In this manner was organized the army assembled at Boulogne, in 1804, for the invasion of England. This formed the famous “Grande Armée,” which overcame Austria, Prussia, and Russia in three great wars during the succeeding three years, and formed the model of organization for the later armies of France, and eventually for those of all the great Powers of Europe.
The Napoleonic Army Corps was commanded by a Lieutenant-General or a Marshal. Its size depended on the capacity of its Commander, and varied from 2 to 4 Divisions, each of 2 or 3 Brigades of 2 Regiments of 3 Battalions. A Battalion had 6 Companies, or sometimes 9, and was 700 to 1,000 strong. A Cavalry Regiment had 4 or 5 Squadrons, of 150 to 200 men.
DETAILS OF NAPOLEON’S ORGANIZATION
In 1805, light companies, or Voltigeurs, were added to Battalions for skirmishing duties, thus relieving the Grenadier Companies from this work. Napoleon then detached the latter from their Battalions to form a Grenadier Corps as an Army Reserve, to which all the Voltigeur companies were afterwards added.
In 1808, in the first French army sent to Spain, the Brigades were of 2 or sometimes 3 Regiments, or 6,000 to 10,000 strong. The Companies had become increased up to 140 men, but their number was only six when the Grenadier and the two Voltigeur Companies had been detached.
The Cavalry not allotted to Divisions of Infantry was formed into Divisions of 2 or 3 Brigades, those of Light Cavalry being attached to Army Corps, while the Heavy Cavalry Divisions formed the Cavalry Reserve. This was practically a Cavalry Corps of 4 Divisions, with 2 Batteries of Horse Artillery, or 20,000 in all. Its function was to enable Napoleon to influence the battle by the decisive effect of an overwhelming mass of Cavalry, as well as to furnish a body of Cavalry under one command for action well to the front of the Army during its advance—in fact, to perform the duty of Independent Cavalry of to-day.
The Artillery not allotted to Army Corps was similarly formed into one body called the Reserve Artillery, under Napoleon’s own Orders. This was used in one mass against the centre of the enemy’s line, where Napoleon intended to launch his main attack.
He invariably kept the Reserve Army Corps, as well as the Cavalry and Artillery Reserve, in his own hands, for decisive action at the crucial moment of the battle.
These Army Corps were soon imitated by Prussia after 1806, by Austria before 1809, and by Russia by 1812, and became the permanent organization of the first two nations down to this day; but it was not definitely adopted by Russia until the close of the nineteenth century. In the Civil War in the United States both sides adopted Army Corps, which the size of their armies rendered desirable.