Napoleonic Russian Troops

The Imperial Russian Army was the largest and, arguably, the most powerful of the forces that confronted Napoleon. Considered slightly barbaric by their more "enlightened" allies, the Russians had a reputation for toughness and stoic behavior, especially on the defense. The Russian artillery was large in numbers and deadly on the battlefield. Although the Russian line cavalry was solid and dependable, the infamous Cossacks would fill their opponents with fear while on campaign.

A Russian army in miniature is definitely a colorful and powerful force to build and game.

My Russian Napoleonic collection is primarily made up of troops of the 1812-1814 campaigns

History

In the 1790's, during the Revolutionary wars, the Russian army was patterned after the Prussian model and was linear in nature. Tsar Paul I had an almost unhealthy obsession for anything Prussian and this was definitely reflected throughout the army. For infantry, the line formation was considered the primary formation for battle, while the column by platoons (company column) was to be used for maneuver only.

Tsar Paul I committed his forces to ally with the British in Holland and the Austrians in Switzerland and Italy against the dreaded French foe. The Holland expedition was a disaster, but the Russo/Austrian force under Marshal Suvarov was initially victorious in Italy. Notable victories at Trebbia and Novi cemented the brilliant Suvarov's reputation. Although defeated in Switzerland by Massena (Suvarov was not present at the battle), the Russians built on their reputation for toughness and a particular fondness for the bayonet.

Unfortunately for the Russians, Marshal Suvarov was an exceptional representative of Russian leadership. As a whole, the officer corps in the Russian army was typically horrible and drunk most of the time. Although the officers on the regimental and brigade levels were capable, the higher echelon of leaders were considered deplorable.

In 1805, the Russians and their Austrian allies were beaten decisively at Napoleon's crown jewel of battles, Austerlitz. The Austrians promptly sued for peace, while the Russians retreated.

In 1806, allying itself with Prussia against the French, the Russian army had reorganized with a fixed divisional structure, which greatly increased its administrative and command capability.  The Prussians engaged the Grande Armee before the Russians could arrive and the army was essentially destroyed at the battles of Jena and Auerstadt. The Russians retreated into Poland and waited for Napoleon's advance.

The 1807 campaign in Poland featured the most brutal fighting up to this point in the Napoleonic Wars. The Russians fought the French to a standstill in the snow of Eylau. Although a bloody draw, the Russians abandoned the field, allowing Napoleon to proclaim victory. Eylau saw the massive use of Russian artillery to decisively damage the French. Marshal Augereau's Corps was effectively blown apart by the Russian guns. Although later defeated by Napoleon at Friedland, the 1807, the Russians proved in 1807 that they were worthy foes.

Russian artillery was especially dominating on the fields of Eylau and Borodino

The Treaty of Tilsit  agreed upon between the Emperor Napoleon and the Emperor Alexander temporarily tied Russian interests to France. 

Russian imperial interests eventually collided with France as well as Alexander's disdain for the continental system, which steadily weakened the Russian economy. The formation of Poland as the Duchy of Warsaw also threatened Russia. War was on the horizon and Napoleon gathered a massive Grande Armee and invaded Russia in 1812.

The Russians had utilized  the years of peace wisely and reorganized their forces along the Corps system. This was evident in the battles for "Mother Russia" in 1812. Employing a "scorched earth" policy to draw the French and their allies further into the interior of Russia, the Russians finally made their stand outside Moscow at the Battle of Borodino. Borodino was the bloodiest battle to date in the Napoleonic Wars. Both sides butchered each other, with the Russian guns and unyielding infantry proving to be especially stubborn. At the end of the day, the Russians left the field, but had damaged the Grande Armee severely. Napoleon entered an abandoned Moscow but soon began the long and devastating retreat as winter reared its head. The fearsome Cossacks were especially brutal and established a fearsome reputation among the French. By the end of the campaign, Napoleon's proud army had disappeared and the Russians continued to pursue.

Russian Cossacks and Bashkirs developed a fearsome reputation for raiding in the 1812 campaign

Napoleon proved to be a magician in order to build another army from scratch in the spring campaign of 1813. Although Napoleon had lost an army in Russia, the 1812 campaign was no less kind to the Russian armies. Allying themselves with a resurgent Prussia, the battles of Lutzen and Bautzen were fought and considered minor French victories, but with a substantial lack of cavalry, Napoleon was unable to pursue effectively. A cautious Austria finally joined the coalition with the Prussians and Russians and, after a lengthy campaign, finally defeated the French at the massive battle of Leipzig.

