"The last combat at Plancenoit." Topic

On the book "La bataille de Waterloo" from Jean-Claude Damamme, Librairie Académique Perrin, 1999, there are a vibrant narration about the last minutes of the French Young and Old Guard fighting against the Prussians.
You can read:

"…Plancenoit est un gouffre de feu. L'église, qui, ce matin, a fait voler les notes de l'angélus sur les soldats massés dans l'arène, pointe son clocher contre un ciel d'apocalypse.
Harcelée, émincée, meurtrie, la Jeune Garde résiste. Deux bataillons d'anciens, un du 2e chasseurs et un du 2e grenadiers de la Vieille Garde sous le commandement du général Jean-Jacques Pelet, un Toulousain de trente-sept ans, ancien ingénieur-géographe et aide de camp de Masséna, luttent furieusement à ses côtés. Les rues du village rougeoient des incendies qui dansent dans les maisons. Chacune d'elles est le champ clos de combats singuliers. Français et Prussiens se pourchassent dans les escaliers, qui s'effondrent dans une gerbe d'étincelles sous les pas enragés des adversaires, et là, prisonniers, ils continuent de s'entretuer avec férocité jusqu'à ce que le plancher, rongé par le feu, s'effondre à son tour, précipitant les combattants dans les flammes.
Duhesme, le patron de la Jeune Garde, tombe mortellement blessé dans la rue principale du village.
Gneisenau, dépêché par Blücher pour diriger les opérations, lance des renforts dans la lice. Toujours plus de renforts : fusiliers du 25e régiment d'infanterie prussien, du 15e régiment de la Landwehr de Silésie… pour refouler et, si possible, anéantir les défenseurs du village.
Chaque maison, chaque ruelle se fait champ clos que l'on se dispute farouchement. La pitié n'a pas cours en ce lieu.
Le 2e régiment de la Landwehr westphalienne arrive à la rescousse. Ils sont maintenant plus de 10 000. contre moins d'un millier.
Récit d'un témoin :
" La lueur de l'incendie, éclairant les combattants qui faisaient retentir l'air de leurs cris, donnait un caractère sauvage à cette scène sanglante. Mais l'intérieur de l'église présentait un spectacle plus sauvage et plus terrible encore, lorsque les flots de lumière que les flammes versaient dans son enceinte à travers les fenêtres venaient éclairer les morts et les traits défigurés des blessés et des mourants qui encombraient l'édifice sacré."
Quand il n'y a plus de munitions, quand les baïonnettes sont brisées, tordues, on se bat à coups de crosse, ou avec l'outil de sa fonction. Stubert, tambour-major du 2e grenadiers, fracasse les crânes prussiens avec la pomme de sa canne, qu'il manie comme la masse d'arme d'un chevalier du moyen âge.
À vingt heures trente, Pelet est informé que l'ennemi s'insinue sur la chaussée de Bruxelles. Il tente de faire rallier au tambour. Impossible : la mitraille a éventré les caisses.
Écrasés par le nombre, les survivants n'ont plus d'autre choix que la mort dans Plancenoit.
Dans un ultime effort, Pelet et ses hommes, Jeune et Vieille Gardes confondues, se taillent un chemin dans le barrage prussien qui garrotte le village, et, mitraillés de toutes parts, parviennent à s'extraire de la fournaise et à gagner la chaussée de Bruxelles.
Pelet, alors, se retourne pour compter ses hommes : ils ne sont plus que 250. Au-dessus du petit groupe sanglant, une forme funèbre et fine : c'est l'aigle du 2e chasseurs couverte d'un crêpe noir.
Dans les ruines de Plancenoit, le général Duhesme gît, inerte, là où il est tombé…"

You can use any net traductor. Pardon me not to do the job but I had not time just now.
But I considered that it is an interesting account, specially that part recount by one of the few survivors.

Amicalement
Armand

but is he right – agiale du 2e chasseurs? – They did not carry one – this is ficition.

Don't believe everything you read …

Probably he meant the standard of the 2eme Chasseurs, not the actual eagle. That is a common mistake, very much like the Yanks in Normandy, where every gun was an 88 and every German tank was a Tiger. That is one of the reasons why any historian must be very careful when using the memoirs of veterans!

Pelet states specifically that he had an eagle in Plancenoit and that is what he rallied his survivors around when they finally broke out and made their way south to rejoin Nord.

Regimental commanders in the Grande Armee more often than not disobeyed regulations on a myriad of topics. Pelet was the commander of the 2d Regiment of Chasseurs a Pied and he may very well have had an eagle for his regiment. I don't think we can discount his account unless there is evidence to the contrary. So far there is not, except for a decree before the campaign when the Guard was reformed. That stated what was supposed to happen, not what actually did.

