Since 1963, the Borisov Museum on the Berezina has held among its treasures a Napoleonic eagle found a few kilometers away, whose ownership remains uncertain to this day. Elements gathered over several years of research have led to a serious hypothesis about the regiment that lost its emblem
One evening in June 1963, a local fisherman, Nikolai Alexandrovich Naumovets, discovered a relatively well-preserved eagle in the Lochnitza River, on the road to Borisov, still attached to a piece of its staff—rotted but showing no signs of burning. The object was handed over to the Borisov Museum shortly afterward, directed by Natasha Rakhovich. The emblem was intact, appearing neither hammered nor melted. However, the original gilding had mostly vanished, revealing beautiful, unoxidized bronze. Judging by the inscriptions and various marks, the eagle is authentic. Its characteristics match those of an 1804 model, and the base, which bears no number, has several perforations.
Description: Some Clues
At first glance, the object shows perforations on both the front and back panels of the base, totaling eight or nine, marks of former regimental numbers. Two of these holes are larger than the others and located at the center of the base. According to Pierre Charrié, a specialist in eagles and flags who examined the emblem closely, it had been used twice, the first time with a single number. This is not surprising since, following the February 1808 decree reducing the number of eagles to one per battalion or squadron, many surplus eagles were returned to the depot for possible reuse. The absence of a number does not allow for the identification of the regiment. This remains a mystery. The engravings of Roman numerals and symbols authenticate the eagle. However, these marks, which according to experts, might be the manufacturer's mark, suggest that the parts making up the eagle might have different origins, indicating it might have been "reconstructed." The meaning of these Roman numerals, found on other eagles, remains a mystery to this day.
Process of Elimination
To compile the following list, we first eliminated units of the Grande Armée that, due to their remote geographical locations, were not at the Berezina. Thus, the 10th (Macdonald) and 11th (Augereau) corps, located much further north and in Germany, respectively, are not concerned. Nor are units composed of foreign troops not equipped with French eagles, such as Poniatowski's Polish 5th corps with different model eagles, or the Bavarians of Gouvion's 6th corps, Reynier's 7th corps Saxons, Schwarzenberg's 12th Austrian corps heading towards Minsk to the south, and Jerome's 8th corps Westphalians. It is worth noting that the Imperial Guard lost no eagles during the campaign.
This was nearly the case for Marshal Davout's 1st corps and its 127th line regiment—but that was at Krasnoi. Similarly, Oudinot's 2nd corps, despite fierce battles with Tchichagov's troops on the left bank to retake the Borisov bridge, and then on the right bank to protect the Studianka bridgehead, lost no emblem. Although there is no information on the fate of the 7th Cuirassiers Regiment's eagle, it seems unlikely it was lost or abandoned while it presented a significant combat force that would successfully engage on the right bank.
Under Marshal Ney's leadership of the 3rd corps, his exceptional leadership qualities during the retreat were evident, especially since Krasnoi, where he was encircled and lost half of the meager forces remaining to him, crossing the Dnieper until joining the main army at Orsha. Surprisingly, only three regiments out of ten lost their eagle: two at Krasnoi (the 4th Chasseurs à Cheval and the 18th Line), and one at the Berezina (11th Hussars) preserved in Saint Petersburg. The 129th Line, created in 1811, was equipped with an 1812 model eagle. As for the unfortunate fate of the 4th Corps regiments, let's examine it more closely.
The Case of the 4th Corps Eagles
After the battles of Maloyaroslavets and especially Krasnoi, Eugene de Beauharnais' 4th Corps suffered significantly, with troop numbers reduced by about three thousand men, a loss of 30%. Some skeletal regiments might have feared losing their standard in the next serious engagement. It should be noted that only twelve regiments composing the corps at the campaign's start are French: the 13th division (Delzons) consists of the 8th Light, the 84th Line (1st Brigade), From the 92nd Line and the 106th Line (2nd Brigade). According to a regimental report in 1813: Colonel Pegot of the 84th Line followed orders but kept the plaque bearing the inscription "one against ten," an "honorable inscription that His Majesty had placed on this eagle as a reward for their gallant conduct"; the 92nd Line (Colonel Lagnier) destroyed its eagle at the bivouac on November 18 at Lyadi on the orders of General Mejean, aide-de-camp to Eugène de Beauharnais; the eagle of the 106th (Colonel Bertrand) was destroyed on the night of November 17 to 18 between Lyadi and Orsha.
