La Maraude describes the tactic employed by
Napoleonic armies of scavenging local villages or enemy populations for supplies instead of relying on extended lines of supply. It was
Napoleon
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 ...
’s belief that armies should be largely self-sufficient,
as this freed them from the constraints of supply lines and allowed them to move far more quickly than their more static enemies.
The tactic proved very successful in Western and central
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
but was less successful in the more desolate regions of
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
and
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
where food was less plentiful. marauding enabled French soldiers to develop a high degree of skill in living off the country.
The tactic was particularly flawed whenever an army was forced to retreat over land which it had already scavenged as in the retreat from
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
.
Requisitioning vs. Marauding
Napoleon's armies officially obtained food and shelter supplied by the local population through requisitions. Additional food was to be purchased from local traders or from sutlers. This system worked well in densely-populated regions where surplus provided adequate provisions. The requisition system was often supplemented by marauding; this form of pillaging was often forbidden but usually tolerated to an extent.
However, Napoleon sometimes ordered
summary executions for disobeying orders.
Disadvantages
Uncontrolled la maraude tactics often resulted in violence or devastation. There are many accounts of rape, murder, and massacre of locals. In certain regions, pillaging was so severe and violent that the local populations rose up in revolt. Such forms or resistance caused these locals to be deemed enemies of the Revolution.
Some marauding soldiers were killed by vengeful peasants or hanged by military authorities as an example.
La maraude sometimes left a trail of destruction in the army's path. Soldiers dismantled houses and buildings to obtain firewood, metal scraps, and other materials.
The tactic was largely unsuccessful in regions that were too poor to have a surplus or that were already pillaged and barren.
The Grande Armée famously encountered these problems in Russia in 1812. Local populations had fled the region, and the Russian armies, upon their retreat, had destroyed anything that may have been useful to their enemies. Napoleon's troops lacked supplies on their advance into the Russian empire, and were even more devastated upon retreat from Moscow.
The unsustainable characteristics of la maraude tactics contributed to Napoleon's demise.
References
La Grande Armée
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