoirs, Officer, Peninsular War

  Agueda, Alameda, Almeida, Army of Portugal, Azava, Battalion Commander, Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro, Cantonments, Carpio, Castelo Bom, Castile, Ciudad Rodrigo, Coa, Duke of Wellington, Entrenchments, Equipment, Espeja, Fatigue, Fortifications, Gallegos, General Brenier, General Drouet d'Erlon, General Ferrey, General Heudelet, General Loison, General Marchand, General Maucune, General Montbrun, General Reynier, Horse Artillery, Leon, Light Artillery, Light Infantry, Marialva, Marshal Bessières, Marshal Masséna, Marshal Ney, Peninsular War, Portugal, Pozobello, Rearguard, Retreat, River, Skirmishers, Spain, Vanguard, Vilar Formoso, Voltigeurs

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

  

  Cantonment in Germany – 1810-1811 In February 1810, the regiment left Upper Austria and arrived at Magdeburg on 1 March. It did not return to France, but remained in Germany to ensure public order and to be ready to intervene if necessary to the south against Austria, to the north to enforce the Continental Blockade,…

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  February 22, 2024

  Anecdotes, Infantry, Letters – Correspondence, Logistics – War Commissionary – Intendancy, Officer, Soldier

  Accomodation, Austria, Battalion Commander, Billet, Bivouac, Bordeaux, Cantonments, Certificate, Chasseur, Clothing, Colonel, Conscript, Continental System, Convoy, Custrin, Daily life, Depot, Equipment, Erfurt, Escort, Family, France, Frankfurt, Garrison, Germany, Hamburg, Hanau, Harburg, Huningue, Illness, Inspection, Küstrin, Kinsig, Legion of Honour, Leisure, Light Infantry, Locals, Magdeburg, Mainz, Major, Market, Medical Officer, Money, Oder, Pay, Paymaster, Portugal, Postal service, Promotion, Retirement, Rhine, Russia, Sergeant, Spain, Supplies, Theft, Transport, Warsaw

• Extracts from the livre d’ordre of the 12th Light Infantry Regiment during the Peninsular War …

  

  Order of 18 March 1811 The regiment is hereby informed that His Excellency Marshal Soult has achieved the most brilliant success during his expedition following the capture of Olivera, where he took 4,500 prisoners. He battled two Spanish and Portuguese divisions whose positions covered the city of Badagos [sic, Badajoz]. These two divisions were defeated,…

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  January 30, 2024

  Battle, General staff, Generals, Infantry, Logistics – War Commissionary – Intendancy, Officer, Peninsular War, Reports

  Accomodation, Administration, Army of Portugal, Badajoz, Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro, Billet, Bivouac, British, Captain, Carabiniers, Cartridges, Chasseur, Colonel, Cornet, Corporal, Cuidad Rodrigo, Daily life, Death penalty, Desertion, Discharge, Discipline, Drill, Equipment, Fatigue, Fourrier, General Reynaud, Grants, Headquarters, Inspection, Insubordination, Insurgency, Light Infantry, Marshal Masséna, Marshal Soult, Misconduct, Moral, Murder, Musician, Officer, Olivera, Orders, Outpost, Parades, Peninsular War, Portugal, Portuguese, Promotion, Retirement, Review, Roll call, Sergeant, Sergeant-major, Siege, Spain, Training, Trumpeter, Villagarcia, Voltigeurs

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

  

  The Austrian Campaign of 1809 The Erfurt conference had, at least in appearance, strengthened the friendly relations between Napoleon and the Tsar. The two emperors divided Europe between themselves. Napoleon sought to consolidate the Russian alliance in order to have a free hand to re-establish the situation in Spain, where the capitulations of Bailén (22…

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  January 15, 2024

  1809 Campaign, Anecdotes, Artillery, Battle, General staff, Generals, Imperial Guard, Infantry, Letters – Correspondence, Marshals, Officer, Soldier

  Accident, Accomodation, Archduke Charles, Augsburg, Austria, Battle of Aspern-Essling, Battle of Bailén, Battle of Eckmühl, Battle of Wagram, Bavaria, Brunswick, Certificate, Colonel, Convention of Cintra, Daily life, Danube, Depot, Duke of Brunswick, Ebersdorf, Emperor, Emperor Francis of Austria, Entrenchments, Equipment, Erfurt, Family, Garrison, General Dupont, General Junot, Germany, Grants, Halberstadt, Hospital, Huningue, Injuries, Inspection, Insurgency, Italy, Landshut, Legion of Honour, Light Infantry, Line infantry, Lobau, Marshal Davout, Marshal Masséna, Moral, Murder, Napoleon, Peace, Peninsular War, Poland, Portugal, Pressburg, Promotion, Ratisbonne, Regensburg, Review, Saxony, Schönbrunn, Second Lieutenant, Skirmishers, Spain, Tsar Alexander, Turkey, Tyrol, Vienna

• 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

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

  

  Introductions by the authors The reader is in for a unique experience from the outset, as the authenticity of the study’s content is striking. The sense of duty, the boundless admiration for their Emperor, Napoleon I, made these officers from the ranks perform nearly astonishing feats. They travelled the length and breadth of Europe, as…

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  December 16, 2023

  1805 Campaign, 1806 Campaign, 1807 Campaign, Anecdotes, Artillery, Battle, Cavalry, General staff, Imperial Guard, Infantry, Letters – Correspondence, Logistics – War Commissionary – Intendancy, Officer, Soldier

  Accomodation, Armistice, Auerstedt, Austerlitz, Battle of Eylau, Battle of Jena, Belgium, Berlin, Billet, Bivouac, Brest, British, Captain, Chasseur, Chouans, Company, Conscript, Conscription, Cossacks, Custrin, Daily life, Depot, Elbe, Emperor, Family, Franconia, Germany, Grants, Hunger, Huningue, Imperial Guard, Injuries, Italy, Küstrin, Lieutenant, Light Infantry, Lille, Marshal Murat, Napoleon, NCO, Normandy, Pay, Peace, Poland, Posen, Potsdam, Prussia, Roads, Saale, Sarnowo, Saxony, Sergeant-major, Skirmishers, Sockoczim, Supplies, Tsar Alexander, Vendée, Vistula, Voltigeurs, Warsaw, Weimar, Winter

• Correspondence of grognard Jean-Henry Rattier (I) …

  

  The author of these letters, Jean-Henry Rattier, was born in Val-Chambre (Ardèche) on 1 June 1775, the fifth child of a farmer whose four other sons served in the French army during the campaigns of the Revolution. Henry Rattier, employed as a miller in a silk factory in Privas, joined the National Guard when he…

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  November 30, 2023

  1809 Campaign, Anecdotes, Artillery, Battle, Cavalry, General staff, Generals, Imperial Guard, Infantry, Letters – Correspondence, Logistics – War Commissionary – Intendancy, Officer

  Accident, Accomodation, Adjudant Major, Administration, Alsace, Austria, Battle of Wagram, Billet, Bivouac, Captain, Chasseur, Clothing, Compiègne, Conscript, Daily life, Drill, Emperor, Equipment, Erfurt, Family, Fatigue, Flemish, General Curial, General Junot, General Rampon, General Soulès, Grants, Illness, Imperial Guard, Injuries, Inspection, Lieutenant, Lieutenant Colonel, Light Infantry, Metz, Moral, Napoleon, NCO, Parades, Paris, Pay, Piedmontese, Police, Polish Lancers, Promotion, Regiment of Tirailleurs, Retirement, Schönbrunn, Spain, Strasbourg, Tsar Alexander, Versailles, Voltigeurs, Wine, Winter