THE FRENCH IMPERIAL GUARD: AND HORSE 1804-1815 PDF, EPUB, EBOOK

Andre Joineau,Alan McKay | 80 pages | 19 Nov 2006 | HISTOIRE & COLLECTIONS | 9782352500025 | English | Paris, France The French Imperial Guard: Cavalry and 1804-1815 PDF Book

The drivers had to be alert at all times in case the ordnance had to be removed from its position in haste, the ear ever waiting for the trumpet call to march. A man on a long, hot march, pushed beyond what his body could bear, might drop out temporarily and catch up with his company later. The regiments were dressed in the fashion of the . They were usually picked for this duty because of their knowledge or skill with the animals. The first true engagement of the unit took place in dramatic circumstances during the War of the Second Coalition , at Marengo. It is easy to forget that the field artillery was almost as a dependent upon horses as the cavalry if not more so. After , the Conscrits-Chasseurs formed the 3rd and 4th regiments of the Voltigeurs of the Guard. This equipment was usually in the rear of the army on the march [19]. The Zouave regiment of the Imperial Guard had their distinctive North African style uniforms trimmed in yellow rather than the red of the other three zouave regiments, with yellow instead of blue fez tassels. Strong, surefooted animals were needed, and mules were the obvious choice. Commanding the horse was colonel Lepic who superbly led two squadrons of the regiment, as they stormed through the first and second Russian lines, stopping only in front of the enemy reserves. The sapper of the engineers was the philosopher of the Imperial Guard. Its headquarters were located at the Pentemont Abbey in Paris. In this was increased to two companies, and later one battalion of four companies totaling sappers. The Guard was composed of three echelons. On May 18, , with the creation of the Imperial Guard , the horse regiment was integrated in this newly created unit. This was less than what a healthy horse, even carrying a rider and hitched into a team of six, could pull, but it furnished a safety factor that allowed for fatigue and losses [17]. II, p. Sinking below their axles in holes full of clinging muck, guns and caissons could be moved only with superhuman effort, the men pushing at the wheels and extra horses pulling on the traces. This meant that in an emergency some movement might be achieved, but with only half the horses present, the battery was at a distinct disadvantage. The field artillery of the Napoleonic epoch was designed to be mobile. Napoleon's Guard 2. Categories : Military units and formations established in Second French Empire Army units and formations of France Royal guards establishments in France. This reorganisation reshuffled the general staff of the regiment and gave its command to chef de brigade colonel Michel Ordener , assisted by three chefs d'escadron squadron commanders. However, on the second day, July 6, , the grenadiers, with the rest of the Guard cavalry, were assigned to support general Jacques MacDonald 's massive attack column. The squadron was never increased to a regiment in strength. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The capacity of a healthy horse to pull a load was affected by a number of factors. The stakes were high, and the horses paid the price. The regiment was not only known for its lavish uniform, but its combat history, as well. The French Imperial Guard: Cavalry and Horse Artillery 1804-1815 Writer

The same routine for the horses would be repeated late in the afternoon. Marco de Saint Hilaire in the 's wrote this about the artillery of the guard and its character [13] :. In this was increased to two companies, and later one battalion of four companies totaling sappers. His character was as severe as his uniform; he spoke little, and his meditative air, although he was only private, made one soon guess that he belonged to an erudite arm, to a corps special to Napoleon, more or less justified in his preferences, placed before all the others, without exception even those of his engineers. Other units of the Imperial Guard also survived into the post-Imperial army of the Third Republic , under new titles and without their former special distinctions and privileges. The weight dropped to 1, pounds over a compact earthen road, and went down to 1, pounds over rough ground. The train was altered under Article 4 to the following:. At first, one battalion of the French 4th Line regiment was caught in an awkward position and broken by the Russian Guard cavalry supported by artillery, with the French battalion losing its eagle and over men. Gassendi recommended that the horses be large, solid and strong animals, 4 to 9 yrs of age and measure 1. Categories : Regiments of Napoleon I's Imperial Guard Cavalry regiments of France Military units and formations established in Military units and formations disestablished in Throughout the War of the Sixth Coalition the regiment would fight in this format, with each of the four Old Guard squadrons being formed of 2 companies, officers and men each. References to the cavalry moving at the gallop probaly have translated au gallop as gallop, rather then the correct canter. This distance could be anywhere from a few miles to 20 or 30 miles a day. The Legion included mounted and dismounted troops, the mounted component being two squadrons. V ERY , quartermaster. The bulk of the Imperial Guard was amongst the army led by Marshal Francois Bazaine, which was obliged to capitulate at Metz on 27 October In the fury of battle, horses would shy and rear and flash their hooves; but mules carried their protests to the outer limits. The new Imperial Guard, organised by decree of the 8th April , comprised a squadron of the Artillery Train with nine companies of which one was of the Young Guard. The Guard was divided into the staff, infantry, cavalry, and artillery regiments, as well as battalions of sappers and marines. He was alert in his movements, and seemed to be able to hold in place. The emperor added a regiment of Zouaves to the Guard in , selected from the three existing regiments of zouaves first raised in A part of the Republican Consular Guard, the Grenadiers became the senior "Old Guard" regiment when the Imperial Guard was founded, in Here can be seen the relative size of the French pdr compared to the horses and limber. For other uses, see Imperial Guard. In January , after the Russian disaster, the regiment was once again reorganised, with the addition of a fifth and then a sixth squadron of 2 companies each. Each of the two infantry divisions were given a Mitrailleuse early machine gun company in the late s. It was known by the nickname of "the Gods"; also as "the Big Heels". The only drivers that were not usually with the battery in battle were those that drove the traveling forge and battery wagon. Their only engagement took place at the Battle of Waterloo. This equipment was usually in the rear of the army on the march [19]. Movement was everything. Guardsmen received higher rates of pay and enjoyed better conditions of service than their counterparts in other regiments. The saddle horse should be free in his movements; have good sight; a full, firm chest; be sure-footed; have a good disposition, with boldness and courage; more bottom than spirit, and not too showy. The French Imperial Guard: Cavalry and Horse Artillery 1804-1815 Reviews