A final campaign for the occupation of France followed in 1814, with Napoleon pulling off miracle after miracle against the allies. Eventually, the French army was diminished to the point of annihilation and Napoleon abdicated. Except for the Hundred Days campaign in 1815 in which the Russians did not see combat, the Napoleonic Wars were over.

Infantry

The Russian line infantry and jagers were organized into 4 company battalions, 2-3 battalions to a regiment, 2-3 regiments per brigade, and 2-3 brigades per division. Although the line battalions, on paper, contained a grenadier company (the jagers had a carabineer company), these elite troops were typically formed into combined grenadier battalions and brigaded as a reserve force.

The Russian infantry endured harsh discipline that owed much to the cultural treatment of the serfs and peasants of the Russian population by the nobility. This discipline did indeed produce extremely tough soldiers who seemed to withstand hardship of any kind.

The Russian army boasted a powerful Imperial Guard as well and was considered second only to Napoleon's Imperial Guard in size and reputation.

Russian infantry had a reputation for extreme toughness

Russian grenadiers form a powerful brigade

Cavalry

Russian cavalry of the line was made up of Curassiers, Dragoons, and Hussars. The cavalry typically performed well but was overmatched in the earlier years by the extremely well-led French cavalry.

The irregular Russian cavalry consisted of a large number of Cossacks, as well as Bashkirs. Although no match for formed European cavalry on the battlefield, these irregular horsemen excelled at ambushes, woods fighting, and lightning raids on supply lines. Their reputation for not offering quarter and their particular fondness for plunder created a strong fear among the French.

Russian armored cuirassiers in reserve

Russian Hussars at the ready

Ural Cossacks support the infantry

Artillery

The Russian artillery arm also had a reputation for toughness and tenacity on the field. Batteries were typically huge, sporting 12 guns on the average. The Russians were essentially the first nation to employ massed batteries at Eylau, to horrific effect. Training and leadership was considered excellent. Equipment was maintained at a high level, although gunpowder has been mentioned as a weak spot. The artillery's philosophy was also one of defense, whereas the French tactical philosophy was to use their guns in support of an attack, therefore Russian position batteries typically were immobile and static.

Supply and Logistics

Due to the poor leadership within the Russian officer corps, supply was always a problematic area. When allied with the Austrians and Prussians, the Russian armies benefitted directly from their allies' logistical prowess. When left to their own devices, the Russians subsisted on very little food and forage (another example of the toughness of the Russian soldier).

Leadership

Especially in the early years, the Russian officer corps was probably the most inefficient and amateurish of all of the coalition nations. The exception was the superb Marshal Suvarov. The inability of the Russians to employ offensive power dictated that many battles were fought on the defense. The years between 1807 and 1812 saw many reforms and the reputation of Russian leadership greatly improved. Leaders like Platov, Kutusov, and Bagration proved to be outstanding generals in the fight against Napoleon.

Summary 

As a wargaming army, the Russians are one of my favorites. Extremely tough on defense, they are colorful and unique among their European allies.

Napoleonic Dutch-Belgian Troops

Both the Kingdom of Holland and Belgium were French puppet states and allies for most of the Napoleonic wars. In 1815, the Dutch and Belgians supplied a large contingent of troops to join the British in the Waterloo campaign. Although maligned throughout history as poor-caliber troops, the Dutch-Belgian troops performed solidly in most cases throughout the campaign. At the battle of Quatre Bras, the Dutch-Belgians and Nassau troops held the field against great odds until British and Brunswicker reinforcements arrived. The presence of Dutch-Belgians are critical for any serious 1815 campaign.

My Dutch-Belgians are all 1815-era troops.

1st Dutch-Belgian brigade with attached skirmishers and artillery

2nd Dutch-Belgian brigade with attached skirmishers and artillery

Napoleonic Bavarian Troops

The Kingdom of Bavaria was formed in 1805 from the electorate of Bavaria. One of France's primary German allies, the Bavarians formed the largest German contingent of Napoleon's forces until 1813. In October of 1813, Bavaria switched sides to the allies as Napoleon's forces lost the field at Leipzig. Attempting to block Napoleon's retreat from Leipzig, the Bavarian forces were swept aside easily at Hanau.

Bavarian troops had a reputation of reliability and were quite solid troops, although their performance in battle was rarely spectacular. Due to its size and politically stability, Bavaria was one of Napoleon's most faithful allies......until 1813.

