Letters on: Medical Services; No More Waterloo Perspectives; Praise; Meglomaniacs; Gamers Wanted; Portuguese Infantry Org;
Medical services info wanted....
Dear Dave,
I have some questions regarding an area of Napoleonic warfare to which I admittedly know little about - medical techniques. I hope that some of your readers will be able to shed some light on this subject by answering the following questions:
1. What uniform, if any, did the "great" Baron Dominique Larrey wear during the Waterloo campaign and how did he receive his wound?
2. When an Army was losing a battle. what did the medical staff do? Did they desert their posts and flee with the rest of the army or instead stay with the wounded until the last possible moment before retreating with the rearguard? In such instances were any wounded casualties taken along with them or were all - even junior officers - left to the mercy of the victorious troops?
3. Were there any cases of mass desertion by the French Medical Corps during any of the campaigns of the Napoleonic Wars?
4. What function, if any, would a surgeon serve before a great battle and the horrific casualties involved?
5. Did the French "Flying Ambulances" ever serve purposes other than the carrying of casualties - for example, were they loaded instead with ammunition or other supplies when not already filled with living occupants?
I would also like to take this opportunity to say what a big improvement those photographs made to Issue 23 of FIRST EMPIRE. The magazine simply gets better and better. and I look forwards to reading many more issues in future!
Yours faithfully,
David O'Connor
Dinnington, South Yorkshire
Editor: Baron Larrey was wounded when captured and stripped by Prussian Hussars, he was about to be summarily executed when he was recognised by a Prussian officer and saved. Prior to a battle, i.e., when on campaign, I imagine that the surgeons would be kept quite busy maintaining the troops suffering from everyday wounds and injuries and administering their units. Perhaps readers could further contribute to answer the remaining questions or even add to what I have stated.
No more Waterloo Perspectives or Experts...
Dear David,
I have been a loyal subscriber, and sometime contributor, to this wonderful magazine since issue #1. One of my favourite sections of the magazine is Dispatches. It has always had very interesting comments and questions from your reading audience. Many of the inquiries from other readers have sent me diving into my meagre reference library. I have observed a trend developing in Dispatches which I find disturbing. Having absolutely no expertise in the publishing business, I would not dream to tell you how to organise your magazine; however, I think you should consider adding another section to First Empire called "Counter-battery fire. " In this section the offended authors and the dastardly reviewers could fling shot and shell at each other without taking space away from other readers who may want to ask (or answer) a question about horse gunners (Thanks, Magnus) or the lapel colours from some obscure regiment.
Maybe we could bring all of these Waterloo experts together in one room, invite Dr. Chandler out of retirement to act as facilitator (or referee), and not let them go home until they have compiled the final word on the "Hundred Days." Our French friends must be laughing in their vin ordinaire over this foolishness.
Keep up the good work!
Stephen J. Walker
NW Salem, Oregon, USA
Editor: Right up until two days before going to press I was going to include a whole post bag full of letters from the parties concerned. In the end they went and two pages of the magazine were restored for use! So it is perhaps time for a little editorial note on the subject. (Dr?/Lord?/Sir?) David Hamilton-Williams (H-W), published a book - Waterloo New Perspectives (WNP). It was reviewed in First Empire 17. That review stated that WNP would have been the best book on Waterloo since W.W.I, if it hadn't tried to live up to its marketing hype. A point that I personally put to H-W and one that he happily conceded as being a valid criticism. It was later alleged in a review of another book that H-W had in WNP created a myth as to the line of Wellington's line of communications. H-W challenged this citing his references. When checked they were found not to exist. Various other allegations were then made which H-W declined to disprove by correctly quoting Folio numbers etc., Although one is left asking why not? What is he trying to hide etc.? One is equally left asking 'Do I care? Does anybody? How long do I have left to live and do I want to waste any more time on this man? No. So it ends.
The 'Counter-battery fire' would be counterproductive as it would still take space away from the letters section!
Praise where Praise is Due...
Dear Sir,
Firstly I must congratulate you on a brilliant magazine, which is a pleasure to read and is always finished a couple of hours after it has hit the doormat. The articles are always of great interest and the layout of the magazine is easy to follow, articles not being split by two or more pages. Some more articles on Wellington's life in Spain would not go a miss though. Not being that much of a scholar and not that knowledgeable I would be unable to write an article myself.
Secondly I and my sceptical girlfriend went to the re-enactment at Old Sarum last Bank Holiday. I drove down to Wiltshire with immense excitement, this being the first I'd ever gone to. The girlfriend was, however, less enthusiastic, having done history A level and despised the whole of the Napoleonic period, especially the fighting bits. On arriving at Old Sarum I was met by a wondrous sight. It could so easily have been 1813, apart from all us onlookers and the odd light aircraft! As the "armies" assembled for the on coming storming, displaying their prowess at drill, we both had the chance to be shown around the British camp. Rifleman Moore took us through the little encampment and finally reached the detachment of Light Dragoons. At this point there was a stirring at my side, "Aren't the horses nice, especially that one there".
Never mind anything else the horses were 'beautiful'. Well what more can I say, from this point on my camera, which had been busily snapping away at the infantry, suddenly had to start taking pictures of every horse that went by. The hour of the storming arrived, we had positioned ourselves, at what I at first thought to be a good spot, and waited. On came the British and the French duly ran away, as they should (no bias there I assure you!). Then 'all of bloody hell' erupted on the British right flank, as far away from our position as possible. There was a brief moment of cursing and frantic snapping of the distant figures and of the Horse as they went past. Then, as my film was running out, to my horror the action moved over to near our position. It would have been nice to have known this fact, still I did get some good shots of the British horse as they went past.
