The Army of the North or is a name given to several historical units of the
French Army
The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...
. The first was one of the
French Revolutionary Armies that fought with distinction against the
First Coalition from 1792 to 1795. Others existed during the
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...
, the
Hundred Days and the
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...
.
Campaigns
1791 to 1797
At the creation of the Army of the North on 14 December 1791, the
government of the Kingdom of France
The Kingdom of France is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the Middle Ages, medieval and Early modern France, early modern period. It was one of the most powerful states in Europe from th ...
appointed
Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau, as its commander. Rochambeau was replaced in May 1792, and he retired from service. The suspicious government of the
First French Republic later charged him with treason and he barely escaped execution. In 1792–1794, the guillotine awaited military commanders who either failed, belonged to the nobility, or displayed insufficient revolutionary zeal. In the Army of the North these unfortunates included
Nicolas Luckner,
Adam Custine, and
Jean Houchard.
Under
Charles François Dumouriez, the Army of the North helped blunt the
Prussian invasion at the
Battle of Valmy on 20 September 1792. It also made up a large part of Dumouriez's expedition into the
Austrian Netherlands
The Austrian Netherlands was the territory of the Burgundian Circle of the Holy Roman Empire between 1714 and 1797. The period began with the acquisition by the Austrian Habsburg monarchy of the former Spanish Netherlands under the Treaty of Ras ...
which resulted in victory at the
Battle of Jemappes on 6 November 1792.
On 18 March 1793, the
Austrians
Austrians (, ) are the citizens and Nationality, nationals of Austria. The English term ''Austrians'' was applied to the population of Archduchy of Austria, Habsburg Austria from the 17th or 18th century. Subsequently, during the 19th century, ...
defeated Dumouriez at the
Battle of Neerwinden.
Auguste Dampierre was killed in battle on 8 May at the
Battle of Raismes near
Valenciennes. Under
François Joseph Drouot de Lamarche, the army lost again at the
Battle of Famars on 23 May.
Charles Edward Jennings de Kilmaine skirmished with the Coalition army at Caesar's Camp near
Cambrai on 7 August. Houchard won the
Battle of Hondshoote in September, forcing the English to raise the
Siege of Dunkirk. Nevertheless, the government arrested Houchard for not following up his victory and executed him.
Jean-Baptiste Jourdan won the
Battle of Wattignies in October.
On 17–18 May 1794, the Army of the North won a victory at the
Battle of Tourcoing while under the temporary leadership of
Joseph Souham. The right wing of the army fought under Jourdan in an important victory at the
Battle of Fleurus on 26 June. Soon after this, the Allied position in Flanders collapsed, leading to Austria's loss of
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
and the extinction of the
Dutch Republic
The United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherlands ...
in the winter of 1794-1795. During this period, the army was engaged in mopping up operations and sieges. On 25 October 1797, the Army of the North officially ceased to exist and its troops became an army of occupation in the newly created
Batavian Republic
The Batavian Republic (; ) was the Succession of states, successor state to the Dutch Republic, Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on 19 January 1795 after the Batavian Revolution and ended on 5 June 1806, with the acce ...
.
The Army of the North's commanders are listed as follows.
*
Marshal
Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...
Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, 14 December 1791 – 18 May 1792
* Marshal
Nicolas Luckner, 19 May – 11 July 1792
* Lieutenant-General
Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette
Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, Marquis de La Fayette (; 6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (), was a French military officer and politician who volunteered to join the Conti ...
