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| Général de Division A J Delzons in the battle for Maloyaroslavets 24 October 1812 Alexander Averyanov (Source) |
"You boys lost?"
Marais looked up, a staff officer had ordered them into a passing column, unbeknownst to the staff officer and to Chef de Bataillon Lecerf, the column belonged to the wrong corps!
Marais looked at the man, "What brigade?"
"Brigade Huard, Division Delzons, 4th Battalion, 84th Ligne¹. You?" the man, a sergeant pointed at his shako, which was covered in oilskin.
Marais realized, his shako was new to him, taken from a dead officer in 3rd Company, and did not have an oilskin. He realized that the man had seen his shako plate which declared him to be a member of the 57th Ligne.
"We're 2nd Battalion of the 57th, Brigade Teste, Division Compans. You're not with Davout."
"No, we're with the Emperor's stepson, the Viceroy of Italy."
"Damn. We are lost." As Marais looked around, wondering how to correct the situation, Che de Bataillon Lecerf rode up.
"Keep heading this way with these troops, we'll get things sorted tonight. The rest of I Corps is behind us, for now we'll march with the IV Corps, I doubt the Viceroy will complain!"
"General, the enemy holds the village and the bridges across the River Luzha have been destroyed. But there is a dam we might cross."
Général de Division Alexis Joseph Delzons had his map out, he had understood the Italian cavalryman's heavily accented French, much of the IVth Corps was Italian, and located the village, Maloyaroslavets. These Russian names are impossible.
"Thank you, Sergeant. Would you lead us to this dam?"
"Certamente, il mio generale!" the Italian began to walk his horse back the way he had come. "Follow me!"
Delzons sent his aides to have the lead brigade come forward at the double. The brigade consisted of four understrength battalions of the 84th Ligne and a single misplaced battalion from the 57th. All told some 1250 men, which was strong for this stage of the campaign
2nd Company was leading the battalion's column, with their reinforcement by the remnants of the 4th battalion, they numbered 187 bayonets. Stronger than when they had entered Russia, but it was a mixed bag, the men of 4th Battalion were demoralized from having their unit amalgamated with the 2nd Battalion.
Marais had the men in proper column, not the straggling column of a road march but a column prepared to deploy into line, should the need arise. Captain Chastain followed suit, the men of the 4th falling in behind Marais' men.
Chastain jogged up to where Marais was leading the column, just behind Chef de Bataillon Lecerf, who had dismounted and marched with the party surrounding the battalion's Eagle.
"What's the hurry, Pierre?"
"We're going into action, the Russians hold the village and now you know as much as I."
Chastain's face went pale at the thought of going into action, he had not been under fire the entire campaign. Indeed, he had never been under fire in his three years with the army.
"Have your men fix bayonets, I doubt we'll stop to give them a volley!"
Delzons' men crossed the river along a dam, a number of men slipped off into the river due to icy conditions. Few of them would survive the night in the frigid air. The men of Huard's brigade smashed the Russians facing them and moved on up onto the hills beyond the village.
Upon arrival at the river, Lecerf's men assisted in throwing a pontoon bridge over the Luzha. When that task was complete, the men of the 57th sought shelter in the ruined village.
Marais ordered a party of men to search for anything useful in the ruins. His second thought was to build fires to warm themselves. Building bridges was wet work and a number of the men were soaked. They were already shivering.
Chastain offered his men to prepare defenses, "The Russians will hit us in the morning. If we are thrown out of this village, or rather what's left of it, I don't fancy our chances. There is something of a walled villa nearby, it would hold the company nicely, I think."
"Very well, take your boys there. Loophole the walls, don't let them burn the gates or we'll have nothing to keep the Russians out." Marais then looked to the northeast.
"I'm afraid our path to Kaluga might be blocked at this point. If the Russians punch hard enough, we might have to retrace our steps.
¹ Line, short for Régiment d'Infanterie de Ligne, Infantry Regiment of the Line.
Titel being, in loose translation,. "None Shall Pass!" cue up ominous music.
ReplyDeleteMAN! Muse took a serious turn to the dark side today. Those remnants of the 4t must now REALLY be down, "Bad enough that we have to be counted with these clowns, but now we see that they can't find their backside with both hands and got us lost!"
A staff officer misdirected them, keep that in mind.
DeleteThey have two enemies, the Russians and the cold.
ReplyDeleteBoth will be their undoing.
DeleteThis post has a dark painting that accentuates the gloom of a retreat Sarge, you have me wondering who will survive this campaign.
ReplyDeleteNot many, that's almost certain.
DeleteTo Nylon12's point, the painting sets the scene. I can feel the cold through the words.
ReplyDeleteIt was a desperate battle in a desperate time.
DeleteI had a tour of the Kremlin and Lenin’s tomb back in 2003. The “old kipper” as the Muscovites call him looked like a waxwork. The Diamond room had way too many, so much so that they looked like shards of tempered glass in piles. The thing that really struck me were the stacks and stacks of cannon barrels piled up around all the barracks buildings. These were the ones that were recovered from the retreating French army. There were hundreds of them.
ReplyDeleteThe French and their allies left many cannons behind, and dead men and horses.
Delete