A Tale of Three Soldiers

[irishman5]

Journal of Colonel Sebastian Royer, born in December, 1765. From Paris, France, and joined the Royal Army in 1783. Currently under the command of General Michel Nay near Alsace Lorraine.

The idea of having an Emperor barely ten years after King Louis XVI had been executed hadn’t quite settled in for Colonel Royer, however the now Emperor Napoleon had proved himself in restoring France to civility since becoming First Consul. He had only met General Bonaparte once before, during an officer inspection in the coast city of Boulogne. The general thanked him for his willingness to serve the revolutionary forces after the royal army had scattered during the revolution, and also for his twenty plus years of service to France. Colonel Sebastian Royer enrolled at the Prytanée National Militaire School in 1783 and entered service into the Royal Army as a Second Lieutenant in 1787. Within five years, Royer was already a Captain in the midst of the revolution. Capt. Royer was rather lucky however he was never caught in the middle of any skirmishes thought could’ve made him a hated man. He was stationed in Reims. By 1792, the King had no command over the army, and Cpt. Royer volunteered to assist in the new revolutionary forces under the command of Gen. Jean Victor Moreau. (Future Marshal Victor) The Army of the Rhine was fighting around Strasbourg in the War of the 1st coalition; however he didn’t see much action until the Battle of Tourcoing in Northern France. After the lines of communication had been cut and heavy losses were sustained, Capt. Royer took command of around eight battalions. He decided to flank the British right flank after they thought the French were retreating. Eventually the British and Austrians retreated, and it marked the beginning of the eventual withdrawal of Allied forces in Northern France. Royer was soon promoted to Major and the war came to a close. The last decade however didn’t feature quite as much excitement for Maj. Royer. He only received one promotion to Colonel simply based on his years in service, and he saw no action in the war of the 2nd Coalition. Sebastian was never one to become too attached. Since active service he lost touch with his family. He was an only child, with a father who was rarely around due to business. He enjoyed his mother; however she was typically concerned about his shortcomings and issues. For all he knew they had died during the revolution, it really didn’t concern him as he was focused on advancing through the military ranks. In the recent years, as Napoleon rose to power, the military was an ever changing place. New awards were being maid, new uniforms to promote a soldiers role in the army, and now Marshals of the Empire had been chosen to help Napoleon against the various coalitions. His hopes of leading a regiment on the road to London had died when rumor had gone around that the invasion of England had been called off.

“Wake up Colonel! You’re needed for an important briefing.”

“Thank you Major”, Royer said as he awoke from his mid-day nap. Word had been circulating that Gen. Ney’s army would be on the move soon. They had left Boulogne about six months ago and were now situated in a town just south of Stasbourg. The War of the Third Coalition had already begun and Colonel Royer was eager to prove that he was not a lost officer. Sadly, soon enough Col. Royer would wish for these times of mundane rather than experience the wrath of war.

[irishman5]

Journal of Soldat(Private) Jean-Pierre Dubois, born sometime in 1787 in Terrasson-Lavilledieu, France. Conscripted in 1804 and now under the command of Marshal Masséna in Northern Italy.

When Jean-Pierre arrived at his Adolescence, the Reign of Terror was over, the Bourbons had fled or been killed, and democracy was finally taking shape in post-revolution France. His family history, if there was any, had been full of farm workers and peasants. Maybe an occasional monk or two, and even one vineyard owner. However Jean-Pierre's current family was torn to shreds; His father had been dead for over five years and his mother struggled to maintain a family of seven. As he was the second oldest, whenever he even got the chance to talk to her it would only be about school and other mundane topics as she was too busy in taking care of the young ones. Jean-Pierre wend instead spend his time at the local school, working on the farm, and occasionally playing with the local children. The Revolution didn't change much of Terrasson-Lavilledieu, much was the same after the King and Queen had met the guillotine. From time to time there would be a small rally or protest. When Jean-Pierre was six, a battalion of revolutionary troops even passed through the town on their way to Toulon to meet the British occupation. It never quite set in for the Dubois family until the notice came in the post. Jean-Pierre and his older brother Marc were conscripted into the French army. Madame Dubois didn't even know what hit her as she rarely even followed current affairs. Marc and Jean-Pierre were able to console her enough to stop the sobbing and promised to write as the left for the local Magistrate. Marc ended up in Hanover under the command of Gen. Jean Bernadotte. In about three days, Jean Pierre joined his battalion in Paris and they left for Northern Italy the next morning. They were joining the Army of Italy at Turin under the command of Marshal Masséna. He only became familiar with one other soldier named Laron who was from Toulon. They discussed the recent election of the new Emperor Bonaparte, and for the most part were confident his rants against the new coalition were correct. It was wintertime and it gradually became colder as they approached Turin. As he marched alongside his new comrades with his fresh musket riding on his shoulder, Jean Pierre could never even begin to imagine what the next five years of war would bring.

