Just like the other armies of that time, the French tried to billet
their troops preferably with civilians when they were at respectable distance from the
enemy or during the marches. This billeting was at civilians or at public places with a
big ‘sleeping capacity’, like churches and convents. All this was thoroughly
organized. The local authorities of the places, where the French passed by on regular
bases, knew from long practice how many troops could be put up in their village or town.
The necessary agreements were made with the advance guard of the French troops and when
the main forces arrived they were given a "billet de lodgement"
, usually per group of twelve soldiers.
On this ticket was the address of the house where they would sleep. The occupant of the house was to keep this ticket so he could receive a compensation per billeted soldier afterwards, paid by the Ministry of War. It's obvious that it sometimes was necessary to spread the troops in several villages. In that case a place was appointed to each regiment, where the troops had to assemble the next day, to continue the march.
When the French troops found themselves on enemy terrain, the billeting in the inhabitant places was rather exceptional because it would spread the troops widely. It was always possible that the enemy could attack unexpectedly or launch a small surprise attack. So the troops had to stay concentrated. So they preferred to make a bivouac while on enemy terrain.
When the troops were billeted in France they had a right for a place at the fire, to cook their meals, which they had with them or which they had bought, and they had a right for a candle to find their bed and to get their gear in order for the next march. In Germany the food and drinks were included in the "billet de lodgement" so the soldier could save upon his poorly payments. Of course the soldiers tried to get some extras, they did so by flattering the hostess or to arouse her pity for them, these extras might be food or drinks or something else. After all, they were French!
When the troops pulled out of a French town, they were supposed to get a ‘certificate of well behavior’ of the Mayor. However this often seemed to be a problem, because most of the time some chickens or pigs had disappeared from the yard of the Mayor, or because drunken soldiers had caused too much trouble in the local pubs. It was also not unusual that showy young officers thought it was natural that the young ladies of the house gave them certain privileges, in doing so these officers made themselves very unpopular with the host. These resentments resulted to the fact that some French towns and villages refused to billet troops. A nice example is Rijsel in 1805. This town refused to billet one of Davout’s well disciplined Divisions, because of previous problems with French troops. This was a big mistake, because Davout marched the Division straight into town and billeted his troops where he felt like it, without asking any questions, just as he would do when he would be on enemy territory. Rijsel learned a valuable lesson.
Some of the bigger towns, situated along the routes where the French frequently passed by, often had a secretary in their service, who’s only task it was to organise the billeting of the troops. These towns did not only have to deal with whole armies coming through, but also with individual officers and soldiers, supply-convoys and marching battalions with reinforcements that followed the army.
If the occasion arouse, whole regiments were billeted in barracks or camps which were left by the enemy, big buildings or even convents. This last category sometimes contained surprises. As the soldiers, who were billeted in a Spanish convent for one night, wanted to go to their cells, they found, to their big surprise, a very willing lady in each cell waiting for them. As it appeared afterwards, the abbot of the convent had "imported" these ladies for one night to draw away the attention of the soldiers, from a nearby convent of nuns.
If it really was impossible to billet the troops during the night, because of lack of the necessary billets or because the enemy was too close, they had to sleep under the open sky, wrapped in their greatcoat, or if the occasion allowed, under an improvised shelter.
The Emperor did not approve of tents, considering them: "...
injurious to health. It is much better for the soldier to bivouac because he
can sleep with his feet to the fire, which quickly dries out the ground on which he lies.
A few boards or a little straw shelter him from the wind..." Besides that he
thought that "...tents attract the attention of the enemy’s staff and make
known your numbers and the position you occupy. But of an army bivouacking in two or three
lines, nothing is perceived in the distance except the smoke of the fires, which the enemy
will confounds with the mist of the atmosphere. He cannot count the
fires..."
There were also other disadvantages about using tents. The transport of tents would have required hundreds of extra wagons and horses. One of the reasons why the French troops were better and faster in manoeuvring then the other armies from that time, was that they travelled "lighter". Besides, valuable time would be lost if they had to put up and break down the tents, and time was very important for the French conduct of war.
