[PW] etapes

[burchell at telusplanet.net]

Hi Again!
Thanks to all who have replied. I have a much better understanding of the 
term than I did before, and at least a part of what I believed to be true
appears to be borne out by your description. I also wonder, considering
the somewhat rag-tag composition of Napolean's army in particular, consisting
of ox-carts, horse-drawn wagons, cavalry, foot-soldiers, and accompanying
women, what distance would a "days march" be? I would guess somewhere
beween 15 and 25 miles, depending on weather conditions. Any information
to enlarge on this?
Cheers!
Jim
Quoting "Graf,  Jeffrey C" <jcgraf at indiana.edu>:

> Hello,
> 
> The concept of etapes predates Napoleon.
> 
> Here's something from Diderot and d'Alembert's Encyclopédie, published
> between 1751 and 1772.
> 
> My translation (harldy authoritative) follows.
> 
> 
> ETAPE, (Droit d') Droit politique; c'est un droit en vertu duquel le 
> souverain arrête les marchandises qui arrivent dans ses ports, pour 
> obliger ceux qui les transportent à les exposer en vente dans un marche 
> ou un magasin public de ses états.Plusieurs villes anséatiques & autres 
> joüissent différemment du droit de faire décharger dans leurs magasins 
> les effets qui arrivent dans leurs ports, en empêchant que les 
> négocians puissent les vendre à bord de leurs vaisseaux, ou les debiter 
> dans les terres & lieux circonvoisins.
> 
> Le mot d'étape, selon Ménage, vient de l'allemand stapelen, mettre en 
> monceau. Guichardin prétend au contraire que le mot allemand vient du 
> françois étaple, & celui-ci du latin stabulum. Il seroit bien difficile 
> de dire lequel des deux étymologistes a raison, <pb->
> 
> 
> Etape (Page 6:16)
> 
> 
> Etape, s. f. (Art milit.) dans l'art militaire, ce sont les provisions 
> de bouche & les fourrages qu'on distribue aux soldats quand ils passent 
> d'une province dans une autre, ou dans les différentes marches qu'ils 
> sont obligés de faire.C'est de-là qu'on appelle étapiers ceux qui font 
> marché avec le pays ou territoire, pour fournir les troupes de vivres. 
> Chambers.
> 
> Feu M. de Louvois fit dresser par ordre du roi une carte générale des 
> lieux qui seroient destinés au logement des troupes, & à la fourniture 
> des étapes sur toutes les principales routes du royaume; & cette carte 
> a depuis servi de regle pour toutes les marches des recrues ou des 
> corps qui se font dans le royaume.
> Cet établissement avoit été projetté sous le regne de Louis XIII. 
> L'ordonnance qu'il rendit à Saint - Germain-en - Laye le 14 Août 1623, 
> porté qu'il seroit établi quatre principales brisées dans le royaume; 
> une de la frontiere de Picardie à Bayonne, une autre de la frontiere de 
> la Basse - Bretagne à Marseille, une du milieu du Languedoc jusqu'au 
> milieu de la Normandie, & une autre de l'extrémité de la Saintonge aux 
> confins de la
> Bresse; qu'il seroit tiré de moindres brisées traversant les provinces qui
> se
> trouveroient enfermées entre les quatre principales, & que dans ces 
> brisées seroient affectés de traite en traite certains logemens & 
> maisons qui seroient délaissées vuides par les gouverneurs des 
> provinces, baillis, sénéchaux, gouverneurs particuliers, maires & 
> échevins de villes; lesquels logemens seroient mis en état de recevoir 
> & loger les gens de guerre de cheval & de pié, passant de province à 
> autre.
> 
> Cet arrangement rendit le logement & le passage des troupes moins 
> onéreux aux provinces; mais comme le soldat devoit vivre en route au 
> moyen de sa solde fixée à huit sous par soldat par ladite ordonnance, 
> les troupes chargées de leur subsistance ne manquoient pas les 
> occasions d'enlever des légumes, des volailles, & tout ce qui pouvoit 
> contribuer à rendre leur nourriture meilleure.
> Ce fut dans la vûe d'obvier à cette espece de pillage, que le roi Louis 
> XIV. jugea à-propos de faire fournir la subsistance en pain, vin, & 
> viande, dans chaque lieu destiné au logement. Cet établissement 
> produisit dans les provinces tout l'effet qu'on pouvoit en attendre; 
> les habitans de la campagne y trouverent leur intérêt dans une 
> consommation utile de leurs denrées; les troupes sûres de trouver en 
> arrivant <cb-> à leur logement une subsistance prête & abondante, 
> n'eurent plus de motifs le rien prendre; la discipline
> devint réguliere dans les marches: enfin la facilité de porter des 
> troupes d'une frontiere à l'autre, sans aucune disposition préliminaire 
> pour assurer leur subsistance, ne contribua pas peu dans les dernieres 
> guerres au secret des projets & à la vivacité des opérations. Ainsi les 
> princes voisins ont toûjours regardé les étapes comme un avantage 
> infini que la France avoit en fait de guerre sur leurs états, qui par 
> la constitution de leur gouvernement & par la différence de leurs 
> intérêts, n'étoient pas susceptibles d'un pareil établissement.
> 
> Une utilité si marquée n'avoit pas cependant empêché de supprimer les 
> étapes en 1718, au moyen de l'augmentation de paie que l'on accorda aux 
> troupes. Insensiblement on retomba dans les inconvéniens que l'on avoit 
> évités par cet établissement; & les choses en vinrent à un tel point, 
> que Sa Majesté attentive à favoriser ses peuples & à maintenir la 
> discipline parmi ses troupes, ne crut rien faire de plus utile que de 
> les rétablir par l'ordonnance du 13 Juillet 1727, dont les principaux 
> articles sont tirés de celle qui fut
> rendue le 14 Juin 1702. Code militaire par M. Briquet. (Q)
> 
> 
> ETAPE  (Military art) in military art these are the food and forage 
> that are distributed to soldiers when they pass from one province to 
> another, or in the various marches they are obliged to make.
> 
> It is from there that comes what is called etapiers, those who deal 
> with the country or territory to provide the troops with supplies.