[irishman5]

Journal Chef d'escadron(Major) Auguste Lebeau, born in January, 1773. From Lorient, France, and enrolled in the military in 1790

Major Auguste Lebeau studied the map of Coalition forces that were not even 200 km east of their current position just north of Strasbourg. Gen. Davout’s army was to leave camp and head east in the next week to join Emp. Napoleon’s right wing as they push toward Vienna. Auguste could not wait for the war to end as he yearned to return to Brittany to start a family. He wanted a settle down to create a new beginning; A family not based on tradition and expectations. Auguste had been forced to enroll into military school in 1790 due to a tradition in the Lebeau family of military accordance. The family had some slight aristocratic connections, as well as within the Royal army. Auguste was the youngest child and only male of five children. The family was well run for the most part, and father was obeyed for the most part. Luckily he was usually working at the local port authority as the overseer of the local Lorient port. Auguste closest friend was his sister Pauline who emphasized with him as he was pressured to prepare for his future role as the patriarch of the Lebeau family. By 1790, Auguste met a bittersweet departure to military school from his family as he was happy to leave his stern family, but not wanting in any way to serve his country. Luckily if there was ever a time to for a man to separate himself from the establishment and capture their own ideals, there was no better time in history than the French Revolution. Auguste barley graduated from military academy in 1795 as he was far too busy concerning his time in reading local newspapers, posters, and pamphlets and writing letters to Pauline to convey her to leave the family. Sadly he failed as father Lebeau had decided side with the Royalists, and eventually the family fled to Austria in late 1793. By the time he graduated from school, the majority of the Royal Army was loyal to the revolution.

Second Lieutenant Lebeau first saw action in Italy in 1796 as a member of the 8th Light Cavalry as part of the Army of Italy. Now Auguste Lebeau may not desire not be in the military, however that did not change his ability in the battlefield. He had earned various medals and honors for his duty throughout the next coalition wars. By 1804, to his dismay, he had obtained the rank of Major. Auguste was unable to bring himself to perform poorly in battle just for his own wants, and watch his men die due to his dereliction. His family had returned to Lorient by 1800 due to then First Consul Bonaparte’s reforms and grants of amnesty. Maj. Lebeau had promised himself that he would leave the military after the War of Third Coalition came to an end as he dreamed of buying a home near the Brittany coast to start a family. He knew that all could do now was dream of the future after way as he knew all too well the welts of warfare. He had charged the Austrian divisions at the Battle of Marengo, and he had been a part of the destruction of the Russian infantry at the 2nd Battle of Zurich. For now, he simply waited for the signal to march.

[irishman5]

Journal of Colonel Royer,

The stench of the severely wounded had finally left the heart of the collection of tents they now called a camp. The now combined armies of Marshal Ney and Marshal Masséna had already two devastating battles in the last two weeks. It was now clear to nearly everybody that the push towards Vienna would have to wait for another campaign. Nobody could have been more furious than Col. Royer who had argued vigorously for the northern passage to Vienna instead of coming from the south through Venice. Now word had passed through the upper ranks than an Austrian army was on the march from the northeast to hit them in the rear near Zagreb. Each battalion had lost over 150 men from their original dedication, and horses were running short for the brave cavalrymen. Emp. Napoleon’s army had claimed victory near the northern passage just west of Vienna, but when Napoleon received word of Mar. Ney’s current condition, he was forced to order the withdrawal back to the Eastern Empire; Napoleon to Innsbruck, Ney to Venice. Mar. Davout’s army was still maintaining a heavy presence in Brittany to force the British to worry about other ventures. One of the only positives of the soon-abandoned invasion of Austria was that the Austrians were not too weak to mount a serious attack on the Italian States to warrant Napoleon’s worries. Col. Royer had been studying the landscape of western Austria for weeks to try to gain any sort of edge when in battle; trying to impress superiors could have been an unintended consequence.

