FRENCH NAPOLEONIC OLD GUARD (1805 - 1815)

During the revolutionary wars (1792-1799) and - especially - in the Napoleonic period (1799-1815), France probably had the most efficient war machine on the Old Continent, which almost led to its lasting hegemony over Europe. It will be a truism to say that the key element of this machine was the French army. In this army, on the other hand, a very important role was played by the Guard - initially the Constitutional (1791), then the Consular, and finally the Imperial (from 1804). At the time of the formation of the Imperial Guard, true veterans of the French army were recruited to it, who had 10 years of service and often took part in more than one battle. Assignment to the Guard was a reward and a great honor for them, and the Guard itself enjoyed great respect and respect in the French army. Let us add that in 1804 it numbered approximately 11,500 people and consisted of Guard grenadiers, Guard foot-shooters, Guard cavalry, as well as Guard sailors and artillerymen. In 1806, a regiment of guards dragoons and the 1st Regiment of Light Cavalry-Lancers of the Imperial Guard were also created. During the 1805-1807 campaign, the Guard was treated by Napoleon as an iron reserve that would enter the fight as a last resort. In 1809, the Guard was divided into the Young and the Old Guard, the former of which was to be used much more often in battle than the Old Guard. In 1812, the Medium Guard also appeared, but it went down in history a year later (1813). The Guard troops - both the Young and the Old - were used in combat during the campaigns of 1813, 1814 and 1815. The last episode of the Old Guard was the formation of a square by the 1st Guards foot rifle regiment under the command of General Cambronne, which - according to the legend - on the proposal of surrender, he replied: "The Guard dies, but never gives up!" Another anecdote about the Guard claims that when Napoleon met with Tsar Alexander I during the peace talks in Tilsit (1807), he pointed to the guard whose face was scarred with old scars and asked: "What do you think about soldiers who could endure such wounds? ”To which the tsar replied:" And what do you think of the soldiers who could inflict such wounds? ”. When Napoleon was embarrassed at this, the Guard Grenadier, unassisted, replied, "They're all dead now."