What may have happened is that either Pelet or someone else had saved an eagle from 1814 and used that with a regulation standard, or without it for that matter. I doubt very seriously that anyone senior to Pelet would have said anything, certainly not his division commander, Morand. I also doubt that Napoleon would have said anything.

Sincerely,
K

'What may have happened is that either Pelet or someone else had saved an eagle from 1814 and used that with a regulation standard, or without it for that matter.'

That is an interesting point Kevin. According to Charrie ('Drapeaux et Etendards de la Revolution et de l'Empire', p.180)

'…En 1814 aigle et drapeau sont gardes par Oudinot. Restitue au regiment en 1815, puis disparus. Le regiment retabli en 1815 n'a ni aigle ni drapeau.'

Considering accounts of the length some Porte-Aigles went to preserve their Eagles from capture and loss, it is quite conceivable that the eagle was saved by an officer of the 2eme Chasseurs and borne unofficially during the 100 Days.

p.176, ibid: 'Apres le retour de l'Empereur, le Moniteur du 25 mars 1815 precise: "S.M. a passe aujourd'hui en revue dans la cour des Tuileries la division du general Lefol, la division du general Dufour, les grenadiers et chasseurs de la Vielle Garde et les lanciers de la Garde. La Vielle Garde a presente a l'Empereur ses anciennes aigles qu'elle a conservees." Au Champ de Mai, la Garde recoit 8 aigles modele 1815 avec etoffes…'

Maybe only these 'official' 1815 model eagles were listed and recognised 'officially', but other 'anciennes aigles' (probably 1810-11 'Allege' models) may have been carried without official recognition.

"Regimental commanders in the Grande Armee more often than not disobeyed regulations"
That must have been quite exciting to all concerned! It hardly bears belief that "more often than not" regulations were "disobeyed".

"the few survivors"
The actual casualties did not amount to any sort of "annihilation". They were surely not more than typical for an infantry unit engaged in a major battle. I give the actual numbers below.

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One could perhaps note that M. Damamme's exciting text was published in 1999.

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Published in 1905, not by a witness ….
"La Garde fut rejeté de Plancenoit vers la Maison du Roi et le Caillou. À la difference du reste du champ de bataille, il n'y eu ici aucum cri de "Sauve qui peut!" Seul le cri de "Sauvons nos aigles!" pouvait être entendu."
Historique du 25e rgiment de ligne
link
The Guard was thrown out of Plancenoit toward La Maison du Roi and Le Caillou. Unlike the rest of the battlefield, there was no cry of "Save yourself!". Only the cry "Save our Eagles!" could be heard.

OK, not exactly answering the question, but this "Sauvons nos aigles!" (often quoted) implies more than one Eagle. But I really can't find reference to multiple Guard Eagles (or standards or flags) at Plancenoit any earier than 90 years after the battle. Perhaps someone else can do better than this ?

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Published in 1840 ….
"Il faut avouer que pendant une heure et demie les Français défendirent le village avec la plus grande opiniaîtreté. C'est là que se signala la vieille garde qui avait mis un crêpe noir à son aigle : il fallut l'anéatir pour s'emparer de Planchenois."
Histoire de la campagne de 1815
Karl v. Damitz
It must be acknowledged that during an hour and a half the French defended the village most obstinately. It is here that the Old Guard announced by placing a black streamer on their Eagle : we must be annihilated before Plancenoit can be taken.

As far as I can tell, the romantic story of the black crepe dates from a perhaps romantic German writing in the late 1830's. Perhaps a colleague here could find it a little closer to the event, reported by a witness ?

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And now the actual witness ….
"Le général Pelet, ayant conservé environ deux cents hommes autour de l'aigle de chasseurs à pied de la garde …. Le général Pelet, profitant d'un pli de terrain qui couvrait un peu contre la mitraille, arrête le porte-aigle, lieutenant Martin, et s'écrie : À moi, chasseurs! Sauvons l'aigle ou mourons autour d'elle!"
Extrait des Mémoires manuscrits du général P****, de la vieille garde, écrits en 1815
link
General Pelet, having pulled together about 200 men around the Eagle of the Guard Foot Chasseurs …. General Pelet, profiting from a fold in the ground which protected then a little from cannister, halted the Eagle-Bearer, Lieutenant Martin, and cried : To me, chasseurs ! Save the Eagle or die beneath her !"

So, Baron Pelet (he is using the 3rd person, but it is him writing) is not claiming that his régiment or its 1er bataillon (the only one at Plancenoit) had it's own Eagle, he is claimiing that he had the Eagle of the chasseurs à pied.

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Baron Pelet had at Plancenoit the 1er bataillon du 2e régiment de chasseurs à pied, commanded by major Jacques Colomban. They disposed of about 16 officers (plus about 2 officers on detached duty such as with the Young Guard) and 565 men. The 2e bataillon du 2e régiment de chasseurs à pied, commanded by major Jean-Baptiste Mompez was of about equal size. This second batallion stood in support of the attack of the Middle Guard, was not substantially engaged and then withdrew (the Eagle-Bearer Lieutenant Martin ended up with this unit in the evening). The total officer losses for the 2e chasseurs were none killed and 11 wounded. About 70% the régiment did not answer the "appel" on 26 June – but one cannot know how many of these were casualties and how many were stragglers.

