Army of the Danube order of battle
Encyclopedia
The Army of the Danube
was a field army
of the First French Republic. Originally named the Army of Observation, it was expanded with elements of the Army of Mainz
(Mayence) and the Army of Helvetia
(Switzerland). The army had three divisions, plus an advanced guard, a reserve, and an artillery park.
The Army crossed the Rhine River on 1 March 1799 under the command of Jean-Baptiste Jourdan
, in the order of battle below. As elements crossed the Rhine, they took the name Army of the Danube. The crossing was completed by 7 March. After passing through the Black Forest
, the Army fought two battles in quick succession, the Battle of Ostrach
, on 20–21 March, and Stockach
, on 25–26 March. It suffered badly in both engagements and, following the action at Stockach, withdrew to the Black Forest. Jourdan established his headquarters at Hornberg
, and the Reserve cavalry and the cavalry of the Advance Guard quartered near Offenburg
, where the horses could find better forage.
Initially, the Army included five future Marshals of France: its commander-in-chief Jourdan, François Joseph Lefebvre
, Jean-Baptiste Drouet
, Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, and Édouard Adolphe Casimir Joseph Mortier
. After the defeat at Ostrach, the Army was reorganized and command shifted to another future marshal, André Masséna
. Under Masséna's command, elements of the army participated in skirmishes in Switzerland, the eleven-hour Battle of Winterthur
and the First
and Second
Battles of Zürich. The Army was disbanded in November 1799 and its units dispersed among other French field armies by mid-December.
. From October to December, he assessed its condition. By 27 February 1799 had drawn together his general staff and laid out his operational plan for a Danube campaign.
, and marched to the northeast. François Joseph Lefebvre was indisposed—suffering from ringworm—and Jourdan had appointed General of Division Dominique Vandamme
to direct the march. Vandamme had been lobbying with Jourdan for a larger and more important command but, given the claims of other officers, this was the best Jourdan could do for him. Vandamme led the Advance Guard through the mountains via Freudenstadt
. On 5 March, Lefebvre returned to his command. Within a week, part of the advanced guard broke off from the main body and, under command of Vandamme, moved to Stuttgart
, to investigate the rumored presence of Habsburg
units.
, moved along the northern shoreline of the Rhine. The left column, commanded by Jean-Baptiste Jacopin
, moved at the northern-most rim of the river valley. From Switzerland, Masséna sent a Demi-brigade
of the Army of Helvetia to secure Schaffhausen
, part of the Swiss cantons that lie north of the Rhine river. In holding Schaffhausen, Masséna insured the passage of Ferino's forward units. Ferino's orders were to proceed from Schaffhausen
along the north shore of Lake Constance
, also called the Bodensee. His left flank was to remain in contact with the II. Division, to prevent the Austrians from piercing the army's forward line. His advance units were to proceed as far as the Imperial Abbey of Salem. From there, he was instructed to prevent any Austrian reinforcements from Switzerland joining with Archduke Charles
, whom Jourdan expected to move across the Iller river
near Augsburg
, and advance into Swabia
.
, and the Reserve, with most of the artillery park, via the valleys at Freiburg im Breisgau, where the horses would find more forage, and then over the mountains past the Titisee
to Loffingen
and Hüfingen
. At the Battle of Ostrach, after more than 15 hours of general engagement, the Austrians flanked
the III. Division's left wing and pressed the entire Division back to the Pfullendorf heights. At the Battle of Stockach, Saint-Cyr and Vandamme were to execute simultaneous attacks on the Austrian right flank, Saint-Cyr on the front and Vandamme from the rear; the attacks failed when Archduke Charles moved support troops from the left flank.
Army of the Danube
The Army of the Danube was a field army of the French Directory in the 1799 southwestern campaign in the Upper Danube valley. It was formed on 2 March 1799 by the simple expedient of renaming the Army of Observation, which had been observing Austrian movements on the border between First...
was a field army
Field army
A Field Army, or Area Army, usually referred to simply as an Army, is a term used by many national military forces for a military formation superior to a corps and beneath an army group....
of the First French Republic. Originally named the Army of Observation, it was expanded with elements of the Army of Mainz
Army of Mainz
The Army of Mainz was a French Revolutionary Army set up on 9 December 1797 by splitting the Armée d'Allemagne into the Armée de Mayence and the Armée du Rhin...
