Tourcoing order of battle
This is the order of battle for the Battle of Tourcoing which was fought on 17–18 May 1794 between the First French Republic and the First Coalition.
Command arrangements[edit]
French Army[edit]
General of Division Jean-Charles Pichegru commanded the French Army of the North. In March 1794, the Army of the North counted 194,930 soldiers, of which 126,035 men were available for the field. In addition, Pichegru had authority over the subordinate Army of the Ardennes which numbered 32,773 men. The combined total of both armies was 227,703 troops.[1] However, Pichegru was absent during the Battle of Tourcoing, visiting the Army of the North's right wing. Therefore, General of Division Joseph Souham temporarily assumed command and exercised it capably during the battle.[2]
In the French order of battle, numbered demi-brigades consisted of 1 regular and 2 volunteer battalions. Non-numbered demi-brigades had 3 to 6 battalions. The French army at Tourcoing numbered roughly 78,000 infantry, 5,300 cavalry, and 28 large-caliber guns. Battalion guns and their crews are not counted.[3] Historian John Fortescue credited Souham's division with 28,000 men, Jean Moreau's division with 22,000 troops, Jacques Bonnaud's division with 20,000 soldiers, and Pierre-Jacques Osten's division with 10,000 men.[4][note 1]
Coalition Army[edit]
Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor arrived at Imperial headquarters on 14 April 1794 and was the supreme commander of the Coalition forces. Prince Josias of Coburg carried out the function of army commander and Karl Mack von Leiberich acted as chief of staff to the emperor.[5] The Coalition army at Tourcoing numbered about 62,100 infantry, 11,700 cavalry, and 28 large-caliber guns. An unknown number of battalion guns were attached to the units.[6]
Abbreviations[edit]
Ranks[edit]
- FZM = Feldzeugmeister (Gen)
- FML = Feldmarschall-Leutnant (LG)
- GM = General Major
- Gen = Full General
- LG = Lieutenant General
- MG = Major General
- GD = General of Division
- GB = General of Brigade
- CdB = Chef de brigade (Colonel)
Other[edit]
- Nr. = Regiment number for Austrian, Dutch, Hanoverian, and Hessian regiments
- 4pdr = 4-pounder gun
- 6pdr = 6-pounder gun
- 8pdr = 8-pounder gun
- 12pdr = 12-pounder gun
French order of battle[edit]
Army of the North: GD Jean-Charles Pichegru (absent) vice GD Joseph Souham[7]
| Division | Brigade[note 2] | Demi-Brigades and Others | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| Division Souham GD Herman Willem Daendels |
Advance Guard CdB Rubry |
2nd Foot Chasseurs Regiment | 456 infantry |
| 1st Tirailleurs Battalion | 1,034 infantry | ||
| 5th Horse Chasseurs Regiment | 273 cavalry | ||
| Brigade Jardon GB Henri-Antoine Jardon |
Advance Guard (CdB Simon) | 2,243 infantry (3 battalions) | |
| 29th Line Demi-Brigade | 2,559 infantry (3 battalions) | ||
| 199th Line Demi-Brigade | 2,618 infantry (3 battalions) | ||
| 20th Cavalry Regiment | 336 cavalry | ||
| Brigade Macdonald GB Étienne Macdonald |
Advance Guard (Major d'Argent) | 757 infantry (1 battalion), 167 cavalry | |
| 3rd Line Demi-Brigade | 2,808 infantry (3 battalions) | ||
