Henri Ignace Brechtel.

Jan Otto Bogaert : chev. Ordre imperial de la reunion 7.iii.1812. Ordre Imperial de la Reunion. 1958. Page 97.

Almanach impérial: annuaire. 1813: https://books.google.com/books?id=iWRPAAAAcAAJ

On page 314 we have both Brechtel [3e art. a chevel] and Bogaert [7e art. de pied] on the same page!

And by the information available we really don't know what rank he was holding in November 1812, now do we?  

excuses - excuses - excuses - and again the scourge of repetition, Elting is edutainment, camp fire stories, my view.

no more from my side on this

be my guest

Accuracy in historical commentary always matters. However, the point of the story of Captain/Chef d'Escadron Brechtel and the importance is that a one-legged artillery company/squadron commander had his leg shot off by Russian artillery while covering the pontonniers, sailors, and engineers building the two Berezina bridges and kept issuing his fire orders while one of his gunners fetched a spare leg from one of the unit's supply wagons.

Apparently that point is being missed while concentrating on minutaie.

And by the information available we really don't know what rank he was holding in November 1812, now do we? There is a difference being selected for the next higher rank and actually pinning it on and them being given command of a unit commensurate with that rank.

Well another example not to trust Elting blindly and badly sourced as well, an officer of 8 years service starting campaigning in 1806 - was not old neither in service and not in age, and too many perhaps-es.

Brechtel is named a captain in John Elting's Swords Around A Throne on page 263. The officer is not named, but described as being 'old' and 'peg-legged.' The hint as to his identity was that his false leg was shot off and that matched Rapp's description. And his being either a captain or a chef d'escadron is almost irrelevant in the story.

As for his being 'old', that might refer to his being 'old' in the service, not in age.

so as I can half guess read, he was made POW at Wilna at the 14th December 1812

https://www.nationaalarchief.nl/onderzoeken/archief/2.13.04/invnr/350/file/NL-HaNA_2.13.04_350_0006

They are now online; Bogaert is on fo. 1 https://www.nationaalarchief.nl/onderzoeken/archief/2.13.04/invnr/300/file/NL-HaNA_2.13.04_300_0040

p. 40, fo. 6

The Rapp Mems., English edition, state "These were commanded by a brave officer with a wooden leg, called Brechtel ; a ball carried it of during the action, and knocked him down. "Look," he said, to one of his gunners, "for another leg, in waggon No. 5." He fitted it on, and continued his firing." No 'captain' mentioned. The French ed., p. 247, is the same - no "captain"!

Sitzmann does not mention it at all.

So where does your information about 'Captain" come from?

Brechtel was promoted from captain to chef d'escadron in June 1812 so the promotion might not have taken effect by November. And perhaps Rapp knew Brechtel as a captain which is why he mentioned him at that rank in his memoirs.

The 'difference' between captain and chef d'escadron is not great-the equivalent rank today of a chef d'escadron is major, which is one rank and the logical progression of promotions. Brechtel would have gone from commanding one artillery company to perhaps two, which in the horse artillery was a squadron.

I did mention in the short summary I posted that Brechtel was promoted to chef d'escadron in June 1812. And that information is in Sitzmann's dictionary...

French Artillery: 25 December 1808:

3rd Dragoon Division: Milhaud

1/3rd Horse Artillery (2/6/63) [presumably Capt.Brechtel cmding].

4th Artillery Artisan Company (0/0/2) :

www.napoleon-series.org/nafzigger/808LSXA.pdf

“As a captain, he was badly wounded at Ocana when he was 22 and lost a leg.” : In fact, he was 25 : born: 1.ii.1784 ; 19.xii.1809 lost right leg at Battle of Ocana - almost 26 years old.

“During the fighting, General Rapp remembered Captain Brechtel ....” He was a chef d’escadron at the time.

I spent a great deal of time and effort on the material I posted. I provide on line urls for the material so that our colleagues to view the material themselves. I am still looking to clear up who was cmdr. of Legrand's divisional artillery at the Berezina, as well as more info on Jan Otto Bogaert in 1811-1812. Any help from colleagues would be greatly appreciated.

The material I used was from two places: Rapp's Memoirs, and Volume I of the Dictionnaire de biographie des hommes celebres de l'Alsace by Edouard Sitzman, Edition 1909, pages 223-224. I have a published copy of both volumes.