On map: after initial success the Middle Guard fell back. They were usually picked for this duty because of their knowledge or skill with the animals. Gneissenau gathered some infantry around him and commanded them to sing the hymn "Herr Gott, Dich loben wir". It was known by the nickname of "the Gods"; also as "the Big Heels". The organisation of each company then was:. Oddly, according to official regulations and manuals no provision was made to carry spare swindle trees and splinter bars. On the march, water had to be found at the end of each day. His successor would be year-old Claude Etienne Guyot, who would command the brigade until the fall of the Empire in July Each gun in a battery used two six- horse teams: one team pulled a limber that towed the gun, the other pulled a limber that towed a caisson. Keeping the horses calm during battle and removing harness from downed horses was a skill of the drivers often used. The caisson drivers were directed into position by the chief of line of caissons, frequently taking position under hostile fire [18]. To these were added the common features which by had come to typify the French Army - notably the red trousers worn by most regiments. At this time the guard had guns forming 26 batteries. The charges of the Grenadiers were impetuous but losses were heavy: they lost Jean-Baptiste-Auguste-Marie Jamin , killed by British Canister shot near a Coalition square, two Tuefferd and Moreau and sixteen other officers wounded. The plan was well under way towards mid morning but a potentially dangerous situation for the French occurred when the Russian Imperial Guard under Grand Duke Constantine arrived and attacked the French from Vandamme 's around Stary Vinohrady 'the old vineyards'. However, the horse guards would only take service in and a regulation stated that the guards were to be called 'grenadiers'. Each driver had two horses and their harness under his care. Artillery Train [11]. Au Charge was equivalent to the gallop. They served alongside the other Guard cavalry, but were not technically part of the Old, Middle or Young Guard. They had been developed for use in country that was mountainous and heavily wooded, with only trails or wretched roads. Of the two, mud was the greater problem for the artillery. II, p. Such gains as there were resulted from the absence of thousands of marching infantrymen, supply trains and other units cluttering up the roads. The blitz campaign against went on without the regiment seeing any action. Namespaces Article Talk. His character was as severe as his uniform; he spoke little, and his meditative air, although he was only private, made one soon guess that he belonged to an erudite arm, to a corps special to Napoleon, more or less justified in his preferences, placed before all the others, without exception even those of his engineers. The decree of 12 April created the artillerie a Pied de la Garde, the corps being assigned the principal batallion and the Batallion Bis. It is easy to forget that the field artillery was almost as a dependent upon horses as the cavalry if not more so. Pigeard offers a complete table of the regiment's commanders: [3]. Disbanded 15 February At other times, there was available grain and hay but they could not be delivered to the batteries needing them. The organisation lasted until the first abdication in Despite this, there is evidence that morale remained good throughout. In other countries, a gun could be moved forward and back on the Schleppseil rope Prussia, Austria and Saxony after , which enabled the guns to be moved quicker in either direction. Gibbon [15] held that a battery of six light guns needed horses to take the field, and an even larger number would be required for a battery of mounted artillery. A horse in a team of six had only seven-ninths the pulling capacity it would have had in a team of two. About to fight on French soil for the first time since the French Revolutionary Wars , Napoleon decided to reorganize the Imperial Guard. The death toll has never been calculated, but the cost of the War in horseflesh was surely enormous. The Legion included mounted and dismounted troops, the mounted component being two squadrons. The life expectancy of an artillery horse was under eight months. Gassendi recommended that the horses be large, solid and strong animals, 4 to 9 yrs of age and measure 1. This article is about the group of soldiers who acted as Napoleon Bonaparte's personal guard. Sinking below their axles in holes full of clinging muck, guns and caissons could be moved only with superhuman effort, the men pushing at the wheels and extra horses pulling on the traces. Mud or dust seemed to plague every movement of troops. The regiment had 48 riding horses for the officers, riding horses for the workmen, NCO's and trompeter and draft horses. This comprised the following divisions:. Each company had 1 , 1 sergeant-major, 4 sergeants, 1 fourier, 4 corporals, 26 1 st drivers, 72 2 nd drivers, 2 master harness makers, 2 master smiths, 2 trumpeters and horses. Over the years their casualties were replaced from French cavalry regiments, or from any vaguely Middle Eastern related nationalities. The grenadiers charged vigorously and clashed with the Russian .

