Cuirassiers of the Grande Armée
The cuirassiers formed with the carabineers during the First Empire the heavy cavalry of the Grande Armée of Napoleon I.
Formation history
During the Empire, the cuirassiers were a symbol of the French cavalry. In 1792 a real cuirassier regiment had just existed, namely the Régiment de Cuirassiers cavalerie . The French heavy cavalry consisted of 24 regiments in 1791 , to which three more were added in the same year. At the beginning of the coalition wars, the 15th regiment (formerly Royal Allemand ) went over to the enemy in 1792 , the number of regiments subsequently decreased to a total of 25.
In 1792, the regimental staff consisted of a colonel , two lieutenant colonels , two adjudants , a paymaster ( Quartier-máitre tresorier - usually a sous-lieutenant), a trumpeter (trompette brigadier), a military chaplain (maître aumonier) and five craftsmen, máitres ouvriers , so saddler (Maître sellier), tailor (Maitre tailleu), blacksmith (Maître ferrant), stable master (Maître maréchal) and shoemaker (Maître bottier).
Each regiment consisted of three divisions in two companies , each with two squadrons or a chief d'escadrons , a lieutenant , two sous-lieutenants , a maréchal de logis chef , two marechéaux des logis , a brigadier-fourrier , four brigadiers , and a trumpeter and 54 riders (four of whom were unridden) included. There were considerable fluctuations in the actual strengths of the companies. From 1793 to 1796 each regiment had a fourth division. During the German Empire, a regiment usually numbered around 1,040 men.
As it became more and more difficult to buy suitable remonts from Germany, the strength of the heavy cavalry fell over time. On September 24, 1803, all twelve remaining heavy cavalry regiments were converted into cuirassiers:
- 1 he regiment de cuirassiers
- 2 e regiment de cuirassiers
- 3 e regiment de cuirassiers
- 4 e régiment de cuirassiers
- 5 e regiment de cuirassiers
- 6 e regiment de cuirassiers
- 7 e regiment de cuirassiers
- 8 e régiment de cuirassiers
- 9 e regiment de cuirassiers
- 10 e regiment de cuirassiers
- 11 e regiment de cuirassiers
- 12 e regiment de cuirassiers
In 1808 a provisional 1st heavy cavalry regiment was set up for service in Spain from duties of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd regiments and the two carbine regiments, which was converted into the 13th cuirassier regiment a year later. A 14th regiment was formed in 1809 from the Dutch 2nd Cuirassier Regiment. These two regiments were disbanded after Napoleon's first abdication in 1814. During the 2nd Restoration in 1815 the 7th to 12th regiments were also dissolved.
Mission and missions
The classic task of heavy cavalry was to break up the lines of enemy infantry . The cuirassiers fulfilled this role with considerable success. Napoleon usually let his heavy riders attack when the enemy's infantry was already in direct combat with his own and thus could not form to defend the cavalry. The force of the attack by the armored riders on their heavy horses literally smashed opposing formations. Although the cuirass itself provided reliable protection against cutting and stabbing weapons , its value against rifle fire was primarily psychological in nature, as it gave its wearer not only a feeling of security, but also a terrifying appearance. The quality of the cuirass declined significantly over the years, but not its weight, so that a fallen rider had considerable difficulty getting back on his feet.
Most of the heavy cavalry horses came from Flanders and Normandy . Although they could carry heavy loads, they were also heavy and not particularly fast. Indeed, for instance in the recent attack on the evening of Eggmühl trot the fastest possible pace and La Chaussee the cuirassiers expected standing and with prestretched broadsword the attack of the Prussian cavalry.
All regiments except the 13th took part in the Russian campaign. At Borodino the 5th regiment penetrated together with the Saxon cuirassiers into the Rajewski-Schanzen and thus secured the victory of the Grande Armée . But already at the beginning of November 1812 the cuirassiers had to be united into two weak provisional regiments due to the heavy losses. During the retreat on the Beresina, a decisive attack by the cuirassiers was able to relieve the pressure on the main forces of the army, which were under pressure, and thus help to force the transition. In 1813 the regiments were replenished, and due to the lack of horses, which could only be remedied slowly, some of them also did duty on foot. In the French campaign, the cuirassiers again excelled at Montmirail . After Napoleon's return, his entire cuirassier troop was in action at Waterloo for the last time. Marshal Ney interpreted regroupings in Wellington's center as an incipient retreat and wanted to smash it with most of his cuirassiers. No sooner had they ridden out of range of the supporting artillery than they were faced with a chessboard formation of Anglo-Allied infantry squares. Although Napoleon sent the remaining cuirassiers to support, only a few of the squares could be broken open. The "fat brothers" bled to death between the disciplined volley fire of Wellington's infantry and the grapeshot of his artillery. Nevertheless, their fame was so great that in the years that followed, not only the Spaniards, Dutch and British, but also the Bourbons succumbed to the temptation to equip their heavy cavalry on the model of Napoleon's cuirassiers. A hundred years later, when khaki or field gray had long been popular elsewhere , French cuirassiers with horsehair helmets, armor, blue skirts and red epaulets rode into the First World War , and even today the cavalry of the Republican Guard wear this uniform in parades, albeit without the cuirass.
