L'Armée du Nord
Encyclopedia
The Army of the North or Armée du Nord is a name given to several historical units of the French Army
. 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 Hundred Days
and the Franco-Prussian War
.
, 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 Francois 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 which resulted in victory at the Battle of Jemappes
on 6 November 1792.
On 18 March 1793, the Austrians
defeated Dumouriez at the Battle of Neerwinden
. Auguste Dampierre
was killed in battle on 8 May at the Battle of Raismes near Valenciennes
. Under Francois Lamarche, the army lost again at the Battle of Famars
on 23 May. Charles 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
and the extinction of the Dutch Republic
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 Army of the North's commanders are listed as follows.
. 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
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.
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 Grande Armée
(Grand Army) to disaster in Russia. It also fielded proportionally more artillery
(344 pieces) and significantly more cavalry
, 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
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 Napoleon placed directly under his command.
For more detailed organizational details on this Armée du Nord, see Order of Battle of the Waterloo Campaign
.
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
. 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
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
, the Hundred Days
Hundred Days
The Hundred Days, sometimes known as the Hundred Days of Napoleon or Napoleon's Hundred Days for specificity, marked the period between Emperor Napoleon I of France's return from exile on Elba to Paris on 20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815...
and the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
.
1791-1797
At the creation of the Army of the North on 14 December 1791, the government of the First French Republic appointed Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de RochambeauJean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau
Marshal of France Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau was a French nobleman and general who participated in the American Revolutionary War as the commander-in-chief of the French Expeditionary Force which came to help the American Continental Army...
, 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
Nicolas Luckner
Nikolaus, Count Luckner was a German in French service who rose to become a Marshal of France. ....
, Adam Custine
Adam Philippe, Comte de Custine
Adam Philippe, Comte de Custine was a French general. Born in Metz, he began his military career as a captain in the Seven Years' War, where he learned to admire the modern military organisation of Prussia....
, and Jean Houchard
Jean Nicolas Houchard
Jean Nicolas Houchard was a French General of the French Revolution and the French Revolutionary Wars.-Biography:...
.
Under Charles Francois Dumouriez
Charles François Dumouriez
Charles-François du Périer Dumouriez was a French general during the French Revolutionary Wars. He shared the victory at Valmy with General François Christophe Kellermann, but later deserted the Revolutionary Army and became a royalist intriguer during the reign of Napoleon.-Early life:Dumouriez...
, the Army of the North helped blunt the Prussian
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
invasion at the Battle of Valmy
Battle of Valmy
The Battle of Valmy was the first major victory by the army of France during the French Revolution. The action took place on 20 September 1792 as Prussian troops commanded by the Duke of Brunswick attempted to march on Paris...
on 20 September 1792. It also made up a large part of Dumouriez's expedition into the Austrian Netherlands which resulted in victory at the Battle of Jemappes
Battle of Jemappes
The Battle of Jemappes took place near the town of Jemappes in Hainaut, Belgium, near Mons. General Charles François Dumouriez, in command of the French Revolutionary Army, defeated the greatly outnumbered Austrian army of Field Marshal Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen and his second-in-command...
on 6 November 1792.
On 18 March 1793, the Austrians
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
defeated Dumouriez at the Battle of Neerwinden
Battle of Neerwinden (1793)
The Battle of Neerwinden took place on near the village of Neerwinden in present-day Belgium between the Austrians under Prince Josias of Coburg and the French under General Dumouriez...
. Auguste Dampierre
Augustin-Marie Picot
Auguste Marie Henri Picot, Marquis de Dampierre was a general of the French Revolution.Picot was born in Paris into a military family and was commissioned as a junior officer in the Gardes Français 17 May 1772...
was killed in battle on 8 May at the Battle of Raismes near Valenciennes
Valenciennes
Valenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...
