The Old Guard (french: Vieille Garde) were the veteran elements of the
Emperor Napoleon's 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, in ...
. As such it was the most prestigious formation in Napoleon's ''
Grande Armée
''La Grande Armée'' (; ) was the main military component of the French Imperial Army commanded by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte during the Napoleonic Wars. From 1804 to 1808, it won a series of military victories that allowed the French Empi ...
''. French soldiers often referred to Napoleon's Old Guard as "the Immortals".
Famously devoted to the Emperor, who even referred to them as "my children"; the members of his Old Guard were selected based on physical traits, most notably above-average height. Their imposing stature was likely impressive to foes and allies alike. Awards as well as veterancy were also taken into consideration when selecting troops for the Old Guard.
Old Guard infantry
![Bellange-French Old Guard](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Bellange-French_Old_Guard.jpg)
There were four regiments of Old Guard infantry: 1st and 2nd each of
grenadier
A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word '' grenade'') was originally a specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in battle. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when grenadiers were recruited fr ...
s and
chasseur
''Chasseur'' ( , ), a French term for "hunter", is the designation given to certain regiments of French and Belgian light infantry
Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a mor ...
s. Members of the Old Guard benefitted from a number of different privileges, including considerably increased wages from the Imperial Guard.
Requirements for Old Guard candidates
* under 35 years of age at entry
* at least 10 years of service
* at least three campaigns (some had fought in as many as 12 campaigns)
* had to have faced enemy fire at the front
* had to be for the Chasseurs and for the Grenadiers (no height requirement for those awarded the
Legion of Honor
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
)
In 1814 the 1st Chasseurs still had many old-timers: for example Sapper Rothier with 21 years of service and two wounds; Private Stoll with 22 years of service and 20 campaigns. Those who were too old, or crippled, were sent to the Company of Veterans in Paris, which was full of soldiers, some lacking an arm, others striped with saber cuts.
Each member of the Old Guard was a highly trained and experienced soldier and they formed a formidable sight on the battlefield when mustered into regiments; they were taught to fight unlike any other soldier in the French army. Any cowardly tendencies or otherwise cautious habits would be thoroughly purged through intense training, which often included advanced bayonet and hand-to-hand combat techniques. The Old Guard earned its fearsome reputation through the many military engagements of the Napoleonic Wars, from 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 in ...
, to the
Battle of Dresden
The Battle of Dresden (26–27 August 1813) was a major engagement of the Napoleonic Wars. The battle took place around the city of Dresden in modern-day Germany. With the recent addition of Austria, the Sixth Coalition felt emboldened in t ...
, to the famous and final
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...
(June 1815).
Old Guard cavalry
![Guard Grenadier at Eylau](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Guard_Grenadier_at_Eylau.jpg)
There were four regiments of Old Guard cavalry: the ''
Grenadiers à Cheval'' (mounted grenadiers), ''
Chasseurs à Cheval
''Chasseur'' ( , ), a French term for "hunter", is the designation given to certain regiments of French and Belgian light infantry () or light cavalry () to denote troops trained for rapid action.
History
This branch of the French Army origi ...
'' (mounted chasseurs), ''
Dragons de l'Impératrice'' (the Empress's Dragoons), and the
1st Polish Lancers.
The
Mamelukes of the Imperial Guard
The Mamelukes of the Imperial Guard () were a cavalry unit that served in Napoleon I’s Imperial Guard during the Napoleonic Wars. Originally made up of Mameluk slave soldiers, the unit eventually was mostly recruited from a wide mixture of Midd ...
squadron was also considered part of the Old Guard cavalry.
The ''
Gendarmes d'élite'' (elite Gendarmes) was counted as Old Guard cavalry. It was deployed in detachments as escorts for Napoleon's headquarters and the General Staff of the Guard, and for Imperial Guard field camps.
Les Grognards
Another privilege reserved only for the members of the Old Guard was the freedom to express their discontent freely: the Old Guard Grenadiers were known as "the Grumblers" (french: les Grognards) because they openly complained about the petty troubles of military life.
Jean-Roch Coignet, a captain of the Imperial Guard, claimed that this term was coined in the aftermath of severe hardships the unit encountered during the
War of the Fourth Coalition
The Fourth Coalition fought against Napoleon's French Empire and were defeated in a war spanning 1806–1807. The main coalition partners were Prussia and Russia with Saxony, Sweden, and Great Britain also contributing. Excluding Prussia, s ...
and it has been mentioned that this nickname was coined by Napoleon himself. Some of the officers even complained in the presence of the Emperor, knowing that the Old Guard's reputation commanded enough respect with Napoleon to allow such openness; such behavior was unique to the Old Guard and would have been severely punished were it engaged in by a member of any other unit.
On the other hand, they were strictly supervised in aspects such as the state of their uniforms or the height and presentation of their horses, and severely punished or reprimanded for any failures in those regards.
End of the Old Guard
![Montfort - Adieux de Napoleon a la Garde imperiale](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Montfort_-_Adieux_de_Napoleon_a_la_Garde_imperiale.jpg)
The Old Guard was disbanded by the victorious
Sixth Coalition
Sixth is the ordinal form of the number six.
* The Sixth Amendment, to the U.S. Constitution
* A keg of beer, equal to 5 U.S. gallons or barrel
* The fraction
Music
* Sixth interval (music)s:
** major sixth, a musical interval
** minor sixth ...
in 1814, along with the rest of the Imperial Guard; and Napoleon bade them an emotional farewell at the
Palace of Fontainebleau
Palace of Fontainebleau (; ) or Château de Fontainebleau, located southeast of the center of Paris, in the commune of Fontainebleau, is one of the largest French royal châteaux. The medieval castle and subsequent palace served as a residence ...
after his first abdication where many of them cheered at him and cried.
During Napoleon's
1815 return from exile, the Old Guard was reformed, and fought at the
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...
, where the ''2e Regiment de Grenadiers-à-Pied'' was pivotal in the defense of the village of
Plancenoit
Plancenoit (; wa, Planchenois) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Lasne, located in the province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium.
The hamlet of Marache is on its territory.
The village was a key strategic point during the ...
against the
Prussians. The ''1er'' Regiment, charged with protecting the field position around Napoleon himself, served as a rear guard after the failure of the attack of the Middle Guard on the British center.
The Last Squares of the Old Guard (retrieved 2010-08-10)
/ref> The Old Guard cavalry was involved in the unsuccessful midday charges against the British infantry, and was unavailable at the battle's decisive moments.
In August 1815, Louis XVIII
Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. He spent twenty-three years in ...
ordered the Imperial Guard abolished. By December, all the Old Guard regiments were disbanded. Ex-guardsmen ended up in a variety of places after their units' disbandment. Some re-enlisted into the king's army but most lived out their lives watched with suspicion by Bourbon Bourbon may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash
* Bourbon barrel aged beer, a type of beer aged in bourbon barrels
* Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit
* A beer produced by Bras ...
police. When Napoleon's body was returned to France in 1840, many of the surviving Old Guard paraded in threadbare uniforms.
Contemporary use
Nowadays, in France, the expression ''la vieille garde'' (without uppercase) is used when talking about longtime close followers of a politician and has a mildly pejorative meaning.[ This expression is particularly popular among political journalists. "The old guard" can pejoratively refer to any outdated establishment in English as well.
]
See also
* Imperial Guard (Napoleon I)
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 ...
References
Bibliography
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External links
Napoleon's Old Guard and Young Guard
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017
French military units and formations of the Napoleonic Wars
Military units and formations disestablished in 1815
Military units and formations established in 1804
Regiments of Napoleon I's Imperial Guard