| 24th Line Demi-Brigade | 2,346 infantry (3 battalions) | ||
| 68th Line Demi-Brigade | 2,594 infantry (3 battalions) | ||
| 200th Line Demi-Brigade | 2,764 infantry (3 battalions) | ||
| 2nd Carabinier Regiment | ? cavalry | ||
| 11th Horse Artillery | 6 x 4pdr | ||
| Brigade Malbrancq GB Philippe Malbrancq |
Advanced Guard (CdB Druot) | 2,778 infantry (3 battalions), 31 cavalry, 6 x 4pdr | |
| 150th Line Demi-Brigade | 2,735 infantry (3 battalions) | ||
| 19th Cavalry Regiment[note 3] | 244 cavalry | ||
| Brigade Daendels CdB Dehay |
Advanced Guard (CdB Dereix) | 1,476 infantry (3 battalions) | |
| 23rd Line Demi-Brigade | 2,202 infantry (3 battalions) | ||
| 27th Line Demi-Brigade | 2,712 infantry (3 battalions) | ||
| 9th Hussar Regiment 19th Cavalry Regiment |
499 cavalry | ||
| Artillery | Foot Artillery | 6 x 12pdr, 6 x 8pdr, 405 infantry (1 battalion) | |
| Horse Artillery | 4 x 8pdr | ||
| Division Moreau GD Jean Victor Marie Moreau |
Brigade Vandamme GB Dominique Vandamme |
Advanced Guard (CdB Toussant) | 916 infantry (1 battalion), 168 cavalry |
| Demi-Brigade Harcourt | 3,161 infantry (4 battalions), 52 cavalry | ||
| Demi-Brigade Gauthrin | 3,707 infantry (5 battalions) | ||
| Brigade Desenfans GB Nicolas Desenfans |
Advanced Guard (CdB Ducroix) | 2,263 infantry (3 battalions) | |
| Demi-Brigade Trousseau | 2,767 infantry (4 battalions) | ||
| Demi-Brigade Bouvoir | 3,149 infantry (4 battalions) | ||
| Cavalry | 21st Horse Chasseur Regiment[note 4] | 204 cavalry | |
| Artillery | Foot Artillery | 6 x 8pdr, 6 x 6pdr | |
| Horse Artillery | 4 x 6pdr | ||
| Division Bonnaud GD Jacques Philippe Bonnaud |
Brigade Osten GB Pierre-Jacques Osten |
Advanced Guard (CdB Beaufont) | 2,723 infantry (3 battalions) |
| Demi-Brigade Girard | 2,907 infantry (3 battalions) | ||
| Demi-Brigade Brenier | 1,848 infantry (3 battalions) | ||
| Brigade Pierquin GB Nicolas Pierquin |
Demi-Brigade Salme | 4,299 infantry (6 battalions) | |
| Demi-Brigade Leclerc | 2,202 infantry (3 battalions) | ||
| Demi-Brigade Noël | 4,578 infantry (6 battalions) | ||
| Cavalry GB Antoine Baillot-Faral |
Brigade Scholtenius | 993 cavalry (3 hussar regiments) | |
| Brigade Bouquet | 1,015 cavalry (2 chasseur & 1 dragoon regiments) | ||
| Brigade Jaucourt-Latour | 1,396 cavalry (3½ heavy regiments) | ||
| Brigade Compère GB Louis Fursy Henri Compère |
Demi-Brigade Trudeau | 2,982 infantry (4 battalions) | |
| Demi-Brigade Roget | 2,402 infantry (3 battalions) | ||
| Artillery | 306 gunners | ||
| Brigade Thierry GB Jean François Thierry |
Demi-Brigade Flavier | 2,921 infantry (3 battalions) | |
| Demi-Brigade Beauvoir | 2,881 infantry (3 battalions) | ||
| 1st Cavalry Regiment | 475 cavalry | ||
| Foot Artillery | 127 gunners, 9 x 4pdr | ||
| Artillery Park GB Jean Baptiste Eblé |
Unbrigaded | Personnel | 2,218 gunners |
| Foot Artillery | 6 x 12pdr, 6 x 8pdr, 6 x 4pdr | ||
| Horse Artillery | 4 x 8pdr |
Coalition order of battle[edit]
- Supreme Commander: Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor[8]
- Coalition Army: FZM Prince Josias of Coburg[9]
| Column | Brigade/Nationality[note 5] | Regiments and Others |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Column FZM François, Count of Clerfayt 16,601 infantry, 3,451 cavalry |
