The siege of Mainz (3 January – 4 May 1814) saw an
Imperial French corps under
Charles Antoine Morand
Charles-Antoine-Louis-Alexis Morand (4 June 1771 – 2 December 1835) Comte de l'Empire, was a general of the French army during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars. He fought at many of the most important battles of the time, inclu ...
besieged in
Mainz Fortress
The Fortress of Mainz was a fortressed garrison town between 1620 and 1918. At the end of the Napoleonic Wars, under the term of the 1815 Peace of Paris, the control of Mainz passed to the German Confederation and became part of a chain of stra ...
by an
Imperial Russian
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. The ...
corps led by
Louis Alexandre Andrault de Langeron Louis may refer to:
* Louis (coin)
* Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name
* Louis (surname)
* Louis (singer), Serbian singer
* HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy
See also
Derived or associated terms
* Lewis ( ...
. When the Russians left in February 1814, they were replaced by the V German Corps, led by
Duke Ernest of Saxe-Coburg and made up of the soldiers from the
County of Nassau
The County of Nassau was a German state within the Holy Roman Empire and later part of the German Confederation. Its ruling dynasty, the male line of which is now extinct, was the House of Nassau.
Origins
Nassau, originally a county, developed ...
, the
Duchy of Berg
Berg was a state—originally a county, later a duchy—in the Rhineland of Germany. Its capital was Düsseldorf. It existed as a distinct political entity from the early 12th to the 19th centuries.
The name of the county lives on in the modern ...
and several other minor German states. The French were far too strong for the Allies to directly attack the fortress. However, an outbreak of
typhus
Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposure.
...
ravaged city. Despite the epidemic, Morand did not surrender the city until the news of
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
's abdication arrived.
Garrison
At the beginning of January 1814, Morand's
IV Corps consisted of the 1st Division led by François Étienne Damas, the 13th Division commanded by
Armand Charles Guilleminot
Major General Armand Charles Guilleminot (2 March 1774–14 March 1840) was a French general during the Napoleonic wars. He is described as having been very intelligent, merciful, generous, resourceful, and experienced. He achieved the Legion ...
and the 51st Division directed by
Jean-Baptiste Pierre de Semellé. Damas' division counted 169 officers and 1,748 men in the brigades of Schweitzer and Jean-Baptiste Estève de Latour. Guilleminot's division included 187 officers and 2,438 men in the brigades of Antoine Gruyer, Jean-Marie Vergez and
Annet Morio de L'Isle. Semellé's division numbered 246 officers and 3,837 men in the brigades of Antoine Aymard and Henri-Jacques-Martin Lagarde. The artillery reserve was under Albert Louis Valentin Taviel who had charge of six 12-pound cannons, twenty-eight
6-pound cannons and twelve 24-pound howitzers. There were elements of seven cavalry regiments but the main mounted strength was 1,033 men of the 2nd Honor Guards Regiment.
Aftermath
Of the original garrison of 31,000 men, only 12,000 men survived. Most of the deaths were from typhus.
Notes
References
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Further reading
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mainz 1814, Siege of
Battles of the War of the Sixth Coalition
Sieges of the Napoleonic Wars
Sieges involving Russia
Battles involving Germany
Battles involving France
Conflicts in 1814
1814 in Germany