Support Troops

 The Pontonniers developed from Rhine River boatmen in 1792, being organized in Strasbourg. Another battalion was organized on the Rhine frontier in 1797-1799, and a third was formed in Italy in 1800. Napoleon reorganized them into two battalions in 1801, their strength usually between six and fourteen companies. There was a row between the engineers and artillery about who should own the pontonniers, the artillery finally winning out. Their commander in Russia in 1812 was Eblé, who 'having the appearance of an ancient Roman,' 'could make artillery units and bridges alike out of the most unpromising materials.' He called his devoted troops 'my comrades' but, 'kept strict discipline-with his fists, if necessary.' Bernadotte, aptly referred to him as 'a man out of Plutarch.' On campaign, the pontonniers were assigned one company to each corps, the Guard, the Cavalry Reserve, and the parc. A company could 'put in a bridge of from sixty to eighty pontoons (very roughly, 350 to 500 feet long) in seven hours.' They could also improvise bridges out of what was available, as in the first Danube crossing in 1809 before Essling, and were also capable of building trestle bridges, as was done at the Berezina. They were valuable and flexible troops, their 'finest hour' coming at the Berezina. Ninety percent of the 1st Battalion died of exhaustion and exposure after the crossing. 

  The ouvriers were responsible for vehicle construction and repair, working in the arsenals and accompanying the parc on campaign. There were nineteen companies by 1812, one of them of Spanish prisoners of war. The armuriers repaired weapons, serving in both arsenals and the parc. There were six companies by 1813, one of them Dutch. All of these units, except for the train which wore gris de fer, faced dark blue, wore the artillery uniform of dark blue, with different distinctions, (facings, cuffs, braid, etc.). Only the Guard artillery wore the bearskin-bonnet and colpack, respectively, for the foot and horse artillery, they were marked out by their red lapels to their uniform, which was otherwise the same as the foot artillery.

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