- Leigaderegiment: 2 Battalions, each of 4 companies
Leibregiment: 2 Battalions, each of 4 companies
- Both of these mustered 1200 to 1300 of all ranks)
Garde-Fusilierregiment: 2 Battalions, each of 4 companies, but all companies Fusiliers.
This latter unit was originally part of the garrison of Danzig and had joined the 26th Division during the campaign. It had been organized as a provisional light infantry regiment. The "Landgraflich Cheavauleger" regiment of three squadrons was part of the Corps cavalry. The artillery compliment consisted of two seven-pound howitzers and four-six pound field pieces. The gun carriages, baggage wagons and ammunition limbers were painted a medium blue, while all metal fittings were black. Cannon barrels were bronze.
Captain Franz Roeder has left an excellent account of the Hessian troops in the campaign. His company of the Leibgarde regiment consisted of
- 1 Captain
1 First Lieutenant
2 Second Lieutenants
1 Sergeant Major
1 Sergeant
1 Quartermaster Sergeant
9 Corporals
3 Drummers
1 Fifer
1 Saper
10 Schutzen (Riflemen)
150 Soldiers
4 Wagon Drivers or Officer's Batmen
185 Total Strength
Left behind for various reasons of illness or maintenance of the depot were one sergeant, one corporal, one drummer and twenty- nine privates.
The Second Battalion of the Leibgarde numbered only four hundred forty-six effectives as they left behind two hundred twenty men when the Battalion marched from its depot.
Accompanying this battalion were two field guns which were subsequently abandoned on the retreat (Regimental Guns?). The Leib Regiment was sometimes referred to as the "Prince's Own".
The long and dusty miles of the Polish and Russian plains soon began to take their toll. By September, the Leibgarde and Leib Regiments were merged to form a single brigade of 1,900 combatants. In spite of the marching in a seemingly endless nothingness, moral remain high and when Moscow was occupied, the Hesse-Darmstadters were allowed inside the city. Meanwhile, to replace some of its losses the Garde Fusilier regiment was ordered forward from Pommerania early in October.
It is beyond the scope of this short article to dwell on the reasons for the failure of Napoleon to end the campaign successfully in Moscow, just as the decision making power of the Em eror was beyond the range of the Hesse-Darmstadt troops. Thus when tKe orders did come down the change of command to pre are to withdraw westward, few of the troops disapproved or grumbled. Re Prince's Own Battalion was well stocked with supplies when they left Moscow, including eighty cows. Thus, for a while, they were better able to withstand the rigors of the withdraw (not yet a retreat).
As long as the weather remained mild the withdrawal was somewhat orderly. But the cold weather mixed with snow soon put an end to this. As the troops camped on the night of October 31st, November 1st, the Leib regiment was reduced to three hundred men in the First Battalion and only two hundred in the Second, plus the regimental band and various staff personnel, giving a strength of six hundred sixty men. That evening the horses were provided with shelter against the elements. Captain Roeder's Company was reported as:
- MISSING
- 1 Drummer
2 Schutzen
45 Privates
ABSENT SICK
- 2 Bandsmen
1 Sergeant
31 Privates
PRESENT SICK
- 2 Sergeants
10 Privates
DETACHED
1 Sergeant
7 Privates
PRESENT: FIT FOR DUTY
- 8 Sergeants
1 Drummer
7 Schutzens
42 Privates
Fifty-eight men out of one hundred sixty fit for duty in just one company and the worst was yet to come.
On the evening of November 8th, a heavy snow was falling when a cold hard wind began to blow, dropping the temperature to a minus 27 degrees. Of the remaining five to six hundred men including the young Crown Prince, few would survive this evening. The snow whipped up by the increasing winds stung the faces and exposed areas of the soldiers, blowing out and scattering the few campfires. In an effort to keep their young Prince alive, the units
- "...Stood round him the whole night wrapped in their great white
cloaks, pressing tightly one against the other, protecting him from
the wind and cold." (1. Memoirs of Sergeant Bourgoyne, Page 81.)
The next morning more than three-fourths of the men were dead, frozen solid. Such was their devotion to their Prince.
