Autumn 2018

                                                          
..and so the last engagements of the gallant 45e for this season have passed. It's been a great year for the regiment with two international excursions and major UK events at Spetchly and Hole park that saw the French brigade doing toe to toe with the Brits. It's also been a good year for recruitment with half a dozen new faces who are fast becoming excellent Soldats and Cantineres.

                             
Already there are rumblings of great things for 2019, some of the usual fixtures such as the two above being likely, and also a trip to Bavaria for Eggmuhl to a march besides our German allies verses the Kaiserliks! Although I hear the French look set to outnumber all other nations in the field.


By the time of the spring newsletter the AGM/party on the 26th January at the Chequers hotel, Newbury, will have come and gone and a much clearer picture of events settling into place.

 Our courageous comrades in the 21e will be joining the occasion as well as a number of the Sappeurs.  Be sure to book early if you wish to go and mention the 45e if getting accommodation at the Chequers hotel as there is usually reduced rate.   
                                    

Also for the calendar is March 16 when the Napoleonic association is holding its social get together in Bury St Edmunds, at the Athenaeum assembly rooms. Tickets are £35 for members and £50 for non, including two course meal and dancing. From Kate lobb at kate.davis1.kd@gmail.com

                               -------------------------------


                             Dover Western Heights.
A regular fixture of the 45eme year are the twice yearly open days at Dover western heights, a good time is usually guaranteed but in September so often is the rain.

                                   

Prepare for action!  down in the lower casements the unwitting British do not know what is coming for them. The gallant French would steal forth and drive back the redcoats to the upper level where after an unremitting skirmish they would see their colours captured and the tricolor flying over the ramparts.

Food and lots of predominantly German bear at Cullin's yard, where lots of great ideas were put forward, like invading Russia.

After some drill displays to the hardy onlookers the skirmish was on again with quite a few shots got off given the weather.

packing up after the last event of the season is always a bitter sweet occasion, no more action for five months, au revoir mon Amis!

---------------------------------------------------------------

The army of the Kingdom of Italy!

For most of the Napoleonic epoch a significant contribution to 'France's' armies were troops drawn from north and central Italy.

The people of these territories often saw Napoleon as the liberator of their lands from being another Austro-Hungarian province but like other such territories taxation and the demand for conscripts meant that particular novelty soon wore off. The code Napoleon and post-revolutionary ideas like universal education would have a long lasting effect on 'Italy'.

The Italians are often overlooked. I believe this is  because they are often regarded as 'Frenchmen in white' by writers, historians and wargamers, this is perhaps understandable as they were equipped, uniformed and trained in the same style as their gallic breathren. The King of Italy was also Napoleon himself although most of the day to day work of the head of state was left to Eugene De Beauharnais, the viceroy, although Napoleon's shadow was caste over any significant decisions. This direct control meant there was no intercession or questioning of orders or organisation or conscription as with allied States, at least not from any authority.

Two major battles will always be held up as 'Italian victories' that of Raab in 1809 and Maloyarlslavets in 1812.

Raab was fought on the 14th of June, 1809, in what is now Gyor in Hungary, with Franco-Italian forces under Eugene De Beauharnais versus the Austro-hungarians under the Archduke John.

The initial fighting revolved around a farmhouse that changed hands five times until a powerful Austrian force seemed to envelope it. Meanwhile Austrian guns covering a river crossing were knocked out by a larger French battery and Grouchy's cavalry crossed over and after crossing swords with the hussars on the far side were in a position to outflank the Austrians.

Eugene now ordered in an attack lead by the Italian royal guards and they recaptured the farmhouse after fierce fighting. The Archduke John ordered a general retreat, there would be no advance.  The main consequence of the victory was that reinforcements could no longer reach the Archduke Charles embattled at Wagram and this knowledge weighed heavily in giving him course to call for an armistice.

When Napoleon evacuated Moscow Eugene and his Italian forces were given the task of leading the march towards Kaluga. When Cossacks reported these troops on the march Kutusov believed them to be only a large foraging party and sent General Dokhturov to engage them. The Russian entered the town to find the bridge already under Italian control, a large Russian attack took all the town but could not take the bridgehead and a counter attack by the 15th Italian division under Pino drove the green coats from the streets (many were also actually green being young soldiers called up to replace the horrendous loses of Borodino). Night fell and Napoleon received news of the victory, however he knew this was not the main Russian army as Kutusov was now astride the road and could have forced a battle next day but Napoleon did not believe a way could be forced through to the Kaluga road and so made the fateful decision to turn back onto the devastated road they had advanced upon.

Both of these actions had key points of showing the Italians were keen soldiers, not hesitating to launch assaults and partake in street fighting and certainly not second tier troops.

In 1813, having commanded the survivors of the Grande armee, Eugene was ordered back to Italy to prepare the country for war against the Austrians in 1814. He tried to have himself crowned King in the wake of his step-fathers abdication but the senate could not come to an agreement and riots in Milan called for an end to the regime. on April 28th Eugene surrendered to the Austrians and was exiled to Bavaria where he remained for the rest of his life. The geographical area we call Italy returned to its pre-Napoleonic state of petty kingdoms and holy seats but these regimes would see there days numbered in the new century.

----------------------------------------------------

Hole Park!

Hole park in deepest Kent was again a big event for the Napoleonic association and saw a good turn out from the 45eme, 21eme and the Sappeurs in attendence, fine weather and a successful event although after three attempts to capture Kent it seems Napoleon was thwarted again.. but we all know this was just a feint and London was captured three days later.

Form up and prepare to march!