(Mayence) and the Army of Helvetia
Army of Helvetia
The Army of Helvetia, or , was a unit of the French Revolutionary Army. It was formed on 8 March 1798 from the remnants of the first unit to be known as the armée du Rhin...
(Switzerland). The army had three divisions, plus an advanced guard, a reserve, and an artillery park.
The Army crossed the Rhine River on 1 March 1799 under the command of Jean-Baptiste Jourdan
Jean-Baptiste Jourdan
Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, 1st Comte Jourdan , enlisted as a private in the French royal army and rose to command armies during the French Revolutionary Wars. Emperor Napoleon I of France named him a Marshal of France in 1804 and he also fought in the Napoleonic Wars. After 1815, he became reconciled...
, in the order of battle below. As elements crossed the Rhine, they took the name Army of the Danube. The crossing was completed by 7 March. After passing through the Black Forest
Black Forest
The Black Forest is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres ....
, the Army fought two battles in quick succession, the Battle of Ostrach
Battle of Ostrach
The Battle of Ostrach, also called the Battle by Ostrach, occurred on 20–21 March 1799. It was the first battle of the War of the Second Coalition. The battle resulted in the victory of the Austrian forces, under the command of Archduke Charles, over the French forces, commanded by Jean...
, on 20–21 March, and Stockach
Battle of Stockach (1799)
On 25 March 1799, French and Austrian armies fought for control of the geographically strategic Hegau region in present day Baden-Württemberg. The battle has been called by various names: First Battle of Stockach, the Battle by Stockach, and, in French chronicles, the Battle of Liptingen...
, on 25–26 March. It suffered badly in both engagements and, following the action at Stockach, withdrew to the Black Forest. Jourdan established his headquarters at Hornberg
Hornberg
Hornberg is a town in the Ortenaukreis, in western Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated in the Black Forest, 35 km southeast of Offenburg, and 25 km northwest of Villingen-Schwenningen.-External links:...
, and the Reserve cavalry and the cavalry of the Advance Guard quartered near Offenburg
Offenburg
Offenburg is a city located in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With about 60,000 inhabitants, it is the largest city and the capital of the Ortenaukreis.Offenburg also houses University of Applied Sciences Offenburg...
, where the horses could find better forage.
Initially, the Army included five future Marshals of France: its commander-in-chief Jourdan, François Joseph Lefebvre
François Joseph Lefebvre
François Joseph Lefebvre, First Duc de Dantzig was a French military commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and one of the original eighteen Marshals of the Empire created by Napoleon....
, Jean-Baptiste Drouet
Jean-Baptiste Drouet, Comte d'Erlon
Jean-Baptiste Drouet, comte d'Erlon was a marshal of France and a soldier in Napoleon's Army. D'Erlon notably commanded the I Corps of the Armée du Nord at the battle of Waterloo....
, Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, and Édouard Adolphe Casimir Joseph Mortier
Édouard Adolphe Casimir Joseph Mortier
Édouard Adolphe Casimir Joseph Mortier, 1st Duc de Trévise was a French general and Marshal of France under Napoleon I.-Biography:...
. After the defeat at Ostrach, the Army was reorganized and command shifted to another future marshal, André Masséna
André Masséna
André Masséna 1st Duc de Rivoli, 1st Prince d'Essling was a French military commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....
. Under Masséna's command, elements of the army participated in skirmishes in Switzerland, the eleven-hour Battle of Winterthur
Battle of Winterthur (1799)
The Battle of Winterthur was an important action between elements of the Army of the Danube and elements of the Habsburg army, commanded by Friedrich Freiherr von Hotze, during the War of the Second Coalition, part of the French Revolutionary Wars. The small town of Winterthur lies northeast of...
and the First
First Battle of Zürich
The Helvetic Republic in 1798 became a battlefield of the French Revolutionary Wars. In the First Battle of Zurich on 4 – 7 June 1799, French general André Masséna was forced to yield the city to the Austrians under Archduke Charles and retreated beyond the Limmat, where he managed to fortify his...
and Second
Second Battle of Zürich
The Second Battle of Zurich was a French victory over an Austrian and Russian force near Zurich. It broke the stalemate that had resulted from the First Battle of Zurich three months earlier and led to the withdrawal of Russia from the Second Coalition.After he had been forced out of the city in...
