'Aussie Rick'’s Comments (group member since Jun 13, 2009)

'Aussie Rick'’s comments from the THE NAPOLEONIC WARS group.

Elliot wrote: "Tchaikovsky is one of my favorite composers. What recording are you listening to? Does it have the cannons during the finale?"

Mine does :)

Great posts, I have also been listening to Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, in fact I'm playing it right now up in my library :)

I got a little bit of therapy in browsing and then researching each book in depth as I dropped it in my shopping basket, that helped a little bit :)

Being a nation of convicts sent by sailing ship from the UK we in Australia are use to the slow boat from England :)

From around 3 months onwards :(

Although by the time they arrive I have sometimes forgotten I've ordered them so they end up being a pleasant surprise (not what my wife thinks though).

I went a little crazy after five weeks in lock-down and now entering our sixth week in self-isolation and ordered a copy of these books from Naval & Military Press as they were offering a 20% discount on all books:

By Fire and Bayonet: Grey's West Indies Campaign of 1794 by Steve Brown

Wellington and the Siege of San Sebastian, 1813 by Bruce Collins

The Key to Lisbon: The Third French Invasion of Portugal, 1810-11 by Kenton White

Next to Wellington: General Sir George Murray: The Story of a Scottish Soldier and Statesman, Wellington's Quartermaster General by John Harding-Edgar

That's OK Elliot, the next theme read is June, hopefully you will have time to join in then.

Like you I enjoyed the book Betsy, it was good but not great. I think the author was trying to save some face and reputation for Prussia's army plus it's a product of its age like you mentioned.

Betsy wrote: "I have really just got going on the battle of Eylau. He tends to do better on fighting where the Prussians do well. Unfortunately, there are few maps and many spelling mistakes which make it more d..."

The battles of Eylau and Friedland are my two favourite Napoleonic battles. Battle that don't appear to be covered in great detail and both were hard fought victories for the French. I highly recommend these two books on the battles:

Crisis In The Snows Russia Confronts Napoleon: The Eylau Campaign 1806 1807 by James R. Arnold

Napoleon’s Triumph: La Grande Armée versus the Tsar’s Army by James R. Arnold

However if these aren't readily available then Michael Adams' book; "Napoleon & Russia" provides good accounts on both battles in his book.

Napoleon and Russia by Michael Adams

Well I really enjoyed my theme book and also really enjoyed the posts from other group members about their theme books. Don't forget the next theme month is June and I have enlarged the theme to encompass these subjects:

"Napoleonic espionage, spies and assassin’s & War in the Vendée"

How did everyone else go during this theme month?

Scott, that was a great final quote from the book "Borodino: Napoleon Against Russia". No quarter, even when wounded!

Scott wrote: "Borodino: Napoleon Against Russia, 1812

What a great read, thanks for the recommendation AR & Elliot. I agree with Elliot,..."

I'm really glad you enjoyed Duffy's book on Borodino. I suppose that we can hope that one of the new and up-and-coming Napoleonic historians may revisit this battle and produced a new and highly detailed book on the subject.

An account of those stoic Russian soldiers from the book; "Napoleon and Austerlitz: The Glory Years 1805-1807". This is from the fighting around the Sokolnitz castle:

"Thiebault recalled that:

the Russians who were on the flanks of the chateau offered little resistance, but those who held the castle and its outbuildings made a desperate defense. Avenues, stables, barns - everything served them for shelter, and everywhere they fought until the last extremity. A great massacre took place there. All had to be vanquished to the last man ... I can claim on that day, proved to me the truth of the saying that it is easier to kill six Russian soldiers than to conquer one."

The Battle of Austerlitz:
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/...

In the book; "Napoleon and Austerlitz: The Glory Years 1805-1807", there is a nice half page illustration of the famous 'Charge of the Mameluks' at Austerlitz:

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/3b/98/...

Charge Of The Memluks In The Battle of Austerlitz, December 2, 1805. Felicien Baron de Myrbach-Rheinfeld (1853– 1940) Austrian. Those were The Memluks who left Egypt to France in the service of Napoleon.

Another account from the fighting on the Pratzen Plateau from the book; "Napoleon and Austerlitz: The Glory Years 1805-1807", highlighting the deadly French tactics:

"Candras' brigade came on 'with every battalion deployed [in line of battle], with the 46th on the right and the 57th to their left'. Once the frontage and strength of Wodniansky's Russians had been determined by French scouts, the 57th Ligne halted as 'six pieces of the division's artillery unlimbered and opened a covering fire on the Russian line.' Meanwhile, 'the 46th moved in echelon to the right with the section of 8-pounders still limbered and moving with them.' The maneuver by Latrille de Lorencez's regiment was intended to envelop and turn the Russian line, and as they come closer to the greencoated formations, they attracted the full attention of every Russian gun that could be brought to bear. Before moving within small arms fire range of the Russians, Latrille de Lorencez 'redirected the battalions to bring them once again into line abreast.' Once this was accomplished and the two French battalions came within musket range, the Russian line erupted with both canister fire and small arms fire. Scores of men were dropping from each battalion of the 46th as Colonel Latrile de Lorencez pushed his men closer and closer to the enemy line. The advance continued:

'until we were almost 60 paces from the enemy line. Once there the command was given, the two [8-pounder] cannon were unlimbered, and together with leveled muskets on my regiment, we delivered a devastating fire that consumed the Russians. With a shout of vive l'Emperuer! the regiment resumed the advance and passed over the debris of the enemy'."