The horrors of war had not crept into Royer’s head quite yet as he had only been in the rear protecting the artillery and the forward infantry from any Austrian advances on their flank. His yearning for war had yet to fade luckily as he continued to volunteer for the lead in any forward offensives. Fortunately the French Army was full of exuberant men who were willing to die for the empire. Royer had only been able to send several correspondents to his sister, but they did not lack any love from her as she gave her entire support from Paris. He was happy for her as Paris was finally a relatively comfortable place to live for a middle-class woman. His only hope was then he could return to Paris after this campaign was over to showcase his decorations to her as he continued to yearn support, he needed that fuel to keep the fire of war inside of him aflame.

[irishman5]

Journal of Colonel Royer, April, 1806

Col. Royer had been on sea a few times prior in his life, but never accompanied with an entire army large enough to defeat the British Army. The army under Marshal Ney had left Brittany about two weeks ago, and with a small navy and a bit of luck were able to sneak past a small Royal fleet patrolling a trade route just south of Ireland. It took a couple days to get all of the soldiers and supplies ready, but as soon as Ney received word, the army was marching on Dublin. Within two weeks, a new country was born and Col. Royer and his comrades were on the way to Scotland. There had been no British garrison in Dublin so liberating wasn’t an issue, but the rugged and muggy terrain became problematic when traversing. The army was ordered to treat the locals with the upmost respect, as Napoleon knew that a strong and trustworthy Ireland would serve as an important ally. The Emperor himself would be landing in southern Whales soon with his army to advance toward London from the west, planning on Ney’s army approaching from the north after taking Edinburgh. Royer had been forced to punish dozens of men for minor infractions on everything from stealing to rape. For the first time in the last year Royer was content with his position. The army wasn’t up against any overwhelming forces, he was in charge of men he loved dearly, and he was helping in the liberation of a nation against the British. It had only been in the last three years that Royer had begun to hate the English. Their way of living and attitude toward the common man disgusted him; The Revolution’s legacies hadn’t been lost in the brave Colonel. The Irish campaign advanced his pride of being French to new heights.

It was assumed that the British would send up a mundane commander to halt the advancing French forces, someone to the like of Gen. Abercromby or Gen. Seddon, but even Col. Royer was surprised when word had passed that the Duke of Wellington was leading the forces to push the French back. Luckily the French had Marshal Ney couldn’t have a care in the world if they were up against the Duke of Wellington or Fredrick the Great! It worried Royer as he thought that Ney may underestimate the tactical ability of the Duke, and that a battle of great bloodshed may occur. He convinced himself though that all he needed to worry about are his men and their safety. Within the next day, the army was set to march towards the waiting British and the fate of Napoleon’s left flank and the British Empire lay at stake for the world and history to watch.

[irishman5]

To Maj. Lebeau’s satisfaction, Mar. Davout’s army had not seen any significant action in nearly a year. In early 1805 the army marched back to Paris to act as the reserve army in the situation of an English Invasion invaded with the greater part of the French army in Italy and Austria. He’d been able to spend time with his sister Pauline during her visits to Paris, and the city was now full of entertainment and life now that the revolution had been tamed. Sometimes weeks would go by before Maj. Lebeau need every think about the army’s current tactical situation, as news was slow to come from the east. As long as no English found their way due north of Paris, he had no worries in the world. He spent his time in isolation typically; reading, waling, or attending theatre were common routines. Sometimes even attending balls with his fellow officers. He was lucky enough to court a young woman, Helene, for a few months before she left for college in Italy. He was content with life, the lack of military battle interested him and he continued to look further down into his future. His happy melancholy soon ended when Davout’s army was notified of Emp. Napoleon’s and Mar. Ney’s soon invasion of the United Kingdom. This meant that Davout’s army was to be stationed near Strausbourg, for Maj. Davout, the news couldn’t have been more menacing.