Battles of Zürich. The Army was disbanded in November 1799 and its units dispersed among other French field armies by mid-December.
Staff
Jean-Baptiste Jourdan received command of the Army of Observation in September 1798, from its temporary commander, Pierre Marie Barthélemy FerinoPierre Marie Barthélemy Ferino
Pierre Marie Barthélemy Ferino, , was a general and politician of France. Born in the Savoy, he was the son of a low-ranking officer in the Habsburg military. In 1789, during the French Revolution, he went to France, where he received a commission in the French Army...
. From October to December, he assessed its condition. By 27 February 1799 had drawn together his general staff and laid out his operational plan for a Danube campaign.
General Staff
Chief of Staff Chief of Staff The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of... Jean Augustin Ernouf Jean Augustin Ernouf Jean Augustin Ernouf was a French general and colonial administrator of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. He demonstrated moderate abilities as a combat commander; his real strength lay in his organizational and logistical talents... |
||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Staff | |||||||||
| Commander of the Engineers | Armand Samuel de Marescot Armand Samuel de Marescot Armand Samuel de Marescot, born in Tours on 1 March 1758, died November 5, 1832 at Castle Chaslay near Montoire Loir-et-Cher was a French general of engineering in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.... |
|||||||||
| Chief Commissary | Jean Baptiste Vaillant Jean Baptiste Vaillant Simone Jean Baptiste Vaillant was a general of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. Promoted to General of Brigade 20 May 1795. His 7th Battalion of Artillery was awarded Armes of Honor on 19 April 1803.-References:... |
|||||||||
| Commander of the Artillery | Jean Fabre de La Martillière Jean Fabre de La Martillière Jean Fabre de la Martillière was a general of artillery in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars and French politician.-Military career:... André Joseph Lemaire André Joseph Lemaire André Joseph Lemaire was a French general of artillery during the French Revolutionary Wars. He served in Jean-Baptiste Jourdan's Army of the Danube in the invasion of southwestern Germany in 1799. He retired after the Treaty of Lunéville in 1800 and died in 1802.... |
|||||||||
| Staff officer | Joseph Augustin Fournier Joseph Augustin Fournier Joseph Augustin Fournier, Marquis d'Aultane, was a general of division of the French First Republic, and fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was born at Valréas , 18 August 1759. Louis XVIII confirmed his rank of Marquis, and he continued in Bourbon service after the... , Marquis d'Aultanne |
|||||||||
| Adjutants | Gabriel Jean Joseph Molitor Gabriel Jean Joseph Molitor Gabriel-Jean-Joseph, comte Molitor , was a Marshal of France, born in Hayingen in Lorraine.Upon the outbreak of the French Revolution, Molitor joined the French revolutionary armies as a captain in a battalion of militia. In 1793 he was given command of a brigade and served under Hoche under whom... Etienne Hastrel de Rivedoux Étienne Hastrel de Rivedoux Étienne d'Hastrel de Rivedoux was a general of the First French Empire who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was born 4 February 1766 at Pointe-aux-Trembles in Quebec, which was then the British colony, Province of Québec, the son of an officer in the French military... Jean-François Barbier Jean-François Barbier Jean-François-Thérèse Barbier , was a French general during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.-Promotions:*Sous Lieutenant, Hussars Chamborant, 1781*Lieutenant, 1785*Captain, 25 January 1791... François Louis Dedon-Duclos François Louis Dedon-Duclos François Louis Dedon-Duclos was a French military commander of the Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He entered military service in the Artillery School of Metz, 1 April 1777, and in 15 July 1780 he had the grade of Lieutenant. He was promoted to Captain 17 May 1787... |
|||||||||
| Source: Jean-Baptiste Jourdan. A Memoir of the Operations of the Army of the Danube under the Command of General Jourdan, Taken from the Manuscripts of that Officer. London: Debrett, 1799, p. 88. | ||||||||||
| Inspectors General | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formation | Inspector | |||||||||
| Cavalry | Louis Auguste Juvénal des Ursins d'Harville Louis Auguste Juvénal des Ursins d'Harville Louis Auguste Jouvenel des Ursins, Count of Harville , was a general of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars, and a politician of France. He was present at the Battle of Jemappes on 6 November 1792 and led the Reserve Division at the subsequent Siege of Namur.... François Antoine Louis Bourcier François Antoine Louis Bourcier François Antoine Louis Bourcier was a French cavalry officer and divisional general of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.... |
|||||||||
| Infantry | Edmond Louis Alexis Dubois-Crancé Edmond Louis Alexis Dubois-Crancé Edmond Louis Alexis Dubois-Crancé was a French soldier and politician.-National and Constituent Assemblies:Born in Charleville, Ardennes, he was at first a musketeer, then a lieutenant of the Marchaux , and embraced Liberalism... |
|||||||||
| Source: Jean-Baptiste Jourdan. A Memoir of the Operations of the Army of the Danube under the Command of General Jourdan, Taken from the Manuscripts of that Officer. London: Debrett, 1799, p. 88. | ||||||||||
Advance Guard
The Advance Guard crossed the Rhine River at KehlKehl
Kehl is a town in southwestern Germany in the Ortenaukreis, Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the river Rhine, directly opposite the French city of Strasbourg.-History:...
