Preparations As Napoleon's new
Grande Armée assembled in the eastern parts of the
Duchy of Warsaw, the need for Swiss troops became apparent. Napoleon even said, "We must pay serious attention to the Swiss regiments". He went on to call for a major effort to recruit the regiments up to strength and bring about their organisation. As a result, over the next year's course, the regiments were gradually reassembled, and each received a new regimental artillery company. Each artillery company composed of two
3-pounder mountain field cannons. The initiative also resulted in a re-negotiation of the convention governing the four Swiss regiments, after Napoleon decided that he preferred four smaller full-strength regiments rather than four larger ones which never came close to their prescribed establishment. The two forces were split between Wittgenstein's 40,000 men deploying a concentric attack against the positions held by less than 30,000 men under the Marquis of Saint Cyr. Simultaneously, another 12,000 Russians under General Stengel advanced along the Dvina's south bank in a flanking attack designed to cut off the French retreat. The 1st and 2nd Swiss of de Candrad's Brigade were part of the 9th Division under Divisional General
Pierre Hugues Victoire Merle, though the 1st Swiss had only two battalions present while the 2nd-4th had three battalions each. The 9th Division was on the left of the French position though the 4th Swiss were in garrison in Polotsk itself and the 3rd Swiss was on the extreme right of the French some way down the road to
Witebsk with some units of the 3rd Cuirassier Division and 3rd Light Horse Lancers. On that first day of fighting, the 1st Swiss had the most noteworthy role. The regiment had formed its elite grenadier and voltigeur companies in two separate 'elite battalions' and, on the 17th, the Grenadiers under Captain Jean Gilly and Jean Pierre Druey were posted in the chapel of Rostna and an adjoining walled cemetery that had been turned into a strong point. At 19:00 hours, the battalion was assailed by two Russian regiments. The Swiss fought until their ammunition was used up, then broke through the surrounding enemy forces in a desperate
bayonet charge, leaving 150 dead behind while not abandoning a single wounded man. When the remaining Grenadiers were safely back within French lines, all of the regiment's officers gathered to assist in the midnight burial of the two Grenadier captains, who were killed in the battle. The fighting became more widespread on the 18th. The Russians first assaulted the French right but were finally driven off in see-saw action that lasted more of the day. Then Wittgenstein launched a late attack on the French left. This gesture should have had little consequences, but the 1st and 2nd Swiss Regiments and 3rd Provisional Croats were then posted somewhat in advance of the French entrenchments. However, before they could be withdrawn from harm's way, they came under fire and responded with a few volleys of their own, followed by a bayonet charge that repulsed the enemy. The Eagle-Bearer of the 2nd Swiss was wounded, and he passed his burden to Captain Louis Bégos. The officer was then confronted by Captain Leonard Müller, one of the regiment's biggest men, who demanded the honour of defending the regimental standard. To Bégos' amazement, however, no sooner did Müller take the Eagle than he ran directly toward the enemy yelling "" ("Forward the 2nd"). All orders to disengage were ignored, and the Swiss swept forward after the captain. It was magnificent, but also folly. The Swiss pushed forward unsupported in the face of Russian infantry and artillery fire, and the casualties were appalling. When it was impossible to advance further, they gave ground only grudgingly, withdrawing with parade-ground precision that inspired admiration in friend and foe alike. Wittgenstein attempted to administer a
coup de grâce by launching his cavalry, including some elements of the Russian Combined Guards Cavalry Regiment, at the embattled redcoats, but they never lost their courage or composure as Colonel Raguettly of the 1st Swiss urged the men of both units to keep to their ranks, hold firm and not give up. The steadiness is demonstrated by the following passage from a memoir by an officer who participated in the action: By the time the Swiss returned to French lines, the two regiments had suffered casualties of over 60 officers and 1,100 men. As an example to illustrate the carnage, at the end of the day, one company was commanded by a
sergeant major named Bornand who had been wounded three times (a sabre-cut to the head, a musket ball in the arm and a wound in the leg) and mustered only three privates and a single
corporal. Colonel Castella of the 2nd Swiss Regiment reported that 33 of the 50 officers of his unit present with the colours at the start of the day were killed or wounded. The Swiss preserved their standards as well as their honour. Captain Müller was shot dead shortly after starting his charge, leaving the eagle of the 2nd at the mercy of the Russians. Captain Bégos rushed forward to save it but found that the flag was pinned underneath Müller's corpse, which he was at first unable to budge because of Müller's great weight. Bégos got down on his knees and, undoubtedly with the help of some
adrenaline, was finally able to pull the colours clear. He gave the eagle and the colours to an NCO to carry to safety, then retook his place at the head of his troops. Lieutenant Legler and Sergeant Kaa preserved the eagle of the 1st Swiss, but no details exist of this feat. On 19 October, the very day that Napoleon began retreating from
Moscow, the battered Russians rested for the most part, waiting for their flanking movement to develop and provide more decisive results than they had been able to achieve on the battlefield. The Marquis de Saint Cyr realised what was happening and also realised that he had to withdraw to avoid encirclement. The French retirement through the town of Polotsk and across the bridges over the Dvina was favoured by a thick fog and was handled so discreetly that the Russians at first failed to notice what was happening. Unfortunately, some of the retreating soldiers set fire to their abandoned barracks in the early evening, and the flames brought on an immediate Russian assault. The 3rd and 4th Swiss Regiments were among the troops ordered to hold the town at all costs until the rest of the army had escaped. The fight for Polotsk was one of the campaign's most savage battles, conducted at night in a town full of blazing wooden buildings. Once the outer perimeters were breached, the fighting became hand-to-hand in the streets and houses, but the Swiss maintained their discipline and organisation throughout.
