Chapter Two - The First Franco-Prussian War
The rumours were spreading through the ranks – Russia had declared their support for Great Britain, and France was pulling troops north to face them in Germany. The Emperor himself, fresh from his conquest in Sicily, was said to be heading north to lead the charge.
Etienne was personally delighted to be leaving Portugal. The campaign had been a short one, on the periphery of Europe, but the move to Germany would surely offer opportunities to test the Cavalerie Italie against some of the finest armies in Europe, and offered Etienne the opportunity to test himself against the most capable generals. His orders were to march to Köln, which would allow the losses sustained during the Portuguese campaign to be replenished. In total, around 10,000 men had been lost in combat and through attrition, just under 20% of the fighting strength of the army.
On arriving in the Rhineland early in 1806, Etienne, Klein, Souham and Carteaux hold council in the city. The reasons for the new deployment remain far from clear. The anticipated Russian hordes have never materialised, and following the heavy defeats of three invasions, Great Britain appears to have little appetite for land war. Over 100,000 are said to have been killed or captured, while French losses have been minimal. Napoleon has kept the Grande Armee in Italy, with Austria making increasingly bellicose noises towards the Empire.
“Monsieurs, I cannot explain why the Emperor commands us to take up a position in Hanover. However, such a location is infinitely more desirable than Portugal, which offered little prospect of action following the fall of Lisbon. It appears likely that we will face the Austrian Empire again on the field of battle, and although we are not to be in the front line, we will surely see action is such a conflict.”
Map showing the French deployment in Hanover. The Cavalerie Italie are the eastern-most army.
From Köln, the Cavalerie Italie march north through the Netherlands, arriving in Hanover by the end of February. They are the largest of four armies in the region, with 51,000 out of a total of 145,000 men. Weeks pass without incident, and impatience grows as there is no news from the Austrian frontier. Finally, on the 14th April, Etienne summons his commanders to an urgent briefing.
“Monsieurs, I have just received a dispatch which informs me that a state of war now exists between France and Prussia. It seems the Germans have joined the British alliance, and there are rumours of a combined invasion being imminent. We are to attack the Prussians before they can link up with any forces the British can muster. We march this evening.”
The Cavalerie Italie are to be supported by one of the other French armies in the region, to aid with the occupation of Prussia. Etienne marches north to Lüneburg, and on the 17th crosses the border and meets 34,000 Prussians under the command of Ernst von Rüchel.
The battle I joined in the early hours of the day, with the Prussian cavalry launching a raid against Carteaux’s left frank. The raid is supported by a massed bombardment from the Prussian right, which pins down Klein in the centre and prevents any support reaching Carteaux. French casualties quickly mount. Klein responds with a massed bombardment of his own, which is followed by a strong cavalry charge from Souham’s right. This forces the Prussian centre back, and causes the cavalry raid against Carteaux to be withdrawn. Seeing the Prussians reel from the assault, Souham orders an all-out attack along the Prussian left, which is soon joined by Klein’s guards who hit the Prussian centre with devastating force.
The Prussian infantry fought furiously, and did not fold, but the combined assault was taking a heavy toll. French reinforcements, in the form of the Fourth Corps who have followed Etienne is his invasion, are soon sighted on the horizon. Klein orders his Corsican Sharpshooters to assume an advanced position on the field, and their targeted fire saps the organisation of the Prussian lines. As the Prussians respond to this new threat, Klein orders a second all-out assault from the elite Guards, and the first signs of panic appear in the Prussian lines.
With the French reinforcements approaching, von Rüchel is left with no option but to order the retreat. However, at this point Souham’s cavalry charge into the rear, cutting off the Prussian retreat. Casualties mount, but eventually von Rüchel manages to slip away with just 6,000 survivors. The battle has been a huge victory for Etienne, with just 4,000 men lost compared with 28,000 Prussian casualties. Many of the French losses were sustained by Carteaux on the left flank when faced with the initial Prussian charge.
The bloody battle of Stendal. A total of 12 flags were captured during the battle, and Prussia’s capacity to resist the French advance was dealt a heavy blow. Up until this point, this is the largest battle Etienne has participated in.
A good many flags are captured by the Cavalerie Italie to add to honours gained from the Portuguese campaign. The Corsican Sharpshooters collected four, Brigade Sobieski added another to their haul, the Brigade Conti captured their first two, The Bordeaux Guards captured four and the horse artillery captured an unlikely first. All flags were captured by regiments from Klein’s centre, who lost only a few hundred men in the battle.
In the aftermath of the battle, Etienne receives more news from Paris. The Austrian’s have also joined the British coalition, which means no further reinforcements will be available for the Prussian campaign. Etienne is to take overall command of the 80,000 in the theatre, who must defeat Prussia and Saxony.
From Stendal, Etienne orders the Fourth Corps to begin the siege of Magdeburg, while the Cavalerie Italie will continue the march to Berlin. In the town of Burg, 12,000 Prussian reinforcements are intercepted and put to the sword. The battle lasts only a few hours, with the Prussians crushed by an artillery bombardment followed by a cavalry charge. Souham gains the ‘fast marcher’ trait, and a further 11,000 Prussian’s are killed with French casualties numbering only a few hundred.
The Battle of Burg was a much smaller engagement. The isolated Prussian’s had little chance of resisting the near full strength Cavalerie Italie, with predictable results.
In the final week of April, we receive more positive news from the regional command in Hanover. The anticipated British invasion has failed to materialise, and so three further armies have been made available for the campaign against Prussia. Etienne will command a total of three armies who are to defeat the Prussian army and occupy Berlin.
