by Geert van Uythoven
In 1809, the Zeeland province was still part of the Kingdom of Holland under King Louis [‘Lodewijk’], brother of Napoleon Bonaparte. The strategically important fortress city of Flushing [‘Vlissingen’] however, with an important harbour, was part of France, with a French commanding officer and garrison. The garrison consisted of French units of a lesser quality, augmented with some Dutch auxiliary forces, because the defence of this place was of course also of great importance to the Kingdom of Holland. When the English invaded Zeeland, the garrison of Flushing consisted of the following units and strength [officers/others]:
Dutch
Etat-Major:
Commander in Chief: GD Louis-Claude
Monnet
ADC’s: Chef de
Bataillon Series
Capitaine Rocquez
Capitaine Desmarquet
GB Pierre-Jacques Osten
ADC’s: Capitaine Lemeunier
Capitaine Gelibert
Chief of Staff: Major
Weikel (later Petrezoli, interim)
Commander of the city: Colonel
Thory
Commander of the engineers: Capitaine
Levesque
Commander of the artillery: Capitaine
Moussonnet
Sous-inspecteur de revenues:
De Lahais
Commissary of war: Raffroy
- 1er
Régiment de Prusse (in French service)(Colonel Bockmann?)[49/1,540]
1)
- 1er
Bataillon Irlandais (also known as ‘Légion Irlandaise)(Chef de Bataillon
William Lawless)[15/449]
- 1er
Bataillon Colonial [14/768] 2)
- Battalion
of the Régiment Chasseurs Rentrés de l’étranger [15/996] 3)
- 6me
Comp. 1er Régiment d’Artillerie [4/116]
- Vétérans
[4/41]
- Vétérans
d’Artillerie [4/42]
- 5de,
6de, and 7de Kompagnie Hollandsche Kanonniers (Dutch gunners)[7/150] 4)
- Gardes-Côtes
(‘Kompagnie Kustbewaarders’, artillerymen)[2/125] 5)
- French
military labourers (‘Militaire Werklieden’)[30] 6)
- Kompagnie
Burger-Kanonniers (Civilian gunners)(Adjutant-Major J. Fraser)[110]
- Gewapende
Burgermagt 7)
During the siege
and despite the English blockade, the French managed to reinforce the garrison
with a total of 2,638 men from the following units:
- 8me Régiment Provisoire [21/1,112] 8)
- 48me Régiment de Ligne (1 battalion)[12/629]
- 65me Régiment de Ligne (1 battalion)[16/639]
- 72me Régiment de Ligne (detachment)[3/266]
Overall the
latter men behaved outstandingly well, in addition in many instances protecting
civilians against excesses of others, especially foreigners in French service.
The garrison of
Flushing, with so many unreliable elements, had no means of maintaining order
within the city and fighting the English at the same time. The ‘Gewapende
Burgermagt’ or ‘Burgerwacht’ was much to weak to prevent plunder, rape, etc.
Therefore, on 6 August the Burgerwacht was augmented with all citizens able to
bear arms, a clear sign of how much trust Monnet had in the citizens of
Flushing, and the hatred against the English and their blockade which had
ruined many of them. The Burgerwacht was now over 400 men strong, with every
company about 100 men, and had the following organisation:
Colonel Mr. A.F.
Clement
Adjutant-Major J.
Fraser (also commanding the Kompagnie Burger-Kanonniers)
Lieutenant-Adjutant
Gs. van Bel (replacing Fraser)
Adjutant-NCO A.
Eliassen
Surgeon-Major
P.A. Nolson
Kompagnie
Grenadiers (Captain J.I. Corbelijn)
1e Kompagnie (Captain G.
van Bel)
2e Kompagnie (Captain F.J.
van Maldegem)
3e Kompagnie (Captain C.
van der Swalme)
When Flushing
capitulated, about 4,000 French and Dutch troops became prisoners of war of the
English. They were embarked in Breezand and transported to various destinations
in Britain.
Notes about specific
units:
1) How unreliable
the 1er Régiment de Prusse was, is shown by its behaviour already during the
first days of the English invasion. After the landings at Breezand, General
Osten executed a fighting retreat to Flushing. Two Dutch guns were captured
when the Prussian support left them; two whole companies defected and went over
to the English. Part of the regiment took part in the plunder that took place
in suburbs of Flushing.
2) The 1er Bataillon
Colonial consisted of conscripts that had not appeared with their assigned
units. Therefore, they had been placed in this ‘penal’ battalion. As can be
imagined, quality and reliability of this battalion was low. Part of the battalion
took part in the plunder that took place in the suburbs of Flushing. Its
commander was taken prisoner by the English during the sortie on 7 August.
3) The Régiment
Chasseurs Rentrés de l’étranger was composed of foreigners which had deserted
to the French.
4) The Hollandsche Kanonniers did good service. When their battery at Dishoek could not be held against the advancing English, they still took the time to make their guns unusable or to throw them into the sea, after which they retreated to Flushing in good order.
5) The ‘Gardes-Côtes also behaved well, and took the time to nail their guns in the Vijgeeter battery before they retreated to Flushing in good order. Further they did good service in repairing the damage to the batteries under constant fire.
6) The French
military labourers, called ‘Militaire Werklieden’ in Dutch, did good service by
throwing up and repairing batteries under constant fire of the English.
7) The Gewapende
Burgermagt or Burgerwacht was the Dutch equivalent of the National Guard.
Training and armament was not sufficient to be used in battle, the men saw
service for guard and auxiliary duties. They distinguished themselves when
retrieving wounded soldiers under fire, after a failed sortie on 7 August;
further by aiding in extinguishing the many fires caused by the English
bombardment.
8) Composed of
soldiers of various regiments (including some of the 21me
Régiment de Ligne), as well as depots.
Main sources:
- Dijkshoorn, J. van, “De
landing der Engelschen in Zeeland” (Vlissingen 1809)
- Hoek, S. van, “Geschiedkundig
verhaal van de landing der Engelschen in Zeeland. In het jaar 1809” (Amsterdam
1820)
- Lammens, Adriaan François
(Maire de la ville), “Rapport des évenements qui ont eu lieu avant pendant et
après le bombardement, de la ville de Flessingue. Depuis le 29 Juillet jusqu’au
26 Septembre 1809. Delivré au Gouvernement” (Flessingue 1810)
- Trinkle, N.C., “Fiasco,
1809” (1984, unpublished)
© Geert van Uythoven