, and marched to the northeast. François Joseph Lefebvre was indisposed—suffering from ringworm—and Jourdan had appointed General of Division Dominique Vandamme
Dominique Vandamme
General Dominique-Joseph René Vandamme, Count of Unseburg was a French military officer, who fought in the Napoleonic Wars....
to direct the march. Vandamme had been lobbying with Jourdan for a larger and more important command but, given the claims of other officers, this was the best Jourdan could do for him. Vandamme led the Advance Guard through the mountains via Freudenstadt
Freudenstadt
Freudenstadt is a town in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is capital of the district Freudenstadt. The closest population centres are Offenburg to the west and Tübingen to the east ....
. On 5 March, Lefebvre returned to his command. Within a week, part of the advanced guard broke off from the main body and, under command of Vandamme, moved to Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, to investigate the rumored presence of Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
units.
| Advance Guard General of Division François Joseph Lefebvre François Joseph Lefebvre François Joseph Lefebvre, First Duc de Dantzig was a French military commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and one of the original eighteen Marshals of the Empire created by Napoleon.... Adjutants: Jean-Baptiste Drouet Jean-Baptiste Drouet, Comte d'Erlon Jean-Baptiste Drouet, comte d'Erlon was a marshal of France and a soldier in Napoleon's Army. D'Erlon notably commanded the I Corps of the Armée du Nord at the battle of Waterloo.... and François-Xavier Octavie Fontaine François-Xavier Octavie Fontaine François-Xavier Octavie Fontaine served in the French military in the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary Wars, and the Napoleonic Wars.... . General of Brigade Jean-de-Dieu Soult |
||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Column | Commander | Units | Notes | |||||||
| Left | General of Brigade Édouard Adolphe Casimir Joseph Mortier Édouard Adolphe Casimir Joseph Mortier Édouard Adolphe Casimir Joseph Mortier, 1st Duc de Trévise was a French general and Marshal of France under Napoleon I.-Biography:... |
|
The 53rd and 67th Demi-brigades had formed part of the Army of the Sambre-et-Meuse 1795–1797. | |||||||
| Right | General of Division Dominique Louis Antoine Klein Louis Klein Louis Klein served in the French military during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars as a general of cavalry.... |
Hussar Hussar refers to a number of types of light cavalry which originated in Hungary in the 14th century, tracing its roots from Serbian medieval cavalry tradition, brought to Hungary in the course of the Serb migrations, which began in the late 14th century.... s Sapper A sapper, pioneer or combat engineer is a combatant soldier who performs a wide variety of combat engineering duties, typically including, but not limited to, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefields, demolitions, field defences, general construction and building, as well as road and airfield... s (7th Company) |
Most of these units had served in the old Army of the Sambre-et-Meuse. | |||||||
| Detached Flank | General of Division Dominique Vandamme Dominique Vandamme General Dominique-Joseph René Vandamme, Count of Unseburg was a French military officer, who fought in the Napoleonic Wars.... |
|
Although Vandamme commanded the I. Division in the absence of Lefebvre, after Lefebvre's return, assumed first, a staff position, and then Jourdan assigned him to investigate rumors of an Austrian presence in Stuttgart Stuttgart Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million .... . These units became the flanking corps (corps de flanqueurs); one unit was taken from Saint-Cyr's division and the other, 8th of the Line, from d'Hautpoul's reserve. This amounted to approximately 3,000 troops, which weakened both the Reserve and the III. Division. Vandamme's flanking force including a squadron of dragoons and a squadron of light horse, but it is unclear which ones: A squadron of the 1st Dragoons may have been detached from II. Division, or a squadron of the 2nd Dragoons from the left column of the III. Division. In addition, his force included a squadron of Light Horse, from either the 8th or 10th, detached from the III. Division, were engaged. |
|||||||
| Strength of Advance Guard: 6,292 infantry; 2,102 cavalry; 382 artillery; and 177 sappers. | ||||||||||
| Sources: Unless otherwise cited, Roland Kessinger and Geert van Uythoven. Order of Battle, Army of the Danube. Stockach: Roland Kessinger & Geert van Uythoven. Accessed 14 April 2010. | ||||||||||
I. Division
The Division crossed the Rhine River at Hüningen near Basel, Switzerland, and marched in two columns eastward. The right column, commanded by Jean Victor TharreauJean Victor Tharreau
Jean Victor Tharreau , 15 January 1767, Le May-sur-Èvre – 26 September 1812, was a General of Division in the Army of the French Empire....