. Under Francois Lamarche, the army lost again at the Battle of Famars
Battle of Famars
The Battle of Famars was fought on 23 May 1793 during the Flanders Campaign of the War of the First Coalition. An Allied Austrian, Hanoverian, and British army under Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld defeated the French Army of the North led by General François Joseph Drouet Lamarche...
on 23 May. Charles Kilmaine skirmished with the Coalition army at Caesar's Camp near Cambrai
Cambrai
Cambrai is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Cambrai is the seat of an archdiocese whose jurisdiction was immense during the Middle Ages. The territory of the Bishopric of Cambrai, roughly coinciding with the shire of Brabant, included...
on 7 August. Houchard won the Battle of Hondshoote
Battle of Hondshoote (1793)
The Battle of Hondschoote took place during the Flanders Campaign of the Campaign of 1793 in the French Revolutionary Wars. It was fought during operations surrounding the Siege of Dunkirk between 6 and 8 September 1793 at Hondschoote, Nord, France, and resulted in a French victory under General...
in September, forcing the English to raise the Siege of Dunkirk
Siege of Dunkirk (1793)
See also the Battle of HondschooteThe Siege of Dunkirk took place in 1793 when British, Hanoverian, Austrian, and Hesse-Kassel troops under the command of Prince Frederick, Duke of York besieged the fortified French border port of Dunkirk as part as the Flanders campaign of the French Revolutionary...
. Nevertheless, the government arrested Houchard for not following up his victory and executed him. 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...
won the Battle of Wattignies
Battle of Wattignies (1793)
The Battle of Wattignies was fought at the village of Wattignies-la-Victoire, France, on 15 and 16 October 1793 during the French Revolutionary Wars. The French army commanded by Jean-Baptiste Jourdan and Lazare Carnot defeated the army of Habsburg Austria led by Prince Josias of Coburg...
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
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:...
. The right wing of the army fought under Jourdan in an important victory at the Battle of Fleurus
Battle of Fleurus
There have been three battles fought near the town of Fleurus in Belgium:*The Battle of Fleurus in the Thirty Years' War.*The Battle of Fleurus in the Nine Years' War.*The Battle of Fleurus in the French Revolutionary Wars....
on 26 June. Soon after this, the Allied position in Flanders collapsed, leading to Austria's loss of Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and the extinction of the Dutch Republic
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
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
Batavian Republic
The Batavian Republic was the successor of the Republic of the United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on January 19, 1795, and ended on June 5, 1806, with the accession of Louis Bonaparte to the throne of the Kingdom of Holland....
.
The Army of the North's commanders are listed as follows.
- MarshalMarshal of FranceThe Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...
Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de RochambeauJean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de RochambeauMarshal of France Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau was a French nobleman and general who participated in the American Revolutionary War as the commander-in-chief of the French Expeditionary Force which came to help the American Continental Army...
, 14 December 1791 - 18 May 1792 - Marshal Nicolas LucknerNicolas LucknerNikolaus, Count Luckner was a German in French service who rose to become a Marshal of France. ....
, 19 May - 11 July 1792 - General Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, 12 July - 19 August 1792
- General Charles Francois DumouriezCharles François DumouriezCharles-François du Périer Dumouriez was a French general during the French Revolutionary Wars. He shared the victory at Valmy with General François Christophe Kellermann, but later deserted the Revolutionary Army and became a royalist intriguer during the reign of Napoleon.-Early life:Dumouriez...
, 18 August - 28 September 1792 - General Anne Francois Augustin de Bourdonnaye, 28 September - 25 November 1792
- General Francisco de MirandaFrancisco de MirandaSebastián Francisco de Miranda Ravelo y Rodríguez de Espinoza , commonly known as Francisco de Miranda , was a Venezuelan revolutionary...
, 16 November 1792 - 1 February 1793 - General Dumouriez, 2 February - 4 April 1793
- General Auguste Marie Henri Picot Dampierre, 6 April - 8 May 1793
- General Francois Joseph Drouet Lamarche, 8 - 27 May 1793
- General Adam Philippe, Comte de CustineAdam Philippe, Comte de CustineAdam Philippe, Comte de Custine was a French general. Born in Metz, he began his military career as a captain in the Seven Years' War, where he learned to admire the modern military organisation of Prussia....
, 28 May - 16 July 1793 - General Charles Edward Jennings de Kilmaine, 17 July - 10 August 1793
- General Jean Nicolas HouchardJean Nicolas HouchardJean Nicolas Houchard was a French General of the French Revolution and the French Revolutionary Wars.-Biography:...
, 11 August - 23 September 1793 - General Florent Joseph Duquesnoy, 24 - 25 November 1793
- General Jean-Baptiste JourdanJean-Baptiste JourdanJean-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...
