The Mounted Chasseurs of the Imperial Guard () constituted a light cavalry regiment in the Consular, then

Imperial Guard An imperial guard or palace guard is a special group of troops (or a member thereof) of an empire, typically closely associated directly with the Emperor or Empress. Usually these troops embody a more elite status than other imperial forces, i ...

during the

French Consulate The Consulate (french: Le Consulat) was the top-level Government of France from the fall of the Directory in the coup of 18 Brumaire on 10 November 1799 until the start of the Napoleonic Empire on 18 May 1804. By extension, the term ''The Co ...

and

First French Empire The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental E ...

respectively. They were the second senior "Old Guard" cavalry regiment of the Imperial Guard, after the '' Grenadiers à Cheval''. The regiment had its origins in the Guides raised by General Bonaparte during his Italian Campaign of 1796. It was the Chasseurs that usually provided personal escort to

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

, and he often wore the uniform of the regiment in recognition of this service. The regiment was not only known for its lavish uniform, but its combat history as well.

Service history

Napoleon Chasseur from Guard by Bellange

When at the end of August 1799 Bonaparte left

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

to return to France, he took with him a detachment of 180 ''Guides à cheval'' and 125 ''Guides à pied''. The men chosen were the most devoted veterans from each company. Soon after the ''

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

'' of

18 Brumaire The Coup d'état of 18 Brumaire brought Napoleon Bonaparte to power as First Consul of France. In the view of most historians, it ended the French Revolution and led to the Coronation of Napoleon as Emperor. This bloodless ''coup d'état'' over ...

, the Guides, who had stayed in the south of France, were summoned to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

and quartered in the ''

Casern A casern, also spelled cazern or caserne, is a military barracks in a garrison town.Les gens de guerre à Saint-Julien-du-Sault, J Crédé, Imprimerie Fostier, 1976 In French-speaking countries, a ''caserne de pompier'' is a fire station. In for ...

e de Babylone''. A decree of 28 November reorganized the ''Garde du Directoire'' as the '' Garde des Consuls'', but it makes no mention of the Chasseurs. By a decree of 3 January 1800, a company of ''Chasseurs à cheval'' was created. Its commanding officer was Napoleon's stepson, captain

Eugène de Beauharnais Eugène Rose de Beauharnais, Duke of Leuchtenberg (; 3 September 1781 – 21 February 1824) was a French nobleman, statesman, and military commander who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. Through the second marr ...

, who was promoted major on 5 March. The strength was 4 officers and 113 men, the latter being chosen from the Guides who had returned from Egypt, and 112 were veterans of the Italian Campaign of 1796. The cavalry of the ''Garde Consulaire''two squadrons of '' Grenadiers à Cheval'' and the company of chasseurswas commanded by ''

Chef de brigade Chef de brigade was a military rank in the French Royal Artillery and in the revolutionary French armies. Before the revolution ''Chef de brigade'' was equivalent to major in the French Royal Corps of Artillery. Each regiment of artillery was divi ...

Jean-Baptiste Bessières Jean-Baptiste Bessières (; 6 August 1768 – 1 May 1813), 1st Duke of Istria (''Duc d'Istrie''), was a French military commander and Marshal of the Empire who served during both the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. His younge ...

. In May, the company left Paris for

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. It crossed the

Great St Bernard Pass it, Colle del Gran San Bernardogerman: Grosser Sankt Bernhard , photo = Great St Bernard Pass.jpg , photo_caption = View of the pass and hospice from Great St Bernard Lake with Mont Vélan in background , elevation_m = 2469 , elevation_ref = ...

and was heavily engaged at the

battle of Marengo The Battle of Marengo was fought on 14 June 1800 between French forces under the First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte and Austrian forces near the city of Alessandria, in Piedmont, Italy. Near the end of the day, the French overcame General Mich ...