The French Imperial Guard: Cavalry and Horse Artillery 1804-1815 Read Online

Views Read Edit View history. It is easy to forget that the field artillery was almost as a dependent upon horses as the cavalry if not more so. The Middle Guard was composed of his veterans from the to campaigns. They suffered from disease, exhaustion from long marches typically 16 miles in 10 hours , and battle injuries. Morning and afternoon drill also meant a workout for the horses, after which they needed to be walked to cool down, curried, and probably watered again. Sinking below their axles in holes full of clinging muck, guns and caissons could be moved only with superhuman effort, the men pushing at the wheels and extra horses pulling on the traces. Main article: Old Guard France. Finally disbanded 24 September Conscripts and men from the Compagnies de Reserve brought the new regiment up to four battalions of four companies each, men to a company. A few squadrons of the regiment saw brief but decisive action in the ensuing battle of Medina del Rio Seco , as they came up in support of general Merle 's infantry attack, which repulsed the Spaniards onto Medina and beyond, winning the battle. Company allocation per battalion was as follows:. The Horse Grenadiers was the senior cavalry regiment of the Guard, and originated from the Consular Guard. The box on the front of the limber is a tool box. Majority of the Waterloo-books were written for particular market and are likely to continue to do well in that very specific market with myths, lies and tall tales. The new Imperial Guard, organised by decree of the 8th April , comprised a squadron of the Artillery Train with nine companies of which one was of the Young Guard. The regiment had 48 riding horses for the officers, riding horses for the workmen, NCO's and trompeter and draft horses. Incorporated into the regiment was a squadron of Lithuanian Tatars as the Escadron de Lithuanian Tartares. In the Prussian, Austrian, Russian, British, Bavarian and Wurtemberg systems all had sockets for trail spikes or handles at the trail end of the gun to lift at to facilitate limbering or unlimbering, the furthers point away from the fulcrum, in this case the axel. On map: Allies' offensive: Cambronne is taken prisoner. To complete this new unit, each of the 30 regiments of the line provided 12 men, each of whom had done 10 years of service, and the brigadier, chasseur, and dragoon line regiments provided the sous-officiers. A battery racing to catch up with a retreating enemy or to gain a position of advantage had no room for gentle treatment. The French would go on to draw the bloody battle of Eylau later that evening. The 7th, 8th and 9th were recruited from the ' Pupilles de la Garde ', childsoldiers who were to become Napoleon's son's guard and who stayed in France during the Napoleon's invasion of . Harnessed to the limbers, they pulled until they fell or, as happened in most instances, until they harmed their bodies beyond healing, and then were shot becoming the drivers and artilleryman's next meal. In spite of the care given to artillery horses, the animals still perished at an astounding rate. Many died of disease or were put to death because of exhaustion. For the Campaign in Russia these were expanded to six regiments. Gassendi noted that on a road a convoy of artillery could cover 0. Dust created great discomfort, but little more. This was not possible with horse artillery which would change positions rapidly, and in some cases so did foot artillery batteries. This followed the pattern established by Napoleon I, of creating a corps of veterans which could be relied on to provide an elite force that would provide a dependable reserve in battle and be politically loyal in peace. Artillery horses were generally selected second from the pool of high quality animals; cavalry mounts were the best horses. Gibbon [15] held that a battery of six light guns needed horses to take the field, and an even larger number would be required for a battery of mounted artillery. The bulk of the Imperial Guard was amongst the army led by Marshal Francois Bazaine, which was obliged to capitulate at Metz on 27 October At St. Usually, only half the horses would be sent to water at any one time. Its headquarters were located at the Pentemont Abbey in Paris. Namespaces Article Talk. This comprised the following divisions:. 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