Military unit
The VII Corps of the Grande Armée was a French military unit that existed during the Napoleonic Wars . It was formed in 1805 and assigned to Marshal Pierre Augereau . From 1805 to 1807, Augereau led the VII Corps in the War of the Third Coalition and the War of the Fourth Coalition . It was disbanded after being nearly wiped out at the Battle of Eylau in February 1807 and its surviving troops were distributed to other corps.
In 1812, a new VII Corps composed of soldiers from Saxony was created for the invasion of Russia and General Jean Reynier took command. This formation survived to fight during the War of the Sixth Coalition , but ceased to exist after the Battle of Leipzig in October 1813 due to the defection of the Saxons. The VII Corps was recreated during the 1814 campaign in France and assigned to Marshal Nicolas Oudinot . The formation consisted of one Young Guard division and two regular divisions of Peninsular War veterans.
Order of battle
October 1806
Pierre Augereau Marshal Pierre Augereau (17,672, 36 guns)[ 1]
Chief of Staff: General of Brigade Claude Marie Joseph Pannetier
1st Division: General of Division Jacques Desjardin (8,242, 8 guns)
Brigade: General of Brigade Pierre Belon Lapisse
16th Light Infantry Regiment, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th battalions
Brigade: General of Brigade Jacques Lefranc
14th Light Infantry Regiment, 2nd battalion
44th Line Infantry Regiment, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd battalions
105th Line Infantry Regiment, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd battalions
Artillery: Two 12-pound guns , four 6-pound guns , two 6-inch howitzers
3rd Foot Artillery Regiment, 4th company
6th Horse Artillery Regiment, 2nd company (-) 2nd Division: General of Division Étienne Heudelet de Bierre
Brigade: General of Brigade François Pierre Joseph Amey
7th Light Infantry Regiment, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd battalions
Hesse-Darmstadt Guard Fusilier Battalion
Hesse-Darmstadt 1st Life Fusilier Battalion
Brigade: General of Brigade Jacques Thomas Sarrut
24th Line Infantry Regiment, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd battalions
63rd Line Infantry Regiment, 1st and 2nd battalions
Brigade: unknown
Nassau Infantry Regiment, 3rd battalion
Artillery: Two 12-pound guns, four 6-pound guns, two 6-inch howitzers
3rd Foot Artillery Regiment, 3rd company
6th Horse Artillery Regiment, 2nd company (-) Cavalry Brigade: General of Brigade Antoine Jean Auguste Durosnel (1,290, 4 guns)
7th Chasseurs-à-Cheval Regiment, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th squadrons
20th Chasseurs-à-Cheval Regiment, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd squadrons
6th Horse Artillery Regiment, 5th company, four 4-pound guns Corps Artillery: unknown commander (1,323 gunners and train)
Four 12-pound guns, 12 8-pound guns , four 4-pound guns, four 6-inch howitzers
1st Foot Artillery Regiment, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th companies
2nd Horse Artillery Regiment, 1st and 5th companies
April 1809
François Lefebvre Marshal François Joseph Lefebvre [ 2]
Artillery Reserve: Colonel Calonge
Three 12-pound position batteries, 18 guns 1st Bavarian Division: General-Leutnant Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria
Brigade: General-Major Rechberg
1st Habermann Light Battalion
Leib Regiment (2 battalions)2nd Prince Royal Regiment (2 battalions)
Brigade: General-Major Stengel
4th Salern Regiment (2 battalions)
8th Duc Pius Regiment (2 battalions)
Cavalry Brigade: General-Major Zandt
Minuzzi Dragoon Regiment (2 squadrons)Prince Royal Chevau-léger
Artillery: Two 6-pound foot batteries, 6-pound horse battery, 18 guns 2nd Bavarian Division: General-Leutnant Karl Philipp von Wrede
Brigade: General-Major Minuzzi
6th Laroche Light Battalion
3rd Prince Karl Regiment (2 battalions)
13th Regiment (2 battalions)
Brigade: General-Major Beckers
6th Duc Wilhelm Regiment (2 battalions)
7th Löwenstein Regiment (2 battalions)
Cavalry Brigade: General-Major Preysing
König Chevau-léger Regiment (4 squadrons)Leiningen Chevau-léger Regiment (4 squadrons)
Artillery: Two 6-pound foot batteries, 6-pound horse battery, 18 guns 3rd Bavarian Division: General-Leutnant Bernhard Erasmus von Deroy
Brigade: General-Major Siebein
5th Buttler Light Battalion
9th Isenburg Regiment (2 battalions)