(14 June), losing 70 out of its 115 horses. At the end of the campaign, the corps returned to Paris. By a consular decree of 8 September, it was augmented, becoming a squadron of two companies (troops) and 234 men. By a decree of 6 August 1801, the corps was increased to a headquarters and two squadrons. The staff was: 1 ''

chef d'escadron In the French armed forces (and in the armed forces of former French colonies such as the armed forces of Nigeradjudant-major'', 2 '' porte-étendard'', 1 '' brigadier-trompette'', and 4 ''maîtres-ouvriers''. At the end of September, the remainder of the Guides returned from Egypt and were merged into the corps. By a decree of 14 November, the chasseurs became a regiment. In theory, the commanding officer was to be a ''Chef de brigade'', but in fact Bonaparte retained ''Chef d'escadron'' Beauharnais in command. By decree of 8 March 1802, the Headquarters was increased. It now included four standard-bearers, a trumpet major, two trumpet corporals and a ''timbalier'' ( kettle-drummer). By decree of 1 October, the regiment was increased to four squadrons, with a total strength of 56 officers and 959 men. Beauharnais was promoted ''Chef de brigade'' (13 October) and now had as his squadron commanders Morland,

Nicolas Dahlmann Nicolas Dahlmann (7 November 1769 – 10 February 1807) was a French cavalry general of the Napoleonic wars. Early life Dahlmann was born in Thionville as the son of a trumpeter and enlisted in the French Army in 1777 at the age of 8, where his ...

, Frédéric Auguste de Beurmann and Joseph Damingue, a

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

man who had distinguished himself at the Bridge of Arcole in 1796. Napoleon in 1806

From 22 March 1803, when summer training (''travail d'été'') began, the men were to parade on horseback every Monday and Thursday at 7.30 a.m. precisely on the

Champ de Mars The Champ de Mars (; en, Field of Mars) is a large public greenspace in Paris, France, located in the seventh ''arrondissement'', between the Eiffel Tower to the northwest and the École Militaire to the southeast. The park is named after t ...

. Every Wednesday at the same hour, they went through the foot exercise. In winter, the parades seem to have been at 9.00 a.m.

Swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

and

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically ...

were among the exercises carried out in 1802 and 1803. By a decree of 21 January 1804, the regiment was given a major who was to rank with the

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

s of the line. Morland was given this appointment. By the same decree, the company of

Mamluk Mamluk ( ar, مملوك, mamlūk (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural), translated as "one who is owned", meaning " slave", also transliterated as ''Mameluke'', ''mamluq'', ''mamluke'', ''mameluk'', ''mameluke'', ''mamaluke'', or ''marmeluke'') ...

s was attached to the regiment. By an Order of the Day of 18 May, the ''Garde des Consuls'' became the ''

Garde Impériale The Imperial Guard (French: ''Garde Impériale'') was originally a small group of elite soldiers of the French Army under the direct command of Napoleon I, but grew considerably over time. It acted as his bodyguard and tactical reserve, and he ...

''. On 13 May 1805, Beauharnais was made

Viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning " ...

, but he retained nominal command of the regiment until about 1808. Morland now became the actual commanding officer with the title of ''Colonel Commandant en second'', and Dahlmann was promoted major. On 17 September, a squadron of ''vélites'' (four companies) was created. It seems to have been intended as a kind of holding reinforcement unit. The regiment and the Mamluks greatly distinguished themselves at the

battle of Austerlitz The Battle of Austerlitz (2 December 1805/11 Frimaire An XIV FRC), also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of the most important and decisive engagements of the Napoleonic Wars. The battle occurred near the town of Austerlitz i ...

(2 December), where two squadrons and the Mamluks were led to the charge by Napoleon's senior aide-de-camp, General

Jean Rapp General Count Jean Rapp (27 April 1771 – 8 November 1821) was a French Army officer during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars and twice governor of the Free City of Danzig. He served as Aide-de-camp to French Generals Lou ...

, inflicting heavy casualties on the

Russian Imperial Guard The Russian Imperial Guard, officially known as the Leib Guard (russian: Лейб-гвардия ''Leyb-gvardiya'', from German ''Leib'' "body"; cf. Life Guards / Bodyguard) were military units serving as personal guards of the Emperor of Russi ...

and capturing Prince

Repnin The House of Repnin (russian: Репнин), the name of an old Russian princely family of Rurikid stock. The family traces its name to Prince Ivan Mikhailovich Obolensky (+1523), nicknamed ''Repnya'', i.e., "bad porridge". Like other Princes Ob ...