Captain Elzéar Blaze tells us in his memoires how it was to be sleeping under the open sky:
"... When you are in a bivouac in the face of the enemy, everyone goes to bed completely clothed, everyone sleeps, so to speak, with their eyes open. ...Sometimes we went a month without taking off our boots. ...When the weather is cold everyone sleeps close to the fire, but you grill on one side and freeze on the other. ...Reveille in a bivouac is never amusing: you have slept because you were tired out; but when you get up, your limbs are numb; your moustache have drops of dew on every hair; teeth are clenched; you have to really rub your face and gums to restore the circulation. These minor inconveniences always occur, even when the weather is fine; but when it rains or turns cold the situation greatly complicates itself, and that is why heroes have the gout and rheumatism..."
When the troops were going to bivouac for the night, a lot had to be done before they could go to "bed". The first thing they did, was putting out an observation- and guard sentry. Then a group of soldiers were send out to find food, water, straw, wood and firewood, whilst others were making campfires and building a rough shelter. Improvised, sloping, tent shaped buildings of straw, branches and leaves, with a ground layer of whatever they would find, was sufficient enough to have a shelter and they were easily built. Officers were supposed to built their own shelters, but many paid soldiers to built it for them. Eventually the soldiers could eat their "soupe" and repair and clean their equipment. Then every one, except for a guard to watch the horses, the campfires, the entrance to the bivouac area and the colonel’s shelter and those who were guard at the observation posts, went to sleep.
If they would stay in the same bivouac for more then one night, the bivouac place was improved. Shelters were built of boards, branches and trunks, and the roof was made of straw, reed or leaves. Some veterans proved themselves as true masters in the art of building such cabins.
One can imagine the ravage which occurred after an army had been
looking throughout the surroundings for building material for their cabins, wood for their
fires and food to fill their empty stomachs. Whole villages were broken down to the last
board, whole forests were chopped away, all to supply the needs of the army.
When troops were meant to stay for a longer period on one place, a semi-permanent camp was build. An example of this was the famous "camp de Boulogne". Improvised cabins were replaced by well built "baraques" an / or by tents lined up in streets as we know them. Whole regiments competitive in who could built the best barracks, and vegetable gardens were laid out and water wells were dug. Kitchens, cantines, mess rooms, hospitals and even dancing halls were build. Sometimes barracks in these camps were truly a beauty of architecture. The barrack of colonel Pouget of the 26st Légère, at the time that this unit was stationed in a camp near the town Mewe, Poland, in 1808, had a living room, bedroom, an office space, an assembly room for officers’ calls, a stable for his horses and a wine cellar and a storeroom. The barrack had a roof with on top the French tricolour. His regiment had planted over 400 little trees around the camp and even had set free tame birds!
Lieutenant George Bell of the British army described another camp which he saw when he was in France in 1814: "... Their huts were extremely neat and comfortable, many had green blinds over their little windows, small but convenient open stoves, beds made of green painted thick branches or boards, racks for the equipment and gun racks for the muskets..."
To be on garrison duty never was popular with the average French soldier. Most of the rooms in the fortified places or forts were old, chilly, draughty, badly ventilated and poorly lighted rooms, and the stay there wasn’t good for your health. Besides the garrisons life was hard and boring. Daily parades of the guards and drill and manoeuvre sessions only varied by long sentry duties. The French wouldn’t be French of course if they didn’t try to make their stay as pleasant as possible. For the common soldier there were drinking and gambling establishments and of course the houses with women of light moral. For the officers there were schools, libraries, theatres and even a Freemason lodge. One of the most favourite passing of time of the officers was the theatre. If there was no, or just a bad, theatre in the garrison, the officers established a theatre themselves. The musicians of the regiment had to play in the orchestra, and the ordinary soldier was allowed to do the spear-carrier parts while the officers and their wives took the leading parts.
As you can tell by this article, our predecessors had a more difficult time, then we have nowadays, as we try to re-enact their lives and sufferings. If we would consider our weekends, in which we have one or more battles, as bivouacking, then we should leave our tents at home and sleep under the open sky or in a improvised shelter. Now I’m not saying that we should do so, to us, it is a hobby and not a matter of life and death, but if you really want to know how the soldiers of the Emperor lived, you should at least try this one time. I will certainly try it out this campaign and preferably in June or August !!
John R. Elting: Swords around a throne
René Chartrand: Napoleon’s Army
Philip J. Haythornethwaite: Napoleon’s Military Machine
Jean-Claude Quennevat: Les vrais soldat de Napoleon
