The man who lost the Drums

A number of years ago, I visited the Regimental museum in Carlisle. One of the artefacts that seized my interest, was the drum major's mace captured from the 34th French line regiment at the battle of Arroyos dos Molinos on 28 October 1811. I wondered who that French Drum major was who had carried that mace and what had happened to him after he was captured at the battle.

Denis Charles Maquin

Years later, whilst doing some research in the French military archives, I located this drum major's service record. His name was Denis Charles Maquin and he was born 31 January 1782 in Chateauroux, a town approximately 50 km south west of Paris. He was the youngest of nine children and when he grew up he became a harness maker or saddler. He joined the army on 1 May 1800 as a conscript in the 23rd Battalion of Marine Infantry. His description in the Regimental enrolment records states that he was over 6ft tall with grey eyes and brown hair.

À Angleterre!

Maquin’s first action was in Italy, where he was wounded in the left leg in December 1800 at the crossing of the Mincio river, near Verona. On 21 October 1801, he joined the 34th Regiment of Line Infantry as a grenadier. This regiment like many others moved to encampments on the channel coast in 1803, ready for Napoleon's proposed invasion of Britain. Napoleon had formed the army into seven Corps each composed of 3 divisions. The 34th were placed in the 3rd division of the 5th corps under the command of Louis Suchet. Maquin would have spent almost two years in these camps on the channel coast before the proposed invasion of Britain was abandoned and Napoleon marched his troops against the Austrians in 1805.

Austerlitz

In order to encircle the Austrian army at Ulm before they could unite with their Russian allies, Napoleon made his troops march around 30km a day. Maquin would have had to endure these marches along with the other soldiers in his regiment. The result was the capitulation of General Mack with his army of 27,000 Austrians. Maquin must have witnessed the vanquished troops as they filed out of Ulm to surrender their weapons.

The Russians who were to have joined the Austrians retreated and Napoleon pursued them eventually confronting them at the battle of Austerlitz on 1 December 1805. This turned out to be one of Napoleon's finest victories. Maquin with the 34th played their part and though not part of the decisive advance in the centre, they fought with distinction on the French left flank where the Russians had put them under considerable pressure.

After his great victory at Austerlitz, Napoleon went on to defeat the Prussians in the following year. This campaign culminated with the battle of Jena on 14th October 1806. Maquin and the 34th Regiment were again in the thick of the action and shortly after the battle Maquin was promoted to Corporal. Later in December of 1806 war erupted again and Maquin's regiment was actively involved in the battle of Pultusk in Poland and in the final victory of the campaign at Friedland in June 1807.

Corporal to Drum Major

It was on 22 October 1809 that Denis Maquin became the Regiment's Drum Major. This was another promotion and he now held the rank of Sergeant Major. The role of Drum Major was a very prestigious one in the regiment. He would have been expected to be an example of military bearing and display exemplary conduct. He would have been dressed flamboyantly and carried the mace which is on display in the regimental museum. He would use this to direct and lead the regiment's drum corps.

Spain and wounded

In 1809 Maquin's regiment was transferred toSpain where war had begun in 1808. The regiment's first engagement was the bloody siege of Saragozza in December of that year. He then participated in the battle of Ocana in November 1809 where the French soundly beat a large Spanish army. After that he was involved in a number of small actions before the Battle of Albuera in May 1811. This was a very bloody affair with both sides becoming involved in a fire-fight at close range. This resulted in heavy losses for both the French and British. Here Maquin received his second wound in his right shoulder.

He soon recovered from his injury and was next in action at the battle of Arroyos dos Molinos on 28 October 1811, where the French was surprised by General Hill's division and seriously defeated. The French were preparing to march away when the British stormed into the centre of the village.

Prisoner

The British took many prisoners of war and Denis Maquin and his drum corps were captured by the 2nd Battalion of the 34th Regiment Foot. Sergeant Moses Simpson of the 34th’s Grenadier Company wrestled the drum major’s mace from Maquin and took him prisoner. Simpson was later awarded a medal for this by the officers of his regiment. Denis Maquin along with the other French prisoners was marched under escort to Lisbon and then transferred by ship to England. They were then transported to Scotland and imprisoned in Perth where a purpose built prison had just opened. He spent almost 3 years in prison before his release on 24 July 1814.

Waterloo

Having arrived back in France things were very different. Napoleon had been defeated and exiled to Elba and under the King's rule the army had been scaled down and some regiments disbanded. When Denis Maquin returned to France he rejoined the army in the same capacity as a drum major. Napoleon returned in 1815 and Maquin joined the newly reorganised Imperial Guard as Drum Major in the 4th Grenadiers. He fought with them during the 100 days campaign and was wounded at the battle of Waterloo. The 4th Grenadiers took part in the last attack in the early evening. They were defeated but withdrew in reasonable order.

Denis Maquin survived the battle and after the exile of Napoleon joined the 4th Gardes Royale. He married in late 1815 and fathered a son who unfortunately died in infancy. He continued as the Drum Major in the same regiment for a number of years before taking his pension and retiring to a suburb in Paris.

Keith Matthews