, the commander of the

Chevalier Guard The Chevalier Guard Regiment (russian: Кавалергардский полк, Kavalergardskiy polk) was a Russian heavy cavalry guard regiment, created in 1800 by the reformation of the Chevalier Guard corps, itself created in 1764 by Cather ...

. At Austerlitz, the Chasseurs suffered 19 officer casualties, including Morland, killed, and three squadron commanders wounded. Dahlmann succeeded Morland and

Claude-Étienne Guyot Claude-Étienne Guyot, count of the Empire, (1768–1837) was a French general of the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars, noted for commanding cavalry.Fierro, Palluel-Guillard, Tulard, p. 824. Early career during the Revolutionary Wa ...

became major. The regiment missed the battle of Jena (14 October 1806), where the 1st Hussars had the privilege of escorting the Emperor. The Chasseurs did, however, take part in Napoleon's triumphal entry into

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

. At Eylau (8 February 1807), the regiment took part in

Joachim Murat Joachim Murat ( , also , ; it, Gioacchino Murati; 25 March 1767 – 13 October 1815) was a French military commander and statesman who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars. Under the French Empire he received the ...

's great charge of 80 squadrons, which relieved the pressure on the French centre at the crisis of the battle. Seventeen of the officers were hit and Dahlmann was mortally wounded. He had recently been promoted general (30 December 1806), but having no command, he asked to be allowed to lead his old regiment and fell at their head. Major Guyot commanded the regiment for the rest of the year, and

Thiry Thiry is a surname. Notable people with the name include: *Bruno Thiry (born 1962), Belgian rally driver *Jean Bastien-Thiry (1927–1963), attempted to assassinate French President Charles de Gaulle *Jules Thiry (1898–1931), Belgian water polo ...

was also promoted major (16 February). 1807, Friedland

On 18 January 1808, ''

Général de Brigade Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed to ...

Charles Lefebvre-Desnouettes Charles, comte Lefebvre-Desnouettes or Lefèbvre-Desnoëttes (14 September 1773, in Paris – 22 April 1822) became a French officer during the French Revolutionary Wars and a general during the Napoleonic Wars. He later emigrated to the Uni ...

replaced Dahlmann in command of the regiment. The regiment was in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

when the populace rose on 2 May and eight of the officers, including Major

Pierre Daumesnil Pierre Yrieix Daumesnil (14 July 1776 – 17 August 1832) was a French soldier in the armies of Napoleon during the first Empire and Restoration, eventually rising to the rank of brigadier general. He lost his left leg after he was wounded in t ...

, were wounded as well as five officers of the Mamluks. The regiment took part in General Montbrun's charge up the road at Somosierra (30 November) but lost no officers as the Spanish gunners only managed to get off one salvo before the Polish and French cavalry charged them with sabers. (This was the second charge, not the one in which the 3rd squadron of the First Regiment of Polish ''Chevau-Légers'' was practically wiped out.) On 28 November, Napoleon, engaged in pressing the retreat of Sir John Moore towards Corunna, rode ahead of his army into the village of Valderas, which the British had abandoned just two hours previously. He was accompanied only by his staff and a squadron of the chasseurs. When Marshal Ney found that the Emperor had thus exposed himself, he said to him: "Sire, I thank Your Majesty for acting as my advance guard." That it had been imprudent was proved next day (29 December) when General Lefebvre-Desnouettes caught up with the British rearguard, forded the

River Esla The Esla is a river in the provinces of León and Zamora in the northwest of Spain. It is a tributary of the Duero River that starts in the Cantabrian Mountains and is long. Its direction of flow is from north to south. It is the largest tribu ...

and drove in their pickets, only to be counter-attacked by Lord

Paget Paget is a surname of Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Norman origin which may refer to: * Lord Alfred Paget (1816–1888), British soldier, courtier and politician * Almeric Paget, 1st Baron Queenborough (1861–1949), British cowboy, industrialist, yachtsman ...