, moved along the northern shoreline of the Rhine. The left column, commanded by Jean-Baptiste Jacopin
Jean-Baptiste Jacopin
Jean Baptiste Jacopin was a French General during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was born 20 October 1755 and died 28 May 1811. He was appointed Adjutant General and Chef of Brigade 28 November 1793, and General of Brigade 10 January 1794. Napoleon awarded him the...
, moved at the northern-most rim of the river valley. From Switzerland, Masséna sent a Demi-brigade
Demi-brigade
Not to be confused with 13th Demi-Brigade of the Foreign LegionThe Demi-brigade was a military formation first used by the French Army during the French Revolutionary Wars. The Demi-brigade amalgamated the various infantry organizations of the French Revolutionary infantry into a single unit...
of the Army of Helvetia to secure Schaffhausen
Schaffhausen
Schaffhausen is a city in northern Switzerland and the capital of the canton of the same name; it has an estimated population of 34,587 ....
, part of the Swiss cantons that lie north of the Rhine river. In holding Schaffhausen, Masséna insured the passage of Ferino's forward units. Ferino's orders were to proceed from Schaffhausen
Schaffhausen
Schaffhausen is a city in northern Switzerland and the capital of the canton of the same name; it has an estimated population of 34,587 ....
along the north shore of Lake Constance
Lake Constance
Lake Constance is a lake on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps, and consists of three bodies of water: the Obersee , the Untersee , and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein.The lake is situated in Germany, Switzerland and Austria near the Alps...
, also called the Bodensee. His left flank was to remain in contact with the II. Division, to prevent the Austrians from piercing the army's forward line. His advance units were to proceed as far as the Imperial Abbey of Salem. From there, he was instructed to prevent any Austrian reinforcements from Switzerland joining with Archduke Charles
Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen
Archduke Charles of Austria, Duke of Teschen was an Austrian field-marshal, the third son of emperor Leopold II and his wife Infanta Maria Luisa of Spain...
, whom Jourdan expected to move across the Iller river
Iller
The Iller is a river in Bavaria, Germany. It is a right tributary of the Danube, 147 km in length.The source is located near Oberstdorf in the Allgäu region of the Alps, close to the Austrian border. From there it runs northwards, passing the towns of Sonthofen, Immenstadt, and Kempten...
near Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
, and advance into Swabia
Swabia
Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...
.
