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. NAPOLEON'S TROOPS
"The army will never forget that under Napoleon's eagles,
deserving men of courage and intelligence were raised to
the highest levels of society. Simple soldiers became
marshals, princes, dukes and kings. The French soldier
had become an equal citizen by right and by glory."

French Army : Royal , Revolutionary , Imperial
"The attack was the natural way for Frenchmen to fight.
British beef and German sausage might create specialists
in the art of standing still under fire
but the mercurial Frenchman could not be so inhibited."

French Infantry
"It is well known with what gallantry the officers lead
and with what vehemence the [French] troops follow ..."

French Cavalry
They became most renowned for
their actions in large masses.

French Artillery
"There had been kings who had made artillery their hobby;
Napoleon was an artilleryman who made a hobby of
breaking and making kings."

French Guard Infantry
"One of the most celebrated
military formations in history."

French Guard Cavalry
"There is no temple without a God
and no throne without a Guard.'
But there are guards and Guards."

French Guard Artillery
"Its gunnery generally excellent, thanks to
the annual competitions at La Fere."

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Napoleon's foreign infantry :
The Swiss, Irish Legion, Tirailleurs Corses, Tirailleurs du Pф
Dutch and Belgians, Poles, Italians, Croats and Albanians
Bavarians, Saxons, Westphalians, Wurttembergers and Hessians

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Polish Army: Campaigns, Battles, Commanders, Organization
French Marshal Davout [The Iron Marshal]
supervised the creation of the Polish army.
"From ... the Peninsula to the depths of Russia,
Polish valour went on parade as never before."

Polish Infantry, Cavalry, and Artillery
The Poles were "Napoleon's staunchest allies."

Old Guard Lancers
"I proclaim you my bravest cavalry !"

Vistula Uhlans
The Picadors of the Hell
"Some of the most feared cavalry
in Napoleon's armies ..."

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ALLIED ARMIES
"If the Cossacks attack during the night, it is to keep you awake, to wear you out
. . . If the Prussian cavalry attacks during the night, that is more serious . . .
If the Austrian cavalry attacks at night they probably have their infantry with them
... If the English cavalry understood war, they might be ... the most terrible in Europe
... (If you have ridden over them) the Austrian infantry throws down its weapons,
each soldier claims to be a Pole (France's closest ally), they obey you honestly.
The Prussian infantry throws down its arms, but will grab them up promptly
if they see help coming. The Russian infantry falls flat, lets you pass,
gets up, and starts shooting again." - Antoine De Brack

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Russian Army: Campaigns, Battles, Commanders, Organization
"The whole appearance of a Russian army denotes
hardihood and bravery, inured to any privations."

Russian Infantry
"Bullet's an idiot, bayonet's a fine chap."

Russian Cavalry
"As a horseman, the Russian regular cavalryman had no experience,
except in the schools. He was not born to the use of horses and he
had to learn both how to ride and how to care for them."

Russian Artillery
"The Russian artillery is of the most powerful description."

Russian Guards
"... a sight too magnificent to be described !"

Cossacks
"The French typically found the cossacks contemptible,
their tactics cowardly, their mounts ugly ...
French conceit came at a cost."

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Austrian Army: Campaigns, Battles, Commanders, Organization
"Though repeatedly defeated, it always rose again ..."
Austria was the most implacable of Napoleon's continental enemies:
Austria at war with France - 108 months
Prussia at war with France - 58 months
Russia at war with France - 55 months

Austrian Infantry.
"The great confusion of nationalities
is a serious evil [in Austrian infantry]."

Austrian Cavalry.
"Austrian cavalry was well mounted and generally good
but seldom operated effectively in mass."

Austrian Artillery
The Austrian gunners, recruited mostly from
the German provinces, has always stood high

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Prussian Army: Campaigns, Battles, Commanders, Organization
"Traditionally, Prussia was Soldaten und Beamtenstaat ,
a state of soldiers and bureaucracy, a state formed by and for war"

Prussian Infantry
"Forward ! Long live to the king of Prussia !"

Prussian Cavalry.
So great was its reputation that Napoleon
made a special point of warning his cavalry
in 1806 to beware of the Prussian cavalry.

Prussian Artillery
The artillery had been a neglected branch of
the army since the time of Frederick the Great.

Prussian Troops and Commanders.

"Waterloo - The German Victory."

"Just Don't Mention the Prussians."

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British Army and Navy: Strength, Organization, Commanders.
"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves ...."

British Infantry (The Invincibles).
"I consider the English infantry to be impregnable ..."

British Cavalry.
" ... the French soldiers were so struck with
the elegant dresses of the light dragoons .."

British Artillery
"Frames, caissons, barrels ... are remarkable
for the goodness of the materials, as well as
excellent workmanship."

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CAMPAIGNS & BATTLES
"If you had seen one day of war, you would pray to God
that you would never see another."
- Napoleon

The Pyrenees War 1793-95:
France vs Spain and Great Britain.
French generals who lost battles, or otherwise displeased the
powerful representatives were sent to prison or the guillotine.

