Napoleon's Grand Armee was the world's greatest conquering machine. It never gave up. Here are some different facts about the soldiers of the Napoleonic Wars. 

An Officer of the Chasseur's a Cheval de la Garde 

 Napoleon at Jena when a member of the Imperial Guard yells out advice to Napoleon. Napoleon replies "Only a beardless youth should presume to judge in advance in what I would do. May he command in over 30 pitched battles before he dares to give me advice."

Napoleon's Imperial Guard

Size of the Guard
Year No. of men
1800 3000
1804 7000
1805 12,000
1812 56,000
1814 112,000
1815 26,000
To join the Guard you needed to have been a soldier for 10 years, served in at least two campaigns and be of good character.  You also needed to be over 5.5 (5.11) French feet to be a grenadier, or 5.3 feet (5.8 ft) if being a chasseur was your preference. The black-horsed Guard cavalrymen had to be taller than 5.6 feet.     It was formed from the Consular Guard in 1804 with one regiment of grenadiers (two battalions of eight companies each) and a similar formation of Chasseurs a Pied. Two companies (16 guns) of artillery and two of train troops were also incorporated into the Guard.

The bond with the Emperor was strengthened by his personal approval of the design of each detail that went into their uniforms. He also saw to it that the Guard was better paid, equipped and looked after than any other force within his armies.

During the period 1806 to 1808 the Guard formed two regiments each of grenadiers and chasseurs, with the service requirements for the second regiments being lowered to eight years. The artillery also received a boost in 1806 with a regiment (six companies) of horse artillery as well as a battalion of train troops and was greatly expanded in 1808. The horse artillery was reduced to 32 guns, but three companies of foot artillery and three companies of conscript cannon were formed. The conscript formations later became the Young Guard artillery. There is much confusion over what constituted the Old, Middle and Young Guard units - basically it depended upon time of service.

The Old Guard:

This was made up of officers of the Grenadiers, Chasseurs, Fusiliers and Seamen as well as colonels, majors and capitains of the Voltiogeurs, Flanqueurs, Tirailleurs and National Guards. All troops within the 1st Grenadiers, 1st Chasseurs, Veterans and Seaman, as well as sergeants of the 2nd Grenadiers, Chassuers and Fusiliers.

The Middle Guard:

All troops of the 3rd Grenadiers, the corporals and troops of the 2nd Grenadiers, Chasseurs and Fusiliers.

The Young Guard:

Voltigeurs, Tirailleurs, Flanquers and National Guards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Napoleonic Cavalry

Cuirassiers

Cuirassiers were regarded as the decisive arm of the army by Napoleon Bonaparte 
While the other forms of horsemen in the Grande Armee had their roles to play, it was the heavily armoured Gros Freres (Big Brothers) that could turn a battle with their sheer weight.
To carry the cuirass (breastplate) and iron and brass helmet, the trooper needed to be big and strong.
In accordance, the horse to carry them was large and together the cuirassier and his mount would hit opposing cavalry with brute force.

 

Dragoons

France's dragoons were the mainstay of the mounted arm of the forces and were capable of either scouting, or being involved in battle-winning charges.
As well as straight heavy-cavalry sabres, dragoons had pistols and short carbines and these allowed them to dismount and fight on foot as highly mobile infantry.
This advantage saw them used widely in the anti-guerrilla warfare in the Peninsular War, as well as on independent roles on the army's flanks.

 

Hussars

Hussars were both the eyes and egos of the Napoleonic armies.
Tactically, they were used as scouts and a screen for the army to keep their commanders informed of enemy moves while denying the same information to the foe.
They had their own code - that of reckless courage that bordered on a death wish - and it was said by one of their beau sabreurs, General Antoine Lasalle, that any of them that were alive by 30 were "blackguards".

 

Lancers

Some of the most feared cavalry in Bonaparte's armies were the Polish lancers, who gave no quarter.
The British discovered this at Albuera when Polish lancers, covered by a rainstorm, managed to get the jump on a redcoat brigade and wiped it out within seconds.
Lancers were excellent against infantry in square - where their lances could outreach the infantry bayonets - and also in hunting down a routed enemy.

                                                                  

                                                                    French Infantry

                      Uniforms of the Napoleonic French Infantry 

Line Infantry

The bulk of the French army, which in 1803 numbered some 350,000 men, was made up of line regiments.
These troops were generally conscripted from those aged between 18 and 25.
Their regiments, known as demi-brigades during the Revolution, were divided into three, or four, battalions and in 1808 were at full strength with 108 officers and 3862 NCOs and lower ranks.

Light Infantry

Light infantry officially became part of the army in 1801, when voltigeur (leaper) companies were added to the line-ups of French line regiments.
The voltigeurs were usually nimble fighters whose job it was to advance in front of the attack and try to disrupt enemy formations or artillery crews.
The skirmishers were introduced to every regiment in 1804 and they usually had the run of the field, except when they ran in to British riflemen.
The Riflemen and their rifles, weapons spurned by Napoleon as being too slow to reload, took a great toll during the Peninsula War and at Waterloo.

 

Left: A French fusilier on the left and a French grenadier on the right. 

 

                                                                      French Artillery

As one would expect with the Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, being a former artillery officer, France's cannons made up the backbone of the ground forces.

The French guns were generally used in massed batteries to soften up enemy formations before being subjected to the closer attention of the infantry or cavalry.

Superb gun-crew training allowed Bonaparte to move the weapons at great speed to either bolster a weakening defensive position, or else hammer a potential break in enemy lines.

In general, French guns were 4-pounders, 8-pounders or 12-pounders, with the lighter calibres being phased out and replaced by 6-pounders later in the wars.

French cannons had brass barrels and their carriages, wheels and limbers were painted olive-green. 

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