Davout "The Iron Marshal"
I Corps d'Armée.
Davout's corps was more trustworthy and exact in the performance of its duty than any other troop except Imperial Guard. His troops were often entrusted with the most difficult part of the work in hand. Napoleon had great confidence in Davout's abilities. He was a stern disciplinarian who exacted obedience from his troops. But also Davout was difficult to get on with and had no patience with those who tried to take easy ways out. Davout won a reputation as a fierce disciplinarian and was nicknamed the Iron Marshal. Davout became Napoleon's most effective and feared lieutenant. Below are Davout's troops:
1st Infantry Division - GdD Morand
. . . 13e Regiment d'Infanterie Légère [5 btns., 4 light guns]
. . . 17e Regiment d'Infanterie de Ligne [5 btns., 4 light guns]
. . . 30e Regiment d'Infanterie de Ligne [5 btns., 4 light guns]
. . . 2nd Baden Regiment [2 btns., 2 light guns] - I am not sure if this unit was present in battle.
. . . artillery [8 foot and 6 horse guns]
2nd Infantry Division - GdD Friant
. . . 15e Regiment d'Infanterie Légère [5 btns., 4 light guns]
. . . 33e Regiment d'Infanterie de Ligne [5 btns., 4 light guns]
. . . 48e Regiment d'Infanterie de Ligne [5 btns., 4 light guns]
. . . Italian 'Joseph Napoleon' Regiment [2 btns.]
. . . artillery [8 foot and 6 horse guns]
3rd Infantry Division - GdD Gerard
. . . 7e Regiment d'Infanterie Légère [5 btns., 4 light guns]
. . . 12e Regiment d'Infanterie de Ligne [5 btns., 4 light guns]
. . . 21e Regiment d'Infanterie de Ligne [5 btns., 4 light guns]
. . . 127e Regiment d'Infanterie de Ligne [2 btns., 2 light guns] - on that day served as escort of artillery parks.
. . . Mecklenbourg Battalion. - on that day served as escort of artillery parks.
. . . artillery [8 foot and 6 horse guns]
4th Infantry Division - GdD Dessaix
. . . 85e Regiment d'Infanterie de Ligne [5 btns., 4 light guns]
. . . 108e Regiment d'Infanterie de Ligne [5 btns., 4 light guns]
. . . Hessen-Darmstadt Battalion - on that day served as escort of artillery parks.
. . . artillery [8 foot and 6 horse guns]
5th Infantry Division - GdD Compans
. . . 25e Regiment d'Infanterie de Ligne [5 btns., 4 light guns]
. . . 57e Regiment d'Infanterie de Ligne [5 btns., 4 light guns]
. . . 61e Regiment d'Infanterie de Ligne [5 btns., 4 light guns]
. . . 111e Regiment d'Infanterie de Ligne [2 btns.] (At Shevardino the 111e Ligne lost 4 guns and 2 btns. were disbanded due to casualties)
. . . artillery [8 foot and 6 horse guns]
Corps Cavalry - GdD Girardin
. . . 1er Regiment de Chasseurs-à-Cheval [4 sq.]
. . . 2e Regiment de Chasseurs-à-Cheval [4 sq.]
. . . 3rd Regiment de Chasseurs-à-Cheval [4 sq.]
. . . Polish 9th Uhlan Regiment [4 sq.]
Corps Artillery.
. . . artillery [16 foot guns]
Ney "The Bravest of the Brave."
III Corps d'Armée.
Ney complained bitterly about being
made to 'take the bull by the horns'.
Michel Ney, Prince de la Moscowa, Duc d'Elchingen (1769-1815) distinguished himself in the French Revolutionary Wars and rose to general in 1799. Nobody could equal Ney in leading attacks. He was declared by Napoleon I as 'the bravest of the brave' and he (together with Lannes, Davout and Murat) remains one of the best known and best loved of the Napoleonic War commanders. The soldiers called him "the red lion". At Borodino he led his troops into action like a captain of grenadiers.
Although Ney was an average tacticians and rather a hothead, he was given key posts. In 1813 he got command of 84.000 men and ... ruined one of Napoleon's best planned battles. In 1814 Ney led the marshals' "strike" against Napoleon. (Few days earlier he begged 40.000 francs from Napoleon). Ney's conduct in 1815 was erratic, to say the least and King Louis XVIII had him shot.
Below are Ney's troops at Borodino:
10th Infantry Division - GdD Ledru
. . . 24e Regiment d'Infanterie Légère [2 btns.]
. . . 46e Regiment d'Infanterie de Ligne [4 btns.]
. . . 72e Regiment d'Infanterie de Ligne [4 btns.]
. . . Portuguese [1 btn.]
. . . artillery [8 foot and 6 horse guns]
11th Infantry Division - GdD Razout
. . . 4e Regiment d'Infanterie de Ligne [4 btns.]
. . . 18e Regiment d'Infanterie de Ligne [4 btns.]
. . . 93e Regiment d'Infanterie de Ligne [4 btns.]
. . . Portuguese [1 btn.]