| I. Division General of Division Pierre Marie Barthélemy Ferino Pierre Marie Barthélemy Ferino Pierre Marie Barthélemy Ferino, , was a general and politician of France. Born in the Savoy, he was the son of a low-ranking officer in the Habsburg military. In 1789, during the French Revolution, he went to France, where he received a commission in the French Army... Adjutants: Jean-Marie Defrance Jean-Marie Defrance Jean-Marie Defrance was a French General of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was also a member of the Council of Five Hundred , and a teacher at the military school of Rebais, Champagne.Defrance had an extensive and successful military career in the French... (chief of staff Chief of Staff The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of... ) and Anne Gilbert de Laval Anne Gilbert de Laval Ann Gilbert de Laval, or Ann Guilbert de La Val, was a major general in the Grande Armée of Napoleon Bonaparte. He was born on 9 November 1762 in Riom and died on 6 September 1810, in Mora, Spain. In 1794 , he was promoted to chef de brigade, or brigadier colonel, of the 103rd demi brigade; on 16... |
||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Column | Commander | Units | Notes | |||||||
| Left | General of Brigade Jean-Baptiste Jacopin Jean-Baptiste Jacopin Jean Baptiste Jacopin was a French General during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was born 20 October 1755 and died 28 May 1811. He was appointed Adjutant General and Chef of Brigade 28 November 1793, and General of Brigade 10 January 1794. Napoleon awarded him the... |
|
Jacopin also commanded the right flank of the Reserve; both columns moved parallel to one another through the Black Forest. Like many of the other units, the elements of this column had been part of the Armée de Sambre-et-Meuse and, in 1798, part of the Army of Germany and the Army of Mainz; the Regiment saw action in the Rhineland. |
|||||||
| Right | General of Brigade Jean Victor Tharreau Jean Victor Tharreau Jean Victor Tharreau , 15 January 1767, Le May-sur-Èvre – 26 September 1812, was a General of Division in the Army of the French Empire.... |
|
Tharreau's force provided the forward line protecting Zurich by April 1799; the furthest posts, at Winterthur, were under command of Michel Ney Michel Ney Michel Ney , 1st Duc d'Elchingen, 1st Prince de la Moskowa was a French soldier and military commander during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was one of the original 18 Marshals of France created by Napoleon I... by late3 May 1799. |
|||||||
| Strength of I. Division was 6,452 infantry; 988 cavalry; 481 artillery; and 192 sappers. | ||||||||||
| Sources: Unless otherwise cited, Roland Kessinger and Geert van Uythoven. Order of Battle, Army of the Danube. Stockach: Roland Kessinger & Geert van Uythoven. Accessed 14 April 2010. | ||||||||||
II. Division
The Division followed the Advance Guard across the Rhine, also at Kehl. As it approached the mountains, II. Division followed the river valleys east of Freudenstadt. At the Battle of Ostrach, II. Division took position behind François Joseph Lefebvre's Advance Guard, on the slope below Pfullendorf. At the Battle of Stockach, Souham's Division, positioned in the center, was to coordinate a simultaneous assault with Ferino's I. Division on the Austrian left flank.| II. Division General of Division Joseph Souham Joseph Souham Joseph Souham was a French general who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was born at Lubersac and died at Versailles.-French revolutionary years:... Adjutants: Pierre-Charles Lochet Pierre-Charles Lochet Pierre-Charles Lochet was a brigadier general of the Grande Armée of Napoleon Bonaparte.Born in Châlons-en-Champagne on 24 February 1767, he was attracted to the profession of arms, and he enlisted in the Queen's regiment in 1784. In 1789, at the outbreak of the French Revolution, he left the... and Henri Gatien Bertrand |
||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Column | Commander | Units | Notes | |||||||
| Left | General of Brigade François Goullus François Goullus Francois Goullus, was a brigadier general and baron of the First French Empire during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars... |
|
The 1st Dragoons fought at Battle of Frauenfeld, First Battle of Zurich First Battle of Zürich The Helvetic Republic in 1798 became a battlefield of the French Revolutionary Wars. In the First Battle of Zurich on 4 – 7 June 1799, French general André Masséna was forced to yield the city to the Austrians under Archduke Charles and retreated beyond the Limmat, where he managed to fortify his... , and at the action at Muttenthal in the summer 1799. Their Chef de Brigade Jean-Baptiste-Theodore Vialanes was wounded in southwestern Germany in 1800; he eventually was promoted to brigadier general in 1803 and raised to baron of the Empire in 1808. Jacques LeBaron was Chef de Brigade of the 6th Dragoons; he was killed on 6 February 1807 at the Battle of Eylau Battle of Eylau The Battle of Eylau or Battle of Preussisch-Eylau, 7 and 8 February 1807, was a bloody and inconclusive battle between Napoléon's Grande Armée and a Russian Empire army under Levin August, Count von Bennigsen near the town of Preußisch Eylau in East Prussia. Late in the battle, the Russians... . |
|||||||
| Right | General of Brigade Charles Mathieu Isidore Decaen |
|
Francois-Alexis Guyonneau de Pambour (1766–1802) was appointed Chef-de-Brigade of the 7th Horse Artillery on 26 March 1799; the previous Chef Nicolas-Louis Gueriot de Saint-Martin had been promoted to brigadier general in February of that year. The Regiment was disbanded in 1801. The 2nd Foot Artillery took battle honors at the Second Battle of Zürich Second Battle of Zürich The Second Battle of Zurich was a French victory over an Austrian and Russian force near Zurich. It broke the stalemate that had resulted from the First Battle of Zurich three months earlier and led to the withdrawal of Russia from the Second Coalition.After he had been forced out of the city in... in September 1799. |
|||||||
| Strength: 5,630 infantry; 847 cavalry; 316 artillery; and 161 sappers. | ||||||||||
| Sources: Unless otherwise cited, Roland Kessinger and Geert van Uythoven. Order of Battle, Army of the Danube. Stockach: Roland Kessinger & Geert van Uythoven. Accessed 14 April 2010. | ||||||||||
III. Division
The Third Division and the Reserve also crossed at Kehl, and then divided into two columns, III. Division traveling through the Black Forest via OberkirchOberkirch (Baden)
Oberkirch is a town in Western Baden-Württemberg, Germany about 12 km North-East of Offenburg and belongs to the Ortenaukreis district....
