French Imperial Army
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
Hundred Days
The Hundred Days (french: les Cent-Jours ), also known as the War of the Seventh Coalition, marked the period between Napoleon's return from eleven months of exile on the island of Elba to Paris on20 March 1815 and the second restoration ...
. Following the end of the
War of the Seventh Coalition
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular ...
, the corps (by this time an Army) was disbanded.
Background
In February 1815,
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
returned to
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
from his exile in
Elba
Elba ( it, isola d'Elba, ; la, Ilva) is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano National ...
. King
Louis XVIII
Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. He spent twenty-three years in ...
fled to
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
, leaving the throne for him to reoccupy. On the night of May 17 and 18, Napoleon met with his staff discussing the uprising starting in the
Bourdeaux
Bourdeaux (; oc, Bordèus) is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Drôme department
The following is a list of the 363 communes of the Drôme department of France.
The communes ...
.Lasserre, pp. 86–88.
To deal with the uprising in a hurry, the 15th and 26th Line Infantry Regiments, based in the
Angers
Angers (, , ) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Anjou until the French Revolution. The inhabitants of both the city and the prov ...
and
Niort
Niort (; Poitevin: ''Nià u''; oc, Niòrt; la, Novioritum) is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department, western France. It is the prefecture of Deux-Sèvres.
The population of Niort is 58,707 (2017) and more than 177,000 people live in the u ...
, where they were joined by 1,000 gendarmes to help police the countryside. The National Guard divisions were provided by the 12th (
Charente-Inferieure
Charente-Maritime () is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region on the southwestern coast of France. Named after the river Charente, its prefecture is La Rochelle. As of 2019, it had a population of 651,358 with an area of 6,864 square k ...
Deux-Sèvres
Deux-Sèvres () is a French department. ''Deux-Sèvres'' literally means "two Sèvres": the Sèvre Nantaise and the Sèvre Niortaise are two rivers which have their sources in the department. It had a population of 374,878 in 2019.
Morbihan
Morbihan ( , ; br, Mor-Bihan ) is a department in the administrative region of Brittany, situated in the northwest of France. It is named after the Morbihan (''small sea'' in Breton), the enclosed sea that is the principal feature of the coastli ...
), and 20th Military Divisions (
Corrèze
Corrèze (; oc, Corresa) is a department in France, named after the river Corrèze which runs through it. Although its prefecture is Tulle, its most populated city is Brive-la-Gaillarde. Corrèze is located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, ...
Lot-et-Garonne
Lot-et-Garonne (, oc, Ã’lt e Garona) is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the rivers Lot and Garonne, it had a population of 331,271 in 2019.Lot
Lot or LOT or The Lot or ''similar'' may refer to:
Common meanings Areas
* Land lot, an area of land
* Parking lot, for automobiles
*Backlot, in movie production
Sets of items
*Lot number, in batch production
*Lot, a set of goods for sale togethe ...
Toulouse
Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...
, a division from
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
, and around 4,000 gendarmes. By this time, the army consists of 24,000 men.
Following the end of the war, the army was reorganised into the 'Royal Army of Vendee' within the new
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
these Corps were used by the Imperial Army many times. These 'Corps' usually consisted of either one small division, or at max two large corps, being grouped into a 'Regional Army'. The purpose of these corps, throughout the war, was to provide a modern equivalent of border reconnaissance, reporting back to reserve units on enemy movements. These corps could then quickly move and mobilise local units to provide a
rearguard
A rearguard is a part of a military force that protects it from attack from the rear, either during an advance or withdrawal. The term can also be used to describe forces protecting lines, such as communication lines, behind an army. Even more ...
till further reinforcements could arrive.
Order of Battle
The below organisation is for the corps after its expansion to an army:
* Army of the West, commanded by
Division General
Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French (Revolutionary) System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corp ...
Jean Maximilien Lamarque
Jean Maximilien Lamarque (22 July 17701 June 1832) was a French commander during the Napoleonic Wars who later became a member of the French Parliament. Lamarque served with distinction in many of Napoleon's campaigns. He was particularly noted f ...
** 10 x Squadrons of
Gendarmes
Wrong info! -->
A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (literally, ...
both mounted and dismounted
**3 x Foot Artillery Batteries (24 guns)
**Cavalry
*** 2nd Guard ''Chasseurs à Cheval'' Regiment
***14th and 15th Squadrons, 13th ''Chasseurs à Cheval'' Regiment
*** 4th Squadron, 2nd Hussar Regiment
*** xx Squadron(s), 4th Dragoon Regiment
***xx Squadron(s), 5th Dragoon Regiment
***4th and 5th Squadrons, 12th Dragoon Regiment
***xx Squadron(s), 14th Dragoon Regiment
*** 4th and 5th Squadrons, 16th Dragoon Regiment
***xx Squadron(s), 17th Dragoon Regiment
**1st Division, commanded by Division General
Michel Silvestre Brayer
Michel may refer to:
* Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name)
* MÃchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers)
* MÃchel (footballer, born 1963), S ...
'' Étienne Estève
**** 3rd Battalion, 27th Line Infantry Regiment
**** 1st Battalion, 47th Line Infantry Regiment
**** 3rd Battalion, 8th Light Infantry Regiment
**** 2 x Squadrons of Foot
Gendarmes
Wrong info! -->
A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (literally, ...
*** 2nd Brigade, commanded by
Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
Mosnier
**** 2nd Young Guard ''
Tirailleur
A tirailleur (), in the Napoleonic era, was a type of light infantry trained to skirmish ahead of the main columns. Later, the term "''tirailleur''" was used by the French Army as a designation for indigenous infantry recruited in the French c ...
'' Regiment (2 x Battalions)
**** 2nd Young Guard ''
Voltigeur
The Voltigeurs were French military skirmish units created in 1804 by Emperor Napoleon I. They replaced the second company of fusiliers in each existing infantry battalion.
Etymology
''Voltigeurs'' ( ɔltiʒœʀ English: "acrobats") were named ...
'' Regiment (2 x Battalions)
** 2nd Division, commanded by Division General
Jean-Pierre Travot
Jean Pierre Travot (; 7 January 1767, in Poligny, Jura – 7 January 1836) was a French general and nobleman, the son of Philibert Travot and Catherine Guodefin.
Life
In 1791 Jean-Pierre Travot was already a lieutenant-colonel in the volunteers b ...
— 2nd division was formed from the Nantes garrison
*** 1st Brigade, commanded by Colonel Levavasseur
**** 1 x Squadron from the ''Gendarmerie de Paris''
**** 1st and 2nd Battalions, 15th Line Infantry Regiment
**** 1st and 2nd Battalions, 43rd Line Infantry Regiment – didn't participate in any actions of note
**** 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Battalions, 65th Line Infantry Regiment
**** 240 gunners of the
Naval Artillery
Naval artillery is artillery mounted on a warship, originally used only for naval warfare and then subsequently used for naval gunfire support, shore bombardment and anti-aircraft roles. The term generally refers to tube-launched projectile-firi ...