Uniform history
According to the provisional decree of April 1, 1791, the heavy cavalry wore blue skirts with different colored badges and white buttons, leather-colored trousers, white gauntlets, white bandeliers , high boots and a bicorn with cockade. The badge colors were distributed in groups. The first group (1st to 6th regiment) was scarlet, the second (7th to 12th regiment) was jonquille yellow, the third (13th to 18th regiment) was crimson and the fourth (19th to 24th regiment) was pink. The first three regiments of each group had horizontal pockets, the others vertical. Discounts , skirt tails and the advances on epaulets and skirt pockets were always in the color of the badge . The collar and sleeve flaps were blue for the second and fifth regiments, otherwise they were badge-colored. Blue sleeve flaps had badge-colored advances and vice versa. The cuffs of the third and sixth regiments were blue, the others in badge color. The 8th Regiment had an iron full cuirass, the red cuffs of which had pushed forward white.
Under the Ancien Régime , only the 8th regiment owned cuirasses. In September 1792 the first four regiments received half armor, later also the 5th, 6th and 7th regiments. The white half saddle pads were edged in the color of the badge. The saddlecloth and the round sackcloth had a white border. The regimental number was written in white on both pieces of equipment. The general neglect of clothing did not stop at the heavy cavalry, so that here too we only spoke of uniforms again under the consulate. At the turn of the century, the coat bag became angular. In 1802 the 5th, 6th and 7th regiments, and in 1803 also the 9th, 11th and 10th and 12th regiments were turned into cuirassiers and equipped accordingly, with full armor equipment extending until 1804.
In 1804 the characteristic helmet replaced the hat. The bell of the helmet was made of steel, the bracket and scale chains were made of brass, the turban of black fur and the tail of black horsehair. Since the helmet was procured by the regiment itself, the details initially varied from regiment to regiment. The officers' models stood out due to their better workmanship, in particular the brass parts were gold-plated.
In 1805, the cuirassiers were the only line armed forces to receive the badges that were otherwise reserved for the elite companies only: red plumage, red epaulettes and blue grenade badges on their coats. The grenade badges are white for officers and sometimes also for the other ranks; higher officers also have white feather trunks. In 1809 the skirt tails get shorter. From 1810 the regiments were again divided into four groups with regard to their badge colors (1st, 2nd and 3rd regiment: scarlet; 4th, 5th and 6th regiments: bright orange; 7th, 8th and 9th regiments: jonquille yellow; 10th, 11th and 12th regiments: pink). The collar, which was pushed forward in blue, the advances of the now uniformly vertical pocket flaps, and the skirt tails were always badge-colored, and cuffs as well, except for the third regiment of a group. The second regiment had blue sleeve flaps, while the others had patches made of badge-colored cloth. The sleeve flaps were also (with the exception of the first regiment) in the color of the badge. Trumpeters wore no cuirass, single-breasted skirts with alternate colors (i.e., the badge color became the base color, while collars, cuffs, etc. were blue), white braids on the chest, and white epaulettes. The 13th and 14th regiments received wine red as their badge color with the same variants as in the other groups. Since the 13th regiment was in Spain when it was set up and there was not enough blue cloth available, brown cloth that had been confiscated in monasteries and originally intended for monk's robes was used to make skirts and overpants, as was the case with the Dragoons. By decree of December 25, 1811, in addition to the two pistols and the pallasch, the carbine was introduced for men and the lower non-commissioned officers, which was either carried on the bandolier of the cartridge pouch introduced at the same time or in a saddle holster. Trumpeters, officers and senior non-commissioned officers had no bandeliers. However, the carbine had to be temporarily given to the infantry in 1813 due to a general lack of weapons. In 1812 the trumpeters of all regiments were given the green imperial livery . In the field, overpants were often worn over leather trousers; During the Russian campaign the helmet tail was braided and the feather cap removed or protected by a cover. In the corners of the saddlecloths either a grenade symbol or the regimental number in white was placed at an angle. The 11th regiment did not have a cuirass at Waterloo, but competed in a surtout .
literature
- Eugène Louis Bucquoy, Les Cuirassiers (Les Uniformes du Premier Empire, Volume 3), Jacques Grancher, Paris, 1978, ISBN 84-399-7086-2
- Emir Bukhari and Angus McBride, Napoleon's Cuirassiers and Carabiniers , Osprey Publishing, London 1977, ISBN 9780850450965