Roads were muddy as winter was drawing to a near on the eastward march. Soldiers and officers alike were jubilant to soon be experiencing action, or at least be on the move to some destined battlefield. Mar. Davout had even been routinely performing military and award calls to further boost morale. Davout typically let his subordinates do the bidding for award distribution, but now Davout was satisfied as well to be marching into combat. There was no enemy force waiting for them near Innsbruck, Munich, or Venice, but they knew all too well that coalition forces would attack when word would reach them that Napoleon was in England. Lebeau only found comfort in the fact that he knew he was a gifted commander and that he meant a lot to his men. He’d never seen his men so eager to fight in his life. Their fresh horses and new armor would make anyone step aside as they approached. The news of Ireland’s liberation and of British defeat in Scotland garnered great applause from the army as the coalition forces seemed to be on the run. No word had been received of any enemy advances, a sign of sure military superiority for the French. However that suddenly changed when an inconspicuously dressed scout was capture near Munich. Unable to extract a significant amount of details from him, French scouts were sent out east, and it soon became apparent that a large Russian force was two days march from Munich. Mar. Davout decided to go on the offensive and march the army east. A gray haze swept over the army as the trudging of canon and marching men became some of the only omitted sounds while approaching the Russian army. Both physical and mental preparation was taking place in the minds of many as the army pushed forward. Maj. Lebeau was no exception as he only briefly spoke a word with his fellow cavalrymen. Soon the Russian army was sighted and camp was set up to prepare for tomorrows battle. Lebeau looked at his map, and they were positioned about 50-100 miles east of Munich, Bavaria. He knew next to nothing about this Germanic nation in the middle of Europe, but he knew he would remember it for years to come.

[irishman5]

It had been under a month since the victory at the Battle of the Dumfires Mines, and Col. Royer’s men were as jubilant as could be as they marched along the English countryside. They were around two days march from London, and just as planned, Napoleon’s army was approaching London from the west. It had been circulating through the ranks that the central England populous was in a shear panic as the two French armies were approaching, nothing like how the brave Parisians would act in a time of national threat. Even more unbelievable was the fact that the Emperor of France himself was leading the charge toward London. Rumor had it that Empress Josephine had accompanied his majesty in order to be crowned in Westminster Abbey, assuming a French victory had taken place. Col. Royer had received a minor wound to his left leg during the Battle of the Dumfries Mines, but that only made his men trust him more as a commander as he remounted his horse during the heat of the battle. All Royer was concerned about was finally defeating the English and hopefully bringing an end to this coalition. Luckily, the Royal Army’s next moved was relatively easy to predict. It would be foolish of the English to simply wait for both Napoleon and Ney to begin the siege of London to force a battle, so their only chance of victory was to attack each army separately before they could join up, it was just a question of who. On one hand, Marshal Ney’s army had already suffered heavy losses, but on the other hand defeating Napoleon’s army first would provide a major morale boost for the English. For Col. Royer and the rest of Ney’s army, it was only a matter of time before they would find out. It had only his Royer recently that they were on the verge of history by preparing to bring an end to the British Empire. He prayed that the English would attack Ney’s army first as he the upmost confidence that his men could handle anything that the Duke of Wellington brought forth. Soon his prayers were answered at Marshal Ney announced that scouts had found English army’s camp about twenty miles south of their current position. Every single soldier cheered as they prepared for a French victory against the Duke of Wellington. For the first time in Col. Royer’s military career, there was no fear on his mind, just the desire to bring the British threat to an end.

[irishman5]

-Journal of Jean-Pierre DuBois

Soldat DuBois had been under Mar. Terrasson-Lavilledieu’s command for around a year now, luckily for him there had been no real threats around the area of greater Italy. Most of the action had been taking place near Vienna or in England; Mar. Masséna’s army was serving as nothing more than a reserve army incase coalition forces overwhelmed the French forces stationed near Venice and Munich. Soldat Dubois spent his time writing letters home, trying to improve his reading schools, and most importantly, familiarizing himself with the local girls of Torino. His deployment in the French army had been his first real expedition beyond his home or the nearby seaport. It surprised him how much he enjoyed living away from home, as he had always thought that he would live in Terrasson-Lavilledieu for his entire life, but now his mind had changed. He had begun to show an interest in blacksmithing and carpentry, he no longer wanted to work on a farm with no real incentive to keep working. He yearned for a wife and a large family where there would be a father figure unlike his own family. DuBois wanted his children to be able to enjoy the new freedoms that the Revolution had brought about that he was never able to enjoy as a young child. He assumed it was only a matter of time before the war was over and the rest of his life could begin. Sadly, he was still a soldier in the French Army, and that army was at war.