Retreat from Russia The performance of the Swiss at the Second Battle of Polotsk was one of the finest by foreign troops during the whole of the Napoleonic Wars. Marshal Sainte Cyr recognised in his report that he owed the escape of his baggage and all of his guns to the Swiss, although he did chide them for the 'excessive' courage that had led to such fearful losses on the 18th. Napoleon himself mentioned the stalwart performance of the Swiss in the 28th Bulletin published on 1 November, and the four regiments were awarded thirty-four
Legion of Honour decorations. After Polotsk, the Swiss and the II Corps' other remaining units retired slowly towards the French main body returning from
Moscow. Although reduced in numbers, the Swiss were in relatively good condition since many had warm overcoats and new shoes they had found in Polotsk. They were stunned when they finally met up with the ragged remains of the
Grande Armée on the banks of the
Berezina accompanied by a tired-looking Napoleon wearing his traditional grey overcoat.
Berezina Crossing The Emperor subjected the Swiss to an impromptu review on 27 November, then dispatched them across the improvised bridges with the all-important mission of protecting the French line of retreat from the forces of
General Pavel Chichagov's 3rd Western Army. After a restless night spent bivouacked in a gloomy forest, they awoke to the unexpected sound of a traditional Swiss patriotic hymn sung by Lieutenant David Legler and a chorus of officers and men. This song of voyage and homecoming, known thereafter as the "Song of the Beresina", must have seemed both poignant and ironic to men who knew that few of them would survive that day. The thin
line of battle that was formed that morning of 28 November to face the Russian onslaught consisted of the four Swiss regiments, the
Legion of the Vistula, the 123rd Line Infantry Regiment (formed from disbanded regiments of the
Kingdom of Holland), and the 3rd Provisional Croatian Regiment, plus General of Division
Jean-Pierre Doumerc's heavy cavalry division, all under the command of Marshals
Michel Ney and
Nicolas Oudinot. The understrength units mustered perhaps 7,000 men and were heavily outnumbered by the enemy. The battle would last the whole day. Attacked by eight full regiments of infantry, the Swiss fired off all their ammunition and then, under direct orders from General Merle, advanced with the cold steel to drive the enemy back. Having won some breathing room, they retired, found more ammunition, then repeated the same sequence – something they were to do a remarkable total of eight times during the day. The men who were not wounded were exhausted and had no opportunity to eat, but they fought on, never offering a complaint and mustering the same vigour for their bayonet attacks throughout the day. By the end, all the drummers had been killed or wounded, and Captain Rey had to pick up an abandoned drum to beat the charge himself. The astonishing effort of the Swiss alone might not have been enough to win the day for the French, but it was matched by those of the other foreign troops in action and surpassed by that of Domerc's cavalry division. The 400 men of the 4th, 7th, and 14th Cuirassiers, representing almost the last organised cavalry in the whole of the Grande Armée, routed an entire Russian division and forced over 2,000 Russians to surrender. As soldiers on both sides collapsed from exhaustion at 22:00 hours, the French knew that they had held their position and had prevented the Russians from trapping the Emperor and the last remnants of his army. The cost for the Swiss in human lives was severe, particularly regarding the many officers who were still mounted and therefore made easy targets.
Chef de Bataillon Blattman was knocked from his horse and was killed by a bullet in the forehead. No exact count of casualties was possible in the circumstances, but the Swiss were virtually wiped out as a fighting force, although each of the four regiments had preserved their Eagles. Counting stragglers and detachments, there were perhaps just 300 men left in the division. General Merle told Napoleon that he thought that every Swiss soldier deserved to be decorated for the Battle of Berezina, and he persuaded the Emperor to award the Swiss sixty-two crosses of the Legion of Honour. Unfortunately, the order to that effect was lost, and so the deserving officer and men of the Swiss regiments never received any officer recompense for their valour. However, their performance was accorded proper recognition by their countrymen, who viewed them as heroes whose actions were a source of national pride. == War of the Sixth Coalition ==