Henri Ignace Jacob Brechtel was born in Runtzenheim, Alsace in 1784. He was admitted to the Ecole Polytechnique in 1804 and was later admitted to the Ecole d'artillerie et du genie at Metz in 1806. He was nominated a lieutenant en second on 9 March 1806 and was assigned to the 3d Regiment of Artillerie a Cheval. He served in the Jena campaign, distinguishing himself at Schleiz and was present at Jena, Halle, Lubeck, Eylau and Heilsberg.

Brechtel commanded the artillery in Latour-Maubourg's cavalry division and went into Spain in 1808 in Milhaud's cavalry division and served at Burgos, Ciudad-Real, Santa-Crux, Talavera, and Almonacid. As a captain, he was badly wounded at Ocana when he was 22 and lost a leg.

In June of 1812 he was an officer of the Legion of Honor and promoted to chef d'escadron. His wooden leg was shot off by a Russian artillery round at the Berezina as his artillery was providing supporting fire for the bridges. During the fighting, General Rapp remembered Captain Brechtel, ‘a brave officer with a wooden leg’ and ‘who did the whole campaign with a wooden leg which didn’t prevent him from mounting his horse’, was hit by a Russian artillery round in that very leg, carrying it away and knocking the intrepid artilleryman to the ground. Helped to his feet by one of his gunners, he ordered him to fetch a spare leg out of ‘wagon number five’ and he continued to give his fire orders to his battery by holding on to a vehicle wheel, strapping on the spare leg when the gunner brought it back to him.

Brechtel continued to serve after the retreat, was promoted to major, and commanded the artillery at Spandau in 1813. He commanded Neuf-Brisach in 1815 after rallying to Napoleon upon the latter's return from Elba. He finished his service as a lieutenant colonel of artillery.

Et voila: https://von-bastille-bis-waterloo.wikia.org/de/wiki/Schlacht_von_der_Beresina#Aus_dem_Tagebuche_des_General_Grafen_von_Rapp.

I don't never ever do think nothing of anything. . . 😉

I just offer them a platform. . . so they can speak for themselves!

What ever I can lay my hands on. . .

I have a german edition: Denkwürdigkeiten aus dem Tagebuche des General Grafen von Rapp. Erfurt und Gotha, Hennings'sche Buchhandlung, 1824. (1. Heft 111p, 2. Heft 114p)

I don't see an online version of it.

I've to check whether it has the story of Brechtel. If so I will place it on my website.

Steve

About the memoires of Rapp - I ran into this

https://books.google.de/books/about/M%C3%A9moires_du_g%C3%A9n%C3%A9ral_Rapp_1772_1821.html?id=sMBhmKaUxzUC&redir_esc=y

which I cannot download, are those different to those published in 1823, and there seemed to be a much abridged one as well which was translated into English?

Additional references:

Rapp, Jean, comte, 1772-1821. Mémoires du général Rapp, premier aide-de-camp de Napoléon, écrits par lui-même, et publiés par sa famille. 1823. 439 p. See p. 247: https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/AkQ8AAAAcAA

Rapp, Jean, comte, 1772-1821. Memoirs of General Count Rapp, first aide-de-camp to Napoleon. 1823. p. 246. : https://archive.org/details/memoirsofgeneral00rapp/page/246

Taurignac, Jean Joseph. L'ordre impérial des Trois toisons d'or. 1907. p. 85. :

https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_4GlGAAAAYAAJ/page/n90

In Artillery of division Legrand [2nd corps, 6th division] .viii.1812: 6/3rd Horse Artillery (four 6 pdrs + two howitzers) (3 Off/92 OR) [plus 11/5th Foot Artillery]: https://wotmeworrywarriors.wordpress.com/french-order-of-battle-ii-corps/

Marion, Claude (1777-1847). Senarmont, Alexandre-Antoine Hureau (1769-18.. ; baron de). Auteur du texte. Mémoire sur le lieutenant général d'artillerie Bon Alexandre de Senarmont. 1846. 112 p. see pp. 90 and 112 :

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5787772z/f99

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5787772z/f121

“Mort le 12/9/1856 dans la demeure de son gendre, sise au n° 31, rue St-Honoré, Versailles (Seine & Oise).” : https://seynaeve.pagesperso-orange.fr/page_b.htm

Etat militaire du corps impérial de l'artillerie de France. 1811. See pp. 184-185, 364 :

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Etat_militaire_du_corps_imp%C3%A9rial_de_l_a/fZes3dVrGtkC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Brechtel