Hello,
I'm looking for a bunch of information on the Siege of Salamanca forts (june 1812) leading up to the battle of Salamanca.
Other than this Wikipedia post, there is not a lot a can find on this topic :
I'm wondering if someone could help me find which regiments were located in which fortified monastery (there were 3 : S. Vincenze, La Merced and S. Cayetano).
I know that a part of the 86 french line regiment was active inside the forts during the siege.
Yet I would like to know in which fort (out of the 3).
Apearantly chef de bataillon Duchemin (65 regiment) was in charge of the 3 forts during the siege.
I can't find any information on this person. Maybe someone can help me where to look ?
Marmont left 800 men in these 3 forts to protect Salamanca from Lord Wellington (he was waiting for backup).
But other than to protect the forts, was there any other reason a (part of the) regiment was send to a garrison fort ?
Many thanks in advance.
Boris
Many thanks !
Boris,
J. Sarramon, La bataille des Arapiles, pp. 46-47, says: 6 companies of the 15th (181 m.), 66th (90 m.), 82nd (73 m.), and 85th (114 m.) Ligne of the 5th division and 17th Leger (87 m.) and 65th Ligne (208 m.) of the 6th division plus one artillery company of the Army of Portugal. In total 753 infantry soldiers (fantassins) plus the artillery company. Garrison commander was obviously Chef de bataillon Duchemin of the 65th Ligne (Belmas, IV, p. 437, and Sarramon, p. 61).
I could not find the distribution of the garrison in the 3 forts.
Regards, Thomas
P.S. I guess you have seen Belmas (https://books.google.de/books?id=hDPH1WFS8PsC&pg=PA427 ) and Jones (https://books.google.de/books?id=Hl21yNKSNVMC&pg=PA243 )?
According to Jorge Planas Campos and Antonio Grajal de Blas's excellent dictionary- Chef de Batailon Joseph Rene Duchemin wounded in the forts on 27/06/12 served in the 65e Infanterie de Ligne. He was born 24/1/1767 in Laval, Mayenne