"peninsular 13th cuirassiers" Topic

hi,
i have a question concerning the 13th cuirassiers.
Did they have an eagle? are there any other things to consider while painting?
thanks!

Not sure on the eagle, but given their origins I rather doubt it. I have also come across references to at least some of the regiment being clothed in the local Spanish brown cloth.

Found this from a Pendraken forum discussion::

Haythorthwaite & Chappell, 1978
"The only cuirassier rgt to serve in the Peninsula, the 13th was formed in 1808 from the 1st Provisional Heavy Cavalry which incorporated elements of the 1st, 2nd & 3rd Cuirassiers and the 1st and 2nd Carabiniers. The 13th's unit was of regulation style, but after c1809 apparently of brown Spanish cloth, there being insufficiently dark brown. … in addition to breeces and boot probably brown baggy overalls (possibly piped red) were used. the red plume was removed on service and the helmet's horsehair mane often braided and tied on one side. "

Every squadron of every regiment received the 1804 Aigle et entendard.
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13e cuirassiers were formed in 1808, Charrié states that without any doubt they recieved and eagle of M 1804, how many unknown – the 14e cuirassiers were fromed in 1810 and received just only one eagle in 1811 and they lost it to the St. Petersburg Dragoons Regiment at the Beresina.

the 14th cuirassiers afaik weren't formed in 1810, just renamed and reclothed

14e cuirassiers

5.V.1806 King Louis Bonaparte crowned

~I.1807 2e Regiment Zware Cavalerie (van het Bataafse Armee, formed in 1795) redesignated 2e Regiment Kurassiers (van het Koninklijk Hollandse leger)

1808 issue of armor and helmets completed

I.VII.1810 King Louis abdicates

31.VII.1810 2e Dutch cuirassiers are ordered to Antwerp to be converted into a French unit as of 1.IX.1810
link

Decreet van 18 augustus 1810 / Décret du 18 août 1810
2e Regiment Kurassiers (van het Koninklijk Hollandse leger) redesignated 14e régiment de cuirassiers (de l'armée française), Dutch uniforms retained

4.X.1810 French officers could be admitted into the unit.
link

~I.1812 issue of French uniforms completed, French troopers permited as replacements

1812 entered the Russian campaign with 3 squadrons (33 officers, 688 other ranks), fought at Polotsk, distinguished at the Berezina but essentially destroyed

1813 rebuilt to 2 squadrons, fought at Leipzig, in December (after William's return ) the remaining Dutch officers and men were disarmed and confined to barracks pending repatriation, the depot at Lille attempted unsucessfully to field a squadron in 1814

VIII.1814 disbanded, the officers mostly passing to the 10e cuirassiers and the other ranks mostly sent into the 12e cuirassiers

Their colonel, Albert Dominicus Trip van Zoudtlandt, commanded the Dutch-Belgian heavies at Waterloo.

That part about being the only regiment to serve in the Peninsula is a little misleading. For a while there were enough provisional cuirassiers/carabiniers companies and squadrons to constitute the equivalent of several regiments.

>>companies and squadrons to constitute the equivalent of several regiments.

Regiments de marche that were, converted to a 'regular' regiment didn't ever reach "several regiments" strength (ie full squadrons of 150+).

These were the cadre or basis for a force, but hardly that.
`d

From "Frayer" :
TMP link

Three provisional regiments of heavy cavalry were formed at the end of 1807 for service in Peninsula. They were supposed to be formed with a compagnie of 3 officers and 120 men called from the 4e escadron de dépôt of each regiment. The regiments in central Europe formed the first two provisional regiments, for service in north/central Spain. The regiments in Italy formed the third provisional regiment for service in in the south/east. Originally commanded by majors, these officers were promoted to the rather unusual rank of colonel en 2e.

2e corps d'observation de la Gironde
1er régiment provisoire de grosse cavalerie – major Guillaume-François d'Aigremont (1770-1827, du 1er cuirassiers)
-- 1er régiment de carabiniers à cheval (4/119)
-- 2e régiment de carabiniers à cheval (4/118)
-- 1er régiment de cuirassiers (4/142)
-- 2e régiment de cuirassiers (2/138)
-- 3e régiment de cuirassiers (2/100)

2e régiment provisoire de cuirassiers – major Philippe-Albert Christophe (1769-1848, du 12e cuirassiers)
-- 5e régiment de cuirassiers (2/109)
-- 9e régiment de cuirassiers (2/64)
-- 10e régiment de cuirassiers (2/96)
-- 11e régiment de cuirassiers (3/120)
-- 12e régiment de cuirassiers (2/100)

These units moved to Madrid early in the year 1808. The 2e régiment provisoire de cuirassiers was at Bailèn – all killed or taken, the few dismounted or ill cuirassiers that remained at Madrid being sent into the 1er régiment provisoire de grosse cavalerie. It was this combined unit that was sent to Suchet, and later established as the 13e régiment de cuirassiers «L'intrépide». This unit served with distinction until disbanded at the first restoration.

corps d'observation des Pyrénées orientales
3e régiment provisoire de cuirassiers – major Antoine-Didier Guéry (1765-1825, du 8e cuirassiers)
-- 4e régiment de cuirassiers (~2/~100)
-- 6e régiment de cuirassiers (~2/~100)
-- 7e régiment de cuirassiers (~2/~80)
-- 8e régiment de cuirassiers (~2/~80)

This unit served with Duhesme, and was generally on occupation duties in the area around Barcelona. They wasted away steadily over the next two years, were reinforced by a second draft of nominally 400 men on the same regiments in early 1810, were very roughly handled at Mollet in January 1810 (the Spanish taking 250 trophy cuirasses), returned to southern France to refit, were then essentially forgotten about by the ministrère de la guerre, and were finally disbanded upon a second(!) order from Napoléon at the beginning of 1811.

Charrie was in no doubt that the 13e Cuirassiers had a single 1804 pattern eagle and standard. However he acknowledged that no more details were known.