A troop return of November 17th shows that Captain Roeder's company consisted of seven sergeants and twenty-seven other ranks available for duty. The Leib-Garde could still muster twenty-six officers and four hundred forty-two men for a strength of four hundred sixtyeight, while the Leib-regiment mustered twenty-three officers and three hundred twenty-one men for a strength of three hundred fortyfour. Thus the Prinz Emil Brigade (not counting what was left of the 8th Westphalian Line) was eight hundred twelve strong, instead of the original 2,500, for a loss numbering about 66 per cent.
The "Landgraflich Hessisches Chevauleger" regiment with the three squadrons of the Baden Hussar regiment covering the rear of the Corps/Army during the actions around the bridge-head on the Berenzina, launched a 'charge of Death" against the close pressing Russian forces at Studianka, breaking a square of the 34th Russian Jagers, but eventually confronting Russian re-enforcements of Cuirassiers. Both Germanic units were virtually destroyed with fewer than fifty men surviving in each regiment. But the rear had been held, for a while at least, and the crossing continued, ( See NJN # 14, pages 28-29).
The Brigade was re-enforced by the arrival of the Garde-Fusilier Regiment, which joined the rear guard of the army at Vilna. Losses however continued to mount, so that by November 25th, the Leibgarde mustered a grand total of seventy-five, while the Leib regiment Mustered only twenty-five. It is interesting to note that the Brigade Flag was still flying from the Prince's position.
Onwards, step by step, the remaining troopers marched, and when the temporary safety of the Niemen was reached and a muster was held FORTY-FOUR of the Leibgarde and FIVE officers--and THIRTEEN men of the Leibregiment assembled along with FORTY-TWO of the light cavalry half of which were dismounted. This represented a total loss of 97.2% , plus all of the artillery pieces and rolling stock. Yet, the devotion to their young Prince never faltered and seemingly increased in direct proportion to the crisis.
The Hessian infantry had been engaged at KRASNOI, BERESINA, VILEIKA, SLOVOTKA, and KOVNO. Decimated though they were they Hesse- Darmstadt troops were recruited back to a strength of four thousand men in time for the 1813 campaign.
DOCUMENTATION
1. "The Ordeal of Captain Roeder" by Franz Roeder,, Methuen, London, 2. "Arms and Uniforms; The Napoleonic Wars" by Liliane and Fred Funcken, Volume II, Ward Lock Limited, London, 1969
3. "Uniforms of the Retreat From Moscow 1812" by Philip Haythornthwaite, Hippocrene Books Inc. New York 1976.
4. "Napoleonic Army Organization: France and Her Satellites" by Ray Johnson The Wargamers Library, Volume III.
5. Adjutant's Call! Journal of the Military Historical Society" The Troops of the Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt. 1803- 1815" by Peter Wacker, translated by Richard Riehm, vol 1 # 3, Pages 35-42.
AGAIN ON THE RELIABILITY OF DATA
In doing the above article several small cotradictions are which though minor should be mentioned to avoid any difficulties later. Our good friend and distant member Ray Johnson states in his booklet "France and Her Satellites" age 39 that the LeibGarde and Leib regiments were assigned to the Imperial Guard. This is also shown ?n page 14 where he lists "2 battalions of Hessian Garde" This differs from the Order of Battle, Grande Armee given on pages 181-191 in "Uniforms of the Retreat From Moscow 1812" by Philip Haythornthwaite. He lists four battalions as part of the 75th Division of the Ninth Corps. Secondly Ray places the Garde-Fusilier regiment in the 4th Division whereas Haythornthwaite also places them in the 26th Division. The Hessian light cavalry is placed correctly in the 9th Corps Cavalry, NOT "IX Cavalry Corps"
However, one statement I do disagree on by Ray is that "these unlike most of the Allied contingents to the Grande' Armee returned virtually intact from Russia". As this article has shown only 2.8% returned, although that 2.8% was intact. (It should be mentioned that Ray is in the process of completely redoing the booklets, almost doubling their size and this article is in no way designed to critize his excellent work, but rather to point out again what Jean is always saying: "NO ONE KNOWS EVERYTHING. WE ARE ALL ALWAYS LEARNING".
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