CAMPAIGN OF 1809
After the battle of Friedland and the Peace of Tilsit the so-called Oudinot's United Grenadiers were withdrawn to Danzig. We still find them there in September 1808 numbering some 10,000 (ref. Thiers vol.3, page 80). However, around that time they were replaced in Dantzig by the Poles and the Saxons, and sent to Central Germany. According to Petre, NAPOLEON AND THE ARCHIDUKE CHARLES, they were in Hanau in late 1808.
At that time, Napoleon changed his view on Oudinot's United Grenadiers. They had performed well in the field, but so far had acted in the Campaigns of 1805, 1806 and 1807 as a reserve. Such function was now assumed by the Imperial Guard greatly increased in number in 1807 and 1808 by the addition of the newly raised units of the Middle and Young Guard such as the Fusiliers-grenadiers and the Fusiliers-chasseurs etc.
Furthermore it had become increasingly difficult to detach picked companies to such great distances since now some regiments were operating in Spain etc.
In January 1809, it was decided to disband the united picked companies of grenadiers and voltigeurs and, instead, to create an assemblage of fourth battalions, which should be dispatched from the regiments to which they belonged. At first some twenty companies belonging to Davout's Corps were sent to the new Oudinot's Corps to serve as. the nucleus for the formations of the fouth battalions. The fusiliers (or chasseurs) companies. were to march as soon as possible from the depots in Alsace, Lorraine and Flanders to complete these fourth battalions. ref. Thiers Vol.3, page 165.
The list of the reinforcements that were sent from the French depots to Germany to form the above battalions is given in Le Plumet plate #97. They all went through the city of Strasbourg were a band was assembled to escort them through that city. The following units were dispatched from Strasbourg:
- April 7, 1809: 970 men of the 7th light
April 10, 1809: 2973 men of the 9th, 25th Light and 64th of the line
April 11, 1809: 1921 men of the 100th and 103d of the line
April 15, 1809: 5053 men of the 28th light and 24th, 40th, 63d, 88th, and 96th line
April 16, 1809: 960 men of the 45th of the line
April 19, 1809: 315 men of the 95th
April 20, 1809: 939 men of the 16th light
April 21, 1809: 398 men of the 8th of the line
April 22, 1809: 1327 men of the 21st light and 94th line
April 24, 1809: 968 men of the 27th light
Then the other choice companies of Oudinot's Corps belonging to the 36 regiments which had passed from Germany to Spain were to make the nucleus of 36 fourth battalions. They were to serve for the present time with the Army of Germany. The intention was however to move them to Spain afterward if their parent regiments continued to serve there. The fusiliers companies were sent successively from their depot from France. They were to be distributed into 3 divisions of 12 battalions each and to consist, after formation into a corps of 30000 infantry. ref. Thiers. vol 3, page 165.
We have here a complete new concept of the Oudinot's Corps. It is no longer the elite corps of the previous campaigns that distinguished it-self at Friedland etc. In 1809, we still have the basic companies of elites, voltigeurs and grenadiers etc, but diluted by 2/3 of raw chasseurs and fusiliers straight from the depots! Their performances at Wagram was of course only what could be expected from recruits....
Yet, it was honorable.
At the beginning of the Campaign of Austria in April 1809, the new Oudinot's Corps was around Augsburg. ref. Thiers, vol.3, page 188. After Essling, it appears that Oudinot's Corps was provided with regimental artillery like the rest of the French Army of Germany; a total of 48 guns, captured Austrian guns, according to Petre, NAPOLEON AND THE ARCHIDUKE CHARLES, page 323. The gun crews were provided by the infantry battalions.
Oudinot's Corps was part of the initial French attacking forces on the first day of the battle of Wagram. According to the official roster of the French Army of July 26, 1809 (etat de situation) Oudinot's Corps at Wagram was organized as it follows. Please note that the brigade Jarry was Portuguese.
- Corps commander: General de Division Tharreau (replacing Oudinot now commander of the 2nd Corps)
- 1st Division: Genaral Tharreau
- Brigade Conroux
- 1st demi-brigade legere, Col. Gaudin 2964 men
3d demi-brigade legere, Col. Broyer, 3069 men
Brigade Albert
- 1st de ligne, Col. Chabert, 2994 men
2nd de ligne, Col. Coquereau 2981 men
Brigade Jarry
- 13th de ligne, d'elite Potuguaise
(Portuguese elite) Col. Pego, 1422 men
Chasseurs a cheval Portuguais, 380 men
2nd Division: General Frere
- Brigade Coehorn
- 2nd demi-brigade legere, Col. Morand, 3026 men
Brigade Razout
- 5th demi-brigade de ligne, Col. Aubart, 2984 men
6th demi-brigade de ligne, Col. Coutois, 2824 men
Brigade Ficatier
- 7th demi-brigade de ligne, Col. Robin, 2780 men
8th demi-brigade de ligne, Col. Foulon, 2864 men
After Wagram, in April 1810, Oudinot's Corps at that time formed of a division of old regiments under general St. Hilaire killed at Essling, and of two division of fourth battalions was broken up, never to be reformed again into what history was to call Oudinot's Grenadiers. Perhaps it was the beginning of the end.
The regiments of the St. Hilaire division were sent to Cherbourg, St. Malo and Brest. The two divisions of fourth battalions which belonged to regiments already in Spain, were placed on the French coast from Rochefort to Bordeaux ready to direct themselves to Spain in case the contingent of some 100,000 men who were already there should prove unsufficient. ref. Thiers, vol.3, page 355. I don't think we need to elaborate any further.
What kind of flags had the new Oudinot's battalions?
In a letter dated April 8, 1809, to Marshal Berthier, Major General of the Army, already in Strasbourg, the Emperor said the following:
- "...Concerning Oudinot's Corps, each battalion must make a small flag of simple tricolor material having on one side the number of the half-brigade and on the other side that of the battalion, for exemple, "4e bataillon du 6e regiment d'infanterie legere" on one side and on the other: "1ere Demi-Brigade d'infanterie legere". (ref. Jean Regnault LES AIGLES IMPERIALES, page 119)
The above letter was sent from Paris on April 8, 1809. It was already too late for the order to be carried out since most of the units were already engaged in the 1809 Campaign against Austria when the letter was received by Berthier. It appears that Oudinot's battalions did not carry any flag (or at least regulation flags) during the campaign of 1809 with perhaps the exception of the Portuguese units.
It would be unfair to keep silent the fact that in Vienna is kept an Eagle of the 95th of the line, said captured at Wagram.
Genaral Jean Regnault does think that that Eagle was captured at Wagram. At Wagram there was a battalion of the 95th of the line raised from 2 companies of the old Oudinot's Corps and 4 fusiliers companies straightfrom the depot. That battalion was severely mauled by the Austrian at Wagram on July 6, 1809.
It is very questionable that the battalion had an Eagle since no Eagle had been issued to the newly formed fourth battalions. The only possible way that an Eagle could have been with a fourth battalion is if one of the three other war battalions had been sent back to the regimental depot for recruting. It was not the case for thr 95th of the line since the 3 other war battalion were in Spain with their 3 Eagles.(ref. HISTORIQUE DU 95e REGIMENT D'INFANTERIE and LES AIGLES IMPERIALES, page 122)
We have here an other mystery of the Napoleonic period. No one can deny the the Eagle is not in Vienna....
Back to Empire, Eagles, & Lions Table of Contents Vol. 1 No. 22
Back to EEL List of Issues
Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List
© Copyright 1978 by Jean Lochet
This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com