(the Uxbridge of Waterloo fame), who led his men under cover of the houses of Benavente to assail the French flank. Lefebvre-Desnouettes, wounded by a pistol shot, was taken prisoner. The regiment had 6 other officers hurt and 2 captains taken, besides 55 chasseurs killed and wounded and 73 captured. To be outflanked and cut up in this fashion was a rude and novel experience for the Emperor's "favourite children". The British cavalry who achieved this feat were the 10th Hussars with pickets of the 18th and the 3rd Hussars of the King's German Legion. Their losses amounted to no more than 50. It was this affair more than anything that convinced the Emperor that Moore had slipped from his clutches and that it was time to return to France. The regiment was at home again by the end of February 1809. About this time, it absorbed the ''

Chevau-léger The Chevau-légers (from French ''cheval''—horse—and ''léger''—light) was a generic French name for several units of light and medium cavalry. Their history began in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, when the heavy cavalry forces ...

s'' of the Grand Duke of

Berg Berg may refer to: People *Berg (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Berg Ng (born 1960), Hong Kong actor * Berg (footballer) (born 1989), Brazilian footballer Former states * Berg (state), county and duchy of the Hol ...

, formerly the ''Guides de Murat'' (11 January) and the ''Guides du Maréchal Mortier'' (1 February). On 5 June, Major Guyot became ''colonel commandant en second''. Thiry was made ''général de brigade'' in the line and, on the 13th, Daumesnil and Hercule Corbineau were promoted majors. At

Wagram Deutsch-Wagram (literally "German Wagram", ), often shortened to Wagram, is a village in the Gänserndorf District, in the state of Lower Austria, Austria. It is in the Marchfeld Basin, close to the Vienna city limits, about 15 km (9 mi) northeas ...

, the Guard cavalry supported the right flank of MacDonald's great column which struck the decisive blow. The regiment suffered at Wagram (6 July), having 5 officers killed and 10 wounded, including the two newly promoted majors, each of whom lost a leg. Colonel Guyot was promoted ''général de brigade'' (9 August), retaining the command, and Colonel Jean Dieudonné Lion (14th Chasseurs) was brought in as third major of the corps. Cavalerie à l'orée du bois 01225

1810 was a quiet year, with only one officer wounded escorting prisoners in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. On 1 August 1811, the regiment was increased to five squadrons and the ''vélites'' were done away with. During the year, squadrons were sent successively to serve with the divisions of the Garde in Spain. Guyot was promoted ''

général de division Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French (Revolutionary) System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corps ...

'', but still retained the command. To replace Corbineau and Daumesnil as majors, the regiment received Colonel François d'Haugéranville (6 August) and General Baron Exelmans (24 December). On 6 May 1812, General Lefebvre-Desnouettes, who had escaped by breaking his parole, returned from his captivity in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and resumed command of the regiment. The chasseurs, five squadrons and the company of Mamluks, went through the

Russian campaign The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign, the Second Polish War, the Army of Twenty nations, and the Patriotic War of 1812 was launched by Napoleon Bonaparte to force the Russian Empire back into the continental block ...

, but though they lost 500 men, they only had 10 officers hit. At

Borodino The Battle of Borodino (). took place near the village of Borodino on during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. The ' won the battle against the Imperial Russian Army but failed to gain a decisive victory and suffered tremendous losses. Napole ...

, they had no officer casualties at all. But on 25 October, the day after the

battle of Maloyaroslavets The Battle of Maloyaroslavets took place on 24 October 1812 as part of the French invasion of Russia. It was Kutuzov's decisive battle to force Napoleon to retreat northwest over Mozhaisk to Smolensk on the devastated route of his advance wit ...

, two squadrons, escorting the Emperor on a reconnaissance, were sharply engaged and had 4 officers wounded. A body of Cossacks appeared suddenly from a wood and charged straight at Napoleon. General Rapp and the escort managed to beat them off, but not before one had fought his way to within twenty yards of the Emperor. From this day forth, haunted by the fear of captivity, he always carried a bag of poison on a string about his neck. The regiment's losses in this campaign must on the whole be attributed not so much to the fighting as to the Russian climate. In 1813, the regiment was expanded from five to nine squadrons. The first five of these remained under the Old Guard while the newly raised 6th through 9th squadrons formed part of the Young Guard and in 1815 were redesigned as the ''2e régiment de chasseurs de la Garde impériale''

Service history

See also