As for the 9th Line, under the command of Colonel Vautré, the testimony of Lieutenant Meunier, the regiment's eagle-bearer at the Moskova, cut off from his comrades and surrounded by the enemy, deserves attention: "Wounded by two bayonet stabs, I fell, but I managed to make an effort to prevent the eagle from falling into the enemy's hands. Several Russians rushed at me and surrounded me, but, getting back on my feet, I managed to throw the eagle, its staff, and the flag over their heads, towards some of our soldiers I luckily saw nearby, who were trying to make their way to save the eagle. That was all I could do before falling again and being captured." (5)
This involved an eagle and flag of the 1812 model. The officer returned to France in 1814 and found some former comrades from his regiment who had survived the Russian campaign and had brought the eagle back to France. The eagle was then handed over to the Minister of War and destroyed. But according to the 4th Corps report, "the eagle was destroyed and broken into small pieces and thrown into the Dnieper at Orsha on November 19, 1812, by order of H.I.H. the Vice-King. This was attested by all the officers, returned from the combat battalions." (6) On June 15, 1813, the regiment received its eagle and flag, also of the 1812 model, before Lieutenant Meunier returned from captivity (7).
Doubts remain for the 18th Light. Not about whether this regiment, like all those of the light infantry, had their emblem. It is established that in 1804, the regiment received three. By an Emperor's order of March 27, 1807, stating that light infantry regiments would not have eagles in the army, the surplus eagles were sent back in 1812 to the depot in Geneva. Would the regiment have nevertheless kept an eagle in service (model 1804)? If so, it can logically be thought that it was a first use.
As for the 35th Line, it was indeed captured at Krasnoi despite the very vague indications provided by the report of May 12, 1813. But we are talking about the flag because the bird and cravat are preserved in Russia. They can be seen today in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan.
According to a regimental report in 1813, the eagle of the 53rd Line (Colonel Grosbon) was destroyed on orders at Orsha on November 18 (8).
Other regiments from these two divisions were either Croatian or Spanish and therefore did not have eagles. The same for the 15th Division which included Italian and Dalmatian regiments. The 9th and 19th Light Cavalry Regiments formed the 12th Light Cavalry Brigade. Regarding the 1812 model standards of these two French regiments, while we know some details of their state before the campaign, there are nevertheless few clues about the conditions of their disappearance in Russia.
In summary, one may wonder about the fate of some emblems of the 4th Corps: the 8th and 18th Lights, the 9th and 19th Light Cavalry. But the likelihood that the eagle of Borisov is one of these regiments is very low if we consider the path of Eugène's corps which will not be involved in the battle and will pass well north of Lochnitza, the place of discovery.
Myth or reality: were French eagles deliberately destroyed or burned?
At the end of the Russian campaign, it is clear that several standards disappeared without knowing what became of them. Some testimonies from French sources, and direct witnesses, report an almost general destruction of the eagles on the Emperor's orders, a few days before the crucial days of the Berezina. This is intriguing.
Distinguishing myth from reality should allow us some hypotheses about the identity of the eagle of Borisov. Constant relates: "[...] However, a council was held. It was resolved that the army would rid itself
Distinguishing myth from reality should allow us some hypotheses on the identity of the Borisov eagle. Constant relates, "However, a council was held. It was resolved that the army would rid itself of all unnecessary burdens that could hinder its march. Never was there more unity in opinion. Never was deliberation more serene; it was the calm of people entrusting themselves one last time to the will of God and their bravery. The Emperor had all the corps' eagles brought to him; they were burned; he thought deserters did not need them. It was a very sad spectacle to see these men stepping out of the ranks one by one, discarding what they loved more than their lives. I have never seen such profound dejection, and shame felt so keenly. For it very much resembled a general degradation of all the braves of Moscow. The Emperor had attached a talisman to these eagles. Then he made it too clear that there was no longer any faith. He must have been very unhappy to come to that. At least it was a consolation for the soldiers to think that the Russians would only have their ashes. What a picture it was, the burning of the eagles, especially for those like me who had attended the magnificent ceremony of their distribution to the army at the Boulogne camp, before the Austerlitz campaign!"
The painting by W. Kossak, a famous Polish painter, illustrates Constant's words, almost verbatim, recounting the tale by Count de Ségur. It shows a defeated, perplexed, meditative, perhaps discouraged Napoleon. In short, in a state of defeat. These accounts, now considered unfounded, were echoed by Russian authorities to fuel their propaganda and are still found today in recent French works.