, 12 July – 19 August 1792
* Lieutenant-General
Charles François Dumouriez, 18 August – 28 September 1792
* Lieutenant-General
Anne François Augustin de La Bourdonnaye, 28 September – 25 November 1792
* Lieutenant-General
Francisco de Miranda, 16 November 1792 – 1 February 1793
* Lieutenant-General Dumouriez, 2 February – 4 April 1793
* General of Division
Auguste Marie Henri Picot Dampierre, 6 April – 8 May 1793
* Maréchal de camp
François Joseph Drouot de Lamarche, 8 – 27 May 1793
* Lieutenant-General
Adam Philippe, Comte de Custine, 28 May – 16 July 1793
* General of Division
Charles Edward Jennings de Kilmaine, 17 July – 10 August 1793
* General of Division
Jean Nicolas Houchard, 11 August – 23 September 1793
* General of Division Florent Joseph Duquesnoy, 24 – 25 November 1793
* General of Division
Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, 25 September – 9 November 1793
* General of Division Duquesnoy, 10 – 14 November 1793
* General of Division Jourdan, 15 November 1793 – 12 January 1794
* General of Division
Jean Henri Becays Ferrand, 13 January – 8 February 1794
* General of Division
Jean-Charles Pichegru, 9 February – 18 October 1794
* General of Division
Jean Victor Marie Moreau, 19 October – 4 December 1794
* General of Division Pichegru, 5 December 1794 – 20 March 1795
* General of Division Moreau, 21 March 1795 – 29 March 1796
* General
Joseph Souham, 30 March – 3 April 1796
* General
Pierre de Ruel, marquis de Beurnonville, 4 April – 15 September 1796
* General
Jean François Aimé Dejean, 16 September 1796 – 24 September 1797
1811 to 1813
The Army of the North in Spain formed in January 1811 and included soldiers from the
Imperial Guard. Its duties included holding cities and fortresses in northern Spain, fighting guerillas, and keeping the roads to France clear. On 3–5 May 1811, about 1,600 cavalry and six artillery pieces belonging to the army fought at the
Battle of Fuentes de Onoro. The Spanish beat a 1,500-man detachment on 23 June at Cogorderos in
León (province). This action prevented the army from helping in the fight against
Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington's Anglo-Portuguese Army. Only 800 men fought at the
Battle of Vitoria
At the Battle of Vitoria (21 June 1813), a United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British, Kingdom of Portugal, Portuguese and Spanish Empire, Spanish army under the Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Marquess of Wellington bro ...
in June 1813. After the disastrous defeat at Vitoria, the Army of the North became part of the reorganized Army of Spain. Its commanders were as follows.
*
Marshal
Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...
Jean-Baptiste Bessières, January – July 1811
*
General of Division Jean-Marie Dorsenne, July 1811 – May 1812
* General of Division
Marie-François Auguste de Caffarelli du Falga, May 1812 – January 1813
* General of Division
Bertrand Clausel, January 1813 – July 1813
1815
This name was also given to the force commanded by
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
during the
Waterloo Campaign in 1815. At its height, including reserves, it numbered 130,000 strong and consisted of many veterans from previous campaigns. In terms of quality it was the best army Napoleon had commanded since 1812 when he had led his (Grand Army) to disaster in
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
. It also fielded proportionally more
artillery
Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...
(344 pieces) and significantly more
cavalry
Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...
, than had French armies in the campaigns of 1813 and 1814. Its left and right wings (''Aile Gauche'' and ''Aile Droite'') were under the independent command of
Marshals
Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated of ...
Ney and
Grouchy respectively, when Napoleon himself was not present to direct them.
This ''Armée du Nord'' is often mistakenly regarded as separate from ''Armée de la Réserve'' (Reserve Army), which it fought beside during the 1815 campaign. In fact the ''Armée de la Réserve'' was simply a large corps of the ''Armée du Nord'' that remained under Napoleon's direct command.
For more detailed organizational details on this ''Armée du Nord'', see
Order of Battle of the Waterloo Campaign.
1870-1871
During the
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...
a new Army of the North was created under
Louis Faidherbe to try to break the
Siege of Paris from the North.
The army had achieved several small victories at towns such as Ham,
La Hallue, and
Amiens
Amiens (English: or ; ; , or ) is a city and Communes of France, commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in the region ...
and was protected by the belt of fortresses in northern France, allowing Faidherbe's men to launch quick attacks against isolated Prussian units, then retreat behind the fortresses. Despite access to the armaments factories of
Lille
Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...
, the Army of the North suffered from severe supply difficulties, which depressed morale. In January 1871,
Léon Gambetta forced Faidherbe to march his army beyond the fortresses and engage the Prussians in open battle. The army was severely weakened by low morale, supply problems, the terrible winter weather and low troop quality, whilst general Faidherbe was unable to command due to his poor health, the result of decades of campaigning in
West Africa
West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...
. At the
Battle of St. Quentin, the Army of the North suffered a crushing defeat and was scattered, releasing thousands of Prussian soldiers to be relocated to the East.
References
Books
* Eggenberger, David. ''An Encyclopedia of Battles.'' New York: Dover Publications, 1985.
* Glover, Michael. ''The Peninsular War 1807-1814.'' London: Penguin, 2001.
* Smith, Digby. ''The Napoleonic Wars Data Book.'' London: Greenhill, 1998.
References
*
French Wikipedia, Armee du Nord
Footnotes
{{Reflist, 2
French military units and formations of the Napoleonic Wars
North
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography.
Etymology
T ...
North
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography.
Etymology
T ...
Military units and formations established in 1791
Military units and formations disestablished in 1797
Military units and formations established in 1811
Military units and formations disestablished in 1813
Military units and formations established in 1815
Military units and formations disestablished in 1815
Military articles needing translation from French Wikipedia
1815 establishments in France
1791 establishments in France