Advance Guard GM Rudolph von Hammerstein |
Hanover Grenadier Battalion Nr. 3 |
| Hanover Light Infantry Regiment Diepenbroick Nr. 14 (1 battalion) | ||
| British 55th Foot Regiment | ||
| French Royalist Loyal Emigrants | ||
| Hanover Leibgarde Cavalry Regiment (2 squadrons) | ||
| Hanover Light Dragoon Regiment Königin Nr. 9 (2 squadrons) | ||
| Hanover Light Dragoon Regiment Linsingen Nr. 10 (2 squadrons) | ||
| Hesse-Darmstadt Gensd'armes Regiment (2 squadrons) | ||
| Austrian FZM Prince Hohenlohe-Kirchberg FML Anton Sztáray GM Rudolf von Stein |
Grün-Laudon Freikorps (6 companies) | |
| Tyrolean Sharpshooters (2 companies) | ||
| Feld-Jäger-Korps de Loup (2 companies) | ||
| Line Infantry Regiment Archduke Karl Nr. 3 (2 battalions) | ||
| Line Infantry Regiment Clerfayt Nr. 9 (2 battalions) | ||
| Line Infantry Regiment Wilhelm Schröder Nr. 26 (2 battalions) | ||
| Line Infantry Regiment Sztaray Nr. 33 (2 battalions) | ||
| Line Infantry Regiment Württemberg Nr. 38 (2 battalions) | ||
| Cavalry Regiment (Dragoon) Kaiser Franz Nr. 1 (6 squadrons) | ||
| Cavalry Regiment (Hussar) Blankenstein Nr. 16 (6 squadrons) | ||
| Cavalry Regiment (Dragoon) Latour Nr. 25 (4 squadrons) | ||
| British | British 12th Foot Regiment | |
| British 8th Light Dragoon Regiment | ||
| Hanover | Hanover Light Infantry Regiment Diepenbroick Nr. 14 (1 battalion) | |
| Hanover Grenadier Battalion Nr. 4 | ||
| Hesse-Darmstadt | Hesse-Darmstadt Jägers (1 company) | |
| Hesse-Darmstadt Infantry Regiment Landgraf (2 battalions) | ||
| Hesse-Darmstadt Light Battalion | ||
| Hesse-Darmstadt Leib-Regiment | ||
| Hesse-Darmstadt Chevaux-legers Regiment (2 squadrons) | ||
| Column Number 1 LG Georg Wilhelm von dem Bussche 3,000 infantry, 1,000 cavalry |
Unbrigaded | Hanover Grenadier Battalion Nr. 1 |
| Hanover Infantry Regiment Scherther Nr. 1 (2 battalions) | ||
| Hanover Infantry Regiment Bothmer Nr. 4 (2 battalions) | ||
| Hanover Infantry Regiment Hammerstein Nr. 6 (2 battalions) | ||
| Hanover Infantry Regiment Duering Nr. 9 (2 battalions) | ||
| Hanover Infantry Regiment Taube Nr. 11 (2 battalions) | ||
| Hanover Cavalry Regiment Leib Nr. 1 (2 squadrons) | ||
| Hanover Cavalry Regiment Prinz August Nr. 2 (2 squadrons) | ||
| Hanover Cavalry Regiment Bussche Nr. 4 (2 squadrons) | ||
| Hanover Heavy Dragoon Regiment Ramdohr Nr. 5 (2 squadrons) | ||
| Hanover Heavy Dragoon Regiment Oeynhausen Nr. 7 (2 squadrons) | ||
| Column Number 2 FML Rudolf Ritter von Otto 8,847 infantry, 1,068 cavalry |
Austrian GM Konrad Valentin von Kaim GM Franz von Werneck |
Jägers (1 company) |
| 2/O'Donnell Freikorps (6 companies) | ||
| Rouviere Grenadier Battalion | ||
| Ulm Grenadier Battalion | ||
| Manesy Grenadier Battalion | ||
| Line Infantry Regiment Kaunitz Nr. 20 (3 battalions) | ||
| Line Infantry Regiment Josef Colloredo Nr. 57 (2 battalions) | ||
| Pioneers (½ company) | ||
| Hesse-Cassel GM Eugen von Montfrault |
Hesse-Cassel Guard Grenadier Regiment (2 battalions) | |
| Hesse-Cassel Germann Grenadier Battalion | ||
| Cavalry Brigade MG David Dundas |
British 6th Dragoon Guards Regiment (3 squadrons) | |
| British 11th Light Dragoon Regiment (2 squadrons) | ||
