Siege of Bremen | |||||||
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Part of War of the Sixth Coalition | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Colonel Francois-Antoine Devallant | Major General Friedrich Karl, Baron von Tettenborn | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
Garrison of Bremen | Army of the North | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
1,100 men | 1,600 men and 4 guns | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Very light | Very light |
Battles of the War of the Sixth Coalition
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Previous | Next |
Battle of Liebertwolkwitz | Battle of Leipzig |
The Siege of Bremen (14 – 15 October 1813) was a two day siege of the City of Bremen within the Bouches-du-Weser départment of the French Empire.
Background[]
In 1813, following the disastrous French invasion of Russia, allied forces including the Kingdom of Prussia, Russian Empire, Kingdom of Sweden, and Austrian Empire, began pushing into French-allied territory. Among the territories to be first assaulted was those of the former Duchy of Oldenburg, Electorate of Hanover, Duchies of Bremen and Verden and Hanseatic League. The city of Bremen was one of the first to be sieged by a forward detachment of the newly formed Army of the North. The garrison included just a battalion of the 1st Swiss Regiment, recently reformed in Switzerland and 14 field guns facing a force of 800 Cossacks and the 1st Battalion of the Lützow Free Corps.[1]
The town had 30,000 inhabitants, which were of dubious loyalty to the Emperor. The forces' arrival was quite timely for the French commandant, Colonel Thuillier, as on 13 October, the town was assaulted by a mixed force of 800 Russian Cossacks and Prussian Freikorps under General Friedrich Karl von Tettenborn. The voltigeur company of the 1st Swiss under Captain Segesser was assigned to dispute the possession of the town's eastern suburb, and a French official who observed the combat noted that the Swiss "shot with such marvellous accuracy that any enemy soldier who showed himself was soon dead or wounded". The enemy retired. However, the Swiss made the mistake of pursuing them into open country. When a group of Cossacks appeared, a supporting French cavalry unit fled, leaving the voltigeurs surrounded. The Swiss chose to fight rather than surrender, but it was not a fair contest and 86 out of the 97 men were killed, captured, or wounded. Captain Segesser himself, badly wounded, is said to have fired two last pistol shots before he died and killed two cossacks.[2][3]
The next day saw more fighting and more Swiss casualties, but resistance faltered when Colonel Thuillier was killed, and Major Dufresne wounded. The new commander negotiated an honourable capitulation on 15 October, which allowed the garrison to leave with the honours of war but bound them not to fight against the allies anywhere north of the Rhine. Recruiters of the Russian–German Legion attempted to persuade the Swiss to desert and enlist in the said unit. However, the Swiss proudly disdained these advances with indignation. By a decree of 22 December 1813, four Swiss officers and two other ranks received the Legion of Honour for their part in the town's defence.[1][3]
Order of battle[]
The order of battle of forces involved included:[1]
French Garrison[]
- Garrison of Bremen: Colonel Francois-Antoine Devallant (1,100 men)
- 1st Swiss Regiment (1 x battalion)
- Infantry Detachments
- 14 x Field Guns
Detachment, Army of the North[]
- Detachment, Army of the North: Major General Friedrich Karl, Baron von Tettenborn (1,600 men)
- 800 x Russian Cossacks
- 1st Battalion, Lützow's Free Corps (including 4 x Field Guns)
Notes[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Smith, p. 461
- ↑ "Napoleon's Foreign Infantry (Italians, Poles, Irishmen, Croats, Germans and Swiss)". http://www.napolun.com/mirror/web2.airmail.net/napoleon/infantry_Napoleon_3.htm#swiss.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Dempsey, pp. 625–646
References[]
- Smith, Digby (1998). The Greenhill Napoleonic wars data book. London Mechanicsburg, PA: Greenhill Books Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-1-85367-276-7. OCLC 37616149.
- Dempsey, Guy C. (2002). Napoleon's Mercenaries: Foreign Units in the French Army Under the Consulate and Empire, 1799 to 1814. Bodmin, Cornwall, United Kingdom: Greenhill Books. ISBN 978-1853674884. OCLC 474117429.
The original article can be found at Siege of Bremen and the edit history here.