Bavarian cavalry, made up of Dragoons and Chevaulegers

1st Bavarian brigade, with attached skirmishers and artillery

2nd Bavarian brigade, with attached skirmishers and artillery

Napoleonic Italian Troops

The Kingdom of Italy was founded in 1805 and ruled by the Emperor Napoleon. Napoleon's stepson, Prince Eugene, ruled the kingdom as viceroy. Italian troops were present in almost every campaign from 1805 on. Although primarily serving as garrison troops in the early years, Italians distinguished themselves in Spain, in the 1809 campaign, and during the 1812 invasion of Russia. Although decimated in the retreat from Moscow, Italians continued to serve honorably in the campaigns of 1813.

1st Italian Brigade with attached skirmishers and divisional artillery.

2nd Italian Brigade with attached skirmishers.

Royal Italian Guard with artillery.

Napoleonic Westphalian Troops

The Kingdom of Westphalia was formed in 1807 after Napoleon's defeat of Prussia and Russia. It was formed primarily by incorporating territories from Hesse, Magdeburg, Hanover, and Brunswick. Westphalia was a member of the Confederation of the Rhine and ruled by Napoleon's brother, Jerome. The Kingdom of Westphalia was abolished after the French defeat at Leipzig.

The troops themselves had a poor reputation in combat, as most of them were conscripts. Due to its size though, Westphalia formed a large percentage of France's German allies.

 1st Brigade of Westphalian infantry, including attached skirmishers and artillery

2nd Brigade of Westphalian infantry, including a couple of battalions of Berg infantry and skirmishers

Napoleonic Spanish Troops

The Spanish troops throughout the Napoleonic Wars had a reputation of incompetence and cowardice with only a few successes versus the French. But in reality, although the Spanish leadership was often incredibly poor, Spanish soldiers fought as hard for their country as any other nationality. Spanish infantry, when led well, proved to be very courageous, while the artillery was particularly stubborn in holding a position. The Spanish cavalry proved pretty poor most of the time though.

The fact that the Spanish hung in there and continued to fight the French on the field, while waging a guerilla war at the same time proved to be a major factor in the ultimate defeat of Napoleon.

The Spanish often fought with their British allies as well as independently against the French. Although most of the time the French were victorious over the Spaniards, there were some bright moments. The Spanish victory at Bailen cannot be understated, while the Spanish troops that died where they stood on the ridge at Albuera allowed the British to counterattack and push the French from the field.

Spanish Dragoons

Spanish Heavy Cavalry

Spanish Light Cavalry

Spanish Artillery

Spanish 1st Brigade

Spanish 2nd Brigade

Spanish 3rd Brigade

Spanish 4th Brigade

Spanish 5th Brigade

Spanish Skirmishers

Napoleonic Portuguese Troops

Portugal was an important economic and military ally of Great Britain before and during the Napoleonic Wars. Militarily, the Portuguese combined with British forces right after the French occupation of Lisbon in 1808.  Suffering from poor morale and training in the early years, British officers (most notably Marshal Beresford) whipped the Portuguese into very solid troops over the years. The Portuguese almost always fought alongside their British allies during the Peninsular War and, by the end of the conflict, were regarded very highly by friend and foe alike.

Portuguese Dragoon brigade

Portuguese Artillery

1st Portuguese Infantry Brigade

2nd Portuguese Infantry Brigade

Portuguese formed Cacadores and skirmishers

Napoleonic British Troops

The British during the Napoleonic Wars were the Emperor's most consistent opponent, either through the funding of the continental powers or by the power of the Royal Navy, if not always in land combat.

During the Peninsular War, the British under Arthur Wellesley landed in Portugal in 1808 and never left the continent until the Emperor Napoleon's eventual abdication in 1814. During the Hundred Days campaign of 1815, British troops fought alongside Prussians, Brunswickers, Nassauers, Hanoverians, Dutch and Belgians in order to defeat the French at Waterloo.

Either in Spain or in Belgium, British armies were small yet very professional. The British almost always had to be supported by allies in order to counter the larger French armies. But in the end, the British infantry and cavalry had earned the reputation of being among the most effective troops in the Napoleonic wars.

British Artillery

British Hussars

British Light Dragoons

British Dragoons

British 1st Infantry Brigade

British 2nd Infantry Brigade

British 3rd Infantry Brigade

British 4th Infantry Brigade

British 5th Infantry Brigade

British 6th Infantry Brigade

British Light Infantry Skirmishers and Riflemen

British leaders