So many letters pertained to Göhrde (FE#38), I placed them all in this separate file. All the other letters can be found in Dispatches (Letters). --RL
Original Article: The Battle of Göhrde
Göhrde and Rochling
Dear Sir
Just to say I enjoyed reading the latest issue of First Empire. I found John Salmon's article about the Battle of Göhrde and Rochling's painting of particular interest. John asked for more information about this Battle. I would recommend the recently published "Napoleon at Leipzig" by George Nafziger, published by the Emperor's press.
This book contains a detailed account of the battle and various units taking part. In addition there is a comprehensive list of original sources, a Map, and detailed orders of Battle for both French and Allied Armies. Plus a Black and White Print of Rochlings painting.
I hope you could pass this information on to John, if other readers haven't already forwarded this information.
DJ Unwin, Kings Heath, Birmingham
More on Göhrde
Dear Editor,
May I take this opportunity of making a few comments on issue 38 of "FE", which I have just received.
Firstly, to John Salmon's nicely presented article on the Battle on the Göhrde. I have seen two versions of Röchling's painting of the battle, one showing Battalion Bennigsen wearing Belgic shakos, and this one showing conical shakos. In both cases, the headwear in question was covered in white material as this particular shipment was originally designated for British troops in India. This supply was diverted to North Germany as part of the arms and equipment sent there at short notice to support the uprising there in 1813. With regard to Mr Salmon's request for further reading, may I suggest he start with the Osprey book "Prussian Reserve, Militia & Irregular Troops 1806.15". This includes a brief outline of the battle, a map and an orbat. For a more detailed account, may I suggest reference to: Friedrich, "Geschichte des Herbstfeldzuges 1813", vol 3 and Zander, "Geschichte des Kriegs an der Nieder-Elbe im Jahre 1813". Both works have been reprinted recently and can be obtained from a good military book dealer.
Finally, to David Commerford's remarks about Wellington's comments on the Prussian dispositions at Ligny. A forthcoming book will point out that it is unlikely these comments were made by the Duke on 16 June 1815. Rather, they originate from two conversations held decades later and formed part of the number of tall stories Wellington told on various aspects of the campaign.
Anybody that has examined the battlefield of Ligny and the Prussian dispositions there will find little to support Wellington's assertions.
I hope my comments will be of interest to your readers.
Yours faithfully,
Peter Hofschröer
And Yet More
Dear David,
With interest I read the article in FE-38 from John Salmon about the battle of Göhrde, "a very obscure action", using his words. Although the battle was unimportant, it is not obscure. It is known from the fact that Eleonore Prochaska, a Prussian woman who disquised as a men became drummer and was killed in this action, was killed. Also because of the fact that Clausewitz was present. The action is in detail described in 'Clausewitz - a biography' from Roger Parkinson (London 1970), the only English source I know of. In short the action was as follows:
A French Corps of 8 battalions, 4 cavalry squadrons and 10 guns strong, commanded by General Pecheur, moved from Hamburg to reinforce the garrison of Magdeburg. The Russian Lieutenant General Count Wallmoden Gimborn wanted to intercept this force, and Clausewitz was ordered to work out details for the action. A pontoon bridge was thrown over the river Elbe, and 15,000 men with 28 guns crossed and took up hidden positions. On 16 September, the French arrived in the vicinity.
Pecheur, worried at the sight of Cossacks on this side of the river Elbe, halted his force near the river Gärda. Wallmoden, after conferring with Clausewitz, decided to attack before Pecheur could retire. The troops were ordered to advance and to charge the moment the French were seen. The French were still caught by surprise, not thinking the enemy present in such a force. At the first charge, the French broke (depicted in the beautiful painting John found).
Some 2,500 Frenchmen escaped from the battlefield and fled in the direction of Lüneburg, but were heavily pursued by cavalry and cossacks. According to Clausewitz only 500 or 600 reached Hamburg again, the remainder cut down by the cossacks. He gives the French losses to 2,000 killed, 1,500 prisoners and 8 guns. The Russo-Germans lost about 50 officers and 500 men killed or wounded. Also Lützow was wounded. After this battle, Wallmoden retreated across the Elbe, leaving behind some cossacks and a battalion.
Although the action itself was unimportant, it affected French strategy: receiving news of this battle coincided with a false report that Bernadotte had crossed the Elbe with 80,000 men. Therefore Napoleon ordered his troops to retreat behind the Elbe, holding only some bridgeheads.
About the troops Wallmoden had under his command at this time, I already gave the order of battle in an answer on another question, which has been printed in FE-8 page 29. Although date of this OB is February 1814, changes are minor.
Hopefully the above will throw some light on the questions brought forward by John.
Regards,
Geert van Uythoven, Willemstad, The Netherlands
Supplementary on Gohrde:
Lt Col Halket commanded the Line Infantry Battalion Lüneburg, not the Bennigsen battalion, although some sources let him command a brigade (see the following).
Further, the battle is described in Osprey's MAA 192, `Prussian Reserve, Militia & Irregular Troops 1806-15', by Peter Hofschroer, although his description is somewhat different from mine.
Yet another description of the battle is given in an article by Peter P.H. Heath, that appeared in the Magazine 'Miniature Wargames' no. 46.
Regards,
G.C. van Uythoven, Willemstad, The Netherlands
Still More Göhdre
Dear David,
I would like to respond to John Salmon's request for more information on the "Schlacht an der Göhrde" in First Empire 38.
