An Original Order from Napoleon, Readying His 8th Corps for the Invasion of Spain and Portugal

A rare full, signed order by Bonaparte

In 1809, a formation known as the Reserve Corps of the Army of Germany was assembled. This later became a new VIII Corps that served in Spain in 1810. The Reserve Corps was under the command of Marshal François Christophe de Kellermann. Its three divisions were led by Generals Olivier Rivaud de la Raffinière, Eloi Laurent Despeaux, and Joseph Lagrange.

The siege of Astorga was an attempt by French forces to capture that town as part of a campaign of the Peninsular War. Astorga was located on the flank of the French invasion path to Spain and Portugal, and was meant to be used as a headquarters during the campaign. The French overpowered the Spanish garrison inside and took the city on April 20, 1810, with a loss of 160 men. It took, however, the arrival of ammunition and weapons for the attack to begin.

The 8th corps was ordered to march to Spain and its first units reached Burgos.

Order signed, Schonbrunn, September 23, 1809.

“His Majesty Orders:

1) The 22nd regiment of line infantry and the 65th of the line, which are part of the 8th corps of the army, will each have their 8 stores of ammunition for infantry and 8 for their military transports. The quartermaster general will take the necessary measures to ensure that those regiments that do not have proper munitions and have not exhausted the funds allowed to each regiment for this object that he will contact them without delay and procure the munitions necessary. The quartermaster general of the artillery will take responsibility for those measures that relate to the artillery.

2) The 8 4th battalions that form the Rivaud division will each have their own infantry and military transport munitions supplies. The necessary funds for the creation of these will be placed at the disposition of the authorized officer of the 8th corps to be made at Nuremberg, Bareuth, or Wurtsbourg… The horses will be furnished by the administration, as we order below.

3) The artillery of the 8th corps will be composed of 4 pieces of 12; 16 pieces of 6; 6 pieces of 3 and 6 howitzers, having a double approvisionnement harness. The Saxon artillery of General St. Cyr’s division will have its cannon piece including 4 of 12, which forms for the 8th Corps, 60 pieces of cannon, independently of the regimental pieces.

4) The engineers will have after the 8th corps at least 1,500 tools which will be carried on harnessed carriages, as well as the ropes and tools necessary for the prompt repair of a bridge.

5) Three hundred horses shall be raised in the land of Bareuth, a hundred in the land of Erfurth, and a hundred in the land of Hanau, in all five hundred which will be distributed in the 8th corps as follows, namely: for the artillery 300, for the transports of the 8 battalions of the Rivaud 50 division, for the transports of the engineers 50, for the three provisional regiments of dragoons 100. The price of these horses will be set from the inhabitants according to the tariff which will be regulated by the general steward.

6) An advance of two thousand francs will be made to each of the squadrons which form part of the six provisional regiments of dragoons. These 2,000 francs will be taken from the regiment’s casks by the Minister of War Administration. The distribution between the different mannes will be made by General Fouler for the 1st, 5th, and 4th. One and the other of these generals will assure the Minister of War Administration of the distribution they have made between the mannes. The squadron leaders and captains commanding the squadrons of the six provisional regiments will immediately use this fund to prepare their squadron.”

Complete orders of Napoleon are very uncommon.