II The French Army
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, THE EMPEROR NAPOLEON III.; “Major-General” or Chief of the Staff, Marshal Lebœuf, assisted by General Lebrun and General Jarras; Commander of Artillery, General Soleille; of Engineers, General Coffinières de Nordeck.
IMPERIAL GUARD.
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, General Bourbaki; Chief of the Staff, General d’Auvergne; Commander of Artillery, General Pé d’Arros; Divisional Commanders: 1st Div. (Voltigeurs), General Deligny; Brigadiers: 1st Brig., General Brincourt; 2nd Brig., General Garnier. 2nd Div. (Grenadiers), General Picard; Brigadiers: 1st Brig., General Jeanningros; 2nd Brig., General le Poitevin de Lacroix.
Strength of Corps: 24 battalions; 24 squadrons—(Desvaux’s Div. of three brigades, commanded by Halna du Fretay, De France, and Du Preuil, consisting of Guides, Chasseurs, Lancers, Dragoons, Cuirassiers, and Carbineers)—60 guns, and 12 mitrailleuses; 2 companies of Engineers.
First Corps.
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, Marshal MacMahon, Duke of Magenta; Chief of the Staff, Gen. Colson; Commander of Artillery, Gen. Forgeot. Divisional Commanders: 1st Div., Gen. Ducrot; 1st Brig., Gen. Wolff; 2nd Brig., Gen. de Postis du Houlbec. 2nd Div., Gen. Abel Douay; 1st Brig., Gen. Pelletier de Montmarie; 2nd Brig., Gen. Pellé. 3rd Div., Gen. Raoult; 1st Brig., Gen. l’Hériller; 2nd Brig., Gen. Lefebvre. 4th Div., Gen. Lartigue; 1st Brig., Lieut.-Gen. Fraboulet de Kerléadec; 2nd Brig., Gen. Lacretelle.
Strength of Corps: 52 battalions—45 deducting the regiments left in Strasburg; 28 squadrons—Duhesme’s brigade of Cuirassiers, Hussars, Chasseurs, Lancers, and Dragoons—96 guns and 24 mitrailleuses; 5½ companies of Engineers.
Second Corps.
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, General Frossard; Chief of the Staff, Gen. Saget; Commander of Artillery, Gen. Gagneur, 1st Div., Gen. Vergé; 1st Brig., Gen. Letellier Valazé; 2nd Brig., Gen. Jolivet. 2nd Div., Gen. Bataille; 1st Brig., Gen. Pouget; 2nd Brig., Gen. Fauvart-Bastoul. 3rd Div., Gen. de Laveaucoupet; 1st Brig., Gen. Doëns; 2nd Brig., Gen. Micheler.
Strength of Corps: 39 battalions; 16 squadrons—(Valabrègue’s Division, 4 regiments of Chasseurs and Dragoons)—72 guns, 18 mitrailleuses; 5 companies of Engineers.
Third Corps.
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, Marshal Bazaine; Chief of the Staff, Gen. Manèque; Commander of Artillery, Gen. de Rochebouët. 1st Div., Gen. Montaudon; 1st Brig., Gen. Baron Aymard; 2nd Brig., Gen. Clinchant. 2nd Div., Gen. de Castagny; 1st Brig., Gen. Nayral; 2nd Brig., Gen. Duplessis. 3rd Div., Gen. Metman; 1st Brig., Gen. de Potier; 2nd Brig., Gen. Arnaudeau. 4th Div., Gen. Decaen; 1st Brig., Gen. de Brauer; 2nd Brig., Gen. Sanglé-Ferrière.
Strength of Corps: 52 battalions; 28 squadrons—(De Clérambault’s Div., 3 regiments of Chasseurs, 4 of Dragoons, organized in 3 brigades)—96 guns, 24 mitrailleuses and 5½ companies of Engineers.
Fourth Corps.
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, General de Ladmirault; Chief of the Staff, Gen. Osmont: Commander of Artillery, Gen. Lafaille. 1st Div., Gen. Courtot de Cissey; 1st Brig., Gen. Count Brayer; 2nd Brig., Gen. de Golberg. 2nd Div., Gen. Grenier; 1st Brig., Gen. Bellecourt; 2nd Brig., Gen. Pradier; 3rd Div., Gen. Count de Lorencez; 1st Brig., Gen. Count Pajol; 2nd Brig., Gen. Berger.
Strength of Corps: 39 battalions; 16 squadrons—(Legrand’s Div., 1 brigade of Hussars and 1 of Dragoons)—72 guns, 18 mitrailleuses; 4 companies of Engineers.
Fifth Corps.
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, General de Failly; Chief of the Staff, Gen. Besson; Commander of Artillery, Gen. Liédot. 1st Div., Gen. Goze; 1st Brig., Gen. Sauron; 2nd Brig., Gen. Nicolas-Nicolas. 2nd Div., Gen. de l’Abadie d’Aydrein; 1st Brig., Gen. Lapasset; 2nd Brig., Gen. de Maussion. 3rd Div., Gen. Guyot de Lespart; 1st Brig., Gen. Abbatucci; 2nd Brig., Gen. de Fontanges.
