I Corps (Grande Armée)
| I Corps (Grande Armée) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1805–1815 |
| Country |
 First French Empire
|
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Army Corps |
| Size | Two to five infantry divisions, cavalry, artillery |
| Engagements | Napoleonic Wars |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte Claude Perrin Victor Louis-Nicolas Davout Dominique Vandamme Jean-Baptiste Drouet, Comte d'Erlon |
The I Corps of the Grande Armée was a military unit that existed during the Napoleonic Wars. The corps was composed of troops in Imperial French service.
The corps was formed in 1805 and Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte was appointed its commander.
It fought at Austerlitz in 1805
It took part in the battles of Schleiz, Halle and Lübeck in 1806, and Mohrungen and Spanden in 1807. After Bernadotte was wounded at Spanden, Claude Victor-Perrin led the corps at Friedland where his tactics won him a marshal's baton.
Victor continued to lead the I Corps in Spain where it was engaged at Uclés, Medellín, Alcantara, Talavera in 1809, the Siege of Cádiz beginning in 1810, and Barrosa in 1811.
The corps was reorganized in the strength of five infantry divisions for the French invasion of Russia in 1812 and Marshal Louis-Nicolas Davout was appointed to lead it. At the crossing of the Niemen River in 1812, the I Corps' size was about 79,000 men, but by the Battle of Smolensk, about 60,000 men remained. By the end of the Russian campaign, only 2,235 men remained.
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