Napoleonic Wargame Club (NWC)

(try not to look these up as you answer)

1. What is the significance of the play "Die Hermannsschlacht" which was performed from 1808 onwards?

2. Which treaty brought the War of the Second Coalition to an end?

3. This Marechal was born in Saarlouis to a master barrel cooper. His dad fought in the Seven Years War. Educated at Collège des Augustins he became an overseer of mines and forges before assuming his military role. Name this officer.

4. This general's birthdate is 27 December 1761 and he was a German speaking descendant of a Scottish family. Name this officer.

5. This Spaniard defended Cuidad Rodrigo against the French. Name this officer.

6. This Frenchman's advance into Portugal was delayed by a month due to the stubborn defense of Cuidad Rodrigo (and the looting the followed). Name this officer.

7. In three generations this family rose from gentry to senator to royalty. Their forefather was Giuseppe Salinguerra. Name this family.

8. Held prisoner in France from 1806-1808 he later wrote a work which when compared to Jomini's, "The one has been outdated by new weapons, the other still influences the strategy behind those weapons." Name this officer.

9. Wounded in both arms, knocked off his horse by another saber cut, and finally stabbed in the back by a French lancer this British officer at Waterloo had an incredible knack for not getting killed. Used a shield by a French skirmisher, overrun by Prussian cavalry he was finally discovered by a member of the 40th Foot, taken to an army surgeon who managed to stop the bleeding and then taken to his sister (in a cart!) who nursed him back to health. Name this officer.

10. In the period following the commencement of the French Revolutionary Wars this army had no unified system of drill and "every commander officer manoeuvred his regiment after his own fashion." A manual was written in 1792 but it took a member of the royalty to enforce its observance in 1795. Name this army.

Colonel Bill Peters
Armee du Rhin - V Corps, Cavalerie du V Corps, 20ème légère Brigade de Cavalerie, 13ème Hussar Regiment
HPS Napoleonic Scenario Designer (Eckmuhl, Wagram, Jena-Auerstaedt and ... more to come)

No takers? [:(]

Colonel Bill Peters
Armee du Rhin - V Corps, Cavalerie du V Corps, 20ème légère Brigade de Cavalerie, 13ème Hussar Regiment
HPS Napoleonic Scenario Designer (Eckmuhl, Wagram, Jena-Auerstaedt and ... more to come)

Answers to Trivia Test:

1. Anti-Napoleonic play that was popular during the 1813 War of Liberation - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_von_Kleist

2. Treaty of Luneville between France and Austria, Treaty of Amiens between England and France.

3. Ney

4. Barclay de Tolly

5. Field Marshal Don Andrés Perez de Herrasti (siege of 1810)

6. Massena

7. Poniatowski

8. Clausewitz

9. Frederick Cavendish Ponsonby - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_ ... h_Ponsonby

10. British Army

Colonel Bill Peters
Armee du Rhin - V Corps, Cavalerie du V Corps, 20ème légère Brigade de Cavalerie, 13ème Hussar Regiment
HPS Napoleonic Scenario Designer (Eckmuhl, Wagram, Jena-Auerstaedt, Austerlitz and ... more to come)
Not the President of the Musket and Cannon Club

Of course no takers! Who on Earth can remember all that? I suggest a better question.[^] It requires both memory AND logic. And some arithmetic skills[;)].

How many countries during Napoleonic Wars (including both Revolutionary and Empire) were forced to leave the cause because the capital was captured, but their army was still intact? What were they? There will be one more question when which rises directly on the answer to the first.

<center></center>
<center><b>Eyo Imperatorskogo Velichestva Leib-Kirassirskogo polku
General-Adjutant Anton Valeryevich Kosyanenko
Commander of the Second Army of the West </b></center>

Actually our quizzes in the past generated alot of interest.

I can only guess that the new games have everyone's attention![:p]

Or that Cliff has moved to Texas! [:p]

Colonel Bill Peters
Armee du Rhin - V Corps, Cavalerie du V Corps, 20ème légère Brigade de Cavalerie, 13ème Hussar Regiment
HPS Napoleonic Scenario Designer (Eckmuhl, Wagram, Jena-Auerstaedt, Austerlitz and ... more to come)
Not the President of the Musket and Cannon Club

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">

How many countries during Napoleonic Wars (including both Revolutionary and Empire) were forced to leave the cause because the capital was captured, but their army was still intact? What were they? There will be one more question when which rises directly on the answer to the first.

