I thought it might be interesting to look at a band of bandits, or, because they sided with imperial forces in southern France in 1814, partisans or free corps. These men operated around Bordeaux, but were more active in 1815. The band seems to have formed as early as Portugal in 1812. Their chief activity seems to have been raiding, with some pillaging. The interest, for me, lies in the international nature of the group.

The leader was Florian, a man in his thirties who had been a civilian attached to the army. His servant, a Spaniard named Josep Custodio, acted as his right-hand man. In 1815 the core of the band consisted of Girard, a man from the Landes region of France and connected with the region’s smugglers; Ludwig (nicknamed Smith), who had been born in Berlin; Joseph Ribotte from Ariege; Jan Poukowski, from Mittau in Courland; Etienne Boudet from Cantal; Jan Caspar from Koenigsberg in Prussia; Jacques Boyer of Born, Correze; Joseph Wachner from Kellemberg in Westphalia; William Anson, an American sailor from New York; Etienne, a black, from Guadaloupe; Pierre Prevanche, a deserter from Rochefort; Antoine Cluzan, a private in the 44th Line from Bordeaux; Carl Teincher, from Koenigsberg, a former trumpeter in the Hanoverian chasseurs, who then served in the Brunswick hussars (the chasseurs de la Mort) before being wounded at Orthez, captured and enrolled in the band; John Wilson, a gardener from London, born in Oxfordshire, who had served in the 10th Light Dragoons but had deserted in Toulouse in 1814.

Less is known about the rest of the band although there were three deserters from the 5th chasseurs, a retired gendarme called Hebrard and a tailor from Strasbourg called Joseph Lafleur.

The band was dispersed but largely captured (Florian escaped) at the end of the 100 Days. In March 1816, after a six-day trial, Ribotte, Ludwig, Poukowski, Boudet, Caspar, Boyer, Wachner, Anson, Custodio, Prevanche, Cluzan, Teincher and Wilson, plus Bachelerie, Frayssinet and Vincent and Jean Sauvignac, were sentenced to a lifetime of forced labour and a public branding in Agen (with “TP” on the right shoulder). Hebrard, the gendarme, was sent in to exile.

J