XIII Corps (Grande Armée)


The XIII Corps of the Grande Armée was a French military unit that existed during the Napoleonic Wars. The corps was formed in the spring of 1813 and Marshal Louis-Nicolas Davout was appointed as its commander. The corps included three French infantry divisions and attached cavalry. During the German campaign, the XIII Corps was assigned to defend northern Germany. Accordingly, Davout seized Hamburg and prepared to defend it against the Allies. In September 1813, one brigade was defeated at the Battle of the Göhrde. After Emperor Napoleon I's decisive defeat at the Battle of Leipzig in October, the XIII Corps became isolated in Hamburg. An Allied army under Russian General Count von Bennigsen initiated the Siege of Hamburg in December. Under Davout's leadership, the corps repelled three attacks in February 1814 and a fourth attack in April. Davout was only persuaded to surrender in mid-May by direct orders from the new French government following Napoleon's abdication. Thanks to the iron discipline of Davout, the behavior of the troops of the XIII Corps toward the citizens of Hamburg was exemplary, compared to the usual rough treatment non-combatants often received from French soldiers of the era.

Order of battle

Hamburg, 1814

XIII Corps: Marshal Louis-Nicolas Davout
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