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

I reckon, the answer is: only France (in 1814)[:D][^]


General-Adjutant Prince Vladimir Repnin
2nd Grenadier Division
8th Corps
2nd Russian Army,
His Imperial Majesty
Chevalier Guards' Chief

Nope, Russia as well as Spain. Also Austria in 1809. Prussia in 1806.

Colonel Bill Peters
Armee du Rhin - V Corps, Cavalerie du V Corps, 20ème légère Brigade de Cavalerie, 13ème Hussar Regiment
HPS Napoleonic Scenario Designer (Eckmuhl, Wagram, Jena-Auerstaedt, Austerlitz and ... more to come)
Not the President of the Musket and Cannon Club

Vladimir,

The question was about countries, not major powers. There were several more examples.

Bill,

Those you mentioned are the examples of the countries, who DID NOT surrender, while I asked about those who DID.

Taking into account only the major powers Vladimir is right:

Russia did not surrender in 1812. The previous peaces were made with no enemy soldier in the country, leave alone the capital.

Spain formally was ruled by one of the Brothers. De facto it raged war from 1808 on and never surrendered.

Austria in 1809, as well as in 1805 fought well after the fall of Vienna. First time it was sentenced to peace after Austerlitz, second - after Wagram.

Prussia was made to surrender only in 1807 with the allied forces being defeated at Friedland. Berlin fell in October 1806.

London was not captured.

<center></center>
<center><b>Eyo Imperatorskogo Velichestva Leib-Kirassirskogo polku
General-Adjutant Anton Valeryevich Kosyanenko
Commander of the Second Army of the West </b></center>

Oh, then France is incorrect. Napoleon surrendered after it had been captured but not on account of it falling. Only because the Marechals forced him to capitulate. And not because Paris fell.

So much for that one.

Colonel Bill Peters
Armee du Rhin - V Corps, Cavalerie du V Corps, 20ème légère Brigade de Cavalerie, 13ème Hussar Regiment
HPS Napoleonic Scenario Designer (Eckmuhl, Wagram, Jena-Auerstaedt, Austerlitz and ... more to come)
Not the President of the Musket and Cannon Club

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Bill Peters</i>
<br />Oh, then France is incorrect. Napoleon surrendered after it had been captured but not on account of it falling. Only because the Marechals forced him to capitulate. And not because Paris fell.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Probably you are right. It was not because of the Paris. It was not Napoleon who called his brother an ass. It was not he who sent Coulaincourton on the evening of March 30 to negotiate the peace at whatever terms. And of course he didn't say almost at the same time "Si je fusse arriv#1081; plus to^t, tout #1081;tait sauv#1081;". Of course Allies assault on Paris was not a "beautiful chess move" as someone called it (who could that be?). There was no need for the Old Guard to rush toward the capital. The fact they made 43 miles in one day proves only that Napoleons infantry was the most rapid in the world, nothing else! And of course it was done only to please the Emperor and under someones direct order. We have three more questions in our test now:
1. Who did all this? (remember it was not Napoleon Bonaparte!)
2. What exactly this very everything (=tout in the quoted sentence) could be saved had Napoleon arrived to Paris in time. Not the war and his throne, since he abdicated NOT BECAUSE Paris fell.
3.In April 1814 the abdication was definitely the most important thing that was in Napoleons mind. It couldn't be caused by some miserable effects. Why didn't the Marechals come to him a week earlier, or a week later? Such a step must have been justified by something really important. What happened between March 31 (when the Russians paraded into Paris) and April 5 (when the Marechals came to make Napoleon abdicate)? What was so important to make Napoleon agree with his Marechals. Why didn't he order to have them shot right in la cour du Cheval Blanc? Why didn't he lead his grongards and didnt recapture Paris? Or simply destroy the Allied armies and throw them away from France?

Unless those questions are not answered it can't be justified to say Napoleon abdicated not because of the loss of his capital.

