QUESTION 9-1: What is the full name of the Prussian General von Pirch I? ANSWER TO QUESTION 9-1: His full name was Major General Dubislaw Ludwig von Pirch (1763-1830?). He was given command of the Prussian II Corps in May 1815, replacing General Borstell who had been disgraced for protesting about the treatment of some mutinous Saxon troops. QUESTION 9-2: What was the composition of the corps of General von Kleist in the Campaign of 1815? ANSWER TO QUESTION 9-2: Field Marshal von Kleist (Friederich Ferdinand Emil, Graf von Nollendorf) commanded the so-called North German Corps in the Campaign of 1815, but was not present at Waterloo. That Corps was approximately 26,200 strong with 24 guns. It consisted of: Hesse-Kassel Division (Engelhardt): 13 battalions and 6 guns Anhalt-Thuringian Brigade (Eglossein): 12 battalions and 12 guns Mecklenburg Brigade (MecklenburgStrelitz): 6 battalions and 6 guns Cavalry Brigade (MecklenburgSchwenn): 12 squadrons QUESTION 9-3: What was the strategic formation called bataillon carre? ANSWER TO QUESTION 9-3: The bataillon carre (or square battalion) was a wide front strategic maneuver formation used by Napoleon to advance through enemy territory. Basically, several corps advanced toward the enemy's presumed location, as shown in the diagram. The corps were within one day's march of each other and could concentrate or change direction relatively quickly once the enemy was contacted. The battalion carre was always screened by numerous cavalry which made a surprise attack by the enemy unlikely. This formation was used at the beginning of the Campaign of 1806 against Prussia. The diagram shows the flexibility of the bataillon carre. At top is the original line of advance of the four corps. At bottom the bataillon carre changes direction after the enemy is contacted on that flank. Note how the cavalry screen also shifts to face the new front. Back to Empire, Eagles, & Lions Table of Contents Vol. 2 No. 9 Back to EEL List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1994 by Emperor's Headquarters This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com