"Dragoons and sappers" Topic

A small matter of some interest to me: both Empire III and Empire V state in the rules on engineering that French dragoon divisions included a company of mounted engineers. I have looked through several different OOB books over the years, but have never seen a listing for such an organization, and I have never seen a plate illustrating a mounted engineer unit (although I have seen several docile plates showing the sapper detachments that were organic to dragoon regiments).

Does anyone know whether that rule reflects the existence of some kind of discrete mounted engineer company I have not been able to find, or simply the integral sapper capabilities of the regiments that make up a dragoon division?

A dragoon division, assuming four regiments in two brigades, would have about 1 sergeant, 1 corporal and 8 privates as sapeurs in each elite company. This would give about 40 'mounted' engineers in the formation (more if the division had more regiments). This is, at most, a weak half company. As there were no 'mounted' engineers, this can be the only thing being referred to unless an 'ordinary' company of genie were attached, not an impossible option.

Montbrun's division, from the Army of Portugal, had six- sixty men, so a single figure, in Empire terms. I have lately assumed this is the capability that rule was meant to capture, but I'm curious: did mounted dragoon engineers exist?

No. Only the sapeurs in the elite companies could, by a stretch of the imagination, be called 'mounted dragoon engineers'.

Right- but that being said, what could be the source of the capability, then? The rules state explicitly that the enongeers are mounted, btw.

I am at a loss now to explain that. All I can suggest is that you contact the rule makers direct (or is there a social media discussion site?).

I always assumed it was the sappers in the regiments.
Phil