But could such a scene have taken place? Could the Emperor, a few days before the Berezina, have ordered the destruction of his eagles? Under what conditions? Some historians, like F. Beaucour, refuse to believe it. Could other officers have been compelled to give such an order? These questions have sparked controversy. It is indeed hard to imagine Napoleon resigning himself to destroy the imperial emblem, for several reasons. The Emperor was not a man to give in to resignation. It was not in his nature or his role as a leader. The phrase attributed to him in 1813 when the allies proposed peace and a return to the borders of 1702 – "The allies could be on the heights of Montmartre, and I would not cede Belgium" – sums it up well. Moreover, as a leader, he forbade any apparent weakness related to doubt or discouragement. This was very rare and only in his immediate entourage, not among his soldiers. Finally, the eagle, a sacred symbol, was thought to be the indissoluble bond among the men of a regiment who rallied around it. Ordering its destruction would have been a dark message to the entire Grande Armée about its dire situation, thereby dealing a terrible blow to the morale of the men.
Moreover, the accounts of Ségur (on which Gourgaud casts doubts), Constant, and notably the narrative of Castellane, are contradicted by facts, as acknowledged by historian I. Groutso: if such an order was given by the Emperor, it was not carried out because several eagles were nonetheless captured, destroyed, or lost after crossing the Berezina. Many flags were taken in battles – proving the reactivity of the Napoleonic troops – or found on corpses...
Moreover, resupplying was still happening, and the corps of Victor and Oudinot were reinforcing the retreating army. Finally, according to Russian sources, the isbas of Studianka were demolished to build bridges except for those where Napoleon bivouacked and "the eagle guards where the eagles were also located."
However, if a regiment disappears or no longer constitutes a real and effective combat unit, the eagle loses its purpose. Likewise, an eagle captured by the enemy meant dishonor for the regiment. Its command then had to justify itself, invoking "honorable circumstances" to the Emperor to obtain its (possible) replacement.
As we have seen, the guard of the eagle was entrusted to soldiers and non-commissioned officers selected for their spirit of sacrifice and their value in combat. They were ready for the ultimate sacrifice. The safeguarding of the Eagle, which must not fall into enemy hands under any circumstances, is therefore morally and symbolically paramount, under penalty of dishonor. Nevertheless, circumstances sometimes led these men and their hierarchy to make difficult, even surprising, decisions to avoid this dishonor. Thanks to testimonies and archives, we know some of these circumstances. But the case of the 4th Corps and its regiments deserves examination.
Which regiments might have lost their 1804 model eagle in the Lochnitza?
We know that, on the 23rd, Admiral Tchitchakov sent General Pahlen towards
Which regiments could have lost their 1804 model eagle in the Lochnitza?
We know that on the 23rd, Admiral Tchitchakov sent General Pahlen towards Lochnitza and Bobr, between Koutouzov's and Wittgenstein's armies to block the road to Borisov and its bridgehead, which had been taken two days earlier, to crush them. At 1 p.m., Pahlen's vanguard was repelled in front of Lochnitza by soldiers from General Legrand's 6th division. Overthrown, it had to retreat hastily to Borisov, with Oudinot's men on their heels. Of all the regiments participating in this success, only the eagles of the 3rd and 24th Light Cavalry, from the 9th division of Oudinot's corps, were missing at the end of the campaign. But a question arises: could these two regiments—or even just one—have lost or abandoned their emblem while in a position of victory and pursuing Russians only concerned with fleeing?
The 9th Corps of Victor
It remains to review the regiments of Marshal Victor's 9th Corps, whose role in this memorable battle was decisive for the salvation of the Grande Armée. There is General Daendels' 26th division, comprising the Berg Infantry, the Hessian Infantry, and the Baden Infantry. So, no eagle there. Then came the Polish troops of the 28th Division, with different emblems, and the 12th Division under the command of General Partouneaux.
Like those of Oudinot's 2nd Corps, Victor's men did not go as far as Moscow but were stationed along the way, effectively forming a second line, a support in case of retreat. Thus, they were not as tired as "those from Moscow."
These two corps, in a state of relative physical and moral combat readiness, played a very important role in the course of operations: the first in defending the bridgehead on the right bank against Tchitchakov, after crossing the Berezina first as soon as the upstream bridge was completed; the second fought as a rear guard on the left bank to counter Wittgenstein's advance.
The role assigned to the 12th division, after positioning itself on the southern wing of the French front, was to delay the advance of Wittgenstein's Russians on the left bank until the ultimate limit, when the bulk of the fighting forces had crossed the Berezina, the general would, in turn, have his men cross, as a rear guard, on the 28th at the end of the day. As night had already fallen for several hours, making communication difficult, and after a sequence of unfortunate events which we will spare the reader the details of, General Partouneaux began a retreat but headed towards Russian camps which he mistook for French camps. Completely disoriented, encircled in a somewhat marshy area, exhausted, he had to surrender on the night of November 29th.
