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Napoleonic Europe
Armies of 1815
by Peter Kessler, 1999
The Prussian West Rhine Army of 1815
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF:
Field-Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von
Blücher, Prince of Wahlstadt
CHIEF OF STAFF:
General Augustus Wilhelm, Graf Neithard von Gneisenau
QUARTERMASTER GENERAL:
Major-General Karl Wilhelm Georg von Grölmann
ARTILLERY COMMANDER: Unknown
ANGLO-ALLIED ARMY LIASON:
Major-General Baron von Müffling
Lt-Colonel Sir Henry Hardinge
ADCs:
To Blücher: Nostitz
Major von Winterfeldt
Käpitan von Scharnhorst
ARMY STRENGTH:
I CORPS (Strength 31,129 men, 96 guns)
II CORPS (Strength 31,529 men, 80 guns)
III CORPS (Strength 24,141 men, 48 guns)
IV CORPS (Strength 32,211 men, 88 guns)
GARRISONS (Strength 6,000 men, 00 guns)
TOTAL: 125,010 men, 312 guns
I Corps (Strength 31,129 men, 96 guns)
Commanded by Lt-General Hans Ernst Karl, Graf von Ziethen
Chief of Staff: Oberstleutnant Ludwig von Reiche
1st Brigade: Major-General Carl von Steinmetz (9,069)
12th (1st Brandenburg)
Infanterie-Rgmt
24th (4th Brandenburg)
Infanterie-Rgmt
1st Westphalian Landwehr Rgmt
1st Silesian Jäger Company
3rd Silesian Jäger Company
2nd Brigade: Major-General Otto von Pirch II (8,018)
6th (1st West Prussian)
Infanterie-Rgmt
28th Infanterie-Rgmt
2nd Westphalian Landwehr Rgmt
3rd Brigade: Major-General von Jágow (7,146)
7th (2nd West Prussian)
Infanterie-Rgmt
29th Infanterie-Rgmt
3rd Westphalian Landwehr Rgmt
2nd Silesian Jäger Company
4th Silesian Jäger Company
4th Brigade: Major-General Donnersmarck (4,900)
19th (2nd Posen) Infanterie-Rgmt
4th Westphalian Landwehr Rgmt
Corps Artillery: Colonel von Lehmann (1,109)
2nd Heavy Company: 6 x 12pdrs, 2 x
10" howitzers (400)
6th Heavy Company: 6 x 12pdrs, 2 x
10" howitzers
9th Heavy Company: 6 x 12pdrs, 2 x
10" howitzers
1st Light Company: 6 x 6pdrs, 2 x
7" howitzers (712)
3rd Light Company: 6 x 6pdrs, 2 x
7" howitzers
7th Light Company: 6 x 6pdrs, 2 x
7" howitzers
8th Light Company: 6 x 6pdrs, 2 x
7" howitzers
15th Light Company: 6 x 6pdrs, 2 x
7" howitzers
1st Howitzer Company: 8 x 7"
howitzers (178)
2nd Horse Company: 6 x 6pdrs, 2 x
7" howitzers (459)
7th Horse Company: 6 x 6pdrs, 2 x
7" howitzers
10th Horse Company: 6 x 6pdrs, 2 x
7" howitzers
Engineers (1 co)
II Corps (Strength 31,529 men, 80 guns)
Commanded by Major-General George Ludwig von Pirch I
Corps Artillery: Oberst von Röhl (1,454)
4th Heavy Company: 6 x 12pdrs, 2 x
10" howitzers (404)
8th Heavy Company: 6 x 12pdrs, 2 x
10" howitzers
5th Light Company: 6 x 6pdrs, 2 x
7" howitzers (606)
10th Light Company: 6 x 6pdrs, 2 x
7" howitzers
12th Light Company: 6 x 6pdrs, 2 x
7" howitzers
34th Light Company: 6 x 6pdrs, 2 x
7" howitzers
37th Light Company: 6 x 6pdrs, 2 x
