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Napoleon's Old Guard was the most celebrated and most feared elite military formation of its day. There were four regiments of the Old Guard infantry: 1st and 2nd each of grenadiers and chasseurs. Members of the Old Guard benefitted from a number of different privileges, including considerably increased wages from the Imperial Guard.
The Grenadiers of the Old Guard were known to complain in the presence of the Emperor, giving them the nickname Les Grognards, the Grumblers. The Guard received better pay, rations, quarters, and equipment, and all guardsmen ranked one grade higher than all non-Imperial Guard soldiers. Other French soldiers even referred to Napoleon's Imperial ...
Other differences include the blue collar of the Guard Grenadiers (instead of red pipped white collar for Line grenadiers) and longer red turnbacks with gold grenades (instead of white turnbacks piped red with red grenades). Napoleon usually wore the non-Hussar/old styple uniform of a colonel of this regiment on Sundays.
Originally, the unit had been raised as Grenadiers of the Royal Guard of Holland in 1806 when Louis Napoleon, brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, was made King of Holland. [1] On July 9, 1810, after the Kingdom of Holland was annexed by the French Empire, the Dutch Grenadiers were incorporated into the French Imperial Guard. [1]
By 1815, the Old Guard grenadiers numbered four regiments, the 3rd and 4th Grenadiers having been added in 1810 and 1815 respectively. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Grenadiers were fully engaged at the Battle of Ligny, but two days later were defeated by the British as they advanced to in an attempt to smash the weakened British line at Waterloo. The ...
A part of the Republican Consular Guard, the Grenadiers became the senior "Old Guard" heavy cavalry regiment when the Imperial Guard was founded, in 1804. Their maximum official complement was just over 1100 officers and troopers, commanded by a general of division or a seasoned general of brigade, with some of the most famous cavalrymen of the ...
Grenadier Division Comte Louis Friant. Deputy: General Roguet. 4,055 (138 officers, 3,917 men) 1,396 (61 officers, 1,335 men), thus 34% 1er and 2e Bataillons, 1er Régiment de Grenadiers Général de Brigade Baron Petit: 1,280 (41 officers, 1,239 men) 157 (12 officers, 145 men) 1er and 2e Bataillons, 2e Régiment de Grenadiers (Old Guard)
In 1811, these units were renamed Voltigeurs, forming the 1–4th regiments. The Voltigeurs of the Guard, along with their sister regiments the Tirailleurs (formerly the Tirailleurs-Grenadiers and Conscrit-Grenadiers regiments), provided the skirmish screen for the Chasseurs and Grenadiers of Napoleon's Old Guard.