The Imperial Guard cavalry corresponds to all the military cavalry units belonging to Napoleon I's Imperial Guard. An elite fighting unit, it became the army's ultimate reserve. It was used as a last resort to deliver the coup de grâce or break the deadlock in perilous situations. In 1804, the Imperial Guard cavalry initially comprised three units: mounted grenadiers, mounted chasseurs, and mamelukes. Subsequently, other cavalry corps joined the Imperial Guard, such as the dragoons in 1806, the Polish lancers in 1807, the red lancers in 1810, the Lithuanian lancers and Lithuanian tatars in 1812, and the scouts in 1813. Other cavalry units were attached to the Imperial Guard or served alongside it, such as the elite gendarmes, the gendarmes d'ordonnance, the chevau-légers de Berg, and the guards of honour. At the height of the First Empire in 1812, the Imperial Guard numbered around 7,000 cavalrymen, while the Grande Armée as a whole numbered approximately 77,000. From its creation until 1813, the Guard cavalry was commanded by Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bessières, Duke of Istria. Killed by a cannonball at the start of the German campaign, his command was taken over by General Nansouty.
Organic Units The Imperial Guard was created at the start of the First Empire by imperial decree on July 29, 1804, replacing the Consular Guard. It initially comprised three cavalry units: the régiment des mounted chasseurs, the mounted grenadier regiment, and the mameluk company (attached to the mounted chasseurs). The elite gendarmes were also part of the Imperial Guard, but their roles and missions differed from those of the other units. In 1806, the Dragoons regiment was created.
The Polish lancers regiment was formed in 1807, and recruited from the Polish nobility. The lance was not introduced until 1809, after the Battle of Wagram. In 1810, a new regiment of lancers, the red lancers, was formed from the regiment of hussars of the Dutch Guard. In 1812, a third regiment of lancers, the Lithuanian lancers, was recruited, along with a squadron of Lithuanian tatars. In 1813, three regiments of lance-armed scouts were formed. The first was attached to the mounted grenadiers, the second to the dragoons, and the third to the Polish lancers. The mounted grenadiers, mounted chasseurs, mamelukes, dragoons, Polish lancers, and the 1st squadron of the 1st scout regiment formed part of the prestigious Old Guard.
Mounted grenadiers
The origins of the mounted grenadiers date back to October 1796, when the French government decided to incorporate a mounted unit into the Directoire Guard: a corps of two companies, totaling 112 cavalrymen, was created. The following year, this unit was renamed the mounted grenadiers, and after the coup d'état of 18 Brumaire, it became the first cavalry formation of the Consular Guard.
In 1804, with the establishment of the First Empire, the corps of mounted grenadiers of the Consuls' Guard became the regiment of mounted grenadiers of the Imperial Guard, comprising four squadrons with a total strength of 1,018 cavalrymen. They took part in the Austrian campaign of 1805 and particularly distinguished themselves at Austerlitz, where their charges against the cavalry of the Russian Guard, in the company of chasseurs and mamelukes, proved effective in repelling Grand Duke Konstantine's counter-attack. Absent from the Prussian campaign, they made up for lost time at the Battle of Eylau, when Colonel Lepic and his grenadiers managed to break through the encirclement to the French lines. The regiment then left for Spain but was not much used there. In 1809, the mounted grenadiers were present at Essling and Wagram. Their strength was increased to five squadrons in 1812, on the eve of the Russian campaign. During the latter, they suffered heavy losses, and the regiment was reduced to four squadrons in February 1813. It subsequently fought in the German campaign and the French campaign, notably at Vauchamps and Craonne. Under the First Restoration, the mounted grenadiers were renamed the Corps Royal des Cuirassiers de France. During the Hundred Days, the regiment reverted to its former name and took part in the Belgian campaign of 1815, charging the British squares at the Battle of Waterloo. The Mounted Grenadiers Corps was finally disbanded on November 25, 1815, during the Second Restoration.
Mounted chasseurs
On April 24, 1796, during the first Italian campaign, General Napoleon Bonaparte ordered the creation of a company of mounted guides to protect him and his staff. Captain Bessières, of the 22nd Regiment of Mounted Chasseurs, took command of the corps, with the power to appoint or dismiss soldiers for his unit. The compagnie des guides distinguished itself at Arcole, before taking part in the Egyptian campaign, where it charged at Mont-Tabor and Saint-Jean-d'Acre. After Napoleon's return to France and the establishment of the Consulate, the compagnie des guides became the company of mounted chasseurs of the Consular Guard, with Captain Eugène de Beauharnais as its commander.
