Military mobilisation during the Hundred Days facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Military mobilisation
Part of the Hundred Days
Strategic situation in Western Europe in June 1815
Date 18 June – 7 July 1815 (2 weeks and 5 days) Location Western Europe
Belligerents
France	Seventh Coalition:  United Kingdom  Netherlands Hanover  Nassau Brunswick  Prussia  Austria  Russia  Sardinia Switzerland French royalists
Commanders and leaders
Napoleon Bonaparte Marquis de Grouchy Marshal Soult Marshal Davout all at different times commander of L'Armée du Nord Jean Rapp (Armée du Rhin)< Suchet, Duc d'Albuféra (Armée des Alpes) Claude Lecourbe (Armée du Jura) Guillaume Brune Armée du Var Charles Decaen and Bertrand, comte Clausel (Armies of the Pyrenees east and west) Jean Lamarque (Armée de l'Ouest — Vendée and Loire)	Duke of Wellington (Anglo-allied) Gebhard von Blücher (Prussian) Prince of Schwarzenberg (Upper Rhine), Duke of Casalanza (Upper Italy), Johann Frimont (Naples) Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly (Russia) von Hake

In 1815, after Napoleon Bonaparte returned to power in France, a period known as the Hundred Days began. During this time, both Napoleon's First French Empire and the countries allied against him (called the Coalition) prepared for war. This article explains how their armies were set up in early June 1815. This was just before the famous Waterloo Campaign and other smaller battles began.

French Army Preparations

When Napoleon became emperor again, he found that France's army was quite small. It had only about 56,000 soldiers ready for battle. But by the end of May, Napoleon had quickly grown his forces. He had gathered nearly 200,000 soldiers. Another 66,000 were still training.

Napoleon's Main Army: The Waterloo Campaign

Napoleon put together his main army, called L'Armée du Nord (the "Army of the North"). This army was meant to fight in the Waterloo Campaign. By late May, it was organized into several large groups called corps:

• I Corps: Led by D'Erlon, located between Lille and Valenciennes.
• II Corps: Led by Reille, located between Valenciennes and Avesnes.
• III Corps: Led by Vandamme, located near Rocroi.
• IV Corps: Led by Gerard, located at Metz.
• VI Corps: Led by Lobau, located at Laon.
• Cavalry Reserve: Led by Grouchy, located at Guise.
• Imperial Guard: Led by Mortier, located in Paris.

French Armies Protecting the Borders

Napoleon also set up other armies to defend France from different directions. These "armies of observation" were meant to watch France's enemies and stop any rebellions inside the country. By June, they were organized like this:

V Corps – Army of the Rhine

This army was led by General Jean Rapp. It was located near Strassburg and had about 20,000 to 23,000 soldiers. It included infantry, cavalry, and National Guard units.

VII Corps – Army of the Alps

Led by Louis Gabriel Suchet, this army was based in Lyons. Its job was to defend Lyons and watch the Austro-Sardinian army. It had between 13,000 and 23,500 soldiers, including infantry, cavalry, and National Guard.

I Corps of Observation – Army of the Jura

General Claude Lecourbe commanded this army, based at Belfort. It watched for any Austrian movements through Switzerland and also kept an eye on the Swiss army. This smaller force had about 5,300 to 8,400 soldiers.

II Corps of Observation – Army of the Var

Marshal Guillaume Marie Anne Brune led this army from Toulon. Its main tasks were to stop any royalist uprisings and observe General Bianchi's army. It had around 5,500 to 6,100 soldiers.

III Corps of Observation – Army of the Eastern Pyrenees

Based at Toulouse, this army was led by General Charles Mathieu Isidore Decaen. It watched France's eastern border with Spain. It had about 3,500 to 7,600 soldiers.

IV Corps of Observation – Army of the Western Pyrenees

General Bertrand Clauzel commanded this army from Bordeaux. It watched the western border with Spain. This army had about 3,500 to 6,800 soldiers.

Army of the West – Army of the Vendée

This army, led by General Jean Maximilien Lamarque, was created to stop a royalist rebellion in the Vendée region of France. This area was still loyal to King Louis XVIII. The army included regular soldiers, police (gendarmes), and volunteers. It had a total of 10,000 to 27,000 men.

Seventh Coalition Army Preparations

The Seventh Coalition was a group of European countries that joined forces to invade France. They had a huge number of soldiers ready. In total, they could field almost a million men! Here's a look at their main invasion armies:

Coalition Armies Overview

The main armies planning to march towards Paris included:

• Army of Upper Rhine: Led by Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg, this army had about 264,000 soldiers from Austria, Bavaria, Württemberg, Baden, and Hesse.
• Army of Lower Rhine: Led by Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, this Prussian army had about 155,000 soldiers, including Prussians and Saxons.
• Army of Flanders: Led by the Duke of Wellington, this army had about 155,000 soldiers from Britain, the Netherlands, Hanover, and Brunswick.
• First Russian Army: Led by Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly, this army had about 168,000 Russian soldiers.

