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Carabiniers-à-Cheval
The Carabiniers-à-Cheval ( French for Horse Carabiniers or Mounted Carabiniers) were mounted troops in the service of France. Their origins date back to the mid-16th century, when they were created as elite elements of the French light cavalry, armed with carbines but then gradually evolved towards semi-independent status during the 18th century. They only became independent units as late as 1788, when a two-regiment heavy cavalry corps was created. From the French Revolutionary Wars onwards, they were the senior heavy cavalry regiments in the French army, rose to prominence during the Napoleonic Wars and were disbanded in 1871, after the fall of the Second French Empire. Ancien Régime The French carabiniers are first mentioned at the battle of Neerwinden in 1693 commanded by Prince de Conti. Although their original role was that of a mounted police similar to the Gendarmes, as combat troops they were first took the form of separate companies within each cavalry regiments on 29 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joseph Piston
Joseph Piston (1754–1831), baron of the Empire, was a French general who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars.Tulard, p. 512. Life The son of a merchant from Lyon, Piston joined the army and in 1793 rose to the rank of general of brigade, commanding cavalry in the French Revolutionary Army. General of division Étienne Marie Antoine Champion de Nansouty appreciated his skills as a cavalryman and Piston would serve in Nansouty's heavy cavalry division of the Cavalry Reserve during the War of the Third Coalition. In this capacity, Piston would charge at the battle of Austerlitz, leading his brigade of the 1st and 2nd Carabiniers-à-Cheval regiments (six squadrons, 386 men) against the Austrian and Russian cavalry. During the battle, his 1st regiment, under the command of Colonel Cochois lost 2 men killed and 24 wounded and his 2nd regiment, under Colonel Morin lost 17 men wounded.Smith, p. 253. Piston was promoted to the rank of general of division ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jean-Marie Defrance
Jean-Marie Defrance (1771–1835) was a French General of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was also a member of the Council of Five Hundred (the lower house of the legislative branch of the French government under The Directory), and a teacher at the military school of Rebais, Champagne. Defrance had an extensive and successful military career in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. After the First Battle of Zurich, he refused a battlefield promotion to brigadier general, asking instead for a cavalry regiment; he received command of the 12th Regiment of '' Chasseurs-a-Cheval'' (light cavalry) as '' Chef-de-Brigade'', a rank equivalent to colonel. He led this brigade in the campaigns of 1799–1800 in southwestern Germany and northern Italy. By 1805, he had been promoted to brigadier general. At the Battle of Austerlitz and the Battle of Jena–Auerstedt, he commanded a cavalry brigade of ''carabiniers'' in Étienne Marie Antoine Cham ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
French Invasion Of Russia
The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign, the Second Polish War, the Army of Twenty nations, and the Patriotic War of 1812 was launched by Napoleon Bonaparte to force the Russian Empire back into the continental blockade of the United Kingdom. Napoleon's invasion of Russia is one of the best studied military campaigns in history and is listed among the most lethal military operations in world history. It is characterized by the massive toll on human life: in less than six months nearly a million soldiers and civilians died. On 24 June 1812 and the following days, the first wave of the multinational crossed the Niemen into Russia. Through a series of long forced marches, Napoleon pushed his army of almost half a million people rapidly through Western Russia, now Belarus, in an attempt to destroy the separated Russian armies of Barclay de Tolly and Pyotr Bagration who amounted to around 180,000–220,000 at this time. Within six weeks, Napoleon lost ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
