The ''Garde mobile'' ("Mobile Guard"; also called ''Garde nationale mobile'' though it had nothing to do with the '' Garde nationale'') was intended to be a reserve force of all able-bodied men previously not drafted (such as single men and childless widowers), trained yearly, during the time of

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

. Length of service was intended to be five years, with a draft of 116,000 men per year.

took up the idea and announced on 12 December 1866 that the ''Garde Mobile'' would eventually attain a strength of 400,000 troops, thus reaching the ruler's target of one million French troops. Adolphe Niel, Minister of War for

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

under Emperor

, was in charge of implementing the plan. Both the left and the right in the '' Corps Legislatif'' took issue with the proposal. Traditionalists wanted an all-professional army; liberals were opposed to Bonapartist militarism. But the law to create the Garde was passed in diluted form in January 1868 by 199 to 60 votes and came into force on February 1st of that year. Given the dilution, the Garde Mobile was not fully implemented as planned. It numbered some 90,000 men in 1870 and trained only 14 days per year, non-consecutively, instead of the intended 20 days consecutively. In some cases, the amount of training was even less: in 1869, one

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

trained only for seven days, the sessions lasting three hours each. Additionally, conscripts with any prior knowledge of drill and military education were excused altogether from training. The

discipline Discipline is the self-control that is gained by requiring that rules or orders be obeyed, and the ability to keep working at something that is difficult. Disciplinarians believe that such self-control is of the utmost importance and enforce a ...

and equipment of the Garde were regarded as quite bad, especially when compared to the regular army. After Niel's death in 1869, his replacement Edmond Le Leboeuf regarded the Garde with disdain. The Garde Mobile was called up on in July 1870, as part of the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

, but arrived too late to Eastern France to be useful, presuming they could have been of use at all, considering how badly many senior officers considered their temperament and outfit.

Representation in Art

File:Alphonse de Neuville - The Attack at Dawn - Walters 3740.jpg, ''The Attack at Dawn'' (Alphonse de Neuville, 1877). Prussian troops advance on a French town; French troops including Algerian riflemen and members of the Garde Mobile rush to defend. The Walters Art Museum.

References

{{Reflist Military units and formations of France French Army Military units and formations of the Franco-Prussian War