It is not so difficult to find detialed information on the "Schlacht an der Göhrde" as Naval & Military Press recently reprinted N. Ludlow Beamish's "History of the King's German Legion" (1832 - 37). In volume II on pp. 171 - 198 a detailed account of the tactical situation leading to the battle and of the battle itself is given. In addition plate III of the appendix shows a map of the battle. If you can't get a copy of the book I will happily send you copies of the relevant pages and the map.
Just to put some things straight:
King George III was the Elector (not duke) of Hannover and also Britain's King (not the other way round). Ernst August, Duke of Calenberg became Elector in 1692; his son Georg Ludwig, according to a parliamentary act of 22 March 1701 declaring the protestant descendants of Electoress (?) Sophie as entitled to the throne of England, became King George I on 31 October 1714.
Sir Hugh Halkett, CB, late major of the KGL's 2nd Light Bn., was lieutenant-colonel of the 7th Line Bn., KGL when he became comander of the second detachment of the KGL sent to the north of Germany about the middle of May 1813. He was immediately appointed to the command of the first Hannoverian brigade, consisting of the battalions of Lauenburg, Langrehr, and Bennigsen, and commanded the 3rd and 4th Hannoverian brigades at Waterloo. When Beamish's book was written he was a lieutenant-general commanding the 2nd Division of Hannoverian Infantry.
The French did NOT "blunder into one of the larger allied forces". By an intercepted letter it appeared that Davoust was about to detach part of the division of general Pecheux across the Elbe, the object of this movement being to clear the neighbourhood of Magdeburg of the allied troops. The French troops amounted to 7,000 or 8,000 men with 8 guns, the allied forces numbered 5,000 infantry, 2,800 cavalry, and 28 guns.
To my knowledge there is no other name for the "Göhrde"; "Görda" probably being one of the numerous misspellings of German names in English literature. (By the way: Thank you for writing (against British practice) Hannover with double "n".)
Lieutenant-general Count of Wallmoden Gimborn was the eldest son of the Field Marshal who commanded the Hannoverian army in 1803. He had been for some years in the Austrian service, which he left for the Russian service about the commencement of Napoleon's invasion of that country.
He then came over to England, and having been selected by the British Government as eminently qualified to direct the proposed operations in the north of Germany, received the local rank of lieutenant-general in the British service, (his commission bearing date 21 January 1812) and at the decease of major-general von Bock, he was appointed (March 1814) colonel commandant of the 1st Dragoons, KGL. In June 1815 he retired from British service and returned to the Austrian. He was in immediate command of the corps on the lower Elbe, which was put under the chief command of the Prince Royal of Sweden.
The corps of Lützow, called also the "Black chasseurs" and "Lützow's wild chace" (= wilde Jagd; there is a famous German folk song called "Lützow's wilde verwegene Jagd"), was one of those volunteer corps which the patriotic spirit of the youths of Germany called into existence, when Napoleon's retreat from Moscow awakened within them the hope of freeing their country from his usurpation. It was raised in Silesia by the distinguished officer whose name it bore (Adolf Freiherr von Lützow, Prussian major-general (1822)), under the authority of the King of Prussia.
The corps consisted of a division of riflemen, one fourth of whom were mounted, four squadrons of cavalry, three battalions of infantry, and a few guns.
I hope I was of some help. Further information may be obtained from the following German books:
· Bernhard Schwertfeger: Geschichte der Königlich Deutschen Legion 1803 - 1816 (Hannover / Leipzig 1907)
·
Schütz von Brandis: Übersicht der Geschichte der Hannoverschen Armee von 1617 bis 1866 (Hannover 1903, reprint announced for 1998).
Yours,
Michael A. Taenzer, Hannover, Germany
Halkett at Göhdre
Dear Dave,
As the proud owner of a 15mm Wallmoden's Korps, in all its colourful multinational glory, I was greatly interested in John Salmon's article in FE38 on the picture and the Battle of Göhrde.
I must confess that when I saw the front cover I was able to immediately identify the Feld-Bataillon Bennigsen in their white shakes. Do I hear cries of "Know-all!"
In recreating the Korps I used, as you can imagine given its mixed organization, a wide range of sources but the primary ones were "Napoleon's German Enemies" by George Nafziger, Osprey's "Hanovarian Armies of the Napoleonic Wars", Altmark publication "The Prussian Army 1808-1815" and the Russio German Legion article in FE7. It is this latter article that first interested me in Wallmoden's Korps; FE has, subsequently, got a lot to answer for! If John Salmon requires more background information on Wallmoden's Korps I can recommend the Nafziger (Pages 25-27) to him.
But I digress. To return to the article I was particularly intrigued as to why Sir Hugh Halkett should be shown in the painting wearing a green uniform. The brigade he commanded consisted of British, KGL and Hannovarian line units all of whom wore red coats; it is, therefore, reasonable to assume that he would have worn the same. Perhaps, as John Salmon suggests, he was confused with his brother who commanded the 2nd KGL Light Battalion, a green jacketed unit. It may of course simply be that as a family economy measure he was wearing one of his brother's uniforms! I would welcome any further information on Sir Hugh's dress before I set about repaint my model figure of him.
The really annoying part about all this is that I have read an account of the Battle of Göhrde and, having scoured my limited library, I cannot now find it! I can only suppose that it was in my original version of "Napoleon's German Enemies" which was stolen, and my current version, although it refers to the battle, does not include an account. I would be very grateful if any of your readers could confirm this supposition, one way or the other. In addition I would also be very grateful for a copy of an account, if one can be found, as it is a battle I had intended to wargame.
In writing this letter I have now involved myself in the "Nif Naf" and trivia of wargaming, something I vowed never to do! I must be getting old or bored!
Yours sincerely,
Robert Carter, BFPO 115
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