Strength of Corps: 39 battalions; 16 squadrons—(Brahaut’s Div., brigade of Hussars and Chasseurs, and one of Lancers)—72 guns, 18 mitrailleuses; 4 companies of Engineers.
Sixth Corps.
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, Marshal Canrobert; Chief of the Staff, Gen. Henri; Commander of Artillery, Gen. Labastie. 1st Div., Gen. Tixier; 1st Brig., Gen. Péchot; 2nd Brig., Gen. Le Roy de Dais. 2nd Div., Gen. Bisson; 1st Brig., Gen. Archinard; 2nd Brig., Gen. Maurice. 3rd Div., Gen. Lafont de Villers; 1st Brig., Gen. Becquet de Sonnay; 2nd Brig., Gen. Colin. 4th Div., Gen. Levassor-Sorval; 1st Brig., Gen. de Marguenat; 2nd Brig., Gen. Comte de Chanaleilles.
Strength of Corps: 49 battalions; 24 squadrons—(Div. of Salignac-Fénelon, three brigades Lancers, Hussars, Chasseurs, and Cuirassiers)—114 guns, 6 mitrailleuses, and 5 companies of Engineers. [Only 40 battalions and 36 guns were able to reach Metz.]
Seventh Corps.
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, General Félix Douay; Chief of the Staff, Gen. Renson; Commander of Artillery, Gen. de Liégeard. 1st Div., Gen. Conseil Dumesnil; 1st Brig., Gen. Nicolaï; 2nd Brig., Gen. Maire. 2nd Div., Gen. Liébert; 1st Brig., Gen. Guiomar; 2nd Brig., Gen. de la Bastide. 3rd Div., Gen. Dumont; 1st Brig., Gen. Bordas; 2nd Brig., Gen. Bittard des Portes.
Strength of Corps: 38 battalions; 20 squadrons—(Amiel’s Div., five regiments, in two brigades, Lancers, Hussars, and Dragoons)—72 guns, 18 mitrailleuses, and 4 companies of Engineers. [One cavalry brigade of two regiments never joined the 7th Corps.]
Reserve Cavalry.
1st Div., Gen. du Barail; 1st Brig., Gen. Margueritte; 2nd Brig., Gen. de Lajaille; 16 squadrons, Chasseurs d’Afrique, and 12 guns. [Three regiments reached Metz on the 10th of August, and the 4th at Mouzon on the Meuse.]
2nd Div., Gen. Viscomte de Bonnemains; 1st Brig., Gen. Girard; 2nd Brig., Gen. de Brauer; 16 squadrons, all Cuirassiers.
3rd Div., Gen. de Forton; 1st Brig., Gen. Prince Murat; 2nd Brig., Gen. de Gramont; 16 squadrons—(one brigade of Dragoons, the other Cuirassiers)—and 12 guns.
Artillery Reserve: Gen. Canu, 126 guns, 6 mitrailleuses, and 3 companies of Engineers.
STRENGTH OF ARMY.
| Battalions. | Squadrons. | Batteries. | Guns. | Mitrailleuses. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guard | 24 | 24 | 12 | 60 | 12 |
| 1st Corps | 52 | 28 | 20 | 96 | 24 |
| 2nd Corps | 39 | 16 | 15 | 73 | 18 |
| 3rd Corps | 52 | 28 | 20 | 96 | 24 |
| 4th Corps | 39 | 16 | 15 | 72 | 18 |
| 5th Corps | 39 | 16 | 15 | 72 | 18 |
| 6th Corps | 49 | 24 | 20 | 114 | 6 |
| 7th Corps | 38 | 20 | 15 | 72 | 18 |
| Reserve Cav. | 48 | 6 | 30 | 6 | |
| Reserve Art. | 16 | 96 | |||
| ––– | ––– | ––– | ––– | ––– | |
| 332 | 220 | 154 | 780 | 144 |
It is not possible to do more than guess at the numerical strength of the French Corps, and consequently of the French Army; so great is the variation in the strength of battalions and squadrons. The infantry of the several Corps was continually augmented by the arrival of reserves, so that, the losses at Spicheren notwithstanding, the 2nd Corps was stronger by more than 2,000 men, five days after the battle, than it was on the morning of the 6th; Marshal Lebœuf told the Parliamentary Commission that, on the 1st of August, according to the “states” sent in to the head-quarters, the effective of the Army of the Rhine, including all the Corps in the field, was 243,171 men. But “the real effective,” he adds, “was greatly superior.” For by the 1st of August, no fewer than “278,882 men had been sent to the Army of the Rhine,” and subsequently, until the 14th, “numerous detachments.” It is plain that no precise information can be obtained, but it seems probable that the strength was always greater than that reported at the time. Similar uncertainty prevails respecting the effective strength of the “Army of Chalons.” The only authentic figures extant are those supplied by the German account of the capitulation, from which the original strength, increased by additions on the line of march, may be inferred.