IV Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée)
| IV Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1812–1815 |
| Country |
 First French Empire
|
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Cavalry Corps |
| Size | Two cavalry divisions |
| Engagements | Napoleonic Wars |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Victor de Fay de La Tour-Maubourg François Étienne de Kellermann Édouard Jean Baptiste Milhaud |
The IV Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée) was a French military formation that existed during the Napoleonic Wars. The corps was created in 1812 and rebuilt in 1813 and 1815. Emperor Napoleon first organized the corps for the French invasion of Russia. Under General of Division Victor de Fay de La Tour-Maubourg, the corps fought at Borodino. During the War of the Sixth Coalition in 1813, General of Division François Étienne de Kellermann commanded the all-Polish corps at Leipzig. During the Hundred Days in 1815, Napoleon reconstituted the corps and nominated General of Division Édouard Jean Baptiste Milhaud to direct it. Composed entirely of cuirassier regiments, the two divisions fought at Ligny and Waterloo.
At the beginning of the French invasion of Russia, the IV Cavalry Corps numbered 7,964 troopers in 40 squadrons with 24 cannons attached. The corps was placed under the leadership of General of Division Victor de Fay de La Tour-Maubourg and organized into two divisions under Generals of Division Alexander Rozniecki and Jean Thomas Guillaume Lorge. Rozniecki's 4th Light Cavalry Division was made up of Poles while Lorge's 7th Heavy Cavalry Division consisted of Poles, Saxons, and Westphalians. Along with three infantry corps, the corps formed part of the Second Support Army under King Jérôme Bonaparte. On 9 July 1812, General of Brigade Casimir Turno's 900-strong brigade of Rozniecki's division was defeated by 4,500 Cossacks under General Matvei Platov at Karelichy. The 3rd, 15th, and 16th Lancers lost 356 men killed, wounded, or captured. The next day, near Mir in modern-day Belarus, 1,600 troopers of Rozniecki's division were again worsted in a clash with a mixed force of 5,000 Russians, including Russian regular infantry and cavalry plus Cossacks. Elements of the Polish 2nd, 3rd, 9th, 11th, 15th, and 16th Lancer Regiments were engaged. The Russians suffered 180 casualties while Polish losses are unknown.
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