Horses in the Napoleonic Wars Horses in the Napoleonic Wars Horses were widely used during the Napoleonic Wars for combat, patrol and reconnaissance, and for logistical support. Vast numbers were used throughout the wars. During the War of the Sixth Coalition, depletion of the French cavalry arm through attrition (mainly suffered during the Russian Campaign) and loss of horse-producing allies to provide remounts contributed significantly to the gradual French defeat and downfall of the French Empire. During the Waterloo Campaign, the "Armee du Nord" had 47,000 horses: 25,000 cavalry, 12,000 for artillery, 10,000 for infantry and supply columns. Although in larger forces the cavalry might
Imperial and Royal Army during the Napoleonic Wars not part of the Holy Roman Empire, but under Habsburg rule. The key feature of the army of the Austrian Empire during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (1792-1815) was that, due to the multi-national nature of the territories, regiments were split into "German" units (which included Czech-troops recruited from Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia, Polish and Ukrainian units recruited from the territory of Galicia, Flemings and Walloons territory of the former Austrian Netherlands, and Italians) and "Hungarian" units (which included troops from Croatia and Transylvania). Conscription resulted in elements of untrained men in every battalion, a problem exacerbated by incoherent training