In 1804, Napoleon became Emperor and established the Imperial Guard. The compagnie des chasseurs became the régiment des chasseurs à cheval de la Garde impériale, organized into four squadrons totaling 1,018 men, to which was added the compagnie des mameluks. The unit took part in the Austrian campaign of 1805, under the command of Colonel Morland: at Austerlitz, they repelled the Russian Guard cavalry, together with mounted grenadiers and mamelukes, for 22 killed, including Morland. The regiment did not take an active part in the Prussian campaign of 1806, but the following year charged the Russian infantry at Eylau under the command of General Dahlmann, who was mortally wounded. In 1808, General Lefebvre-Desnouettes took command of the Guard's mounted chasseurs. That same year, they took part in the Spanish War, helping to suppress the Dos de Mayo uprising. Defeated at Benavente, the chasseurs moved on to central Europe and distinguished themselves at the Battle of Wagram, where they routed Austrian cavalry in the company of Polish chevau-légers.
In 1812, during the Russian campaign, the Guard mounted chasseurs to protect Napoleon at the battle of Gorodnia, repelling the Cossacks with the help of the other Guard cavalry regiments. By the end of the campaign, the unit had been reduced to 209 cavalrymen, but their numbers were increased and they took part in the campaigns in Germany and France, notably at Leipzig, Hanau, Montmirail and Craonne. During the First Restoration, the Guard's mounted chasseurs became the Corps royal des chasseurs de France, before reverting to their former name during the Hundred Days, when they charged at Waterloo. The Imperial Guard mounted chasseurs unit was disbanded between October 26 and November 6, 1815, during the Second Restoration.
Mameluks
In 1798, during the Egyptian campaign, General Napoleon Bonaparte confronted the Mameluks, cavalrymen who had been subjugated to the Ottoman Empire for several centuries. Impressed by their qualities as soldiers, he decided to incorporate a similar unit into the French army. These mamelukes followed the expeditionary corps on its return to France, and on October 13, 1801, a decree ordered the creation of a 240-strong mameluke squadron as part of the Consular Guard, a number later reduced to 150 on January 7, 1802. The squadron was commanded by Colonel Jean Rapp, Napoleon's aide-de-camp. On April 21, 1802, the squadron had 13 officers and 155 men. In 1804, the Mamluks were reduced to a single company, attached to the mounted chasseurs of the Imperial Guard.
Taking part in the Austrian campaign of 1805, the Mamelukes particularly distinguished themselves at Austerlitz: while the French infantry was being battered on the Pratzen plateau by the cavalry of the Russian Guard, the Emperor ordered Marshal Bessières to charge with the cavalry of the Imperial Guard, held in reserve. An initial attack by the chasseurs and grenadiers having failed, the mamelukes in turn attacked, breaking through a Russian square and capturing a battery. After this engagement, Napoleon awarded the company an eagle. The Mamelukes then took part in the Prussian and Polish campaigns, where they were present at the Battle of Eylau. During the Spanish Civil War, they played an active role in suppressing the Dos de Mayo uprising, earning the hatred of the Spanish who saw them as descendants of the Moors. In 1812, the company was involved in the Russian campaign, following in the footsteps of the chasseurs, and suffered heavy losses. Reorganized as a squadron in 1813, the Mamelukes fought in the German campaign at Dresden and Hanau, and in the French campaign at Montmirail, Saint-Dizier, and Paris.
Under the First Restoration, the squadron was incorporated into the Corps Royal des Chasseurs de France, then reformed by decree during the Hundred Days. After Napoleon's second abdication, the last Mamelukes returned to the refugee depot in Marseille, where they were almost all massacred by the royalist population.
Dragoons
The creation of the régiment des dragons de la Garde impériale dates back to April 1806: satisfied with the participation of the dragoons de la ligne in the Austrian campaign of 1805, Napoleon decreed the formation of a dragoon regiment integrated into the Imperial Guard. The unit was organized into four squadrons, each with two companies, and the Emperor personally appointed the corps officers from the Guard or the line. The regiment was placed under the command of Colonel Arrighi de Casanova.
A few months later, they were present at the Battle of Friedland, where they formed the left flank of the Guard cavalry formation. During the Russian campaign, notably at Maloyaroslavets and Berezina, the regiment was almost entirely destroyed while covering French troops during the retreat from Russia. In 1813, the dragoons took part in the battles of Leipzig and Hanau. At the Second Battle of Saint-Dizier in 1814, accompanied by a platoon of Mamelukes, they dislodged enemy soldiers from their positions and captured 18 pieces of artillery.
During the First Restoration, the regiment was transformed into the Corps Royal des Dragons de France. On Napoleon's return during the Hundred Days, the regiment returned to its previous organization. On June 18, 1815, under the command of Marshal Ney, they set off against the British squares positioned on Mont-Saint-Jean, where they suffered heavy losses in the face of precise British infantry fire. By the end of the Belgian campaign, the regiment had lost 25 officers and almost 300 soldiers. The regiment was finally disbanded after Napoleon's second abdication.
Polish lancers
In 1807, after defeating Prussia, Napoleon entered Warsaw, escorted by a dashing Polish honor guard of noblemen. Seduced, on April 6 the Emperor decreed the creation of a regiment of Polish chevau-légers integrated into the Imperial Guard and placed under the command of colonel Krasiński. Comprising 968 men with no military experience, the unit was supervised by Guards cavalry officers, such as the two colonel-majors.