, and the Reserve, with most of the artillery park, via the valleys at Freiburg im Breisgau, where the horses would find more forage, and then over the mountains past the Titisee
Titisee
Titisee is a lake in the southern Black Forest in Baden-Württemberg. It is said it got its name from Roman Emperor Titus. It covers an area of 1.3 km² and has an average depth of 20 m. It owes its creation to the Feldberg glacier, the moraine ploughed up by which in the Pleistocene epoch...
to Loffingen
Löffingen
Löffingen is a town in the district Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 14 km southwest of Donaueschingen, and 40 km southeast of Freiburg....
and Hüfingen
Hüfingen
Hüfingen is a town in the district of Schwarzwald-Baar, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the Breg River, 4 km south of the source of the Danube.- History :...
. At the Battle of Ostrach, after more than 15 hours of general engagement, the Austrians flanked
Flanking maneuver
In military tactics, a flanking maneuver, also called a flank attack, is an attack on the sides of an opposing force. If a flanking maneuver succeeds, the opposing force would be surrounded from two or more directions, which significantly reduces the maneuverability of the outflanked force and its...
the III. Division's left wing and pressed the entire Division back to the Pfullendorf heights. At the Battle of Stockach, Saint-Cyr and Vandamme were to execute simultaneous attacks on the Austrian right flank, Saint-Cyr on the front and Vandamme from the rear; the attacks failed when Archduke Charles moved support troops from the left flank.
| III. Division General of Division Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr |
||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Column | Commander | Units | Notes | |||||||
| Left | General of Brigade Frédéric Henri Walther Frédéric Henri Walther Frederic-Louis-Henri Walther , was an Alsatian-born general of division and a supporter of Napoleon Bonaparte. He fought for France in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars.... Adjutant-General Jean Louis Debilly Jean Louis Debilly Jean Louis Debilly, General of Brigade in the Grande Armée, was born 30 July 1763 in Dreux, Eure-et-Loire, France, and died 14 October 1806, in the French victory over the Kingdom of Prussia at the Battle of Jena-Auerstadt... |
|
Walther's dragoons covered Michel Ney Michel Ney Michel Ney , 1st Duc d'Elchingen, 1st Prince de la Moskowa was a French soldier and military commander during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was one of the original 18 Marshals of France created by Napoleon I... 's withdrawal at the Clash at Winterthur. A squadron of the 2nd Dragoons may have been detached to Vandamme's flanking corps. |
|||||||
| Right | General of Brigade Claude Juste Alexandre Legrand Claude Juste Alexandre Legrand Claude Just Alexandre Louis Legrand was a French general. He commanded French divisions at several notable battles of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He rose to senator on 5 April 1813, then Pair de France on 4 June 1814 and chevalier de Saint-Louis on 27 June 1814... Adjutant-General Charles Saligny de San-Germano Charles Saligny de San-Germano Charles Saligny de San-Germano, also called Charles, Baron Saligny, was a French military leader in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. Saligny was born 12 September 1772 in Vitry-le-François. He was promoted to general of division on 1 January 1805. Saligny married... |
|
The 10th was commanded by Michel Ordener Michel Ordener Michel Ordener was a general of division and a commander in Napoleon's elite Imperial Guard. Of plebeian origins, he was born 2 September 1755 in L'Hôpital and enlisted as private at the age of 18 years in the Prince Conde's Legion. He was promoted through the ranks; as warrant officer of a... . Ordener was wounded on 14 August 1799. The 10th participated in the Battles at Ostrach and Stockach. Two squadrons from the 8th or the 10th Light Horse were detached to support Vandamme's flanking move to Stuttgart. |
