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1806 Musketeer IR2

Von Rucheuls

 

Organisation

Introduction

 

At the start of 1806  Prussia was in a peculiar position, of the big five European powers Prussia was by far the poorest, had the smallest population, however its army was not small in comparison and based on the exploits of Frederick the Great in the Seven Years War (1757-63) fifty years earlier held itself in high esteem

 

Power

Poulation

Army

Military Spend £m

Russia

40 million

300,000+

Unknown

France

30 million

250,000

16

Austria

21 million

330,000

10

Britain

18 million

120,000

41

Prussia

9 million

230,000

4

 

Prussia had last fought against France during the Revolutionary Wars from 1792-7 as part of the 1st  coalition allied with Austria. Although the coalition was defeated  Prussia fared reasonably well against the French Revolutionary Army.  In the five recognised battles that ensued, Prussia was victorious in 2, defeated in 2 with the other inconclusive.  When the war ended Prussia remained neutral until declaring war against France in 1806.

 

In 1806 the army was essentially the same as it was when Frederick the Great had died in 1786.  The training manuals, tactics and organisation were for the most part unchanged and related primarily to the depot battalions, officer and company compliments.    However there had been some developments. The Prussians had devised a form of General Staff in the 17th Century, when the Quartermasters General Staff (QGS) was created to perform certain logistical tasks for the army, i.e. routes of march, engineering, encampments etc.  These tasks were given to officers who were not attached to an individual regiment.

 

The QGS underwent a number of changes growing to seven departments, however after the peace of 1797 financial pressure caused its reduction to three departments in 1802.

 

Department

Responsibility

1st Department

  Military Formations & Supply

2nd Department

  Clothing & Equipment 

3rd Department

  Recruitment & Invalides

 

In April of 1806 the first organisational changes of the army were issued by the general staff.  The army was to be organised into 14 Divisions of mixed arms, however the Prussians did not have enough trained divisional officers to make this transition work in the field, and at the start of the 1806 campaign the army was not well drilled in its use.

 

 

 

 

 

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