Mar. Masséna’s army had been sent to Milan in order to support the Kingdom of Italy’s army, as a Russian force had passed through the Alps into northern Italy. However, under the direct opposition of French generals, the main Italian army pushed east to intercept the Russians before they could make their next move. They did win a slight early victory, but then were overwhelmed by Russian reinforcements and completely annihilated. Milan was now protected by a Massena’s small army with around 10,000 men, compared to the 30,000 Russian troops marching toward the city. Once it was clear that the Russian army was intent on capturing Milan, Mar. Masséna had no choice but to withdraw and fall back. It was an odd feeling for the men as they marched away from the city. They were hearing great stories of French victories in Scotland, England, and Bavaria, but yet the coalition forces were now just within 100 miles of the French border. In order to prevent the Russian army from advancing past Milan in order to destroy Masséna’s army, the Marshal made the decision to make camp in the Italian forests just south of the Alps. It was tough for Soldat DuBois as the army was sleeping in a cold and harsh environment compared to the comfort of Milan, with strict rations to ensure survival until French reinforcement could arrive. Estimates were that it would be a month before Milan could be recaptured, and for DuBois, he had never wished to fight this much in his life.

[irishman5]

Journal of Maj. Lebeau, 1806.

Marshal Davout’s army had lost many brave and talented soldiers at the Battle of Munich, but their sacrifices would not go forgotten as the Russian army was pushed back into Austria with their tails between their legs. Major Lebeau sat in his tent a disappointed man as he learned of a fresh Russian army approaching Venice in northeastern Italy. He had hoped that their victory in Bavaria would bring an end or at least a temporary cease in fighting between the great empires of Europe. He didn’t have many friends in the ranks of officers, but his dear friend Louis Dupont had fallen at the Battle of Bavaria, and one of the last things one his mind was more warfare. However Maj. Lebeau’s wishes would not be met as the Davout’s army was sent to invade Bohemia and capture Prauge. It was not a direct order, but Marshal Davout was made aware that the French treasury was running very low due to the British blockade on French ports, and that any treasures sent back to Paris would be greatly appreciated.

It was a long and strenuous march to Prague; luckily they met no Austrian resistance as they were primarily concentrated just outside of Paris in case of a French invasion. They met only light militia outside the city, and were marching down the streets of Prague within two weeks of leaving Innsbruck. Lebeau couldn’t bear to be friendly to the locals as he knew they would soon face looting and pillaging of all their valuable goods in their historic city. Is a long two weeks in Prague, Lebeau spent much of his day directing small battalions around the city, usually just for security measures, but also for the occasional riot. He was later told that their orders were to hold Prague until the Emperor returns from England, and then to join him as he marches toward Vienna. Lebeau was not happy one bit after hearing the news, but he only prayed that this final invasion would a bring an end to the war, and allow him to start his long lost dream on the coast of Brittany.

[Ybbon]

What a wonderful undiscovered gem! I just watched the first video, excellent (though missing their cavalry charging up and getting a load of your artillery was a little careless ), the commentary and background is really interesting and the battle was well played. I've not played much NTW but it was extremely enjoyable watching the battle unfold.

+rep

[Rex Anglorvm]

Well written and enjoyable.

Rep+

Rex

[irishman5]

What a wonderful undiscovered gem! I just watched the first video, excellent (though missing their cavalry charging up and getting a load of your artillery was a little careless ), the commentary and background is really interesting and the battle was well played. I've not played much NTW but it was extremely enjoyable watching the battle unfold.

+rep

thanks I hope you liked it!

[irishman5]

Well written and enjoyable.

Rep+

Rex

Thank you as well for reading and commenting!

[Dark Storm]

These are really enjoyable pieces, keep up the good work!!!

+rep