Lead

Nov 9 09 8:16 PM

Tags : :

Looking at the Austrian and French 1809 orbats posted by Littlearmies on the General de Brigade forum, it seems to have been standard practice for divisional and corps commanders in many European armies to be given a squadron or half-squadron of cavalry and/or a company of infantry for protection and other duties.

Other than the formation of the Royal Staff Corps, late on during the Peninsula campaign, did the British - and particularly Wellington's army - do the same thing, or did they just grab the nearest unit? IIRC, at least one general was captured in Spain when he was out reconnoitoring on his own.

RtL
Quote    Reply   
avatar

Eclaireur

Brigadier

Posts: 1,193

#1 [url]

Nov 11 09 2:19 PM

RtL,
forgive a small correction on nomenclature (which was confusing). The Staff Corps was a group of people put together by the Quarter Master General's staff to pool useful skills such as artificers, bridge builders, and others necessary to the army's movement.
The Staff Cavalry Corps was formed after the 1812 campaign, taking part in those of 1813-14. It was also used in the 100 days campaign. Its function were those of military police and orderly dragoons. They wore a red tunic and bell top shako.
Between June 1809 and the formation of the Staff Cav Corps, the Corps of Mounted Guides performed a number of important functions for Wellington's Headquarters. These included riding with dispatches, intelligence gathering, and setting up courier runs to the army's spies in places like Salamanca. They numbered a few dozen and were a truly polyglot bunch - including Irish and Swiss deserters from the French army. Their junior officers were Portugese and their commander was Capt then Maj George Scovell of Wellington's QMG staff. Their uniform was that of the Portugese (foot) Cacadores - a brown jacket with black lace and red cuffs, but they wore British-style tarleton headgear.
cheers
EC

Quote    Reply   

#2 [url]

Nov 11 09 4:02 PM

EC,

Thanks - the second organisation (ie the cavalry with the red LD uniform) was the one I was thinking of. The Mounted Guides seem to have been a fairly independent unit - I was really just wondering if any British generals (including in Portuguese service) had a sizeable escort when moving about, on or off the battlefield. I've never come across any evidence of such, but then apart from one very good book on the Rifles, I've not read very much of the new stuff that's been published on the Peninsula campaigns in the past decade or so.

Quote    Reply   
avatar

Eclaireur

Brigadier

Posts: 1,193

#3 [url]

Nov 11 09 4:15 PM

EC,
hmmm there are some fine books out there aren't there
The Anglo-Portugese guides played a similar role to some of the guides used by French revolutionary commanders.
But they were not an escort squadron as such. There were a number of occasions when Wellington accompanied by only Fitzroy Somerset (his military secretary) were almost taken by French cavalry.
The British went for low profile. We all know about Wellington's plain blue coat or Picton's civvy clothes. A major or lieutenant general commanding an Anglo-Portugese division commonly had a military 'family' of just five or six people. These might include a Dep Asst QMG, a Dep Asst Adjutant Gen and two or three ADCs. He would move about his division with just one or two people by his side.
EC

Quote    Reply   

#4 [url]

Nov 11 09 10:18 PM

I knew Wellington was somewhat "relaxed" about his own safety, but I'm surprised that at least one or two of the other senior bods didn't have a troop of KGL lights or something of that nature. The whole thing seems to have been terribly British and unfussy, doesn't it? I suppose there was less risk of being taken in the Peninsula, since the French cavalry were in a poor state, and generally were not roaming at large because of the threat to themselves from the guerilleros, but I would think that once the Allies got into France the risk was considerably increased.

Quote    Reply   
avatar

Eclaireur

Brigadier

Posts: 1,193

#5 [url]

Nov 12 09 9:42 AM

RtL,
I think you're right that the French cavalry could not really try aggressive reconaissance much of the time. Looking for example at the period when the Wellington's army was in winter quarters on the Spanish-Portugese frontier (ie the winters of 1811-12 and 1812-13) it was quite normal for Wellington to ride 30 or 40 miles in a day on his own in order to visit a division or pay a social call. Clearly this would have been reckless in the face of aggressive patrolling by the enemy.
Of course Gen Paget did get himself taken by French dragoons as the army retreated out of Spain in November 1812. So the British habit of riding around on their own or with small numbers of staff was not without risk...
EC

Quote    Reply   
Add Reply

Quick Reply

bbcode help