Baron Marbot's Encounters with Tartar Horse Archers 1813

From the Memoirs of Baron Marbot:

During our stay at Pilnitz, the enemy was receiving strong reinforcements, notably 60,000 Russians under Benningsen. These came from beyond Moscow, and included many Tartars and Bashkirs, armed only with bows and arrows. I have never understood with what object the Russian Government brought up from so great a distance these masses of irregular cavalry, who could be of no use against troops armed in the modern fashion, and only made food more scarce for the regular troops. Our soldiers were in no way impressed by the sight of these half-savage Asiatics, whom, from their bows and arrows, they nicknamed ' the Cupids.' The new-comers, how ever, who had never seen Frenchmen, encouraged by officers nearly as ignorant as themselves, expected to see us fly at their approach. The very day after their arrival they assailed our troops in countless bands, but were received with musketry fire, and left many of their number dead on the ground. Their losses seemed only to excite them further ; and as any ground suited them they began wheeling round us like swarms of wasps, and it was hard to catch them. When our troopers did get at them, the execution was considerable. Still, as the Russians took advantage of the disorder into which they threw our line to support them by detachments of hussars, the Emperor ordered the generals to keep a redoubled watch and to visit the outposts frequently.

Meanwhile, both sides were preparing to resume the hostilities which, as I have said, had been unofficially sus pended. One morning, when our camp was perfectly quiet, just as I was in my shirt-sleeves, preparing to shave myself before a little mirror hung to a tree, I felt a tap on the shoulder. Looking round sharply to see who in my regiment had taken this liberty with his colonel, I beheld the Emperor. He had wished to examine the neighbouring position without alarming the enemy, and had gone the rounds with a single aide-de-camp, followed by some squadrons selected from all the regiments in the division. By his order, I took command of this escort, and went about all day with him ; nor had I any fault to find with him in the matter of kindness to me. As we were about to return to Pilnitz, we perceived some thousand Bashkirs galloping towards us at the full speed of their little Tartar horses. The Emperor had not seen them till now, and reined up on a rising ground, asking me to try and capture some. To this end, I placed two of my squadrons in ambush behind a clump of trees, bidding the rest march on. This trick would not have taken in Cossacks ; but with the less experienced Bashkirs it answered perfectly. They passed close to the wood, and were pursuing the column when our squadrons dashed out, killing a good many, and capturing some thirty of them. I had them brought to the Emperor, who exhibited much surprise at seeing these wretched horsemen sent with only bows and arrows to fight European troops. These Tartars had Chinese faces, and wore strange dresses. When we got back to camp my men amused themselves by giving the Bashkirs wine. Charmed with this unwonted reception, they all got drunk, and expressed their satisfaction by such wonderful grimaces and capers that Homeric laughter, in which Napoleon shared, over came all beholders.




Later:

Meanwhile Probstheida continued to be the scene of a murderous struggle. The Old Guard was deployed in rear of the village, ready to aid its defenders. Bulow's corps, trying to advance, was crushed, but we lost General Delmas, a dis tinguished soldier and honourable man, who had fallen out with Napoleon at the creation of the Empire and lived ten years in retirement, but demanded to serve when his country was in danger. The French were maintaining their position all along the line. On the left, where Macdonald and Sebastiani had held their ground between Probstheida and Stotteritz in the teeth of frequent attacks from Klenau's Austrians and Doc- toroff s Russians, we were suddenly assailed by a charge of more than 20,000 Cossacks and Bashkirs. Their efforts were chiefly directed against Se"bastiani's cavalry, and in a moment the barbarians surrounded our squadrons with loud shouts, letting off thousands of arrows. The loss these caused was slight, for the Bashkirs are totally undrilled and have no more notion of any formation than a flock of sheep. Thus they cannot shoot horizontally in front of them without hitting their own comrades, and are obliged to fire their arrows parabolically into the air, with more or less elevation according to the distance at which they judge the enemy to be. As this method does not allow of accurate aiming, nine-tenths of the arrows are lost, while the few that hit are pretty well spent, and only fall with the force of their own weight, which is inconsiderable; so that the wounds they cause are usually trifling. As they have no other weapons, they are certainly the least dangerous troops in the world. However, as they were coming up in myriads, and the more of these wasps one killed the more came on, the vast number of arrows with which they filled the air were bound sooner or later to inflict some severe wounds. Thus one of my non-commissioned officers, named Meslin, was pierced from breast to back by an arrow. Seizing it in both hands he broke it and drew the two portions from his body, but died a few minutes later. I fancy this was the only case of death caused by the Bashkirs' arrows : but I had several men and horses hit, and was myself wounded by the ridiculous weapon. I had my sword in my hand, and was giving orders to an officer. As I raised my arm to indicate the direction in which he was to go, I felt my sword unexpectedly checked, and perceived a slight pain in the right thigh. Looking down I saw that an arrow four feet long was sticking an inch deep in my right thigh, though in the excitement of the fight I had not perceived the wound. I got Dr. Parot to take it out and place it in the regimental ambulance, for I wished to preserve it as a curious relic ; but I am sorry to say it has been mislaid. As you may suppose, I did not leave my regiment for so slight a wound ; and, indeed, the moment was very critical.