The engagement ended, quite predictably, with the French fort being stormed and the relieving force being turned back. My girlfriend actually enjoyed herself, from cynic to soldier in one easy afternoon. She now wants to go to more re-enactment's, but would prefer English Civil War a bit more. So with the sound of guns in our ears and cordite in our lungs we headed back home, contented. If any of the re-enactors would like to view my pictures, some are O. K. I will be willing to post them on to them.
Hockley, Essex.
Meglomaniacs Are Wanted
Dear Dave,
Could you please publish this request in the letters section:
I'm looking to raise armies using Adler figures but basing them on 15mm sized "Grand Manner" bases. It would mean that a "typical' French battalion would have 72 figures, in 12 strong companies each of three ranks.
The appeal for me is the visual impact, and the closer correlation between the vertical and horizontal scales. It would be 15mm Wargaming with '6mm' figures. It has a further advantage of being cheaper than the equivalent 15mm figures.
The rules used don't have to be 'Grand Manner'. Indeed I would prefer them to be computer rules, but I don't have a PC compatible computer.
I don't have huge amounts of time for Wargaming, so it would take me a long time to raise the right armies. if anyone is interested in sharing this project - and can picture it's visual benefits - then please contact me ether by phone or post. In fact the more the merrier, if the idea appeals but you only fancy raising a couple of battalions a number of people could achieve the desired result.
Nick Booth
Birmingham
Gamers Are Wanted
Hello,
Could I ask through your letters page if anyone in this area is interested in playing regular games or campaigns.
I have a table etc., and 15mm Napoleonics - French, Prussian and Ottoman Turks. But I would be happy with other periods too.
Thanks a lot.
Annan, Dumfrieshire
Portuguese Infantry Organisations
Dear Dave,
In Dispatches (FE 21) there was a query from B. J. Smith regarding the organisation of the Portuguese army. As stated, secondary sources are contradictory ranging through five, six or seven companies but I agree with your reasoning for accepting a five company format as standard for both line and Cacadores as a new system of regulations (Dundas) was to be introduced it wouldn't much matter to the average Portuguese soldier, but familiarity was necessary for those British officers who joined the service.
Most writers do indeed imply that the Portuguese Regiment of two battalions was treated as the tactical equivalent of a British battalion, each battalion Functioning as a wing.
Here I think there may be a difference between theory and practice. Given the paper strength of a Portuguese line company, 154 men and officers, I suspect Beresford may have planned to treat each as if it were a British 'Grand Division'. If the question is raised why not a ten company organisation then, the answer must be a lack of worthy officers. Beresford sacked a large number of woeful incompetents in 1809, a small part of which was made up by incorporating British volunteers in practice though, the Regiments were usually very under strength, 500-600 per battalion can be considered a peak at most times, and perhaps the British didn't consider the Portuguese or quite steady enough until late in the war by which time the practice above had evolved.
The internal structure is also a matter of debate. Haythornwaite is adamant that light companies existed, although he differs as to organisation according to what one reads, e. g. in "Wellington's military machine" a five company organisation is claimed, including one Flank company per Battalion as in your reply to Mr. Smith, elsewhere seven companies, with either one or two Flank companies are claimed. Only in part 2 of a series in the now defunct "Army and Navy Model World" (Jan-Mar 1987) does Haythornthwaite claim any distinctions for light companies; i.e. green fringe on the shoulder wings, a distinction George Nafziger attributes to the Atiradores company of the Cacadores. Nafziger states that line Regiments were composed of eight centre and two grenadier companies. If my suggestion of Portuguese companies being the equivalent of a Grand Division is accepted, it is then possible that the Grenadiers were split, Russian style into platoons of Grenadiers and light infantry.
Nafziger's version of battalion organisation is strengthened by evidence from the Douro campaign of May 1809, a general order of 4th May (quoted in The Dickson manuscripts vol 1. pp29-30) gives the brigading of the army. During this brief campaign an experiment was made of attaching individual Portuguese battalions to British brigades; the 10th and 16th Portuguese line being the formations chosen, they were attached to the 3rd-7th Brigades (a total of five), a unit designated 1st Portuguese Grenadiers was joined with 3rd Brigade. Following Nafziger, this was probably the four Grenadier companies of the two Regiments detached so as to form five weak battalions of four companies each.
From this position it is possible to form the theory that by 1811, lack of manpower and the increasing integration of the Cacadores in to the Portuguese brigades forced a rethink, line battalions began to be thought of as the equivalent of a British wing tactically and the light platoons were subsumed in their company. A second version might say, that as prior to 1811, most Portuguese brigades had no organic light infantry (at Bussaco only the independent brigades of Pack and Campbell had them) commanders formed ad hoc companies from selected marksmen. Such a theory is quite in keeping with 18th century practice. Both ideas would also fit with Haythornthwaite's statements that evidence is contradictory and varied.
The Cacadores would presumably have used the regulations of 1798; both these and Dundas have been discussed in John Cook's excellent articles. The only other matter of note is that S. G. P. Lard's paper "The Portuguese Infantry Brigades, 1809 - 1814", which appeared in the Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research Vol. 53, No 214 (Summer 1975). I have no idea whether this can be obtained via the public library service, but for anyone who wishes to read it, (which I strongly recommend), I'd be very happy to photocopy the article. Write via the editor, enclosing a S. A. E. and 30p to cover the cost.
The brigading of the Regiments that took the field is more difficult to obtain, particularly earlier in the war. Much useful information can be obtained from the Dickson Manuscripts and elsewhere though.
Tim Franklin
Hitchen, Herts.
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