In total, these four main armies had about 742,000 soldiers ready to invade France.

Waterloo Campaign Armies

Wellington's Allied Army (Army of Flanders)

The Duke of Wellington commanded an army made up of troops from several countries. These included soldiers from Britain, the Netherlands, Hanover, Brunswick, and Nassau. In June 1815, Wellington's army had about 93,000 soldiers. Its headquarters were in Brussels, in what is now Belgium.

His army was spread out in different areas:

• I Corps: Led by the Prince of Orange, with 30,200 soldiers.
• II Corps: Led by Lord Hill, with 27,300 soldiers.
• Reserve: Commanded by Wellington himself, with 25,500 soldiers.
• Reserve Cavalry: Led by Lord Uxbridge, with 9,900 cavalry.

Prussian Army (Army of the Lower Rhine)

This army was made up entirely of Prussian soldiers. Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher was its commander. His chief of staff, August Neidhardt von Gneisenau, was also his second-in-command.

Blücher's Prussian army had 116,000 soldiers. Its headquarters were in Namur. The army was divided into four corps:

• I Corps: Led by von Zieten, with 30,800 soldiers.
• II Corps: Led by Pirch I, with 31,000 soldiers.
• III Corps: Led by Thielemann, with 23,900 soldiers.
• IV Corps: Led by Bülow, with 30,300 soldiers.

Other Coalition Armies and Mobilizations

German Corps (North German Federal Army)

This army was part of the larger Prussian forces but operated further south. It included soldiers from many smaller German states. General Friedrich Graf Kleist von Nollendorf was its initial commander. This army had about 25,000 soldiers.

Russian Army (First Army)

Field Marshal Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly commanded the First Russian Army. In June, it was a very large force of about 200,000 soldiers. It was organized into several army corps and a reserve.

Austro-German Army (Army of the Upper Rhine)

This was the largest of the Austrian armies, led by Field Marshal Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg. Its goal was to march on Paris. This army included soldiers from Austria, Bavaria, Württemberg, Baden, and other German states. It had over 264,000 soldiers.

Swiss Army

The Swiss General Niklaus Franz von Bachmann commanded this army, which was made up entirely of Swiss soldiers. Its job was to watch any French forces operating near Switzerland's borders. This army had about 37,000 soldiers.

Austro-Sardinian Army (Army of Upper Italy)

This was another large Austrian force, commanded by General Johann Maria Philipp Frimont. Its target was Lyons in France. This army had about 50,000 soldiers, including Austrian and Sardinian troops.

Austrian Army (Army of Naples)

General Frederick Bianchi commanded this smaller Austrian army. Its targets were Marseilles and Toulon in southern France. This army had about 23,000 soldiers. It had previously defeated Murat's army in the Neapolitan War.

British Mediterranean Contingent

Great Britain also sent a smaller military force from its base in Genoa. This group of about 4,000 soldiers, marines, and sailors was led by General Sir Hudson Lowe. They were transported by the British fleet to Marseilles to help a French Royalist uprising.

Spanish Armies

Plans were made for two Spanish armies to invade France.

• One army, led by General Francisco Javier Castanos, 1st Duke of Bailen, was to invade via Perpignan and Toulouse.
• A second army, led by General Henry Joseph O'Donnell, Count of La Bisbal, was to invade via Bayonne and Bordeaux.

However, it's not clear if these Spanish armies ever included Portuguese soldiers, despite some historical accounts.

Netherlands Reserve Army

The Netherlands planned to raise a reserve army to support its main forces. This army was supposed to have 30 infantry battalions and 18 cavalry squadrons. However, it was mostly just a plan on paper and was disbanded after three months.

Prussian Reserve Army

Besides the four corps that fought in the Waterloo Campaign, Prussia also had a reserve army at home. This army was meant to defend Prussia's own borders. It included three more army corps.

Danish and Hanseatic Contingents

A Danish group, called the Royal Danish Auxiliary Corps, and a Hanseatic group (from German free cities) were on their way to join Wellington's army. However, they arrived in July, after the main battles had already happened.

Portuguese Contingent

The Duke of Wellington had hoped to get 12,000 to 14,000 Portuguese soldiers. But the Portuguese government was not cooperative. They said they couldn't send their troops without the consent of their Prince Regent, who was in Brazil. Also, the Portuguese army at the time was much smaller and not as strong as it used to be.

Russian Second (Reserve) Army

The Second Russian Army was a reserve force positioned behind the First Russian Army. It was ready to provide support if needed.