Wavre: Orders of Battle

Wavre

Orders of Battle

by Richard Dyson, UK

French Army (Commander Marshal Grouchy)

3rd Corps (Vandamme)

10th Infantry Division (Habert)
34th Line, 88th Line, 22nd Line, 70th Line, Regiment Suisse (11 battalions).
11th Infantry Division (Berthezene)
12th Line, 56th Line, 33rd Line, 86th Line (8 battalions).
8th Infantry Division (Lefol)
15th Light, 23rd Line, 37th Line, 64th Line (12 battalions).
Total (after losses at Ligny) 11336 infantry and 38 guns.
4th Corps (Gerard)

19th Division (Pecheux)
30th Line, 96th Line, 63rd Line (10 battalions).
13th Division (Vichery)
59th Line, 76th Line, 48th Line, 69th Line (8 battalions).
4th Division (Hulot)
9th Light, 111th Line, 44th Line, 50th Line (8 battalions).
7th Cavalry Division (Maurin)
6th Hussars, 8th Chasseurs, 6th Dragoons, 16th Dragoons (14 squadrons).
Total (after losses at Ligny) 10130 infantry, 1330 cavalry and 38 guns.
1st Cavalry Corps (Pajol)

4th Cavalry Division (Soult)
1st Hussars, 4th Hussars, 5th Hussars (12 squadrons).
21st Division (Teste) - Detached from Lobau's 6th Corps
8th Light, 40th Line, 65th Line, 75th Line (7 battalions).
Total (after losses at Ligny) 4000 infantry, 1150 cavalry and 14 guns.
2nd Cavalry Corps (Excelmans)

9th Cavalry Division (Strolz)
5th Dragoons, 13th Dragoons, 15th Dragoons, 20th Dragoons (16 squadrons).
10th Cavalry Division (Chastel)
4th Dragoons, 12th Dragoons, 14th Dragoons, 17th Dragoons (15 squadrons).
Total (after losses at Ligny) 2390 cavalry and 12 guns.
Total: 25 460 Infantry, 4,870 Cavalry, 1,830 Artillery + 102 guns
Grand Total 32 160 + 102 guns
Based on Gourgard, p. 85; Siborne, p. 539,540; Von Muffling, History of the Campaign of 1815, (London 1816) p. 101.
Prussian Forces

3rd Corps (Lieutenant-General von Thielemann)

9th Brigade (Von Borcke)
3rd Line, 30th Line, 1st Kurmark Landwehr (9 battalions - 6752 men). 2 squadrons-3rd Kurmark Landwehr Cavalry.
10th Brigade (Von Kampfen)
27th Line, 2nd Kurmark Landwehr (6 battalions - 4045 men). 2 squadrons-3rd Kurmark Landwehr Cavalry. 3rd Kurmark Landwehr, 4th Kurmark Landwehr (6 battalions - 3634 men) 2 squadrons-6th Kurmark Landwehr Cavalry.
12th Brigade (Von Stulpnagel)
31st Line, 5th Kurmark Landwehr, 6th Kurmark Landwehr (9battalions - 6180 men). 2 squadrons-6th Kurmark Landwehr Cavalry.

Reserve Cavalry (Von Hobe)

Brigade Marwitz
7th Uhlans, 8th Uhlans, 9th Hussars (10 squadrons).
Brigade Lottum
5th Uhlans, 7th Dragoons (6 squadrons).

Total (Including 3rd & 6th Kurmark) 2405 men.
Total: 20,611 Infantry, 2,405 Cavalry, 964 Artillery + 48 guns
Grand Total 23 980 + 48 guns.
Based on Wagner p. 128 & 129.
One needs to deduct from this total the casualties (including any desertions) incurred at Ligny. Estimates vary, Kelly 69 gives 1000 men plus 7 guns while more recent work by Hofschroer 70 gives 2000 men and 5 guns. However both Von Ollech and Wagner give a total of only 15000 Prussians when the 6 missing battalions from the 9th brigade are subtracted. This means that total losses of the 3rd Corps are more likely to be around 4000 men.
The author has thus settled on this figure. Total 3rd Corps fighting strength at Wavre is therefore:
23980 + 48 guns
- 4000 (Ligny losses)
- 4500 (6 missing batts from 9th brig.)
- 6 guns (Ligny)
- 8 guns (9th brig.)
Grand Total 15480 + 34 guns.

Finally Stengel's detachment from the 1st Corps was stationed at Limal on the first day of the fighting. This consisted of three battalions from the 19th Infantry Regiment, two squadrons from the 6th Uhlans and one squadron from the 1st Westphalian Landwehr.71
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