The painting of tirallieur with 1812 campaign uniform |
In September 1811, the regiment's supplies were fully replenished. During the spring of 1812, it was withdrawn from Spain, and was transferred to the Lanabere brigade, belonging to the elite Rouget division. The regiment was kept in the reserve near Borodino and entered Moscow unscathed. The regiment was devastated by the disease and desertion when it was returning to France. The remnants of the unit along with the brigade fought at Krasnoye and on the Berezina River. After these battles, the regiment was decimated.
In 1813, the regiment, supplemented with new conscripts and officers from line units, was sent for Frankfurt, where it reinforced the ranks of Tindal's brigade. The regiment became the reserve force of the army at the time. At the turn of 1813/14, the regiment played an important role at Lützen, Bautzen, Leipzig, Brienne, La Rothiere, Champaubert, Montmireil, St. Thierry, Vauchamps, Montereau, Laon, Arcis-sur-Aube, Fere-Champenoise, Courtrai, Craonne, St. Dizier, and Paris. In the Battle of Dresden, the regiment attacked 6 Prussian battalions, after that 200 soldiers were awarded the Order of the Legion of Honour. During the hundred days, Napoleon expressed himself in the regiment as "the bravest of the Tirallieurs". At Leipzig, the regiment defended its position at Lindenau. The Regiment was dissolved after the first abdication, while it was rebuilt from former soldiers during Napoleons last campaign. They fought also at Ligny and Waterloo. In the last battle of the emperor, the regiment to the last man defended Planceloit against the Prussians. Every battle in which the regiment fought before the 1814 was victorious for the emperor.
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