From: Mike Campbell <mike@aloysius.equinox.gen.nz>
Subject: Napoleon's Guard
Organization: Me?  Organized?
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 1992 17:29:41 GMT


From Mike Campbell <mike@aloysius.equinox.gen.nz>


ANOTHER LONG ONE :-)

> From ntaib@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Iskandar Taib)
> 
> I've always wondered about this. Napoleon's Grenadiers of the Guard 
> (the "Old Guard") were undoubtedly very good, but how variable was the
> quality of the other Guard units? I'd heard that the Young Guard 
> had deteriorated to pretty bad by Waterloo, when they tangled with 
> the Prussians on Napoleon's flank. 

Napoleon's Guards were always good troops.  Off hand I can't think of 
any major problems they had that wouldn't have also troubled anyone 
lese.  Herewith follows a brief history of the Guard from 1809:

Napoleon's Guard was divided into three categories  after the peace 
with Austria in 1809 - the Old Guard, the Middle Guard and the Young 
Guard.  Unfortunately I don't remember where all my recollections 
(none of which are first hand :-)) come from, but I think that to be 
in the Old Guard required a certain number of Campaigns have 
been participated in, and I think that attendance at Austerlitz and/or 
Marengo may have been a requirement.  The list of people eligible for 
Old Guard Status was:

1st Regiments of Grenadiers and Chasseurs
NCO's of the Fusiliers, and of the 2nd Regts of Grenadiers and 
   Chasseurs
Veteran Company
Horse Grenadiers
Chasser-a-Cheval and Mameluks
1st (Polish) Chevaux-leger Lancers
Empress Dragoons
Elite Gendarmes
Artillery, Pontoniers and Sappers
Marines
NCOs of the Young Guard Artillery
Officers of the Young and Middle Guard units.

Middle Guard:
2nd regiments of Grenadiers and Chasseurs
3rd Regt of Grenadiers
2nd (Dutch) Chevau-leger Lancers
Fusilier Battalions
Velites of Florence and Turin
Artillery train and Artisans

Young Guard
Voltiguer and Tirailleur Regts
Flankers
National Guard
Pupilles
Wagon Train

As far as I know the Middle Guard was regarded by the French as pretty 
much the same as the Old Guard.  In 1812 Middle Guard units were 
brigaded with Young Guard, while the 3 Granadier Regts formed a 
seperate Brigade, as did the 2 Chasseur Regts.

In 1813 things changed a wee bit:  Only the 1st Grenadier  Chasseur 
Regts were "Old", the 2nd of each to be "Middle", and the 3rd 
Grenadiers were disbanded.  The number of Young Guard Regts was 
increased.

So by the end of 1813 the Guard consisted of:

1 x Old Guard Division:  2 Grenadier and 2 Chasseur Regts (tho' the 
   2nd Regts were now Middle Guard)
1 x Middle Guard Division: 2 Fusiler, 2 Flanquer Regts, 2 Italian 
   Velite Battalions, a Bttn of Westphalian Guard and a Bttn of Saxon 
   Guard (also, but only theoretically, a bttn of Polish Guard)
4 x Young Guard Divisions - 22 Regts total.

In 1814, as the army crossed back into France, the Guard consisted of

2 x Old Guard Divisions (incl the Middle Guard)
6 x Young Guard Divisions
3 Divisions of Guard cavalry
6 Infantry Corps
3 Cavalry Corps
1 provisional Cavalry division.

Thus the Guard consisted of something like 25-30% of the army.  The 
Guard formed the nucleus of the fighting force, getting the best 
recruits and doing most of the work.

In 1815 Napoleon formed:

Old and Middle Guard:  4 Regts each of Grenadiers and Chasseurs, 1 
   Company of Marines.

Young Guard: 16 Regts (only 8 were ready for campaign when hostilities 
began), plus 1 company each of Marines and Engineers.  

The 8 available Regts were formed into 4 Brigades, 1 was allocated to 
the Army of the Loire, and 1 didn't arrive in time for Waterloo, 
leaving just 4 Young Guard Regts at Waterloo!!!  Unfortunately I have 
no good account of the progress of the Prussians during this battle, 
but the 8 bns of Young Guard held the village of Plachenoit for at 
least some time -and the Prussian army had nearly 52,000 troops of all 
types.  Not a bad performance.

The Cavalry consisted of: Empress Dragoons (7 sqn), Horse Grenadiers 
(5 sqn), Guard Lancers (5 sqn), Chasseurs a Cheval (6 sqn), Elite 
Gendarmes (2 companies).

The artillery had 12 foot batteries (12 lb guns), 5 horse batteries (6 
lb) and 1 Train Sqn.

The rest of the army consisted of 90 Line Regts, 15 Legere Regts, 3 
Foreign Regts, 4 Swiss Regts, 2 Carabinier Regts, 12 Cuirassier Regts, 
6 Lancer Regts (+ 1 dismounted Polish Regt), 20 Dragoon Regts, 10 
Hussar Regts, 15 Chasseur a Cheval Regts + a Belgian Regt.


> How did the Chasseurs a'Cheval differ in mission from the Hussars? They

It didn't differ at all - they were interchangeable for all purposes.

> were (according to the tables) somewhat better light cavalry than your
> garden variety hussar..

I'd be suspicious of those tables if I was you - are they by chance, 
from the little Airfix book on Napoleonic Wargaming?  If so I advise 
getting a new set of rules!

Think of the British Example - they turned 4 Light Dragoon Regts into 
Hussars in 1811, by placing "(Hussar)" at the end of the regimental 
title and, eventually, providing new uniforms.  How much difference do 
you think this would make?
-- 
Mike Campbell, Christchurch, New Zealand
mike@aloysius.equinox.gen.nz 

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