. . . artillery [8 foot and 6 horse guns]
25th Infantry Division - GdD Marchand
. . . Wirtembergian combined [3 btns]
. . . Wirtembergian artillery [12 light, 12 medium and 5 heavy cannons, 4 howitzers]
. . . French artillery [8 foot guns]
Corps Cavalry - GdD Vollwrath
. . . 4e Regiment de Chasseurs-à-Cheval [4 sq.]
. . . 6e Regiment de Chevau-Legers-Lanciers [3 sq.]
. . . 11e Regiment de Hussards [4 sq.]
. . . Wirtembergian Jager zu Pferde [4 sq.]
. . . Wirtembergian Chevau-Legers [4 sq.]
. . . Wirtembergian Leib Chevau-Legers [4 sq.]
Prince Bagration
The Second Western Army.
Kutuzov sent several batteires to strengthen Bagration who defended this part of the front. Bagration lined up 24 guns at the earthworks, the left one was occupied by 32nd Battery, the middle and the right one was held by the 11th Battery. Here were also 4 guns of the 21st Light Battery. The 3rd Battery was placed south of fleches and the 1st Horse Battery of the Don Cossacks was with the 2nd Combined Grenadier Division. The 31st Battery and half of the 1st Battery, were on the left side of Semyonovka. In reserve were : 12th and 23rd Batteries and the 20th, 22nd, 23rd, and 48th Light Batteries and 8 guns of the 21st Light Battery.
Bagration was the master of rear-guard fighting, and was a tactically aggressive commander. He entered the Russian army in 1782 as a plain sergeant and in 1792 was a colonel. In April 1799, Bagration captured Brescia in Italy, then defeated French general Serurier and forced Moreau to retreat to Marengo. At the Battle of Trebia he commanded the advance guard. In 1805 Bagration commanded the advance guard of Kutuzov's army and then its rear guard. Bennigsen and Kutuzov, one of the most famous of all Russian military leaders, placed Prince Bagration in the most dangerous situations, where they knew it would be necessary to fight against overwhelming odds. Usually it was the rear guard of the army like for example in 1806, 1807 and 1812.
Below are troops defending the 'Bagration Fleches' and the surrounding area:
Artillery (135 pieces).
In the fleches.
. . . 3rd, 11th and 32nd Position Battery [12 guns each]
. . . 21st Light Battery [4 guns]
In the redoubt behind the Semienovskii Stream.
. . . 1st and 31st Position Battery [6 and 12 guns]
In support of the grenadiers.
. . . 12th, 23rd and 48th Position Battery [12 guns each] - the 12th had probably only 9 pieces here.
. . . 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd Light Battery [12 guns each] - the 21st had probably only 8 pieces here.
Infantry.
2nd 'Converged' Grenadier Division - GM Prince Vorontsov
. . . 8 btns. of converged gren. of 7th, 12th, 24th and 26th Infantry Division (drawn from depots)
. . . 2 btns. of converged gren. of 2nd Grenadier Division (drawn from depots)
2nd Grenadier Division: GM Prince von Mecklenburg-Schwerin
1st Brigade: Ob. Shatilov
. . . 'Kiev' Grenadier Regiment [2 btns.]
. . . 'Moscow' Grenadier Regiment [2 btns.]
2nd Brigade: Ob. Buxhowden
. . . 'Astrakhan' Grenadier Regiment [2 btns.]
. . . 'Phanagoria' Grenadier Regiment [2 btns.]
3rd Brigade: Ob. Hesse
. . . 'Siberia' Grenadier Regiment [2 btns.]
. . . 'Little Russia' Grenadier Regiment [2 btns.]
27th Infantry Division - MG Neverovski
1st Brigade: MG Knjachnin II :
. . . 'Vilna' Infantry Regiment [2 btns.]
. . . 'Simbirsk' Infantry Regiment [2 btns.]
2nd Brigade: Ob. Stavitskiy :
. . . 'Odessa' Infantry Regiment [2 btns.]
. . . 'Tarnopol' Infantry Regiment [2 btns.]
Cavalry (7.000 men).
2nd Cuirassier Division: GM Duka
2nd Cuirassier Brigade: GM A. V. Kretov
. . . 'Yekaterinoslav' Cuirassier Regiment [4 sq.]
. . . 'Military Order' Cuirassier Regiment [4 sq.]
3rd Cuirassier Brigade: Ob. Tolbuzin I
. . . 'Glukhov' Cuirassier Regiment [4 sq.]
. . . 'Little Russia' Cuirassier Regiment [4 sq.]
. . . 'Novgorod' Cuirassier Regiment [4 sq.]
IV Cavalry Corps: GM Sievers
1st Brigade: GM Panchoulitzev-I
. . . 'Harkov' Dragoon Regiment [4 sq.]
. . . 'Chernikhov' Dragoon Regiment [4 sq.]
2nd Cuirassier Brigade: Ob. Emmanuel
. . . 'Ahtirka' Hussar Regiment [8 sq.]
. . . 'Lithuanian' Uhlan Regiment [8 sq.]
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