Within the 9th Corps, General Partouneaux's 12th division, whose name will remain associated with the scenario of the Berezina, comprised three brigades and aligned eight French regiments. Some, like the 10th Light Infantry, the 36th, 51st, and the 55th Line, had only one battalion (the 55th being the only one to escape captivity). Their respective colonels—Luneau, Métrot, Taillé, and Schwiter—were in Spain with the rest of their regiment and thus accompanied by their eagle.
The 44th and 126th Line regiments would have their eagles captured at the Berezina, while that of the 125th Line would be saved by Commander Fremanger. This brings us to the hypothesis of the 29th Light Infantry.
Why the 29th Light Infantry?
At the end of this disastrous campaign, from late December 1812 to early 1813, a review was conducted. Regarding the eagles, regiments were asked to confirm if they were still in their possession.
Among the regiments that did not respond was the 29th Light Infantry. Let's briefly revisit the regiment's history and recall that it participated as early as 1796 in the Montenotte maneuver, marking the beginning of the Italian campaign led by Bonaparte, through the diversionary movement on Salo. Under the Consulate, the regiment was part of the Batavian Legion commanded by General Augereau, the future marshal. The demi-brigade was dissolved in September 1803, and its personnel reinforced the 16th Light Infantry. In July 1802, a detachment was sent to the Isle of France (now Reunion Island), in the Indian Ocean, to join a battalion of the 18th Light Demi-Brigade; the remaining personnel were stationed in Rennes. After surrendering to the British forces in 1810, a part of the regiment's personnel, now referred to as the Isle of France regiment, returned to metropolitan France, with the battalions stationed partly on the Isle of Ré and partly in Brest. In March 1811, Napoleon reformed the regiment, and the four battalions were to rally in Paris, along with a fifth, after "incorrigible deserters and bad elements" were excluded. This last battalion would not depart for Russia.
The 29th Light Infantry was incorporated into Marshal Victor's 9th Corps, 12th Division (Partouneaux), 1st Brigade (Billard). At the start of the campaign, its theoretical strength was 2,741 men and it had four battalions. It was commanded by its colonel, Chrysostom Bruneteau de Sainte-Suzanne, its historical leader since the Indian Ocean. It's worth noting that it was the only complete regiment in the division with its four battalions.
The 29th Light Infantry indeed had an eagle
The imperial dispositions of March 27, 1807, and the decree of February 1808 stipulated that light infantry would not be equipped with an eagle. Therefore, one could argue that the 29th Light Infantry had none during the Russian campaign. Aside from the fact that the regiment was indeed equipped with one in August 1811 – a model 1804 eagle, which was also reissued in March 1812, along with the model 1812 fabric – the answer to this objection is found in two correspondence documents from the Historical Defense Service: the first is a letter from the war administration directorate to the Minister of War, the Duke of Feltre, dated January 9, 1812, confirming that the 29th Light Infantry, like the 127th, 128th, and 129th Line Infantry, would indeed be equipped with an eagle. The second document is a response dated April 1, 1812, from the minister to the Emperor, who reproached that the regiment had received its eagle directly without him handing it over as he had decreed: the minister respectfully replied that it was not a new allocation but an exchange with the eagle when the corps served in the Indian Ocean under the name of the Isle-de-France Regiment. This confirms that the regiment had its eagle from the start of the dramatic campaign of 1812, unlike newly created regiments that had to prove themselves in battle, like the 127th, which would receive the precious symbol only after the Battle of Valoutina.
The history of the 29th, which existed before the creation of eagles in 1804 but was dissolved in 1803 and then reconstituted in 1811, explains why it was assigned a model 1804 eagle from surplus eagle reserves, hence the various perforations on the caisson.
The regiment had an eagle bearer, and we have found evidence of him in the Vincennes archives. He was a certain François Pelisson, born in 1789 in Tarn, measuring 1.69 m tall with grey eyes (!). He came from the depot of the 115th Line, which mainly comprised draft dodgers, and was incorporated in March 1812 into the 1st company of the 2nd battalion. It's worth noting that the troop rosters of the 29th Light Infantry for 1811 and 1812 mainly list elements from the depots of the 114th, 115th, and 118th Line, that is, draft dodgers and deserters. Our man was taken prisoner on November 28 at the Berezina. He did not get killed defending his eagle. He returned to France in 1814.