HINT. It is not interesting to look for the answer is you know for sure it exists.[;)]

<center></center>
<center><b>Eyo Imperatorskogo Velichestva Leib-Kirassirskogo polku
General-Adjutant Anton Valeryevich Kosyanenko
Commander of the Second Army of the West </b></center>

As far as I am concerned this topic is over. Last word on the subject. Its becoming a hot topic and we dont need to go there.

Colonel Bill Peters
Armee du Rhin - V Corps, Cavalerie du V Corps, 20ème légère Brigade de Cavalerie, 13ème Hussar Regiment
HPS Napoleonic Scenario Designer (Eckmuhl, Wagram, Jena-Auerstaedt, Austerlitz and ... more to come)
Not the President of the Musket and Cannon Club

And if it came to that. We all know that such a notion as "advice from subordinates" didn't exist for Napoleon. He always made decisions on his own. All of the "discussions" were just a cause to save "un bon mot" for the history. All this is portrayed on the well known pieces of Vereshchagin. Not contemporary to Bonaparte, but very well done. Follow the links:

http://www.museum.ru/1812/Library/ver/ver08.jpg
http://www.museum.ru/1812/Library/ver/ver16.jpg
http://www.museum.ru/1812/Library/ver/ver17.jpg

All that said. Do you really believe the Marechals played such a role in his abdication?

<center></center>
<center><b>Eyo Imperatorskogo Velichestva Leib-Kirassirskogo polku
General-Adjutant Anton Valeryevich Kosyanenko
Commander of the Second Army of the West </b></center>

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Bill Peters</i>
<br />As far as I am concerned this topic is over. Last word on the subject. Its becoming a hot topic and we don't need to go there.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

With all the cold, fog and mud around I don't mind something hot and dry.[8D][^][:p]

Seriously I do not try to offend anyone. Neither to fight with anyone. I do not seek self satisfaction in writing long posts and making air I can speak the French fluently. I can be sarcastic and savage, but only within "fair play". If you feel the opposite I offer my excuses in advance.

I believe this Club and it's forum to be a place where people really interested in the era can discuss their thoughts, interests, etc. I am interested. I have read some sources (and I'm modest too[;)]). I have thought them over and hungry to discuss the conclusions. Conclusions! Not the religious faith. If you BELIEVE Napoleon was so great as they say I don't care. It's really better to stay off any argument and save each others time and nerves. But it changes if you THINK so. If you THINK so you can prove it, you have proven it to yourself and you are eager to share the course of your thought with the others.

To sum up. If you are interested in my answer it is:
Poland (1794),
Cisalpine and
Rome republics (1799),
Kingdom of Westphalia (1813) and
France (1814).
Totally 5.

If you have another opinion and want to discuss it we can make it here or via e-mail. If you have another opinion? you can prove it and do not want to discuss it, that's a pity. Such an argument could be constructive. If the fact that Napoleon was defeated and forced to abdicate insults your religious feelings, take my sincere excuses. Didn't want to make this fact hurt the vulnerable souls again.

<center></center>
<center><b>Eyo Imperatorskogo Velichestva Leib-Kirassirskogo polku
General-Adjutant Anton Valeryevich Kosyanenko
Commander of the Second Army of the West </b></center>

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">

To sum up. If you are interested in my answer it is:
Poland (1794),
Cisalpine and
Rome republics (1799),
Kingdom of Westphalia (1813) and
France (1814).
Totally 5.

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

I reckon, we may add to this list the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies(1798)


General-Adjutant Prince Vladimir Repnin
2nd Grenadier Division
8th Corps
2nd Russian Army,
His Imperial Majesty
Chevalier Guards' Chief

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by vladimir1812</i>
<br />
I reckon, we may add to this list the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies(1798)
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Maybe. As far as I know there was some mackovschina in this case. First they macked themselves over when comrade Mack demonstrated one more masterpiece of giveaway warfare and only after that the capital was captured, etc. Still it may be on the list. The others also ceased to exist at the same time with the capture of capital and disintegration of the army.

<center></center>
<center><b>Eyo Imperatorskogo Velichestva Leib-Kirassirskogo polku
General-Adjutant Anton Valeryevich Kosyanenko
Commander of the Second Army of the West </b></center>