The
3rd company of the 8th regiment of
Artillery to foot of the Line
Why the 3rd company of the 8th Artillery Regiment to foot of the line?
This company was assigned to the rear-guard of the army
of Grouchy which left the area of Wavre at the following day of the battle
of Waterloo to join the place of Givet. The passage to Namur of this
important troop of 33.000 men lasted from June 19 at 5 p.m. at June 20 at
the beginning of evening. Taken pity for these overcome soldiers, the
Namurian ones looked after them and nourished, and the municipality made
distribute 100.000 rations of bread and brandy.
June 20, at the end of the afternoon, the artillerists
of the 3rd company, out of battery with the door of Brussels, delivered
with bravery an ultimate combat against the Prussians, to make it possible
the last French regiments to leave the city by the door of the Plant. The
population supports them and of former soldiers help them. Finally, around
6 p.m., while they harness the horses to be folded up in their turn, it is
civil Namurian, Albert-François Modave which points the last blow of gun,
before regaining its residence peacefully while skirting the ramparts...
The historical group of reconstitution.
Our group represents a team of artillerists of this
time and ensures the service of a field gun of 4
books, system of Gribeauval, such as it was used in all the campaigns of the
Empire.
There does not exist any more in Europe but 2 specimens
of this gun, which are preserved at the Museum of the sedentary Gunners of
Lille. The "Namurian" part is a meticulous reconstitution,
similar in its least details to the original. It is composed of a bronze
tube of 300 kg, assembled on a mounting with double flasks, and of a
front-axle unit equipped with a long tiller making it possible to harness
there two or four horses. The unit weighs more than one ton.
In addition to animations
with the citadel of Namur in July and August, the artillerists take part
in reconstitutions historical in Belgium but also in Europe like at days
demonstrations and teaching (for the schools). The group works with
museums for exposures or inaugurations having milked with artillery or the
army of the 1st Empire. The gun also took part in turnings of film and
telefilm for the BBC and the VRT.
But it is mainly the historical and technical aspect of the artillery
which impassions the members of association. Thus we published, in 2000, a
work
on Gribeauval explaining the genius of this man and the use of the part of
4 books through many photographs. We currently carry out research on the
route of the 3rd company of the 8th Artillery Regiment during the countryside of Belgium
(1815) and we try to determine the road followed by the keys of the town
of Namur (carries from Brussels) EMcarried at the evening of June 20 by
the French soldiers and currently preserved in a museum of Nancy. During
this research, other members occupy themselves of the aspect uniformology
of the artillerist and the improvement of the material of our gun.