7" howitzers
5th Horse Company: 6 x 6pdrs, 2 x
7" howitzers (467)
6th Horse Company: 6 x 6pdrs, 2 x
7" howitzers
14th Horse Company: 6 x 6pdrs, 2 x
7" howitzers
III Corps (Strength 24,141 men, 48 guns)
Commanded by Lt-General Johann Adolf Frieherr von Thielemann
Corps Cavalry: Major-General von Hobe (2,405)
6th Cavalry Brigade: Oberst von der Marwitz
7th (1st Rhenish) Uhlan Rgmt
8th (2nd Rhenish) Uhlan Rgmt
9th (Rhenish) Hussar Rgmt
7th Cavalry Brigade: Oberst von Lottum
5th (1st Westphalian) Uhlan Rgmt
7th (Westphalian) Dragoon Rgmt
3rd Kurmark Landwehr Cavalry
6th Kurmark Landwehr Cavalry
Corps Artillery: Oberst von Mohnhaupt (964)
7th Heavy Company: 6 x 12pdrs, 2 x
10" howitzers (200)
18th Light Company: 6 x 6pdrs, 2 x
7" howitzers (295)
35th Light Company: 6 x 6pdrs, 2 x
7" howitzers
18th Horse Company: 6 x 6pdrs, 2 x
7" howitzers (455)
19th Horse Company: 6 x 6pdrs, 2 x
7" howitzers
20th Horse Company: 6 x 6pdrs, 2 x
7" howitzers
IV Corps (Strength 32,211 men, 88 guns)
Commanded by General Friedrich Wilhelm, Count Bülow von Dennewitz
Corps Artillery: Major von Bardeleben (1,866)
3rd Heavy Company: 6 x 12pdrs, 2 x
10" howitzers
5th Heavy Company: 6 x 12pdrs, 2 x
10" howitzers
13th Heavy Company: 6 x 12pdrs, 2 x
10" howitzers
2nd Light Company: 6 x 6pdrs, 2 x
7" howitzers
11th Light Company: 6 x 6pdrs, 2 x
7" howitzers
13th Light Company: 6 x 6pdrs, 2 x
7" howitzers
14th Light Company: 6 x 6pdrs, 2 x
7" howitzers
21st Light Company: 6 x 6pdrs, 2 x
7" howitzers
1st Horse Company: 6 x 6pdrs, 2 x
7" howitzers
11th Horse Company: 6 x 6pdrs, 2 x
7" howitzers
12th Horse Company: 6 x 6pdrs, 2 x
7" howitzers
Austria
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF: Marshal Prinz Schwarzenberg
CHIEF OF STAFF: Unknown
ADCs: Unknown
ARMY STRENGTH:
I CORPS
II CORPS
III CORPS
IV CORPS
SAXON CORPS
Other Forces:
Troops of Hessen-Darmstadt
Troops of Hessen-Kassel
Other Armies in 1815
French Corps du Paris
(Strength 20,000 men, ? guns)
Commanded by Marshal Louis Davout, Minister of War, Governor of Paris
French Armée de l'Ouest
(Strength 10,000 men, ? guns)
Commanded by Général de Division Lamarque
2nd Young Guard Division: Detached from Armée Du Nord
French Armée du Rhin
(Strength
23,000 men, ? guns)
Commanded by Général de Division Comte Rapp
(Made up of the V Corps of the Armée Du Nord - Based at Strasbourg)
6th Light Cavalry Division:
2e Rgmt de Chasseurs á Cheval
6e Rgmt de Dragons
11e Rgmt de Dragons
17e Rgmt de Dragons
19e Rgmt de Dragons
French Corps D'Observation du Jura
(Strength 8,400 men, ? guns)
Commanded by Général de Division Lecourbe
2e
Rgmt de Hussars
13e Rgmt de Chasseurs á Cheval (1)
French Armée des Alpes
(Strength
23,500 men, ? guns)
Commanded by Marshal Louis Suchet
French Armée du Var
(Strength
