Since 1963, the Borisov Museum on the Berezina has held a Napoleonic eagle found a few kilometers away among its treasures, whose ownership remains uncertain. Elements gathered over several years of research have led to a severe 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 mainly 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 the base's front and back panels, totaling eight or nine marks of former regimental numbers. Two of these holes are more significant than the others and are 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.
Process of Elimination
To compile the following list, we first eliminated units of the Grande Armée that were not at the Berezina due to their remote geographical locations. 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 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. At the same time, 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 following 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), the 92nd
Comentários