, 25 September - 9 November 1793 - General Duquesnoy, 10 - 14 November 1793
- General Jourdan, 15 November 1793 - 12 January 1794
- General Jacques Ferrand, 13 January - 8 February 1794
- General Jean-Charles Pichegru, 9 February - 18 October 1794
- General Jean Victor Marie MoreauJean Victor Marie MoreauJean Victor Marie Moreau was a French general who helped Napoleon Bonaparte to power, but later became a rival and was banished to the United States.- Early life :Moreau was born at Morlaix in Brittany...
, 19 October - 4 December 1794 - General Pichegru, 5 December 1794 - 20 March 1795
- General Moreau, 21 - 29 March 1795
- General Joseph SouhamJoseph SouhamJoseph 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:...
, 30 March - 3 April 1795 - General Pierre de Ruel, marquis de BeurnonvillePierre de Ruel, marquis de BeurnonvillePierre de Ruel, marquis de Beurnonville was a French general during the French Revolutionary Wars and later a marshal of France.-Biography:Bournonville was born at Champignol-lez-Mondeville, Aube....
, 4 April - 15 September 1795 - General Jean Antoine Dejean, 16 September 1796 - 24 September 1797
1811-1813
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 OnoroBattle of Fuentes de Onoro
In the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro , the British-Portuguese Army under Viscount Wellington checked an attempt by the French Army of Portugal under Marshal André Masséna to relieve the besieged city of Almeida.-Background:...
. The Spanish beat a 1,500-man detachment on 23 June at Cogorderos in León (province)
León (province)
León is a province of northwestern Spain, in the northwestern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León.About one quarter of its population of 500,200 lives in the capital, León. The weather is cold and dry during the winter....
. 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
Battle of Vitoria
At the Battle of Vitoria an allied British, Portuguese, and Spanish army under General the Marquess of Wellington broke the French army under Joseph Bonaparte and Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jourdan near Vitoria in Spain, leading to eventual victory in the Peninsular War.-Background:In July 1812, after...
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.
- MarshalMarshal of FranceThe Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...
Jean-Baptiste BessièresJean-Baptiste BessièresJean-Baptiste Bessières, 1st Duc d' Istria was a Marshal of France of the Napoleonic Era. His younger brother, Bertrand, followed in his footsteps and eventually became a Divisional General...
, January - July 1811 - General of Division (MG) Jean-Marie DorsenneJean-Marie DorsenneJean-Marie-Pierre-François Doursenne, called Dorsenne, count Lepaige was a French military commander of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars...
, July 1811 - May 1812 - MG Marie-François Auguste de Caffarelli du FalgaMarie-François Auguste de Caffarelli du FalgaMarie-François Auguste de Caffarelli du Falga was a French général de division of Italian descent. Two of his brothers were also generals...
, May 1812 - January 1813 - MG Bertrand Clausel, January 1813 - July 1813
1815
This name was also given to the force commanded by Napoleon BonaparteNapoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
during the Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
Campaign
Hundred Days
The Hundred Days, sometimes known as the Hundred Days of Napoleon or Napoleon's Hundred Days for specificity, marked the period between Emperor Napoleon I of France's return from exile on Elba to Paris on 20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815...
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 Grande Armée
La Grande Armée
The Grande Armée first entered the annals of history when, in 1805, Napoleon I renamed the army that he had assembled on the French coast of the English Channel for the proposed invasion of Britain...
(Grand Army) to disaster in Russia. It also fielded proportionally more artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
(344 pieces) and significantly more cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
, 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 of France
The Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...
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...
and Grouchy
Emmanuel, marquis de Grouchy
Emmanuel de Grouchy, 2ème Marquis de Grouchy was a French general and marshal.-Biography:Grouchy was born in Paris, the son of François-Jacques de Grouchy, 1st Marquis de Grouchy and intellectual wife Gilberte Fréteau de Pény . His sister was Sophie de Condorcet, a noted femininist...
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 Napoleon placed directly under his command.
For more detailed organizational details on this Armée du Nord, see Order of Battle of the Waterloo Campaign
Order of battle of the Waterloo Campaign
This is the complete order of battle for the four major battles of the Waterloo Campaign.-French Army Order of Battle:L'Armée du Nord under the command of Emperor Napoleon I.Major Général : Marshal Soult, Duke of Dalmatia....
.
Books
- Eggenberger, David. An Encyclopedia of Battles. New York: Dover Publications, 1985. ISBN 0-486-24913-1
- Glover, Michael. The Peninsular War 1807-1814. London: Penguin, 2001. ISBN 0-14-139041-7
- Smith, Digby. The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill, 1998. ISBN 1-85367-276-9