II Corps (Grande Armée)

The II Corps of the Grande Armée was a military unit that existed during the Napoleonic Wars. At its formation in 1805, Auguste de Marmont was appointed commander of the corps. It participated in the Ulm Campaign before advancing southeast to serve as a flank guard. Still under Marmont, the troops then served as the garrison of the Illyrian Provinces until 1809 when they became the Army of Dalmatia and later the XI Corps. A new II Corps was created in 1808 in northern Spain from the troops under Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bessières. Soon after, Marshal Nicolas Soult took command of the formation. In 1810, Jean Reynier assumed command of the corps in Spain until 1811 when the unit was suppressed. Meanwhile, a parallel II Corps was created in 1809 to fight against Austria. The formation was led first by Nicolas Oudinot, then by Marshal Jean Lannes who was fatally wounded at Aspern-Essling. Oudinot took over the corps again and won his marshal's baton at Wagram in July 1809. Oudinot still led the II Corps for the French invasion of Russia in 1812. The corps was reorganized in Germany in 1813 and Marshal Claude Perrin Victor was appointed to lead it. The corps was headed by Honoré Charles Reille in 1815 and fought at Waterloo.

History
It was commanded by Marshal Nicolas Oudinot during the 1812 invasion of Russia, at which point its size was roughly 40,000 men.