| Cavalry Regiment (Hussar) Kaiser Franz Nr. 2 (6 squadrons) | ||
| Artillery | 8 x 12pdr, 2 x howitzers | |
| Column Number 3 Gen Frederick, Duke of York 9,493 infantry, 1,292 cavalry, 18 guns |
MG Gerard Lake | British 1/1st Foot Guards Regiment |
| British 1/2nd Foot Guards Regiment | ||
| British 1/3rd Foot Guards Regiment | ||
| British Converged Foot Guards Light Battalion | ||
| MG Henry Edward Fox | British 14th Foot Regiment | |
| British 37th Foot Regiment | ||
| British 53rd Foot Regiment | ||
| Austrian | 1/O'Donnell Freikorps (1 battalion) | |
| Line Infantry Regiment Tuscany Nr. 23 (2 battalions) | ||
| Line Infantry Regiment Wenzel Colloredo Nr. 56 (2 battalions) | ||
| Pioneers (½ company) | ||
| Hesse-Cassel | Hesse-Cassel Leib Infantry Regiment (2 battalions) | |
| 1st Cavalry Brigade MG Richard Vyse |
British 15th Light Dragoon Regiment (2 squadrons) | |
| British 16th Light Dragoon Regiment (2 squadrons) | ||
| Cavalry Regiment (Hussar) Kaiser Franz Nr. 2 (4 squadrons) | ||
| Artillery | British Artillery: 4 x 12pdr, 4 x 6pdr, 6 x howitzers | |
| Austrian Artillery: 4 x 12pdr | ||
| Column Number 4 FML Franz Joseph, Count Kinsky 9,172 infantry, 3,494 cavalry |
Austrian[note 6] FML Gottlieb von Schmerzing GM Phillipp von Heister GM Wilhelm von Kerpen GM Prince Joseph of Vaudémont |
Tyrolean Sharpshooters (1 company) |
| Slavonier Freikorps (4 companies) | ||
| Line Infantry Regiment Karl Schröder Nr. 7 (3 battalions) | ||
| Line Infantry Regiment Michael Wallis Nr. 11 (3 battalions) | ||
| Cavalry Regiment (Dragoon) Karakzay Nr. 4 (6 squadrons) | ||
| Cavalry Regiment (Hussar) Archduke Leopold Nr. 17 (4 squadrons) | ||
| Hesse-Cassel LG Ludwig von Wurmb GM Georg von Dalwigk |
Hesse-Cassel Lentz Light Infantry Battalion | |
| Hesse-Cassel Kospoth Fusilier Regiment (2 battalions) | ||
| Hesse-Cassel Eschwege Grenadier Battalion Nr. 2 | ||
| Hesse-Cassel Wurmb Grenadier Battalion Nr. 3 | ||
| 1st Reserve Cavalry Brigade MG Ralph Dundas[note 7] |
British Royal Horse Guards Regiment (2 squadrons) | |
| British 2nd Dragoon Guards Regiment (2 squadrons) | ||
| British 3rd Dragoon Guards Regiment (2 squadrons) | ||
| British 1st Royal Dragoon Regiment (2 squadrons) | ||
| 2nd Reserve Cavalry Brigade MG William Harcourt |
British 1st Dragoon Guards Regiment (2 squadrons) | |
| British 5th Dragoon Guards Regiment (2 squadrons) | ||
| British 2nd Dragoon Regiment (2 squadrons) | ||
| British 6th Dragoon Regiment (2 squadrons) | ||
| Column Number 5 FZM Archduke Charles 14,042 infantry, 4,007 cavalry |
Austrian[note 8] FML József Alvinczi GM Paul Kray GM Karl Xavier von Finke |
Tyrolean Sharpshooters (4 companies) |
| Grenz Sharpshooters (4 companies) | ||
| Malovitz Grenadier Battalion | ||
| Retz Grenadier Battalion | ||
| Line Infantry Regiment Murray Nr. 55 (2 battalions) | ||
| Line Infantry Regiment Jordis Nr. 59 (2 battalions) | ||
| Cavalry Regiment (Hussar) Kaiser Franz Nr. 2 (8 squadrons) | ||
| Cavalry Regiment (Cuirassier) Zeschwitz Nr. 10 (6 squadrons) | ||
| Cavalry Regiment (Hussar) Blankenstein Nr. 2 (6 squadrons) | ||
| Cavalry Regiment (Dragoon) Coburg Nr. 37 (4 squadrons) | ||
