XIII Corps (Grande Armée)

XIII Corps (Grande Armée)
Active	1813–1814
Country	First French Empire
Branch	Army
Type	Army Corps
Size	Corps
Engagements	Napoleonic Wars
Commanders
Notable commanders	Louis-Nicolas Davout

The XIII Corps of the Grande Armée was the name of a French military formation that existed during the Napoleonic Wars. The corps was formed in the spring of 1813 and Marshal Louis-Nicolas Davout was appointed as its commander. The corps included three French infantry divisions and attached cavalry. In the spring campaign the corps was assigned to defend northern Germany. Accordingly, Davout seized Hamburg and prepared to defend it against the Allies. In September 1813, one brigade was defeated at the Battle of the Göhrde by the Allies. After Emperor Napoleon's decisive defeat at the Battle of Leipzig in October, the XIII Corps became isolated in Hamburg. An Allied army under Levin August, Count von Bennigsen initiated the Siege of Hamburg in December. Under Davout's leadership, the corps repelled three attacks in February 1814 and a fourth attack in April. Davout was only persuaded to surrender in mid-May by direct orders from the new French government after Napoleon abdicated. Thanks to the iron discipline of Davout, the behavior of the XIII Corps soldiers toward the citizens of Hamburg was exemplary, compared to the usual rough treatment non-combatants often received from French soldiers of the era.

Order of Battle

Hamburg 1814

XIII Corps: Marshal Louis-Nicolas Davout (40,000)

• 3rd Division: General of Division Louis Henri Loison
  • 15th Light Infantry Regiment
  • 44th Line Infantry Regiment
  • 48th Line Infantry Regiment
  • 108th Line Infantry Regiment
• 40th Division: General of Division Marc Nicolas Louis Pécheux
  • 33rd Light Infantry Regiment (two battalions)
  • 30th Line Infantry Regiment (two battalions)
  • 61st Line Infantry Regiment (two battalions)
  • 111th Line Infantry Regiment (two battalions)
• 50th. Division: General of Division Paul Thiébault
  • 24th Light Infantry Regiment (two battalions)
  • 3rd Line Infantry Regiment (two battalions)
  • 29th Line Infantry Regiment (two battalions)
  • 105th Line Infantry Regiment (two battalions)
• Cavalry Brigade:
  • 28th Chasseurs à Cheval Regiment
  • 17th Lithuanian Chevau-léger Lancers
• Other infantry elements:
  • 26th Light, 18th Line, 93rd Line, and 155th Line Infantry Regiments
• Other cavalry elements:
  • 4th, 8th, and 15th Cuirassier and 13th and 20th Dragoon Regiments
  • 5th Hussar and 2nd and 25th Chasseurs à Cheval Regiments

Source: Smith, Digby (1998). The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill. p. 526. ISBN 1-85367-276-9. 

References

• Bruce, Robert B.; Dickie, Iain; Kiley, Kevin; Pavkovic, Michael F.; Schneid, Frederick C. (2008). Fighting Techniques of the Napoleonic Age. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press. pp. 208–211. ISBN 0-312-37587-5. Retrieved 12 October 2013. 
• Chandler, David G. (1966). The Campaigns of Napoleon. New York, NY: Macmillan. 
• Petre, F. Loraine (1912). Napoleon's Last Campaign in Germany, 1813. New York: John Lane Company. 
• Smith, Digby (1998). The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill. ISBN 1-85367-276-9.