On the 13th May, the Cavalerie Italie arrive at Berlin and begin a siege. Ernst von Rüchel attempts to lift this with 12,000 men, but is defeated in a short battle with a similar outcome to Burg. Again it is a rapid cavalry raid which defeats the smaller force. Carteaux gains the ‘massed tactics’ trait, while Etienne gains ‘logistics’. It transpires that von Rüchel was intending to link up with two larger armies to relief Berlin, but a breakdown in communications meant that his army arrived alone. A total of 80,000 Prussians have taken up a defensive position at Neuruppin.
Map showing the French armies advancing into Prussia and Saxony, prior to the siege of Berlin. The siege at Madgeburg lasted some 6 weeks, meaning that the French were actually outnumbered as they advanced, at least on the front line.
The Prussian’s do not move against the siege of Berlin while the smaller French forces are close by, but Etienne will not risk an assault in case this should provide an invitation for Prussia to attack. On the third of July, the garrison surrender and Berlin is in French hands. Etienne forms columns for the march north, where the 80,000 strong Prussian army under von Blücher. He has gambled, correctly, that the presence of such a force will prevent any further advance into Prussia. However, Etienne resolves to punish his for his lack of aggression. The Garde Imperial and the Armee du Hanover, comprising a total of 62,000 men, are to support the Cavalerie Italie in the offensive.
Battle is joined on the 7th July. Souham executes a managed retreat with the French right, hoping to lure the Prussian cavalry which proved so effective at Stendal into the sweet spot for the French artillery. Carteaux orders a cavalry charge from the left, and to head off any threat of being flanked, while the Prussian left has ordered their skirmishers into action. In response to these manoeuvres, the Prussians launch an artillery barrage and their infantry form columns to prepare for an assault.
The Prussian assault puts Etienne’s forces in the centre under severe strain. Prussian guards successfully force the French back. Von Ziethan, on the Prussian left, detects the signs of hesitancy ion the French lines and orders a massed cavalry charge.
Unable to bring their artillery to bear, and subject to an intense rate of fire from the Prussian lines, the French lines continue to be pushed back. Discipline remains high however and there is no sign of a break in the line. Some of the Prussian infantry are withdrawn to form a screen for the cavalry charge, but this offers the French artillery the opportunity to concentrate their fire, taking the sting out of the charge. The slight lessening of pressure on the French centre allows Klein to order an assault by the French guards, pushing the Prussians back.
As the two armies continue to bleed each other, the French as slowly gaining the initiative and the upper hand. The Prussian lines, themselves subject to an intense rate of fire, begin to show signs of fatigue. Carteaux and Souham batter the Prussian flanks with cavalry charges, while the French artillery prevents the Prussian flanks and centre from coordinating effectively.
As the day progressing, it is clear that the Prussian’s cannot hope to triumph. The superior French numbers and firepower are slowly carrying the day, but still the Prussian lines remain firm and do not yield. Etienne orders both flanks to launch a final cavalry charge, while the centre prepares an assault spearheaded by the guards. The combined weight of this assault, which strikes along the length of the Prussian line, eventually breaks their spirit as the battle enters its third day.
A total of 89,000 men have been killed or captured over the three days, but the Prussian ability to fight has been mortally wounded. Over 65,000 men lost, including all 7,000 of the supply chain who were captured by Souham’s cavalry. Only 85 Prussian artillery and 34 cavalry survived the fight, from 14,000 and 18,000 which had begun the battle. French losses are not insignificant however, 23,000 lost is one of the heaviest tolls suffered so far in the wars. Almost one third of the French cavalry are lost, and around a quarter of the artillery and light infantry. Etienne’s forces capture seven flags in total.
The Battle of Neuruppin, which effectively ended any meaningful resistance from Prussia.
Not wanting to allow the Prussian’s an opportunity to recover; Etienne chases the defeated army the fort at Stettin, where the Garde Imperial will keep them pinned down. The Cavalerie Italie then swing south to the fortress at Kustrin. On the 13th August, following an uneventful siege, the garrison surrender at Kustrin. Etienne holds his position to allow reinforcements to arrive, and to wait for the sieges at Stettin and Magdeburg to be completed. However, on the 20th August von Blücher’s battered survivors sally from the fort and inflict a heavy defeat on the Garde Imperial.
Although the Cavalerie Italie have only 32,000 men ready to fight, Etienne immediately orders the march north to intercept this new threat. The remainder of the Garde Imperial retreat to French Hanover, reduced to under 10,000 men, but the Fourth Corps have finally captured Madgeburg and arrive just in time to join Etienne at Stettin.
The battle opens with a raid launched by Carteaux’s flank, which allows the French time to link up their forces while keeping the Prussian’s pinned with their backs to the fortress. A massed bombardment from the Prussian lines forces the French cavalry back, but the exhausted infantry are unable to follow this with an assault. Klein orders the French guards to attack along the length of the Prussian centre, which quickly punches a hole in their lines. Light infantry and line infantry pour into the gaps created by the guards, and soon the Prussian resolve breaks. The hand to hand fighting is bloody, but after 28 hours the Prussian’s again retreat to their fortress.
Of the 46,000 men who sallied from Stettin, only 12,000 will return to defend the walls. French losses are not insignificant though, with almost 15,000 men dead or wounded.
The last battle against the Prussian’s at Stettin. Losses on both sides were heavy, largely due to exhaustion.
Etienne concentrates his forces on the siege at Stettin to prevent a further offensive by the remainder of the Prussian army. Manpower losses have been severe though, and all the armies will require a period of rest to replace their losses. On the 7th January 1807, with much of western Prussia and Saxony overrun, word reaches the Cavalerie Italie of an armistice with Prussia. The siege of Stettin is abandoned, and Etienne orders all armies to return to French territory. Although in urgent need of rest, word has reached the French lines that Napoleon’s Grande Armee has suffered a heavy defeat in Venice.