Ligny

14 June
15 June
Ney's Orders
Lack of Haste
16th June
Troop Dispositions
The Battle
Appendix
French Army
Prussian Army
Battlefield in 1982
Tactical Deployments
Bibliography
Photographs

Troop dispositions of the French and Prussian Armies.

Back at Ligny the heat of a summer afternoon had become oppressive. Across the rolling landscape covered in tall crops and dotted here and there with woods and orchards, a haze had begun to hang over the masses of troops and horses as they stood awaiting the signal to begin the battle. At 2 p.m., with Gérard’s Corps now deployed on the field, Napoleon ordered Soult to write a dispatch to Ney informing him that Grouchy was about to engage the Prussians at Sombreffe and that, “His Majesty’s intention is that you also will attack whatever force is in front of you, and after you have vigorously pushed it back, you will turn in our direction, so as to bring about the envelopment of that body of the enemy’s troops whom I have just mentioned. If the latter is overthrown first, then His Majesty will manoeuvre in your direction, so as to assist your operation in a similar way.”[1]

After sending the message to Ney, Napoleon said to General Gérard, “ it is possible that three hours hence the fate of the war may be decided. If Ney carries out his orders thoroughly, not a gun of the Prussian Army will get away: it is taken in the very act (prise en flagrant délit).”[2] Napoleon was correct concerning his assumption that the events at Ligny would decide the fate of the war, however by not crushing the Prussians fate dealt Napoleon the losing hand.

The positions of the various Prussian and French forces were as follows: On the French left, facing the villages of Wagnelée and Hameau de Saint-Amand was General Girard’s division. On his right stretched the massed ranks of General Vandamme’s III Corps facing the village of Saint-Amand, and containing the divisions of Generals Lefol, Habert and Berthézène. Vandamme’s corps cavalry division under General Domon covered the extreme left of this line with pickets out as far as Villers-Perwin. On Vandamme’s right, Gérard’s IV Corps covered the ground facing the village of Ligny; his three divisions were massed from left to right-General Vichery’s, General Hulot’s, and General Pecheux’s. On Gérard’s right again, and covering the ground in front of the villages of Tongrenelles, Boignee and Balatre, Marshal Grouchy had spread-out the cavalry divisions of Generals Excelman and Pajol, together with a few battalions of infantry. These troops were all that protected the French right flank in the event of a Prussian strike on that part of the field.[3] Around Fleurus, and held back as a general reserve and mass of decision, the Imperial Guard and the heavy cavalry corps of General Milhaud. All of the above making a total of some 68,000 men and 204 guns.[4]

Facing the French, the Prussians were ranged as follows: General Thielemann’s III Corps, confronting the forces under Marshal Grouchy on Prussian left flank; Major General Hobe’s cavalry corps, east of Balatre covering the Namur Road; Colonel Kämpfen’s Brigade on the rising ground behind Tongrenelles, near the village of Tongrines, with a strong skirmish line pushed out to dispute the line of the Ligny brook; the Brigades of Colonels Luck, Borcke and Stülpnägel, massed in battalion columns on the line from Mont Potriaux, north-west to Sombreffe; General Ziethen’s I Corps, covering the approaches to the village of Ligny, Major General von Henckel’s brigade in, and around Ligny village. Lieutenant Colonel von Jagow’s brigade in close support to the rear of Henckel; Major General von Pirch II brigade formed en masse near the Bussy windmill and farm; Major General Steinmetz’s brigade occupying the villages of Saint-Amand, Saint-Amand La Haye, Saint-Amand le Hameau, and Wagnelée, with his reserves drawn-up on the rising ground above the Ligne stream; In reserve, and massed in toy soldier array stood Pirch I Prussian II Corps, its brigades under Major General’s von Kraft, von Brause, and von Bose formed between Sombreffe and Bry, with the cavalry divisions of Jurgass and Rohl in support. On their far right flank, and at right angles to their main line stood the brigade of Major General von Tippelskirch, facing Marbais. Blücher also stationed a division of cavalry under General von Röder near his headquarters at Bussy- we may be sure that an old hussar like Blücher was always awaiting the chance to dash into the fray! The total Prussian forces present on the field amounted to some 83,000 men with 224 guns.