Final clue: the initiative of Colonel Bruneteau de Sainte-Suzanne
It has been claimed that Colonel de Sainte-Suzanne successfully saved his regiment's eagle at the Berezina and brought it back to France after his captivity. Evidence of this is a letter (undated) sent during the Restoration by General Duvivier, the colonel's son-in-law, to the Minister of War, thanking him for having his father-in-law's name engraved on the Arc de Triomphe. The letter recounts the main stages of the military career of the person in question, particularly "Colonel de St Suzanne, taken prisoner at the passage of the Berezina with the weak remnants of his regiment, which had supported the army's retreat at the extreme rear-guard, managed to save the eagle of his regiment by constantly hiding it under his clothes and brought it back to France," signed by the camp marshal commanding the department of Mayenne, Duvivier, to the Marshal of France, Minister of War (15).
In this context, does the word "eagle" refer to the bronze bird or the flag? It is not specified. The distinction is not entirely clear during the Empire. But it can be thought that it was easier for the officer to hide fabric under his clothes and conceal it for years, as reported in other circumstances by Dr. de Roos: "At the first stop, the flags, fortunately, preserved until then, were entrusted to the strongest among the grenadiers. Some preferred to wrap them around their body, others to fold them into their bag. As at the departure from Viazma, the chief general advised me to look after the men." (16)
Study of the perforations on the caisson
The perforations on the caisson, numerous and of different sizes, are not of much help for identification. They indicate a reuse of the emblem, which complicates matters. Moreover, the style of the numbers could vary from one regiment to another, as could the number and placement of rivets. Thus, the number 2 generally had two fixing holes but could sometimes have three, as with the 23rd Line.
However, nothing contradicts the hypothesis that it is indeed the eagle of the 29th Light Infantry Regiment.
A coherent scenario proposed
In one of his letters to Pierre Charrié, the historian Fernand Beaucour raises two arguments that cast doubt on the notion that the 29th Light Infantry disposed of the emblem in the Lochnitza. The first is the regiment's location at the time of its capture: situated between Marshal Victor's corps and Borisov, that is, approximately 20 km west of the Lochnitza, it is hard to imagine these soldiers heading directly east over such a long distance. The second argument is that these lost soldiers, aware of their imminent capture or death, could have disposed of their eagle much earlier, in the Skra River, closer to Borisov. Pierre Charrié's hypothesis seems more logical: when the Partouneaux division is captured, it's towards the east, in the direction of captivity, that the prisoners resume their journey and re-cross the Lochnitza. This explains the location of the discovery.
With all the elements we have examined and that coincide, a coherent scenario emerges. On the night of November 28 to 29, the remnants of three brigades, brigade generals Camus, Billard, Blamont, and what was left of their forces, surrounded, except for a battalion of the 55th Line, were made prisoners about ten kilometers east of Borisov. Only the 29th Light Infantry still had the eagle, the flag, and the eagle bearer. Arriving at the edge of the Lochnitza, on the path to captivity, François Pelisson disposes of the eagle in the river on orders. As for the fabric, Colonel Sainte-Suzanne keeps it with him and conceals it until his return to France in 1814.
These conclusions, of course, do not claim to hold the absolute truth about this mystery, and the future may bring elements that could refute or confirm our hypothesis. Nevertheless, we submit them to the reader's discernment.
The discovery site: the Lochnitza
The emblem was discovered a dozen versts (about 10 to 11 km) east of Borisov, in a small river named Lochniza or Locjnitza, which meanders from north to south for only a few kilometers, joining the Zamojana, a tributary of the Berezina. In the summer, the river is almost dry, as it was during the summer of 1963. To understand the significance of the discovery site, it must be placed within the broader context of the Battle of the Berezina, which lasted three days under harrowing conditions.
Colonel de Sainte-Suzanne
Coming from the minor nobility of Champagne, Chrysostom Bruneteau de Sainte-Suzanne (not to be confused with his brother Pierre Antoine) joined the Anjou regiment in 1789 as a gentleman cadet. Then came the Revolution, and he was deployed to the armies of the Rhine, then to the West, the Vosges, the North, the Eastern Pyrenees, Italy, and the West. In 1803, he left for the Isle of France, where he became governor, and then colonel of the 29th Light Infantry. In July 1810, after fierce resistance against the English, he capitulated and was taken captive until February 1811, when he returned to metropolitan France and rejoined his regiment as colonel. At the crossing of the Berezina, on November 27, 1812, he was captured and would not return to France until June 1814 (or July, according to service records).
Comments