Tag: Siege
-
Fourrier François Hinard’s letters on the Austerlitz Campaign …
Here are several lengthy letters of Fourrier François Hinard who served in General (future marshal) Suchet’s Division during the Austerlitz campaign. He provides many interesting details on daily life in the Grande Armée, hardships, money issues, family matters and battlefield experiences. Landshut (1) in Bavaria, 29 October 1805. Dear Rosalie, I can still enjoy the…
-
1813-14 letters from Cuirassier Brigadier Pilloy
The following letters are drawn from a voluminous register which also contains copies of the Emperor’s proclamations, accounts of our narrator’s travels and more or less unusual recipes. The author in question is Étienne-Nicolas Pilloy, born in Santeau, canton of Pithiviers (Loiret), a farmer by trade. Here are his service records: 13th Cuirassier Regiment. Entered…
-
An account on the battle of the Gebora and the siege of Badajoz, February-March 1811 …
Some time after the capture of the fort of Pardaleras, General Jérôme-Dominique Bourgeat (1760-1827) again assumed an active and decisive role in one of the key events of the siege of Badajoz, known as the battle of the Gebora. Charged with preparing the action of the attacking troops, he bombarded the enemy camp so effectively…
-
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,…
-
A narration of the siege of Saragossa, by André d’Audebard de Férussac …
From the camp in front of Saragossa, 1 January 1809. You will recall that in my first letter I told you that there was fighting raging when I arrived. In fact, from the moment I crossed the Ebro, I constantly heard cannon fire; no matter how hard I tried, I arrived too late. It was…
-
The first years of service of a Swiss surgeon, Italy & Spain (1808-1809)
The following paragraphs are derived from the notebooks of Antoine Kaempfen, a native from Switzerland (Canton of Valais) who would pursue a career in the medical services of the French army. He also wrote recollections on the 1812 campaign in Russia (read an excerpt here). … The arrival of my brevet, by which I was…
-
Sergeant Jean-Gilles Toussaint, an infantryman in the French armies of Spain and Portugal …
On 10 September 1805, a young conscript from the (Belgian) canton of Malmédy sent his parents this sorrowful letter, which we reproduce as it was written: Dearest father and mother, You and I are experiencing twice as much distress at the moment. I met the corporal on my way into Wiwertz, who was on his…
-
To Austerlitz – A French officer’s 1805 journal … (II)
Ingolstadt, 2 Brumaire year XIV (24 October 1805). Frankly, it was time for the Austrians to surrender their arms to us at Ulm. If they had thought of being stubborn, I believe that the besiegers would have been more to be pitied than the besieged. During the 48 hours which preceded the surrender, I lived…
-
More soldiers and officer letters from Prussia and Poland, 1806-1807
Army of the North. Letter from infantry officer Antoine Parot, dated 17 April 1806, from Röttembach, meant for his parents, occupied as paper manufacturers. With military postmark ‘B(ure)au G(énér)al Arm(ée) d’Hanovre’ in red ink, addressed to ‘Monsieur Parot, paper manufacturer, rue de la Convention n° 124 A (…) ’ (difficult to read the name of…