"last units over the bridges berazina" Topic

Gents
Would like to know the last units if you can talk about units! there seem to be dutch rear guard?
the dutch imperial guard numb 3
greetings serge joe

These ones link greetings serge joe

Missed this one? best to you all in these days serge joe

French Guard units, even ex-Dutch ones, were not so risked.

The actual French rear guard, under the maréchal Victor, was the division of Partouneaux (5 French light battalions, 12 French line battalions of which 7 were ex-Dutch) and the cavalry brigade of Delaître (4 squadons of Berg lancers and 4 squadrons of Hesse-Darmstadt guard chevau-légers), but these surrendered, much to the dismay of the maréchal Victor and the ire of Napoléon.

As far as I know, the actual last across the bridge were :
1. Bataillon & 2. Bataillon, sächsische Linien-Infanterie Regiment vacant von Rechten Infanterie Nr. 6
1. Bataillon & 2. Bataillon, sächsische Linien-Infanterie Regiment vacant von Löw Nr. 8
1. Bataillon & 2. Bataillon, badische Lieb-Infanterie Regiment vacant Nr. 1
1. Bataillon & 2. Bataillon, badische Linien-Infanterie Regiment Markgraf Wilhelm von Hochburg Nr. 3

And finally the ….
badische Leichtes-Infanterie Bataillon Lingg von Linggenfeld‎ – Kapitän Franz Conrad Hufschmidt

The Kapitän Hufschmidt was acting for the Oberstleutnant v. Peternell, who was ill. The Kapitän survived and was promoted Major at the end of February 1813.

Anyway, that's as much as I know. Maybe another colleague might have other or better information.

- Sasha

The retreat, the fighting and the losses were not at all over at the Berezina. Although Napoléon himself fled to Paris, the French and Allied armies had to continue their agony until gaining secure supplied positions. The largest of these positions, and the most important, was Königsberg (called Kaliningrad by the soviets), on the Baltic.

It may be a myth, but it is often stated that the final man into Königsberg, the last of the last rearguard with musket still in hand, was at first seen as just another of the tens of thousands of frozen, starving soldats.

But when he began to unwrap the rags with which he had covered himself, the bravest of the brave was recognized as none other than the maréchal duc d'Elchingen et prince de la Moskowa – Michel Ney.

The story may not be exactly perfectly true, but it is close enough. So remember this when you read all the analyses of the mistakes of "Le Rougeaud" in 1815.

- Sasha

Like always thanks for this word on this odd question b. t. w. merry Christmas to you all your servant serge joe

gents ,Look a the white with orange bonnet de police link These ones greetings serge joe

ex-Dutch infantry in French army service in 1812 ….

123e de ligne – 3 battalions in IIe corps, 1 battalion in XIe corps
124e de ligne – 3 battalions in IIe corps, 1 battalion in XIe corps
125e de ligne – 3 battalions in IXe corps *, 1 battalion in XIe corps
126e de ligne – 4 battalions in IXe corps *
33e légère – 4 battalions in Ie corps

* in Partouneaux's division, which surrendered.

The battalions in Ie corps and IIe corps would have needed to cross the bridge(s), and possibly those from XIe corps. It is just that they were not the last ones to cross as organized units.

The white bonnet de police is not a surprise : army units had to make them from old habits, and these guys' white Dutch habits were "surplus" when Holland was annexed and blue habits were issued.

- Sasha

The dutch guard wore white with orange striped bonnets de police as wel most of the dutch bonettes were white with thin orange bands not that big as this picture by the way as far i know only the royal guard the future 3rd french wore white and some cavalry units greetings serge joe

greetings the serge joe

gents,
Just forget the last two remarks other infantry regiments wore white as wel!

merry Christmas greetings the serge joe

Well, we are talking about a painting made about 100 years after the fact by Jan Hoynck van Papendrecht (1858–1933) – not an eye witness.
But in any case ….

The bridge in the background shows a crossing toward the viewer of the painting, and the image is a daytime one. The few units that re-crossed did so at night. Also there is a figure in the mid-ground that is pointing the way, wearing a peculiar kind of civilian outfit – one identical to that which Napoléon wore. So, this is not the rear guard or "last men across". We are looking at Dutch troops on the west side of the river.

Next, the ex-Dutch guardsmen wore sky-blue outercoats (confirmed in the tariff of purchases and by Dumonceau as an eye-witness. They also wore bonnet à poil, not shako. They also wore white uniforms with crimson lapels. The very freshly deceased officer in the foreground is wearing blue faced white. Their cartridge boxes had a brass eagle in the center and grenades in the corners. The ones in the painting are plain. All the Dutch guardsmen had sabre briquets with red dragonnes. Most of the men in the painting don't have briquets, and the one clearly visible has a white dragonne. The Dutch grenadiers had no officer casualties at the Berezina – the 2 battalions had been essentially destroyed at Krasnoî earlier in November.

So the painting is not of a rear guard and not of the Dutch guardsmen. The deceased officer and the eagle standard in the mid-ground indicates a unit of line infantry. Of the 16 battalions of ex-Dutch line infantry in Russia, 7 surrendered without crossing the river. The eagle would not be with a detached battalion of a regiment.

That leaves us with, in IIe corps ….
123e de ligne – 3 battalions
124e de ligne – 3 battalions
Both of these units saw substantial and heroic action at the Berezina, on the west side of the river – and with massive casualties. I think we can conclude that the painting depicts their sacrifice.

Merry (Latin) Christmas to Serge Joe and all all the forum!

- Sasha

With regard to the eagle in the mid-ground of the painting, it is worth noting it is of the type 1804 – which were indeed issued to the 123e & 124e de ligne on 30 June 1811.

It was ordered from February 1812 that these be replaced with flags of type 1812, without any names of battles listed. These were indeed the ones used in the campaign by at least the two ex-Dutch regiments whose flags were captured – so maybe a small error in the painting. The eagle of the 123e de ligne was taken by the Prussians at the capitulation of Wittenberg in January 1814.

In the painting, I think we are seeing the 124e de ligne, in the center of the first line of the French attack, under the eyes of Napoléon, as described here :
link
This eagle and flag survived almost intact to be viewed by Hollander in a museum in Berlin many decades later.

A nice story about the fate of the eagle of the 123e de ligne, which might even be true, is here :
link

The 125e de ligne and 126e de ligne eagles had been captured previous to the crossing of the Berezina on 28 November.

- Sasha

An other point concerning the flag up to 1812 the flag for the 3nd was of this kind the painting is not of a rear guard and not of the Dutch guardsmen. The deceased officer and the eagle standard in the mid-ground indicates a unit of line infantry. Of the 16 battalions of ex-Dutch line infantry in Russia, 7 surrendered without crossing the river. The eagle would the paintng is made by d van hogendorp got his eye acounts rapports dutch wel known military painter the bear skin suggest the 3rd as wel no plate yes It is 1812 campagne detective serge joe
see you all
in the new year by the way mind your fingers

To,Sacha,

This topic wil end in a yes and no discucussion so
i stop if you do not mind the best to you and family? serge joe

The last one for me link serge joe

Looks to me just line infantry
serge joe