Again, a lot of talk regarding the status of corporals in the French army during the Napoleonic era.
The only competent voice is that of Oliver Schmidt (challenged not only, among others, by "Brechtel198", aka Kevin Kiley, but even by his good friend "von Winterfeldt", aka HKDW, Hans-Karl Weiss, Johann-Karl Weiss). Quotes from ...
http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=571008
1.
"DrsRob 24 Jun 2023 1:10 p.m. PST
"The use of the term 'sub-officer' instead of NCO is quite puzzling."
It is not to me. The word is a literal translation of the French: "sous-officiers" and unlike "NCO" the French word does not include corporals."
2.
"Brechtel198 24 Jun 2023 1:14 p.m. PST
I disagree.
It should be common knowledge that corporals in the Grande Armee were not NCOs..."
3.
"von Winterfeldt 25 Jun 2023 5:44 a.m. PST
... As I see from the original document – linked by Oliver Schmidt, corporals are included in the list of sub officers – but hey, it might be completely different in the so called Grande Armée which formed only a fraction of the French army. I find the use of Grande Armée quite puzzling, as the so called Grande Armée of 1812 consisted of at least half or more of non French soldiers, so in the case we speak about the French Army, the term Grande Armée is misleading."
Well, "von Winterfeldt", when we are dealing with the French army of 1805, 1808, 1809, 1812, or 1813, it is the "Grande Armée", isn't it?
The fact is:
During the Revolution and the 1st Empire, corporals of the French army were officially and legally classified as non-commissioned officers. Everything else is - today as then - personal opinion, regardless of whether it is from the editors of the regulations (their views not being supported by the law, as rightly remarked by Bardin), or other officials or individuals.
I took the liberty to compile a number of specialized and official documents on this question:
Well you got me to look at TMP for the first time in I don't know how long. I wish I hadn't bothered! It is the same madhouse it always was, with the same 'inmate' at the heart of the unpleasantness.
Super intéressant!
Merci!
Aujourd'hui, les caporaux et brigadiers font partie des militaires du rang dans l'armée française.
Je ne savais pas qu'à l'époque impériale, ils faisaient réglementairement partie des sous-officiers.
Bernard1809
well the Grande Armée is not historically and military a synonymous stricto sensu of the French Army at all, but only a command even if it passed to the posterity as a synonymous of French Napoleonic Army
it was only the name of an army, "army" as command-level, not as whole national army I precise again, the title was given to the Army of operations in Germany in 1805-1808 then disbanded and raised a second time for an Army gathered in 1811
The term appears in a letter from Napoléon to Berthier dated from the 29th august 1805
by a decree of 12th october 1808 Napoléon disbands the Grande Armée
A dater du 15 du présent mois la Grande Armée sera dissoute
The second Grande Armée appears in a letter dated from 10th january 1811 to Général Lacuée where Napoléon wrote
j'ai définitivement organisé la Grande Armée en 4 corps à compter du 15 février 1811
So the "Great Army" without its posterity and renow is nothing more than one of the Armies like the Army of Rhine, Moselle, Alps, Italy, Midi, Pyrénées, Sambre et Meuse, of the Interior and others raised throughout the period equivalent to the numbered French Armies of both World Wars...