Bonaparte's campaign in Italy, 1796
(Montenotte, Dego, Lodi, Arcole, Rivoli)
"In a fortnight he ... made his first move.
Five days later he had already
four times defeated the enemy."

Somosierra Pass 1808
"Forward, you sons of dogs,
the Emperor is looking at you !"

Corunna 1809
"Threatening Napoleon’s communications was as
dangerous as trying to snatch the prey from a lion."

Wagram 1809
"... the world was indeed ending."

Fuengirola 1810
"Come and take it !"
Polish infantry routed British infantry.

Albuera, 1811
The bloodiest battle of the Peninsular War.
Polish cavalry annihilated British brigade.

Napoleon's Invasion of Russia, 1812
The War in 1812 was a struggle between Europe's most formidable armies
and was fought on an unprecedented scale over vast expanses of territories
whose sheer size, geographical complexity, and seasonal climatic extremes
made the conflict episodic in nature.

Maps and pictures. 1812.

Borodino 1812
The bloodiest battle of the Napoleonic Wars.
"Of all my 50 battles, the most terrible was
the one I fought at Moscow (Borodino)"
- Napoleon

Map of Battle of Vyazma 1812
Davout, the Iron Marshal, and his fine I Army Corps in trouble.

Campaign in Germany 1813
+ Dresden 1813
One of Napoleon's greatest victories.

Dennewitz 1813
Marshal Ney, the Bravest of the Brave
is crushed by the Prussians.

(1) Leipzig 1813 "Battle of the Nations" - Day One
The largest battle of the Napoleonic Wars.

(2) Leipzig 1813 - Day Two, Three and Four
"... the Colossus [Napoleon] fell like an oak tree in a storm."

La Rothiere 1814
Napoleon's first defeat on French soil.

Craonne 1814
The bloodiest battle of the Campaign of France in 1814
The Old and Young Guard in action.

Paris 1814
"No hostile army had reached Paris for 400 Years."

Waterloo Campaign 1815
+ Combats at Thuin and Gilly
Storming of the Charleroi Bridge
and the battle of Quatre-Bras

L i g n y 1815
Napoleon's last victory

Waterloo 1815
Napoleon's last battle

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STRATEGY & TACTICS
"Read over and over again the campaigns of
Alexander , Hannibal , Caesar , Gustavus ,
Turenne , and Frederic the Great . This is
the only way to become a great general ... "
- Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon's Strategy and Tactics.
Principles guiding the development of his plans.
Napoleon's favorites strategies and battle tactics.

Infantry Tactics and Combat (Part 1)
1 - Accuracy of musket fire
2 - Bayonet attacks and melees
3 - Esprit de corps
4 - Recruit's and veteran's reaction
before, during and after battle

Infantry Tactics and Combat (Part 2)
1 - Advantages and disadvantages of columns
2 - Advantages and disadvantages of lines
3 - Infantry squares versus cavalry
4 - Infantry skirmishing

Cavalry Tactics and Combat (Part 1)
1 - Charge, melee, pursuit, casualties.
2 - Frontal charges and flank attacks.
3 - Heavy cavalry vs light cavalry.
4 - Dismounted cavalry in combat.

Cavalry Tactics and Combat (Part 2 and 3)
1 - The fearsome lancers.
2 - Cavalry columns.

Artillery Tactics and Combat
1 - Accuracy of artillery fire
2 - Good and bad positions for artillery
3 - Cannonballs, canister, and shells
4 - Cannons, howitzers and rockets
5 - The deadly oblique shot

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ORDERS OF BATTLE
The Napoleonic Wars "were of a scale never before seen,
mainly due to the application of modern mass conscription.
French power rose quickly, conquering most of Europe;
the fall was also rapid, beginning with the disastrous
invasion of Russia... " - wikipedia.org

French Order of Battle - Spain 1811

French & Russian Order of Battle - Borodino 1812

French Order of Battle - Leipzig 1813

Russian, Austrian, Prussian and Swedish Order of Battle - Leipzig 1813

French Order of Battle - La Rothiere 1814

Allies Order of Battle - La Rothiere 1814

French Order of Battle - Waterloo Campaign 1815

Prussian Order of Battle - Waterloo Campaign 1815

British-German-Netherland Order of Battle - Waterloo 1815

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MISCALLENOUS
With few exceptions, the Hollywood version of battle evokes images
of the every man, fighting to death without asking any questions.
The "good guy" always win over the "bad guy". The movies obscure
the reality of battle that would put the "heroes" label in doubt.

French-British battles in the era of modern bayonet 1750-1815
The introduction of the bayonet eventually reshaped infantry tactics,
perhaps even more than did the conversion to the fusil. Never before
or since has an edged weapon had such impact on firepower."

The Cowards at Waterloo.
Performance and actions of the "sadly unreliable"
Netherland (Dutch-Belgian) troops in June 1815.

Napoleon's Old and Young Guard at Waterloo 1815.
"Cambronne was very much the rough spoken, hard as nails ex-ranker
- a soldier's soldier. For this reason perhaps 'Merde !' is the more likely
in the circumstances, the modern English equivalent being 'F*** off !"

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