The cantineres and camp followers, Always there for moral and practical support and occasionally to shoot redcoats in the face.

The duel! two honourable men *cough* seek satisfaction.

-------------------------------------------------

Hat news!

As you probably know our very own Serge Dubonnet (Stuart) has been promoted to unit Eagle bearer whenever it takes the field, congratulations!

As part of his new role he has purchased a new shako from the excellent GBL shakos. apparently a conversation had gone;

'You wont need all the braid and bling on the shako.

'Okay.'

'Hello, GBL shakos? yeah, I will need all the braid and bling on the shako. Cheers.'

Serge's new shako is so smart that questions have been raised about which of the two will be in charge.

In other hat news our very own Plinny is planning on making a colourful appearance as a mamluk, (most often seen written as mameluke/s in Napoleonic literature/studies) but so far all we have is the teaser of his turban.

---------------------------------------------

Marshal Ney; reappraised.

Many moons ago when I went on an access to higher education course at Brighton college we were all required to do a five minute presentation in front of the class and I chose for my subject Marshal Ney; the bravest of the brave. My knowledge of Napoleonic history was not extensive but I'd seen Waterloo and got a book out of the library. He was clearly a hero!

Young Ney as a hussar, his ideas on warfare were initially quite conventional even as he rose through the ranks in the army of the Rhine he believed a battle was a set piece contest, the loser retired and the winner slept on the field of glory, however he was shaken up by the new ways of Napoleonic warfare and as a professional adapted. His friendship with the famous Swiss tactician Jomini is well documented. 

In the last few years however I find myself sometimes scoffing when Ney is mentioned, he certainly had his qualities and was a true trooper but (French) history may have been better served if he had never been promoted above general.

What was going through Ney's mind during those heady days in Belgium?

 He had been one of the Marshal's to push for Napoleon's abdication in 1814, then served King Louis, famously confronted then joined Napoleon on his return..

 He must have suspected if the Emporers gamble failed he would be called a traitor to the King, maybe the old Ney would have thought of it as conquer or die situation, or maybe his sluggishness at Quatre Bra was a lack of commitment or giddiness at the pace of events, like he was riding a horse he could barely control.

Ney is mainly criticised in the campaign for two things, not attacking sooner at Quatre Bras and launching the cavalry charges unsupported on the allied squares and wasting the superior French cavalry.

The two actions are almost contradictory, one lethargic and non committal and the other fiery and impulsive. There is a theory that we today would recognise Ney as suffering from post traumatic stress disorder after the Russian campaign and his actions since then were certainly more erratic, like the seeker of glory had seen too much.

However it has been put forward that it was Soult whom was to blame for Ney's tardiness in attacking, as Napoleon's chief of staff he never informed Ney of the fact the Emporer was NOT coming to crush the British but was looking east, not west, to deal with the Prussians. If Ney believed he only had to sit and hold the Allies in position until the main army swept in from the East then surely the campaign would have been won and his inactivity would have been justified by the big picture.

The cavalry charges were an error of judgement, having been reprimanded for failure to act previously he may have been over compensating with haste. It is understandable to have thought the allied about face was the start of a retreat but to continue the attacks once the squares were well established is not so excusable.

He did have past form for such behaviour even before Russia, at Jena in 1806 it was Ney that could have cost the battle when he advanced out of his position to launch an attack on the Prussians, leaving a gap in the French lines and getting his own men surrounded and under a crossfire. His words at the time to his adjutant on realising they were against superior numbers were 'The wine is drawn; we must drink it!'

I think this is a great insight into Ney the man, was that his attitude to the 1815 campaign? He had maybe made a mistake but had made his bed and must now die in it?

A further sign of Ney perhaps knowing he had been promoted above his level of command was the battle of Dennewitz in 1813. Prior to Liepzig Napoleon planned a strike on Berlin that might knock Prussia out of the war. Ney was despatched to strike whilst Berlin's defenses were not so strong. He spent the entire first day reviewing his troops then marched north on a single road. He was blocked by a Prussian army with Russian reinforcements close by. The battle was brutal and almost a French victory but at the last some troops in the centre broke and fell back causing confusion and panic in those behind and suddenly victory turned to defeat and pursuit. The victory boosted allied confidence and when the King of Bavaria heard of it he abandoned the French alliance.
 A common criticism of Ney at Dennewitz was that he was in the front line amid the smoke and carnage and failed to know what was going on elsewhere on the field. A brave and admirable position for a colonel or junior general but not an army commander. 

According to Nafzinger Ney offered to resign saying 'I would rather serve as a grenadier than as a Marshal'.

In conclusion I sympathize with Ney, he was never a schemer like Soult or Bernadotte or a looter like Massena. He was a soldier's soldier down to his muddy boots and the troopers loved him for it. His leading of the rearguard out of Russia with a musket in hand and his strength of personality brought out the loyalty of his men and demonstrates all the best qualities that made Ney a legend as a man, if perhaps not a marshal, the bravery of a grenadier!

--------------------

45e in the great war.

Not a usual subject but with the centenary of the end of the first world war very soon upon us I thought I would include a couple of pictures of the 45e from that time. The first is a moment of repose from the western front in 1916 and the second taken in Salonika on the Greek front in 1917.

1914-1918. Never again.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Rogues gallery!

'I'm on a boat!'

Five go to Dover.

Young guns!

Went the day well?  er, no.

Having evicted Bill Odie French campaigners wonder whether having a shed is cheating.

As usual feel free to submit any news or articles. Anyone interested in doing some wargaming over the winter should join the 45eme wargamers page if your not already on it. May we all meet again on the field in 2019, adventure lies ahead!