by John Walsh
in "Miniature Wargames", 2013
ORDERS OF BATTLE:
(Troop numbers are rounded for wargaming purposes and do not include artillery,
engineer or pontoon crews)
FRENCH & ALLIES:
Commander-in-Chief: Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte:
Old Guard: Marshal Lefebvre 4,000 men
Young Guard: Marshal Mortier 2,000 men
Guard Cavalry: Marshal Bessieres 1,600 troopers
1st Corps: Marshal Davout 1,500 men
2nd Corps: Marshal Oudinot plus
Doumerc Cav+GD Drombrowski 7,500 men 1,700 troopers
4th Corps: Marshal Eugene 1,500 men
3rd & 5th Polish Corps: Marshal Ney
& Mohilev Garrison: 5,000 men 400 troopers
8th Corps: Marshal Junot: 1,500 men
9th Corps: Marshal Victor 11,000 men 1,200 troopers
Reserve Cavalry: Lautor-Maubourg: 100 troopers
Total: 34,000 men 5,000 troopers
Total: 39,000 men (34,000 Infantry, 5,000 Cavalry, 250 guns, including Regimental
artillery)
NB1: Davout (1st Corps) may have commanded survivors from French and Spanish
regiments. Oudinot (2nd Corps) may have commanded survivors from French,
Polish, Swiss, Portuguese and Croatian regiments. Eugene (4th Corps) may have
commanded survivors from French, Italian, Croatian and Spanish regiments.
Ney (3rd & 5th Corps) may have commanded survivors from French, Polish,
Wurrtemberg and Portuguese Regiments. Junot (8th Corps) may have
commanded survivors from Westphalian, Saxon and Polish Regiments. Victor
(9th Corps) may have commanded survivors from French, Berg, Baden, Hessian,
Westphalian, Polish and Saxon Regiments.
NB2: French and allied Foot batteries normally consisted of around 8 or 6 guns per
per battery, while Horse batteries generally had 6 guns per battery. Both Foot
and Horse units usually contained one or two howitzers per battery. However,
due to the campaign losses, the number of guns each battery contained was
often reduced. And Infantry Regiments in Napoleon’s Army had Regimental
Artillery at the start of the 1812 campaign, which generally consisted of two
3pdrs per Regiment, and although many may have been lost during the retreat,
sources suggest that some regiments may have retained their regimental guns at
the time of the Berezina crossing.2
RUSSIANS:
Commander-in-Chief: Mikhail Kutuzov
3rd Western Army: Admiral Pavel Chichagov:
Advance Guard: Major General Count Karl Lambert (later MG Pavel Pahlen):
12 sqds Cavalry Regiments (Hussar & Dragoon)
Cossacks
2 bats Infantry Regiment
6 bats Jager Regiments
Major General Yefim Czaplic:
11 sqds Cavalry Regiments (Hussar & Dragoons)
Cossacks
Kalmuck Regiment
Bashkirs
4 bats Jager Regiments (Czaplic was said to have commanded nine Jager regiments at
Berezina, so the other seven Jager regiments may have been regiments transferred to
his command or reinforcements)
Lieutenant General Voinov:
20 sqds Cavalry Regiments (Hussar & Dragoons)
Cossacks
14 bats Infantry Regiments
2 bats Jager Regiments
Lieutenant General Ivan Sabaneyev:
16 sqds Cavalry Regiments (Hussar & Dragoons)
Cossacks
8 bats Infantry Regiments
6 bats Converged grenadiers
7 bats Jager Regiments
General Langeron:
8 sqds Dragoons
Cossacks
6 bats Infantry Regiments
4 bats Jager Regiments
Artillery:
5 Position batteries
11 Foot batteries
3 Horse batteries
Total: 32,000 men (22,000 infantry, 10,000 cavalry, half being Cossacks, 180 guns)3
1st Corps: General Lieutenant Count Peter von Wittgenstein:
Advance Guard: Major General Vlastov:
4 sqds Hussar Regiment
Cossacks
4 bats Jager Regiments
2 bats Militia
Lieutenant General Berg:
3 sqds Guard Regiments (Cuirassier, Chevalier, Lancer)
4 sqds Dragoon Regiment
2 sqds Polish Uhlans
4 sqds Hussar Regiment
Cossacks
7 bats Infantry Regiments
4 bats Jager Regiments
Major General Fock:
4 sqds Combined Cuirassiers
2 bats Guard Grenadiers
4 bats Combined Grenadiers
6 bats Infantry Regiments
4 bats Militia
Detachment: Colonel Gerngross:
4 sqds Hussar Regiment
Cossacks (part)
Artillery:
5 Position batteries
5 Foot batteries
4 Horse batteries
1st Corps Total: 31,000 men (possibly 28,000 Infantry, 3,000 Cavalry, 140 guns)
Finland Corps:
Lieutenant General Count Fabian Steinheil:
6 sqds Dragoon Regiments
Cossacks (part)
13 bats Infantry Regiments
4 bats Jager Regiments
Artillery:
1 Position battery
1 Foot battery4
1 Naval battery
Finland Corps Total: 9,000 men (possibly 8,500 Infantry, 500 Cavalry, 18 guns)
Infantry Detachment: Lieutenant General Alexey Yermolov:
5,000 Infantry
12 guns
Cavalry Detachment: General Matvei Ivanovich Platov:
5,000 Cossacks
12 guns
Combined Total: Wittgenstein, Steinheil, Chichagov, Yermolov & Platov: 82,000
men (63,500 Infantry, 18,500 Cavalry, including Cossacks and
362 guns)
NB3: Where Cossacks are mentioned, sources suggest at least one or more Cossack
Polks (Regiments), with each Polk consisting of five Sotnias (squadrons).
When (part) is indicated, it suggests one Sotnia.
NB4: Russian Position batteries usually consisted of 8 x 12pdrs and 4 unicorn-
howitzers. Foot batteries had 8 x 6pdrs and 4 unicorn-howitzers. Horse batteries
had 6 x 6pdrs and 6 x unicorn-howitzers. However, due to campaign losses,
some of the batteries may have contained a reduced number of guns.
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