Reserve Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée)
| Reserve Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1805–1812 |
| Country |
 First French Empire
|
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Army Corps |
| Size | Five to eight cavalry divisions, artillery |
| Engagements | Napoleonic Wars |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Joachim Murat Jean-Baptiste Bessières |
The Reserve Cavalry Corps or Cavalry Reserve of the Grande Armée was the name of a French military formation that existed during the Napoleonic Wars. In 1805, Emperor Napoleon appointed Marshal Joachim Murat to command all the cavalry divisions that were not directly attached to the Army Corps. During the Ulm Campaign, Murat led his horsemen in successfully hunting down many Austrian Empire units that escaped the Capitulation of Ulm. Murat's horsemen fought at Austerlitz in December 1805. Under Murat, the Cavalry Reserve played a prominent role in the destruction of the Kingdom of Prussia's armies after the Battle of Jena-Auerstadt in 1806. Five dragoon divisions of the corps were employed in the Peninsular War starting in 1808 and placed under the overall command of Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bessières. The Cavalry Reserve was reassembled in 1809 to fight Austria with Bessières still in command. In 1812 the Reserve Cavalry Corps was split up into the I, II, III, and IV Cavalry Corps for the French invasion of Russia.
At its beginning, Napoleon's Grande Armée comprised seven army corps, the Imperial Guard, the artillery reserve, and the Cavalry Reserve. The latter consisted of two cuirassier, one light cavalry, and five dragoon divisions, including one dismounted. The mass of 22,000 cavalrymen was supported by 24 pieces of artillery. The remainder of the army's cavalry was distributed among the army corps in brigades or divisions. Napoleon appointed Marshal Joachim Murat to command the Reserve Cavalry. Étienne Marie Antoine Champion de Nansouty and Jean-Joseph Ange d'Hautpoul led the cuirassier divisions while Louis Klein, Frédéric Henri Walther, Marc Antoine de Beaumont, and François Antoine Louis Bourcier headed the dragoon divisions and Louis Baraguey d'Hilliers commanded the dismounted unit. On 8 October 1805 at the Battle of Wertingen, Murat and Marshal Jean Lannes attacked an isolated Austrian division under Franz Xaver von Auffenberg. Murat's horsemen included Klein's 3,000-strong dragoon division, Beaumont's 2,400-man dragoon division, and light cavalry brigades under Antoine Lasalle and Anne-François-Charles Trelliard. With the support of some V Corps infantry, Murat's horsemen rode down the hapless Austrians, inflicting losses of 400 killed and wounded, 2,900 prisoners, six guns, and six flags. The French admitted 174 casualties.
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