XIII Corps (Grande Armée)

XIII Corps (Grande Armée)
Active	1813–1814
Country	First French Empire
Branch	Army
Type	Army Corps
Size	Corps
Engagements	Napoleonic Wars
Commanders
Notable commanders	Louis-Nicolas Davout

The XIII Corps of the Grande Armée was the name of a French military formation that existed during the Napoleonic Wars. The corps was formed in the spring of 1813 and Marshal Louis-Nicolas Davout was appointed as its commander. The corps included three French infantry divisions and attached cavalry. In the spring campaign the corps was assigned to defend northern Germany. Accordingly, Davout seized Hamburg and prepared to defend it against the Allies. In September 1813, one brigade was defeated at the Battle of the Göhrde by the Allies. After Emperor Napoleon's decisive defeat at the Battle of Leipzig in October, the XIII Corps became isolated in Hamburg. An Allied army under Levin August, Count von Bennigsen initiated the Siege of Hamburg in December. Under Davout's leadership, the corps repelled three attacks in February 1814 and a fourth attack in April. Davout was only persuaded to surrender in mid-May by direct orders from the new French government after Napoleon abdicated. Thanks to the iron discipline of Davout, the behavior of the XIII Corps soldiers toward the citizens of Hamburg was exemplary, compared to the usual rough treatment non-combatants often received from French soldiers of the era.

XIII Corps: Marshal Louis-Nicolas Davout (40,000)

Source: Smith, Digby (1998). The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill. p. 526. ISBN . 

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