Napoleon and Austerlitz: The Glory Years 1805-1807 by Scott Bowden

The author of "Napoleon and Austerlitz: The Glory Years 1805-1807" made special mention of the 57th Ligne know by the French and the Austrian armies as "La Terrible!"

The 57th Ligne:
57e - Napoleon reigned as Emperor of France from 1804-1815 and among his legions stood the 57e Régiment d'Infanterie de Ligne "Les Terribles". They fought in many battles during the Napoleonic Wars and were considered the elite of the French Army. Napoleon impressed by the regiments actions on the battlefield said: "The Terrible 57th which nothing can stop." The words were then added to their flag, yet the Directory ordered such inscriptions removed. But still the regiment was known among the French army as "les Terribles" due to their fierce stance on the battlefield.

French Infantry of the Napoleonic Wars:
http://napoleonistyka.atspace.com/Fre...

The fighting on the Pratzen Plateau was especially vicious as this account from the book; "Napoleon and Austerlitz: The Glory Years 1805-1807" highlights:

" ... Finally, the crisis and denouement of the struggle between these opposing infantry in this mini-battle on the southern half of the Pratzen graphically reflects the brutality of war. Every time the French had encountered the Russian infantry prior to Austerlitz at the combats of Amstetten, Durenstein and Schongrabern, the Tsarist soldiers had displayed a consistent tendency not to surrender if they were still physically capable of resistance. Time and again during the battles earlier in the campaign, wounded Russians that had been passed over and presumed by the French to conduct themselves as prisoners of war in accordance with the traditional European code of honor, would almost always take up arms and start firing into the back of the unsuspecting French. Such eastern barbarity, no doubt a symptom of many bitter wars against the ruthless Turks, prompted the strongest possible countermeasures by the officers and men of the Grande Armee. Prior to Austerlitz, it was ordered that only those Russian soldiers asking for quarter were to be spared. Therefore, whenever Morand and Thiebault's battalions advanced against the greencoated adversaries, the French made sure no wounded Russians remained alive behind their lines. The final counterattack delivered by Saint-Hilaire's fantassins was especially savage; other than for the brigade commander, no quarter was given to any member of the Ryazan Musketeers nor to most of the Fanagoria Grenadiers. When the battle of Austerlitz was over, not a single Russian prisoner from the Ryazan Musketeers was in French hands."

Betsy wrote: "The want of food broke practically all the restraints of obedience and overrode all feelings of humanity." Murat contnued to Napoleon, "...We find, not merely nothing for man and horse in the villa..."

That's a good point Betsy!

"Napoleon and Austerlitz: The Glory Years 1805-1807" - A few more accounts from the fighting around the village of Sokolnitz, which has now become a fierce fire-fight between the French and Russian units, moving back and forwards over the same blood-soaked ground:

"As the broken battalions of Olsuvev ran back across the Goldbach, Langeron rode into their midst and rallied their formations. Once that was accomplished Langeron threw the entirety of the nine rallied battalions against the northern portion of Sokolnitz. The numerous Russians first encountered Colonel Gay's 11th Ligne. Outnumbered and their northern flank enveloped, Gay's men were driven back through Sokolnitz. Once past the western edge of town, Sergeant-Major Combet decided that his unit had retreated far enough. Carrying the eagle and standard of the 1st Battalion, he stopped and began waving it defiantly over his head. Serving as the rallying point for the rest of the battalion, the men reformed. Combet then walked 20 paces in front of the 1st Battalion of the 11th, halted and stoically waited for the Russians to come after him."

And;

"Deploying into line his two tiny battalions consisting of 12 depleted companies, Desailly struck the northwest angle of Sokolnitz. Ready and waiting to resist these French were what remained of the 8th Jaeger, along with the grenadier battalion from the Kursk Musketeer Regiment. Desailly's light infantrymen quickly blew threw the jaeger, who scattered and ran towards the friendly east bank of the Goldbach. Not budging, however, were the grenadiers of Kursk. They countercharged the 15th Legere, and both commands were soon locked in hand-to-hand combat on the west edge of town. Eleven of the 15th Legere's 12 company commanders were wounded in this fierce struggle, along with chef de bataillon Dulong, Major Geiher and a dozen other officers. Marshal Davout was close enough to the action to see what followed. Both eagle/standard-bearers of the 15th, Sergeant-Majors Broudes and Deschamps, struggled to 'defend their eagles against several Russia NCOs and grenadiers who were doing their level best to seize them. These two heroes each knocked down a number of the enemy by the weight of their eagles, and thus managed to save these standards for their regiment'."

Napoleon and Austerlitz: The Glory Years 1805-1807 by Scott Bowden

"Napoleon and Austerlitz: The Glory Years 1805-1807" - Now an account from the fighting around the village of Sokolnitz:

" ... Barbanegre and Lochet led the two battalions of the 48th Ligne in a furious counterattack. Formed in line of battle, moving across the ground west of town as the regimental bands played Le Chant du Depart, the 48th swept forward. Despite being heavily outnumbered, the bold French attack overran three battalions of the Perm Musketeers and the grenadier battalion of the Kursk Musketeers, then moved into the village where the 1st Battalion of the 26th Legere had previously deployed. During the attack, three voltigeurs of the 48th distinguished themselves. Privates Parent and Hubert each captured one color from the Perm Musketeers, while Private Hallun single-handedly killed the entire crew of one of Perm's battalion guns, then claimed the prize. All three men were decorated with the Legion d'Honneur after the battle. Also taken in the assault were the other five battalion guns belonging to the Perm Musketeers."

Napoleon’s Masterpiece, the Battle of Austerlitz:
https://www.historynet.com/napoleonic...