La Grande Armée (Episode 2) - The Infantry & Officer Corps [28:02-33:03]

After breakfast the battalions set off in columns one after the other, leaving behind all it wasn't strictly necessary. On roads within France or allied nations the battalions marched in double-file lines at the side of the road, leaving the middle of the road free for traffic. When in hostile country the entire road was used. As needed the battalions could also march across country. In all cases the battalion in the lead dictated the pace for the entire regiment. Standard marching speed was exactly 67 steps to the minute. This cadence was carefully maintained by drummers marching at the front of the column. It was vital that the leading battalion stickers close to the set pace as possible, failing to do so would cause massive slowdowns in the battalions as each bunched up against the other. If you want an example of this phenomenon in action think about highway or freeway driving. A slowdown ahead causes a slowdown behind which then ripples back through traffic. This phenomenon was well understood in La Grande d'Alme and the main solution was to stagger the battalions by an interval of 240 feet. That way the pace could be modified of the forward battalions slowed or sped up without causing jams. The average march covered between 15 to 20 km a day. Each hour there was a small break. In my country we'd call it a smoker and the French probably wouldn't shirk the comparison as the Ote de Pippe or Ote de Fumis was just enough time for a smoker to drink. A longer lunch break was called for a midday. This pause gave time for the troops to drop their gear and eat. Eventually the march would resume and carry on until a stop was called. Marching at night saw torches and candles lit to guide the way. In full kit and over rough terrain each march was a test and endurance, but nothing compared to the dreaded forced marches. Napoleon was not averse to calling for a forced march of 30 to 35 miles per day. A forced march can sometimes erroneously be reduced to a demand that the troops advance with all due haste, but in reality it referred to a specific type of marching. The morning breakfast would be observed, but after that the pace was set at 100 steps per minute, sometimes more. Holtz would be ignored and the march continued for as long as was ordered. In effect it was a marathon set at jogging pace that continued from dawn till dusk, and sometimes even longer. Gruelling 24 hour forced marches were the norm. De Vue's third corps even completed a 36 hour march from Vienna to Ausdelitz to relieve Claude Lagrange at Tillitz. Earlier in the campaign in another epic feat of endurance, the imperial guard covered the distance from Paris to the front in Germany in only a few days. A normal march was brutal enough, but a forced march was something else entirely. Men would fall out of line, days then exhausted, heat stroke and dehydration failed many more, especially in hotter climates. Some might collapse and die succumbing to exhaustion. Those who didn't have the strength to continue were loaded onto wagons or carried on a litter, but under no circumstances could the columns stop. As a result, forced marches carried a steep price. Not only did the strain kill several soldiers per regiment, but had undermined cohesion and discipline. Many of the forced marches that seemed to miraculously deliver a corps in the nick of time, more accurately delivered only a ramp of the fittest troops. Two-thirds of more of a corps could be strung out in a long line stretching back many miles. Knowing this, corps commanders would call their own forced marches only in dire situations. Napoleon was less cautious, arguably too quick to order a forced march. Nonetheless, forced marches were an important tool in his belt, allowing him to amass forces within a day when several might be needed else-wise. It fell to the officers to keep cohesion during forced and regular marches. An uphill struggle, often literally, given the tough terrain on which Le Grandaume tread. Even the most organised marches saw soldiers drop out of line, wagons get bogged down and pack animals collapse. The best the officers could do was maintain discipline, which they did with an iron fist. The aim was to keep the columns advancing in good order at all times. Here the officers sabre so it's real use, smacking the heads of a lingering or dawdling faunter sa. Such honouring discipline was imposed for practical reasons. This order was intolerable in campaigns in which any delay could imperil carefully laid plans. Of course, little could be done to mitigate the vagaries of weather and terrain, which were ultimately the true arbiter of progress. After all, there's no fast way for an army to pass a bog or highlands or rivers. Moral was also closely tied to the order of a march, and after repeated defeats after 1813, Le Grandaume marched in lazy heaps rather than rigid columns. Still, in totality, French soldiers were formidable marches.