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La Grande Armée (in English, the Big or Grand Army) is the French military term for the main force in a military campaign. In practice, however, the phrase is inextricably linked with the multi-national armies gathered by Napoleon I in his campaigns of the early nineteenth century (see Napoleonic Wars). The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...
French (français, langue française) is one of the most important Romance languages, outnumbered in speakers only by Spanish and Portuguese. ...
A military or miltary force (n. ...
A nations army is its military, or more specifically, all of its land forces. ...
Bonaparte as general Napoleon Bonaparte ( 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a general of the French Revolution and was the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from November 11, 1799 to May 18, 1804, then as Emperor of the French (Empereur des Français...
Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The Napoleonic Wars lasted from 1804 until 1815. ...
Napoleon first attached the name to the army numbering some 200,000 men slated for the invasion of Britain during the period from 1803 to August 1805. The army was assembling at Boulogne on the French coast of the English Channel to this end but was hurriedly ordered across the Rhine into southern Germany by Napoleon upon his discovery the Prussian and Austrian armies were preparing to invade France. The word Britain is used to refer to the United Kingdom (UK) the island of Great Britain, which consists of the countries of England, Scotland, and Wales sometimes the Roman province called Britain or Britannia The word British generally means belonging to or associated with Britain in one of the...
Events January 30 - Monroe and Livingston sail for Paris to discuss, and possibly buy, New Orleans. ...
Events January 11 - Michigan Territory is created. ...
Boulogne-sur-Mer is a city and commune in northern France, in the Pas-de-Calais département of which it is a sous-préfecture. ...
The English Channel ( French:La Manche) is the part of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. ...
The Rhine canyon (Ruinaulta) in Graubünden in Switzerland Length 1. ...
The Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is one of the worlds leading industrialised countries, located in the heart of Europe. ...
The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1701-1918 The word Prussia ( German: Preußen or Preussen, Polish: Prusy, Lithuanian: Prūsai, Latin: Borussia) has had various (often contradictory) meanings: The land of the Baltic Prussians (in what is now parts of southern Lithuania, the Kaliningrad exclave of Russia and...
The Republic of Austria (German: Republik Österreich) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. ...
La Grande Armée originally consisted of six corps under the command of Napoleon's marshals. As Napoleon's might spread across Europe, the army grew in size. It reached its maximum size of 600,000 men in 1812 at the start of the invasion of Russia against the Sixth Coalition. At that the army consisted of Marshal (more often spelled Marshall) is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. ...
Events January 1 - the Allgemeines Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch, the Austrian civil code enters into force in the Austrian Empire February 2 - Russia establishes a fur trading colony at Fort Ross, California February 7 - The strongest in a series of massive earthquakes near New Madrid, Missouri, est. ...
Napoleons invasion of Russia in 1812 was a critical turning point in the Napoleonic wars, proving disastrous for France and its allies. ...
The Sixth Coalition (1812-1814) was a coalition of the United Kingdom, Russia, Prussia, Sweden, Austria and a number of German States against Napoleonic France. ...
- Around 300,000 Frenchmen, Belgians and Dutchmen.
- 95,000 Poles
- 25,000 Italians
- 24,000 Bavarians
- 20,000 Saxons
- 17,000 Westphalians
- 20,000 Prussians
- 35,000 Austrians
- 15,000 Swiss
- 3,500 Croatians
With the exception of the Polish and Austrian corps, each contingent was commanded by French generals. The French Republic or France (French: République française or France) is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents. ...
The Kingdom of Belgium (Dutch: Koninkrijk België, French: Royaume de Belgique, German: Königreich Belgien) is a country in Western Europe, bordered by the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, France, and the North Sea. ...
The Netherlands (Dutch: Nederland) is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden). ...
The Republic of Poland, a democratic country with a population of 38,626,349 and area of 312,685 km², is located in Central Europe, between Germany to the west, the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south, Ukraine and Belarus to the east, and the Baltic Sea, Lithuania and...
The Italian Republic or Italy (Italian: Repubblica Italiana or Italia) is a country in southern Europe. ...
With an area of 70,553 km² and 12. ...
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Westphalia (in German, Westfalen) is a (historic) region in Germany, centred on the cities of Dortmund, Münster, Bielefeld, and Osnabrück and now included in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia (and the (south-)west of Lower Saxony). ...
The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1701-1918 The word Prussia ( German: Preußen or Preussen, Polish: Prusy, Lithuanian: Prūsai, Latin: Borussia) has had various (often contradictory) meanings: The land of the Baltic Prussians (in what is now parts of southern Lithuania, the Kaliningrad exclave of Russia and...
The Republic of Austria (German: Republik Österreich) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. ...
The Swiss Confederation or Switzerland is a landlocked federal state in Europe, with neighbours Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein. ...
The Republic of Croatia is a crescent-shaped country in Europe bordering the Mediterranean, Central Europe and the Balkans. ...
Forces of La Grande Armée
In Napoleon's army, there were four separate types of cavalry: An army unit consisting of mounted soldiers are commonly known as cavalry. ...
- Cuirassiers: These were the heavy cavalry, equipped almost like knights with a heavy cuirass (breastplate) and a brass and iron helmet. Because of the weight, both the trooper and horse had to be big and strong, and could consequently put a lot of force behind the charge.
