French Dragoons, mid- to late 17th Century

A French dragoon, 1680-1700, from the Vinkhuijzen Collection of Military Uniforms, NYPL, otherwise unidentified. Since only three French dragoon regiments at this period wore blue coats, it is likely that the regiment depicted is one of them. Given that Royal wore a blue coat faced red with pewter buttons, this image may depict that regiment.

Dragoons, according to Turner, were “Musketeers mounted on horses, appointed to march with the cavalry....” Dr. Johnson defined a dragoon as “a man who serves indifferently either on foot or on horseback.” However, despite the fact that they shared certain attributes of each, dragoons at this period were neither infantry nor cavalry but were a distinct combat arm (one is immediately reminded of the familiar, ancient division of the combat arms‑‑omitting the artillery‑‑into “horse, foot, and dragoons”).

Since they combined the firepower of the infantry with the cavalry’s mobility, dragoons were very useful troops, capable of performing a variety of missions. Turner summarized these as follows:

          Dragoons then go not only before to guard passes (as some imagine) but to fight in open field; for if an enemy rencounter with a cavalry in a champaign or open heath, the dragoons are obliged to alight [dismount], and mix themselves with the squads of horse, as they shall be commanded; and their continuate firing; before the horse come to the charge, will, no doubt, be very hurtful to the enemy: If the encounter be in close countrey, they serve well to line hedges, and possess enclosures, they serve for defending passes and beating the enemy from them.

Reference: Turner, James. Pallas Armata: Miitary Essays of the Ancient Grecian, Roman, and Modern Art of War, Written in the Years 1670 and 1671. London: Chiswell, 1683.

Fratricide: “This irrepressible battery ...”

The 4^th New York Battery of Gen. Joseph (“Fighting Joe”) Hooker’s Division, III Corps, had fought well enough at the Battle of Williamsburg (May 5, 1862) under its commander, Capt. James E. Smith. Subsequently, Smith moved on, and the battery was left in the hands of 1^st Lt. Joseph E. Nairn. It performed abysmally in the engagement of Malvern Cliff (June 30) on the eve of the Battle of Malvern Hill.

From the report of Capt. Stephen H. Weed, 5^th U.S. Arty., commanding Battery I:

 

Its contribution to the fight was also reported by Capt. Thomas W. Walker, commanding the 3d U.S. Infantry, who noted the names of his men killed by the fire of the battery.

A Napoleonic Phrase Book

Genlis, [Stéphanie Félicité] Mme. de. The traveller's companion for conversation: being a collection of such expressions as occur most frequently in travelling and in the different situations of life; in six languages: English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, and Russian. Leipzig and London: J. H. Bothe, 1817.

The book’s title says it all. This pocket book is what is generally known as a phrase book or polyglot dictionary, and a Napoleonic era traveler would find it handy for making himself understood in a range of circumstances, from the everyday to the uncommon -- even sinister or threatening. I’ve reproduced a few pages here to give a sense of how one might communicate in certain rencontres following a battle.

Fort Moultrie, Charleston, S.C. (1860)

All things Fort Moultrie on the eve of the Civil War. A remarkable site presenting a great deal of information and some truly splendid graphics. Here: http://moultrie.battlefieldsinmotion.com/

Troops of the Maison de Condé

L'Entrée de Monseigneur le Prince de Condé dans la ville de Ipre [i.e., Ypres] : [estampe]

Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie, RESERVE FOL-QB-201 (39)

A recent post by the Baró de Claramunt on his blog, “La Guerra dels Segadors,” focused on the entry of the small French auxiliary corps commanded by Roger de Bossost, comte d’Espenan, into Barcelona in support of the Catalan republicans (winter 1640). This little-known episode of the Thirty Years’ War (or Franco-Spanish sub-war thereof) reminded me of the connection of Espenan and two of the three infantry regiments he brought with him to the Maison de Condé. The princes of Condé were princes of the Blood Royal. These royal “cousins,” who would occasionally oppose or rebel against royal policies or authority (typically as represented by a minister), had immense power in the France of Louis XIII and Louis XIV, and many military units were owned by them either directly or through what we might term as patronage. In effect, these units constituted a private army within (and occasionally without) the royal army. Here is a list showing the troops associated with the Maison de Condé:

 

In Volume 3 of his Histoire des princes de Condé, the duc d’Aumale provides an interesting “Note on the Troops of the House of Condé.” The statement below is based on the note, which names the various infantry and cavalry units associated with the powerful noble house.

Cavalry      July 1630 Anguien-cavalerie; 6 cos.      1634 Gendarmes de Condé; 1 co.      1636.  Gendarmes d'Anguien; 1 co.      1627.  Chevau-légers de Condé; 1 co. (40 men).      ?.  Chevau-légers d'Anguien; 1 co. (40 men).      Others. Not mentioned here are the carabins, the guards of the governments of Berry and Burgundy, the arquebusiers à cheval, the troops of the chateau de Dijon, the archers of Montrond, and other troops--provincial, frontier, and garrison. Infantry Regiments      1622 - dissolved “immediately” Anguien [Enghien] > reestablished 8 July 1635 > dissolved 1650 or 13 September 1651, according to Belhomme > reestablished 1667 > 1686 Bourbon.      25 January 1636 Conti > 1698 (4 June 1649, according to Belhomme).      1644 Condé > 1650 > reestablished 7 November 1659. This was the duc d’Albret’s regiment.      In addition, the regiments of Persan, Espenan, and Bourgogne were associated with the House of Condé, though not as proprietary regiments.      Companies in infantry regiments: Anguien: 30; Conti: 30; Condé: ?; Persan: 30; Espenan: 20; Bourgogne: 20.

Waterloo en images

[Navez, Louis]. Waterloo en images. Bruxelles: J. Lebègue, 1900.

This is an interesting fin de siècle book with photos and engravings of the Waterloo battlefield and some of the leaders. The text of course is in French. It can be viewed in a variety of formats on Open Library at this link:

http://openlibrary.org/books/OL23358564M/Waterloo_en_images. 

I added the name of the author in the bibliographical citation from the March 2002 catalog (No. 349) of the Paris bookseller Jean Clavreuil, which I regard as authoritative. Navez was the author of several books on the 1815 campaign and Lebègue was his publisher.

Gettysburg Sources: Collective Biography

Tagg, Larry. The Generals of Gettysburg: The Leaders of America's Greatest Battle. Campbell, Calif.: Savas Pub. Co., 1998.

Larry Tagg introduces his book with a quote from Heraclitus: “character is destiny.” This epigram of the Greek philosopher informs the author’s approach, which provides well-written biographies of the leaders at Gettysburg, concentrating on their character attributes, backgrounds, personalities, and battlefield performance. In this he succeeds admirably. The book is organized according to the orders of battle of the armies (Federal first), proceeding through the various corps in numerical order, with commanders of divisions and brigades discussed under corps’ heads. Where colonels commanded brigades, they are included. Officers who succeeded to the command of formations during the battle –- for example Fry for Archer -- are not discussed.

Tagg provides strength data for the various units and formations that is drawn from the authoritative work of Busey and Martin (1982 ed.). I’ll probably discuss this book in a future post. Each entry is supplemented by appropriate bibliographical references. There are also nine maps by John Heiser. The one thing the book lacks is an index, so even those familiar with the orders of battle may find themselves thumbing back-and-forth to find a particular entry.

All in all, I think this is a book that belongs on your Civil War bookshelf, more particularly if you’re a Gettysburg junkie.