"Primary Sources" Topic

Hello everyone,

I posted this on the Napoleonic discussion forum website but also thought I would ask here as well. Thank you for your time.

After reaching my research material limit for the Battle of Thann from the French perspective, I have moved on to the Combat of Dunzling (Peysing) with General de Division Montbrun Light Cavalry Division and the 7e Legere. We are lucky to have the 5e and 7e Hussrds regiment histories found below.

5e Hussards

link

7e Hussards
link

However, we are also lucky to have a few biographies with some great small details from General Montbrun and Pajol. Also, we have a great memoir by Hippolyte d'Espinchal, who was a Capit. Adj. Maj. of the 5e Hussards. He was in constant contact with his Colonel d'Hery or Dery and well versed in the numbers of men per squadron and such administrative duties. So my question is do we believe d'Espinchal who was at the combat, or do we believe the detailed work by Martinien and the regimental history? I would usually say using both is the way to go, but some details do not match.

According to d'Espinchal, Colonel Dery was seriously wounded and forced to relieve command of the regiment on April 19th. He later writes Colonel Dery was forced to wear his arm in a sling. This shows nowhere in multiple secondary sources on the campaign or on his service record.

d'Espinchal cites 5 officers wounded, 9 NCO's and hussards killed, 13 wounded.

Martinien cites 3 officers wounded and the regimental history cites 3 wounded officers (no Colonel), and 3 Nco's and soldiers wounded, and 2 killed hussards.

3. Even the Austrian sources such as Binder's Krieg 1809 does not mention Colonel Dery's wounding as well as multiple Austrian regimental histories.

Below is what I have so far on the 5e Hussards

5e Hussards
Officers: 3 (1) WIA
NCO's & Soldiers: 6 KIA, 13 WIA, 1 POW

NCO's & Soldiers Killed in Action:
Hussard Giordanino
Hussard Micot

Officers Wounded in Action:
Colonel Pierre Cesar Dery (D'Hery)*
S. Lieut. Georges Richardot: Saber cut on the right hand
S. Lieut. Arre Epinat: Shot that smashed the left leg
S. Lieut. Devaud Armand Gondoin: A sabre cut to the head and two to the arms

NCO's & Soldiers Wounded:
Adjudant Sous-Officier Jean Engelbert Vollet: Saber cut to the head, right hand, and a dislocated shoulder; taken prisoner (returned 04/20/1809)
Marechal des logis-chef Charles Françcois Auguste Kauffer: Shot in the left side
Hussard Acker: Saber cut to the face

A beautiful painting by Lucien Rousselot showing the 5e Hussards skirmishing with Austrians. I found this recently on Le Briquet Facebook page.

Thank you for the help,

Michael

Interesting Michael,
FWIW, there are other explanations.
Is an Adj-Maj likely to know these things. Certainly, he was regimental staff- his day job.

It is possible, in the absence of 'wounds' being cited that he had an accident, concussion or bruising because of some incident not directly related to the combat.
Like having a rugby player land on your chest- immense bruising, bent ribs but no actual breaks, and extreemely sore for weeks.
If he never actually departed from duty, then records may not show anything.

On the Rousellot plate- amazing as it is and enticing to see- wuold one waste ammunition on an enemy so close? Easier for two troopers to charge each dragoon and sweep them away.
d

Dave,

That is certainly a possibility that he received some sort of wound from non-combat action during the combat. Maybe he fell off his horse, but whatever the case, the wound was severe enough to have General Pajol take personal command of the regiment in the coming days.

The Rousselot painting is very similar to the one of the 7e Hussards in campaign dress during 1812., which is similiar to the Albrecht Adam sketch of Bruyere divisions skirmishing during 1812.

I will keep digging.

Michael

Amazing painting

It was also not uncommon for officers to not want themselves to be returned as wounded. They may have been embarassed by the circumstances, thought it their own fault, or merely wanted to not alarm their family. There was also a strand of gentlemanly culture that would have played it down, i.e. it was nothing, as a piece of sang froid.

I found this in Saski Volume 2 page 263, link

Les colonels Dery, du 5° hussards, et Lamaire, du 7° d'infanterie légère, ont été blessés; comme leurs troupes, ils se sont distingués.

So it seems other secondary sources on the campaign just missed this information. According to d'Espinchal, Colonel Dery was seriously wounded, had to relieve command, and wore his arm in a sling when he returned.

Michael