- Dragoons: The Dragoons were the mainstay of the French cavalry, and were used for both battle and scouting. Because of their versitility, they were armed not only with traditional sabres, but also pistols and carbines, enabling them to fight as infantry.
- Hussars: Hussars were both the eyes and egos of the Napoleonic armies. Tactically, they were used as scouts and a screen for the army to keep their commanders informed of enemy moves while denying the same information to the foe.
- Lancers: Some of the most feared cavalry in Bonaparte's armies were the Polish lancers. Lancers were excellent against infantry in square - where their lances could outreach the infantry bayonets - and also in hunting down a routed enemy.
Cuirassiers were mounted soldiers with firearms originating in 16th-century Europe. ...
A statue of an armoured knight of the Middle Ages For the chess piece, see knight (chess). ...
Binomial name Equus caballus The Horse (Equus caballus) is a large ungulate mammal, one of the seven modern species of the genus Equus. ...
A light dragoon from the American Revolution A dragoon is a soldier trained to fight on foot, but transport himself on horseback. ...
For other uses, see Sabre (disambiguation). ...
A pistol is a usually small, projectile weapon, normally fired with one hand. ...
A carbine is a firearm, similar to but shorter than an ordinary rifle or musket in barrel and stock. ...
Infantry in the First World War Infantry (or Infantrymen) are soldiers who fight primarily on foot, using personal weapons. ...
Polish Hussar Hussar (original Hungarian spelling: huszár, plural huszárok) refers to a number of types of cavalry used throughout Europe since the 15th century. ...
A Lancer was a cavalry soldier who fought with a lance. ...
- Line Infantry: The bulk of the army was made of standard line infantry. Infantry regiments were known as demi-brigades and were made of three or four battalions.
- Light Infantry: The voltigeur companies began to be added to French line regiments in 1801. The voltigeurs were usually nimble fighters whose job it was to advance in front of the attack and try to disrupt enemy formations or artillery crews. Later, separate light infantry regiments were formed.
Infantry in the First World War Infantry (or Infantrymen) are soldiers who fight primarily on foot, using personal weapons. ...
In military terminology, a battalion consists of two to six companies typically commanded by a lieutenant colonel. ...
Traditionally light infantry (or skirmishers) were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying the enemy advance. ...
As one would expect with the Emperor being a former artillery officer, France's cannon made up the backbone of the ground forces. The French guns were generally used in massed batteries to soften up enemy formations before being subjected to the closer attention of the infantry or cavalry. Superb gun-crew training allowed Bonaparte to move the weapons at great speed to either bolster a weakening defensive position, or else hammer a potential break in enemy lines. In general, French guns were 4-pounders, 8-pounders or 12-pounders, with the lighter calibres being phased out and replaced by 6-pounders later in the wars. French cannons had brass barrels and their carriages, wheels and limbers were painted olive-green. Historically, artillery refers to any engine used for the discharge of projectiles during war. ...
France's Imperial Guard was the elite military force of its time and grew out of the Garde des Consuls and Garde Consulaire. It was, quite literally, an army until itself with both infantry and cavalry divisions. Napoleon Bonaparte wanted it as the example for the army to follow and also as a force that had fought with him over several campaigns and was utterly loyal to him. Although the infantry was rarely committed, the Guard's cavalry was often thrown in to a battle as the killing blow. There were three sections: An imperial guard describes any group of military bodyguard or retainers responsible for the protection of an imperial person, be they an Emperor, Empress or Imperial Prince or Princess. ...
- Old Guard: This was the creme de la creme of Napoleon's army. The Old Guard was made up of the longest serving veterans (3-5 campaigns).
- Middle Guard: Consisted of veterans with 3-5 campaigns.
- Young Guard: initially was made up of veterans with at least one campaign under their belts as well as bright young officers.
While the glory of battle went to the cavalry and infantry, the bridge builders of Napoleon Bonaparte's army - the pontonniers - were an indispensable part of the military machine. Their main contribution was helping the emperor to get his forces across water obstacles by erecting pontoon bridges. The skills of his pontonniers allowed Bonaparte to outflank enemy positions by crossing rivers where the enemy least expected and, in the case of the great retreat from Moscow, saved the army from complete annihilation at the Beresina. They may not have had the glory, but Bonaparte clearly valued his pontonniers and had 14 companies commissioned into his armies. A military engineer is primarily responsible for the design and construction of offensive and defensive structures for warfare. ...
A pontoon bridge Pontoon bridges are floating bridges supported by floating pontoons with sufficient buoyancy to support the bridge and dynamic loads. ...
Saint Basils Cathedral Moscow listen? ( Russian/Cyrillic: Москва́, pronunciation: Moskva), capital of Russia, located on the river Moskva, and encompassing 1097. ...
See also Although they were presented with Regimental Colours, the regiments of Napoleon I tended to carry at their head the Imperial Eagle. ...
References - 1812: Napoleon's Fatal March on Moscow, Adam Zamoyski, ISBN 0007123752
- Blundering to Glory: Napoleon's Military Campaigns (2nd edition) Owen Connelly. 254 pages. 1999. ISBN:0842027807
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