Corps of Observation of the Vendée explained

Unit Name:Corps of Observation of the Vendée
Native Name:Corps d'Observation de La Vendée
Dates:1815
Country: French Empire
Branch: French Imperial Army
Type:Corps of Observation
Size:24,000 men
Commander1:Jean Maximilien Lamarque
Commander1 Label:Corps Commander

The Corps of Observation of the Vendée was a field formation of the French Imperial Army, which took part in the 1815 Vendéen Revolt, one of the minor campaigns of the Hundred Days. Following the end of the War of the Seventh Coalition, the corps (by this time an Army) was disbanded.

Background

In February 1815, Napoleon I returned to France from his exile in Elba. King Louis XVIII fled to Belgium, leaving the throne for him to reoccupy. On the night of May 17 and 18, Napoleon met with his staff discussing the uprising starting in the Vendée after the landing of the Victoire de Donnissan, Marquise de La Rochejaquelein in Bourdeaux.[1] [2] [3]

To deal with the uprising in a hurry, the 15th and 26th Line Infantry Regiments, based in the Loire were to be used. In addition, the 47th Line Regiment, a battalion of the 14th Line Regiment in Orléans, a brigade of Young Guard skirmishers, two artillery batteries, and some 400 local militia were also detached. The force would later be reinforced by the 3rd and 4th battalions of the 14th, 43rd, 65th, and 82nd Line regiments, the 4th and 5th squadrons of the 12th, 16th Dragoons, and the 2nd Hussars, and 13th Chasseurs. These units now formed the Corps of Observation of the Vendée.

Shortly after arriving in the area and its headquarters established, the Vendée Military Division–a regional military district–then sent additional reinforcements, consisting of the 82nd Line Infantry and a battalion of the 15th Line. Shortly after, two new divisions of National Guardsmen were formed in Angers and Niort, where they were joined by 1,000 gendarmes to help police the countryside. The National Guard divisions were provided by the 12th (Charente-Inferieure, Vendée, Loire Inferieure, Deux-Sèvres, and Vienne), 13th (Finistère, Côtes-du-Nord, Ille-et-Vilaine, and Morbihan), and 20th Military Divisions (Corrèze, Dordogne, Lot-et-Garonne, Lot, and Charente) (Districts).[4] [5]

During the Vendéen Revolt, the corps consisted of two divisions, and after 11 June was expanded by 3,000 men, and by the 17th the corps was expanded into the 'Army of the West' (Armée d'Ouest), though also known as the Army of the Vendee (Armée de la Vendée) consisting of 6,000 men.[6] [7] The army was further expanded with reinforcements arriving with a division from Toulouse, a division from Bordeaux, and around 4,000 gendarmes. By this time, the army consists of 24,000 men.[8]

Following the end of the war, the army was reorganised into the 'Royal Army of Vendee' within the new French Royal Army.

Organisation

A 'Corps of Observation' doesn't have any modern equivalent, but during the Napoleonic Wars these Corps were used by the Imperial Army many times. These 'Corps' usually consisted of either one small division, or at max two large corps, being grouped into a 'Regional Army'. The purpose of these corps, throughout the war, was to provide a modern equivalent of border reconnaissance, reporting back to reserve units on enemy movements. These corps could then quickly move and mobilise local units to provide a rearguard till further reinforcements could arrive.

Order of Battle

The below organisation is for the corps after its expansion to an army:[9]

Footnotes

  1. Lasserre, pp. 86–88.
  2. Smith 2015, pp. 34–35.
  3. Web site: Napoleon's Return and Preparations for War. 2021-05-14. www.napoleon-series.org.
  4. Vaudoncourt Volume 4, p. 125.
  5. Web site: 1789-1815 Divisions militaires. 2021-05-16. www.1789-1815.com.
  6. George Nafziger, French Forces Suppressing the Vendée Revolt: June 1815. United States Army Combined Arms Center, United States.
  7. Muret, p. 435.
  8. Vaudoncourt Volume 3, p. 100.
  9. Lasserre, p. 114.
  10. Chalfont, p. 205.
  11. Regnault, p. 309.
  12. Web site: Les Uniformes pendant la campagne des Cent Jours - Belgique 1815. 2021-06-05. centjours.mont-saint-jean.com.
  13. Smith 2000, p. 98.
  14. Web site: Les Uniformes pendant la campagne des Cent Jours - Belgique 1815. 2021-07-07. centjours.mont-saint-jean.com.
  15. Smith 2000, p. 79–81.

References

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