|||||||
| Strength: 4,844 Infantry; 1,353 cavalry; 301 artillery; 193 sappers | ||||||||||
| Sources: Unless otherwise cited, Roland Kessinger and Geert van Uythoven. Order of Battle, Army of the Danube. Stockach: Roland Kessinger & Geert van Uythoven. Accessed 14 April 2010. | ||||||||||
Reserve
The Reserve crossed the river at Kehl, swung south toward Freiburg im Breisgau, and crossed the mountains at Neustadt, to Loffingen, Bruhlingen and Hüfingen. At the Battle of Ostrach, the Reserve remained in the northern outskirts of Pfullendorf and did not participate in the battle except in small groups. When Jourdan decided to withdraw, d'Hautpoul's cavalry moved to the west first, to secure bridges and the east-west roads. At the battle of Stockach, the Reserve was slow to support of Ferino's I. Division, which had run out of ammunition; when a cavalry charged failed to materialize, the Austrians acquired the upper hand. Jourdan later charged d'Hautpoul with dereliction. After the Stockach engagement, most of the Reserve withdrew to the west side of the Black Forest, where the horses could find forage, but by late April, the Reserve had joined with the André Masséna's Army of Helvetia outside of Zürich; d'Hautpoul joined them in July after he was cleared by a Courts-martial in Strasbourg.| Reserve General of Division Jean-Joseph Ange d'Hautpoul Jean-Joseph Ange d'Hautpoul Jean-Joseph Ange d'Hautpoul was a French cavalry general of the Napoleonic wars. He came from an old noble family of France whose military tradition extended for several centuries.... |
||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commander(s) | Units | Notes | ||||||||
| Louis Fursy Henri Compere Louis Fursy Henri Compere Louis Fursy Henri Compère was a French general of artillery in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. In 1794, he was promoted to chef de brigade, the equivalent of colonel. On 1 May 1794, he was promoted to general of brigade... Christophe Ossvald Christophe Ossvald Christophe Ossvald was a general of brigade in the French Revolutionary Wars. He was born 25 March 1737, and was named chef de brigade of the 10th Regiment of Cuirassiers on 21 March 1794... François Léon Ormancey François Léon Ormancey François Léon Ormancey was a French general in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was part of the French Order of Battle at the Battle of Caldiero, in which he commanded the third brigade of Jean Antoine Verdier's II. Division. He was born 2 August 1754 and died 22 July 1824... Jean Christophe Collin Jean Christophe Collin Jean Christophe Collin, called Verdière, was a general of French general of Cavalry in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was born 18 January 1754 in Paris.... |
|
Antoine Christophe was chef-de-brigade (colonel) of the 1st Regiment; Armand-Augustine-Louis De Caulaincourt was appointed chef-de-brigade of the 2nd Regiment on 30 July 1799; he was wounded on 2 November 1799. Both men were eventually promoted to brigadier general. |
||||||||
| Strength of Reserve — 2,897 infantry; 2,567 cavalry; 333 artillery; and 365 sappers. | ||||||||||
| Sources: Unless otherwise cited, Roland Kessinger and Geert van Uythoven. Order of Battle, Army of the Danube. Stockach: Roland Kessinger & Geert van Uythoven. Accessed 14 April 2010. | ||||||||||
Artillery park
Command: Jean Ambroise Baston de LariboisièreJean Ambroise Baston de Lariboisière
Jean Ambroise Baston de Lariboisière, also Count de Lariboisière, was a general of artillery of the First French Empire. He fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars and died of fatigue at Königsberg in East Prussia on 21 December 1812, during the Grand Army's retreat from...
- Cannons: 33 four-pounders; 21 eight-pounders; and seven 12-pounders
- HowitzerHowitzerA howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
s: 19 - Personnel (effective strength): 1,329 non-commissioned officers and cannoneers; 60 officers; Total 1,389