One might expect the Eagle of the Guard Foot Chasseurs to be with the 1er bataillon du 1er régiment of the corps, commanded by major Jan-Coenraad Duuring. This unit remained out of the combat at Le Caillou, guarding the person and property of the Empereur. So passing the Eagle to another battalion could be expected.

The question remains, then, did the Baron Pelet have the chasseur's Eagle with the 1er bataillon du 2e régiment, or was it with the 2e bataillon du 1er régiment ? By French practice, either battalion might have served the rôle of guarding the Eagle, if (as at Waterloo) the 1er bataillon du 1er régiment was not present.

The 2e bataillon du 1er régiment de chasseurs à pied numbered about 18 officers and 635 men, commanded by major Antoine-jean-Baptiste Lambouret and, famously, led by the commander of the régiment, comte Cambronne and the deputy commander of the corps of chasseurs, comte Michel. The total officer losses for the 1er chasseurs were 6 officers wounded (of which 1 died). About half the total régiment did not answer the roll call on 26 June (counting both battalions), but again we cannot know how many were straggling.

Now, who among of us has not heard about the "last square" and their defense of "an" Eagle, and the famous "mot" ? We know that the foot grenadier's Eagle was actually with Napoléon as the Empereur fled the battlefield with his personal staff and household servants. If we cannot find actual witnesses that the comte Cambronne and the comte Michel had the Eagle of the foot chasseurs with them, then perhaps we should give credence to baron Pelet.

Of course, it is also possible that poor Lieutenant Martin, after fleeing from Plancenoit and finding shelter with the 2e battalion of his régiment was then called over to the 1er chasseurs to be attacked yet again !

Excelent explanation Mr.I Nabok!

Many thanks.

Amicalement
Armand

"Regimental commanders in the Grande Armee more often than not disobeyed regulations"
That must have been quite exciting to all concerned! It hardly bears belief that "more often than not" regulations were "disobeyed".

Regimental commanders in the Grande Armee routinely ignored/disobeyed decrees/orders/regulations about uniforms, heads of column, and eagles. Bearskins still appeared in line and light elite companies after they were officially abolished, regiments that were ordered to turn in their eagles did not, and chasseur and fusilier companies in some light and line regiments still word non-regulatin plumes, shako plates, and briquets. That has been documented in the history of the Grande Armee.

Many commanders, then and now, consider orders and regulations are for the guidance of the commander. Depending on the army, that is a military truism, like it or not. I've both seen and done it myself as a unit commander. And the further away from the flag pole (ie the commander-in-chief) the more flagrant the non-regulation procedures can become.

Sincerely,
K

Very exciting information, especially your insights based on your own personal modern experiences of treating your orders as "guidance" and using non-regulation procedures more or less flagrantly based on distance to a flag pole.

Thank you.

Igor,

The 'flag pole' means the commander-your boss. I think you missed the point.

Interesting, though, that you, too, hail from Liechtenstein…

Sincerely,
K

Well, not really Liechtenstein …. but since Чукотский автономный округ was not an option, I really did not know what to choose. But my proxy server often appears as being in Liechtenstein, so I thought it might be a good choice to support verification as a new member.

Is there something you wish to say about Liechtenstein ? Are you Liechtensteiner ?

Your population is almost twice that of Liechtenstein. We are happy to have you! <;^}

Moreover I cannot see the reason to include Liechtenstein in this discussion – did they fight at Plancenoit – or maybe one of the officers came from Liechtenstein?

Maybe he just doesn't have much time for people from Liechtenstein. No idea why that would be, though.

'Maybe he just doesn't have much time for people from Liechtenstein. No idea why that would be, though.'

I don't know anyone from Liechtenstein. I just found it interesting that in the last few months or so there are a number of new members that put down Liechtenstein as where they are or come from. Just a comment, nothing meant by it.

Sincerely,
K

RIIIIIGHT! <:^{

Sometimes a discussion just make you smile, this is one.

RIIIIIGHT! <;^}

Honest, I don't know anyone from Lichtenstein.

Sincerely,
K

Old Bear, at least the guy seems sincere about it! <;^} LOL Big Al

8 posts about the topic
14 posts (including this one) off-topic

Gee, I suppose that what country you pick for your TMP membership is almost 2x more important/interesting than "The last combat at Plancenoit."

Sigh.

It is amazing how only one person posting aggro or perso can be really change the tone of a thread or a forum.

Sigh.

Igor,

What is 'aggro' and 'perso.' I am unfamiliar with the terms.

Sincerely,
K