10th Juncker Regiment (2 battalions)
Brigade: General-Major Vincenti
7th Günter Light Battalion
5th Regiment (2 battalions)
14th Preysing Regiment (2 battalions)
Cavalry Brigade: General-Major Seydewitz
Taxis Dragoon Regiment (4 squadrons)Bubenhoven Chevau-léger Regiment (4 squadrons)
Artillery: Two 6-pound foot batteries, 6-pound horse battery, 18 guns
August 1812
Jean Reynier General of Division Jean Reynier (15,008 infantry in 18 battalions, 2,186 cavalry in 16 squadrons)[ 3]
Artillery: 50 guns21st Division (Saxon): General-Leutnant Karl Christian Erdmann von Le Coq [ 4] 1st Brigade: General-Major von Steindel
Liebenau Grenadier Battalion (1 battalion)Prinz Friedrich Infantry Regiment (2 battalions)Prinz Clemens Infantry Regiment (2 battalions)
2nd Brigade: General-Major von Nostitz
Prinz Anton Infantry Regiment (2 battalions)1st Light Infantry Regiment (2 battalions)
Cavalry Brigade: General-Major von Gablenz
Prinz Clemens Uhlan Regiment (4 squadrons)Polenz Chevau-léger Regiment (4 squadrons) 22nd Division (Saxon): General-Leutnant von Funck
2nd Brigade: General-Major von Sahr
Anger Grenadier Battalion (1 battalion)Spiegel Grenadier Battalion (1 battalion)2nd Light Infantry Regiment (2 battalions)
1st(?) Brigade: General-Major von Klengel[ 5] König Infantry Regiment (2 battalions)Niesemeuschel Infantry Regiment (1 and a half battalions) 32nd Division (French): General of Division Pierre François Joseph Durutte [ 6] 35th Line Infantry Regiment (2 battalions)
131st Line Infantry Regiment (3 battalions)
132nd Line Infantry Regiment (3 battalions)
133rd Line Infantry Regiment (1 battalion)
Belle-Isle Infantry Regiment (3 battalions)Würzburg Infantry Regiment (3 battalions)
October 1813
Pierre Durutte General of Division Jean Reynier (12,837, 48 guns)[ 7]
Corps Artillery:
One Saxon foot artillery battery (6 12-pound guns)
One French foot artillery battery (6 12-pound guns)
One Saxon horse artillery battery (4 guns) 13th Division (French): General of Division Armand Charles Guilleminot
Brigade: General of Brigade Antoine Gruyer
1st Light Infantry Regiment (4 battalions)
18th Light Infantry Regiment (1st and 2nd Battalions)
7th Line Infantry Regiment (3rd Battalion)
156th Line Infantry Regiment (1st and 2nd Battalions)
Brigade: General of Brigade Louis-Francois, Baron Lejeune
52nd Line Infantry Regiment (3rd Battalion)
67th Line Infantry Regiment (3rd Battalion)
101st Line Infantry Regiment (2nd and 3rd Battalions)
Illyrian Infantry Regiment (2nd Battalion)
Artillery: One foot artillery battery (6 guns) 24th (Saxon) Division: General-Leutnant von Zeschau
1st Brigade: Oberst von Brause
Lecoq Light Infantry Regiment (1 battalion)Spiegel Grenadier Battalion Nr. 1 (1 battalion)Prinz Friedrich August Line Infantry Regiment (1 battalion)Rechten Line Infantry Regiment (1 battalion)Steindel Line Infantry Regiment (1 battalion)
2nd Brigade: General-Major von Ryssel
Sahr Light Infantry Regiment (1 battalion)Anger Grenadier Battalion Nr. 2 (1 battalion)Niesemueschel Line Infantry Regiment (1 battalion)Prinz Anton Line Infantry Regiment (1 battalion)Feldjager company
Artillery: Two foot artillery batteries (16 guns) 32nd Division (French): General of Division Pierre François Joseph Durutte
Brigade: General of Brigade Marie Jean Baptiste Urbain Devaux
35th Light Infantry Regiment (1st Battalion)
131st Line Infantry Regiment (3rd Battalion)
132nd Line Infantry Regiment (3rd Battalion)
Brigade: General of Brigade Antoine Anatole Gedeon Jarry
36th Light Infantry Regiment (4th Battalion)
133rd Line Infantry Regiment (3rd Battalion)
Würzburg Infantry Regiment (3rd Battalion)
Artillery:
One foot artillery battery (6 guns)
One horse artillery battery (6 guns) 27th (Saxon) Light Cavalry Brigade: Oberst von Lindenau
Hussar Regiment (8 squadrons)
Prinz Clemens Uhlan Regiment (5 squadrons)One horse artillery battery (4 guns)
Notes
^ Chandler (2005), 37
^ Bowden & Tarbox (1980), 61-62
^ Chandler (1966), 1112. This authority listed totals only.
^ Smith (1998), 385. This source gave the order of battle for Gorodeczna on 12 August.
^ Smith (1998), 382. This 3,500-man brigade was captured at Kobryn on 27 July. By deduction, it must have been the 1st Brigade of 22nd Division.
^ Smith (1998), 402. Durutte's division was attached from IX Corps and fought at Wolkowysk on 14–16 November.
^ Smith (1998), 463-464. The Saxon troops defected to the Allies on 18 October.
References