| Dutch | Dutch Prince of Orange Infantry Regiment | |
| Dutch Gumoëns Infantry Regiment | ||
| Dutch Hirzel Infantry Regiment | ||
| Dutch Infantry Regiment Orange-Nassau Nr. 1 | ||
| Dutch Infantry Regiment Van Dopf Nr. 3 | ||
| Dutch Infantry Regiment De Bons Nr. 7 | ||
| Dutch Infantry Regiment Hesse-Darmstadt Nr. 14 | ||
| Dutch Van der Duijn Cavalry Regiment | ||
| French Royalist | French Royalist Uhlans Britanniques (4 squadrons) |
See also[edit]
Notes[edit]
- Footnotes
- ^ Fortescue's numbers may not match the figures listed in the French order of battle. Also, Fortescue called Osten a division commander (Fortescue, p. 111), while Brown's order of battle listed Osten as Bonnaud's subordinate (Brown, p. 306).
- ^ In his order of battle, Brown listed Jardon, Macdonald, Malbrancq, Daendels, Vandamme, Desenfans, Osten, Pierquin, Compère, and Thierry as divisions subordinate to the divisions of Souham, Moreau, and Bonnaud (Brown, pp. 303–307). However, he and Phipps also listed Macdonald, Malbrancq, Daendels, Vandamme, Desenfans, Compère, and Thierry as brigades (Brown, p. 172; Phipps, pp. 300–302). Therefore, they are listed in this order of battle as brigades. Groupings of battalions are listed as demi-brigades.
- ^ A careful examination of the order of battle suggests that this may be a typographical error for the 19th Horse Chasseurs. The 19th Cavalry was assigned to Daendels' brigade (Brown, p. 304).
- ^ Elements of the 21st Horse Chasseurs Regiment were also detached to Vandamme's Advanced Guard and Demi-Brigade Harcourt (Brown, pp. 305–306).
- ^ Units not identified as British, Dutch, French royalist, Hanover, Hesse-Cassel or Hesse-Darmstadt nationality are Austrian.
- ^ Brown (p. 312) listed GM Milwsk and GM Wenkel, but they could not be found in the list of Austrian generals. (Smith & Kudrna)
- ^ The 1st and 2nd Reserve Cavalry Brigades under MG William Erskine mistakenly followed Column Nr. 4. (Brown, p. 313)
- ^ Brown (p. 313) listed FML Buglach, GM Nelms, and GM Radowicz, but they could not be found in the list of Austrian generals. (Smith & Kudrna)
- Citations
- ^ Phipps 2011, p. 284.
- ^ Phipps 2011, pp. 307–309.
- ^ a b Brown 2021, pp. 303–308.
- ^ Fortescue 2016, p. 111.
- ^ Brown 2021, pp. 132–133.
- ^ a b Brown 2021, pp. 309–314.
- ^ Phipps 2011, p. 299.
- ^ Brown 2021, p. 132.
- ^ Brown 2021, p. 309.
References[edit]
- Brown, Steve (2021). The Duke of York's Flanders Campaign: Fighting the French Revolution 1793–1795. Havertown, Pa.: Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 9781526742704.
- Fortescue, Sir John W. (2016). The Hard-Earned Lesson: The British Army & the Campaigns in Flanders & the Netherlands Against the French: 1792–99. Leonaur. ISBN 978-1-78282-500-5.
- Phipps, Ramsay Weston (2011) [1926]. The Armies of the First French Republic and the Rise of the Marshals of Napoleon I: The Armée du Nord. Vol. 1. Pickle Partners Publishing. ISBN 978-1-908692-24-5.
- Smith, Digby; Kudrna, Leopold (2008). "A Biographical Dictionary of all Austrian generals during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars: 1792-1815". The Napoleon Series. Retrieved June 2, 2023. This list is useful for finding the full names of Austrian generals.