Reserve Cavalry Corps ( Grande Armée ) The Reserve Cavalry Corps or Cavalry Reserve of the " Grande Armée " was the name of a French military formation that existed during the Napoleonic Wars . In 1805 , Emperor Napoleon appointed Marshal Joachim Murat to command all the cavalry divisions that were not directly attached to the Army Corps . During the Ulm Campaign , Murat led his horsemen in successfully hunting down many Austrian Empire units that escaped the Capitulation of Ulm . Murat ' s horsemen fought at Austerlitz in December 1805 . Under Murat , the Cavalry Reserve played a prominent role in the destruction of the Kingdom of Prussia ' s armies after the Battle of Jena - Auerstadt in 1806 . Five dragoon divisions of the corps were employed in the Peninsular War starting in 1808 and placed under the overall command of Marshal Jean - Baptiste Bessières . The Cavalry Reserve was reassembled in 1809 to fight Austria with Bessières still in command . In 1812 the corps was split up into the I , II , III , and IV Corps for the French invasion of Russia . Three cavalry divisions were subordinated to each corps , except the IV which had only two . History . 1805 . At its beginning , Napoleon ' s Grande Armée comprised seven army corps , the Imperial Guard , the artillery reserve , and the Cavalry Reserve . The latter consisted of two cuirassier , one light cavalry , and five dragoon divisions , including one dismounted . The mass of 22 , 000 cavalrymen was supported by 24 pieces of artillery . The remainder of the army ' s cavalry was distributed among the army corps in brigades or divisions . Napoleon appointed Marshal Joachim Murat to command the Reserve Cavalry . Generals of Division Étienne Marie Antoine Champion de Nansouty and Jean - Joseph Ange d ' Hautpoul led the cuirassier divisions while Generals of Division Louis Klein , Frédéric Henri Walther , Marc Antoine de Beaumont , and François Antoine Louis Bourcier headed the dragoon divisions , and General of Division Louis Baraguey d ' Hilliers commanded the dismounted unit . On 8 October 1805 at the Battle of Wertingen , Murat and Marshal Jean Lannes attacked an isolated Austrian division under Feldmarschall - Leutnant Franz Xaver von Auffenberg . Murat ' s horsemen included Klein ' s 3 , 000 - strong dragoon division , Beaumont ' s 2 , 400 - man dragoon division , and some light cavalry under Generals of Brigade Antoine Charles Louis de Lasalle and Anne - François - Charles Trelliard . With the support of some V Corps infantry , Murat ' s horsemen rode down the hapless Austrians , inflicting losses of 400 killed and wounded , 2 , 900 prisoners , six guns , and six flags . The French admitted 174 casualties . The cavalry saw much service during the rest of the Ulm Campaign . At the Battle of Haslach - Jungingen on 11 October 1805 , the 15th and 17th Dragoon Regiments lost their eagles . However , the action was a French victory over a greatly superior force . Murat led his horsemen in a series of actions between 16 and 18 October before securing the surrender of Feldmarschall - Leutnant Franz von Werneck ' s Austrian corps . In these clashes Klein ' s 1st , 2nd , 4th , 14th , 20th , and 26th Dragoon Regiments , the 1st Cuirassier Regiment , and other units were involved . In the Battle of Schöngrabern on 16 November , Klein ' s troopers were engaged as were the 11th , 13th , and 22nd Dragoons from Walther ' s division . At the Battle of Austerlitz on 2 December , Murat led approximately 7 , 400 cavalrymen including Nansouty ' s 1st Heavy Cavalry Division , Hautpoul ' s 2nd Heavy Cavalry Division , Walther ' s 2nd Dragoon Division , General of Division François Étienne de Kellermann ' s light cavalry division , and General of Brigade Édouard Jean Baptiste Milhaud ' s light cavalry brigade . Beaumont ' s 3rd Dragoon Division was attached to the IV Corps while Bourcier ' s 4th Dragoon Division with 2 , 500 men and three guns were attached to the III Corps . 1808 . After the Battle of Bailen and the subsequent French surrender on 21 July 1808 , the myth of French military superiority was exploded . In the sequel , King Joseph Bonaparte withdrew the remaining Imperial French forces behind the Ebro River . Determined to conquer Spain , Napoleon resolved to go there himself with a large army . He ordered three army corps to march from Germany to reinforce Joseph ' s badly shaken survivors . Among other reinforcements , one light cavalry and five dragoon divisions were transferred to Spain under the command of Generals of Division Victor de Fay de La Tour - Maubourg , Milhaud , Armand Lebrun de La Houssaye , and Jean Thomas Guillaume Lorge , and General of Brigades Jacques Louis François Milet and Jean Baptiste Marie Franceschi - Delonne . La Tour - Maubourg led the 1st Dragoon Division with 3 , 695 troopers , Milhaud the 2nd with 2 , 940 , Houssaye the 3rd with 2 , 020 , Lorge the 4th with 3 , 101 , and Milet the 5th with 2 , 903 . Franceschi led the 2 , 400 - man light cavalry division . Two of Milhaud ' s regiments were assigned to other units and Milet was soon replaced by Kellermann . On 9 November 1808 , Marshal Jean - Baptiste Bessières was replaced by Marshal Nicolas Soult in charge of the II Corps and ordered to lead the Cavalry Reserve . However , the Cavalry Reserve was not destined to remain intact . In December , Franceschi was already assigned to Soult , Houssaye and Lorge were directed to join Soult , and Milet was still on the march to Spain . Meanwhile , La Tour - Maubourg and Milhaud were assigned to help defend Madrid . Bessières remained with the cavalry near Madrid .