5,500 men, ? guns)
Commanded by Marshal Guillaume Brune
French Armée des Pyrenees Occidentales
(Strength 6,800 men, ? guns)
Commanded by Général de Division Clausel
French Armée des Pyrenees Orientales
(Strength 7,600 men, ? guns)
Commanded by Général de Division Decaen
Army of Switzerland
(Strength
37,000 men, ? guns)
Commanded by General Bachmann
Army of Upper Italy
(Strength
50,000 men, ? guns)
Commanded by General Frimont
Army of Naples
(Strength 23,000
men, ? guns)
Commanded by General Onasco
Army of North Germany (Federal Army Corps)
(Strength 17,500 men maximum (15,000 in June), 8 guns)
Commanded by General Kleist von Nollendorf
(A single Prussian Corps under Blücher's nominal command is based in
Luxembourg)
Second-in-Command: Oberstleutnant von Perbrandt (Prussian General Staff)
Chief of Staff: Oberstleutnant von Witzleben
ADCs: Major von Legad (Prussian General Staff)
Kapitan Graf von Schweidnitz (7th Prussian Hussars)
Kapitan Heiden
Kapitan Staedterl (Saxon)
French Representative: Général d'Arblay (arr June)
Saxon Infantry Brigade: (never
reached full strength)
Anhalt-Thuringian Infantry
Brigade: Major General von Egloffstein von Saxe-Weimar (6,800)
Chief of Staff: Major von Sonnenberg (Anhalt-Bernburg) (replaced
by Kpt von Mauderode)
Reus Btn (1) (left to join Austrian
forces)
Saxe-Weimar Btn (1)
Saxe-Gotha Btn (1)
Saxe-Anhalt Btn (1)
Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt Btn (1)
Schwarzburg-Sonderhausen Btn (1)
Weimar Infantry Rgmt (2) (2nd Btn
arr 23/06)
3rd Provisional Rgmt (1,200)
(Oberst Graf Waldeck):
Lippe-Detmold Btn (1) (arr 20/05)
Lippe-Detmold Landwehr Btn (5 cos)
(arr 10/06)
Schaumberg-Lippe Btn (1) (arr
20/05)
Waldeck Infantry Rgmt (2) (arr
20/05)
Bernburg Landwehr (2 cos) (arr
25/05)
Detmold Landwehr (3
cos) (arr
08/06)
Others:
1st Nassau Infantry Rgmt (2,987)
(Generalmajor von Kruse) (left for Allied Army 21/05)
Oldenburg Infantry Rgmt (1,500)
(arr 1-3/06)
Mecklenburg-Schwerin Infantry Rgmt
(6) (arrived after Waterloo)
Mecklenburg-Schwerin Cavalry Rgmt
Army of Russia
(Strength 200,000, ? guns)
Commanded by General Witzingerode & General Barclay de Tolly
Spanish & Portuguese Armies
(Strength 80,000 men, ? guns)
Sources
Haythornthwaite, Philip J. Uniforms of Waterloo in Colour,
16-18th June 1815
(New York: Hippocrene Books, 1974)
Haythornthwaite, Philip J. Wellington's Military Machine
(Tunbridge Wells, Kent: Spellmount, Ltd, 1989)
Mercer, Cavalié. Journal of the Waterloo Campaign
(New York: Praeger Publishers, 1969 / De Capo 1995)
Pericoli, Ugo. 1815. The Armies at Waterloo
(London: Seeley, Service and Co., 1973)
Siborne, H.T. Waterloo Letters
(Harrisburg, Penn: Arms and Armour Press, 1983)
Allied Order of Battle Information from F De Bas:
"Prins Frederik der Nederlanden en zijn Tijd",
Schiedam 1904