> 
> The late M. de Louvois had drawn up by order of the king a general map 
> of the places which would be designated as lodgings for the troops, & 
> for supply of the etapes on all the main roads of the kingdom; & that 
> map since has served as a rule for all the marches of recruits or corps 
> which are made in the kingdom.
> 
> This establishment had been proposed under the reign of Louis XIII.  
> The ordinance thathe proclaimed at St.-Germain-en-Laye on the 14th of 
> August 1623, directed that there be established four principal tracks 
> in the kingdom; one from the border of Picardy to Bayonne; another from 
> the border of Basse-Normandie to Marseille, one from the middle of 
> Languedoc to the middle of Normandie, & another from the end of 
> Saintonge to the confines of Gresse; that there be taken from the 
> smallest tracks crossing the provinces that are
> within the four main ones, & that in these tracks there shall be by 
> agreement in trade certain lodgings and houses which will be left empty 
> by provincial governors, bailiffs, seneschals, mayors and municipal 
> magistrates; which lodgings shall be put in a state of readiness to 
> receive and lodge mounted and foot soldiers, passing from one province 
> to another.
> 
> This arrangement made the lodging and passage of troops less onerous to 
> the provinces; but since the soldier must live along the way on a fixed 
> pay of eight sous per soldier by the fixed ordinance, the troops 
> charged with their subsistence did not fail on occasions to filch 
> vegetables or fowl & all that might contribute to making their 
> nourishment better.
> 
> It was in view of obviating this sort of pillage that King Louis XIV 
> judged it desirable to furnish subsistence in bread, wine & meat, in 
> each place intended as lodgings.  This establishment produced in the 
> provinces all the effect on might have expected; the inhabitants of the 
> county found their interest in a useful consumption of their 
> foodstuffs; the troops sure of finding on their arrival t their 
> lodgings a ready & abundant subsistence, no longer had any reason to 
> steal anything; discipline became regular in the marches: finally the 
> ease of moving troops from one border to another, without any 
> preliminary need to assure their subsistence, did not contribute little 
> in the late wars to the secrecy of projects & the swiftness of 
> operations.  Thus neighboring
> princes have always considered etapes as an infinite advantage the 
> France had in making war on their states, which by the constitution of 
> their government & by the difference of their interests, were not 
> suitable for such an establishment.
> 
> Such marked usefulness did not, however, prevent the suppression of the 
> etapes in 1718 by means of an increase in pay which was given to the 
> troops.  Little by little one fell back into the drawbacks that had 
> been avoided by this establishment & things came to such a point that 
> His Majesty, desiring to favor his peoples & to maintain discipline 
> among the troops, thought he could do nothing more useful than to 
> reestablish them by the ordinance of 13 July 1727, whose main articles 
> were taken from that which was rendered on 14 June 1702.  Code 
> militaire par M. Briquet (Q)
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Jeff Graf
> Reference
> Wells Library
> Indiana University - Bloomington
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Quoting burchell at telusplanet.net:
> 
> > Hi!
> >
> > Thanks for the response.
> > I have received several, some merely citing the usual "a stopping
> > place" or " a
> > days march" which are not too helpful. This seems to be something
> > that was once
> > of considerable importance that has faded into such obscurity that it has
> > almost lost any meaning. Thanks again, I will attempt to pursue your lead.
> > Jim
> >
> > Quoting John Sleasman <johnsleasman at gmail.com>:
> >
> >> burchell at telusplanet.net wrote:
> >> > I am more interested in the historical
> >> > importance of the sites as their military significance during military
> >> > campaigns during Napoleans era. Just as during modern military
> operations,
> >> > men and equipment require ammunition, fuel, clothing, explosives, etc,
> so
> >> > toodid Napoleans army require similar require supplies for horses,
> wagons,
> >> > foot soldiers, cavalry and the enormous numbers of women who
> accompanied
> >> their
> >> > men as camp attendents, cooks, laundresses, etc. His logististic
> problems
> >> were
> >> > no less difficult then those of a modern general, and in many
> >> ways, because
> >> of
> >> > poorer communication, they were even more difficult.  The idea of the
> >> etape
> >> > though, is for its time, quite a well thought out one, in my opinion, if
> I
> >> am
> >> > correct in my opinion as to the full definition of the concept.
> >> >
> >> I seem to remember that the Musée de l'Armée, in Les Invalides in Paris,
> >> included some provisioning étapes amongst the other 19th century
> >> engineering models of forts, cities, etc. Unfortunately, the web site (
> >> http://www.invalides.org/ ) currently comes up with significant "under
> >> construction"  pages, and that wing of the Invalides is apparently
> >> closed for renovation "until 2008." But contacting them (
> >> http://www.invalides.org/pages/popup/contact.html ) might help give an
> >> authoritative answer to questions [and I would presume that someone on
> >> the staff would speak/write English].
> >>
> >> John Sleasman
> >> _______________________________________________
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> >> http://www.project-wombat.org/
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> >
> 
> 
> 
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