I Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée)
The I Cavalry Corps of the Grande Armée was a French military unit that existed during the Napoleonic Wars.History
For one month in 1806-1807, Emperor Napoleon I split his Reserve Cavalry Corps into the I and II Cavalry Corps. At that time, Marshal Joachim Murat took command of the short-lived I Cavalry Corps before resuming leadership over Napoleon's Reserve Cavalry when the experiment ended. The I Cavalry Corps was not recreated until 1812 for the invasion of Russia when command was exercised by General Étienne Marie Antoine Champion de Nansouty. The corps fought at Borodino and Tarutino. After being destroyed during the retreat from Russia, the I Cavalry Corps was reconstituted in 1813 and General Victor de Fay de La Tour-Maubourg was appointed to lead it. The corps fought at Lützen, Bautzen, Dresden, and Leipzig. At Leipzig, Latour-Maubourg was seriously wounded and replaced by General Jean-Pierre Doumerc who led the corps for the remainder of the War of the Sixth Coalition which ended with Napoleon's abdication in 1814. After Napoleon returned from exile and retook power in France in 1815, the main French Army was baptised as the Armée du Nord. The army included the I Cavalry Corps led by General Pierre Claude Pajol which fought at Ligny and Wavre, while one detached division fought at Waterloo.Because the majority of the corps were attached to Grouchy's Group, only 2 divisions were present at Waterloo.
