The corps system (corps d'armee) was Napoleon's organizational innovation that broke a large army into several self-contained combined-arms formations, each with its own infantry, cavalry and artillery, capable of marching, fighting and even holding off a superior enemy independently until the rest of the army concentrated. Precedents existed in the French Revolutionary armies, but Napoleon fully developed and systematized the structure for the campaigns of 1805 onward, most famously in the Grande Armee.
Facts
Core ClaimDivide the army into several independent, combined-arms corps able to fight alone until the rest of the army arrives. 1 Origin YearFormally introduced 1 March 1800 when Napoleon ordered General Moreau to divide his command into four corps, with earlier precedent in Jourdan's three-corps Army of Sambre and Meuse (1795); Napoleon fully developed the system for the 1805 campaign. Cross-Tradition Connections
Developed By
Precedents existed in Jourdan's Army of Sambre and Meuse (1795, three corps) and Moreau's four-corps division (ordered 1800); Napoleon fully developed and systematized the corps d'armee for the 1805 campaign.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Corps
WikipediaFrance/Napoleonic Wars sectionQuote, France/Napoleonic Wars section
A military innovation by Napoleon, the formation was formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered General Jean Victor Marie Moreau to divide his command into four corps.
1. Wikipedia: Corps
Wikipediahistory section on Napoleonic corpsQuote, history section on Napoleonic corps
The French Imperial Army under Napoleon used corps-sized formations (French: corps d'armée) as the first formal combined-arms groupings of divisions with reasonably stable manning and equipment establishments
1. Wikipedia: Corps
Wikipedialead sentence, IPA glossQuote, lead sentence, IPA gloss
Corps (/kɔːr/; plural corps /kɔːrz/)
1. Wikipedia: Corps
WikipediaDeveloped By: Napoleon Bonaparte, body textQuote, Developed By: Napoleon Bonaparte, body text
Napoleon first used the corps d'armee in 1805
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