By 1812, the imminent eruption of the Russian campaign saw the "Grenadiers-à-Cheval" recalled from Spain. A part of the 3rd brigade of the Guard cavalry, they numbered 1166 men, spread between five squadrons (squadron commanders were: 1st sq. - Perrot, 2nd sq. - Mesmer, 3rd sq. - Rémy, 4th sq. - Hardy, 5th sq. - Morin). The first part of the campaign, from June to September, was nothing more than a long march for the Guard, which was never committed to battle and was able to arrive on the field of battle at Borodino at full strength. Despite the various insistent demands of the French field commanders during this epic battle, Napoleon I refused to commit the Guard to battle so far away from France. During the great fire of Moscow, the "Grenadiers-à-Cheval" were used to police the city, due to their reputation of discipline and high moral standards. By mid-October, the entire Grande Armée began to move out of the ruined city and the retreat towards Poland would offer only secondary actions to the "Grenadiers-à-Cheval", with the mission of ensuring the protection of the Imperial Headquarters. The skirmishes, the cold and the deprivations during the retreat took their toll on the regiment and by the time of the battle of Berezina the combined "Grenadiers-à-Cheval" and "Chasseurs-à-Cheval" were able to field no more than 500 combat-worthy men on horseback, with several hundred dismounted. Despite this, there is evidence that morale remained good throughout. According to author Stephen de Chappedelaine, general Frédéric Henri Walther managed to bring his horse grenadiers out of Russia with few losses.