Napoleon's Russian Campaign of 1812Foord, Edward (Edward A.)
History
Napoleon's Russian Campaign of 1812
Foord, Edward (Edward A.)
Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, 1769-1821 -- Military leadership; Napoleonic Wars, 1800-1815 -- Campaigns -- Russia
The higher organisation of the army was by brigades, divisions, and
army corps of infantry or cavalry as the case might be. The strength of
these units varied greatly. A brigade of infantry often consisted of
a single large regiment; and divisions varied in the number of their
battalions from 6 to 22. Compans’ division of Davout’s corps was equal
in strength to the two Westphalian divisions taken together. The army
corps also varied much in strength, owing to Napoleon’s reasonable
practice of entrusting specially talented generals with greater numbers
than less able officers. The 1st Corps of the Grand Army in 1812
consisted of five large divisions, and totalled some 72,000 men; while
the entire Westphalian Corps counted only 18,000.
The science of clothing soldiers simply and sensibly is so little
understood even to-day that it can hardly be sought in 1812. There was
less of polish and pipeclay in the French army than in that of Great
Britain; but the uniforms were frequently as comfortless and awkward
as they well could be. One wonders how the men could march and fight
in them. The headgear was often especially clumsy and absurd. To deal
with the many types of uniform would need a separate work. The infantry
were generally attired in the blue uniform coat which had replaced the
Bourbon white at the Revolution. Cuirassiers wore blue; Dragoons green;
Chasseurs and Hussars green, with facings of every colour. In general
it seems that there was a good deal of rather tawdry display about the
uniforms of Napoleon’s soldiers. Love of ostentation appears to be so
deeply emplanted in the French character that at this day the abolition
of the old glaring uniforms has been much delayed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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