“Despite their final defeat at Waterloo, the Old Guard would go down as one of the most famous fighting units in history.”
ON THE EVENING of April 11, 1814, Napoleon Bonaparte’s 20-year career as a conqueror was seemingly at an end.
The 44-year-old emperor had just surrendered France to a coalition of a dozen European powers. As part of the armistice, he also agreed to give up the throne and go into exile on the tiny Mediterranean island of Elba.
On the eve of his departure, a shattered Napoleon marched into the courtyard of his palace at Fontenbleu to deliver a heartfelt farewell to a very special group of soldiers – his Old Guard.
“For 20 years, I have accompanied you on the road to honour and glory,” he cried before departing. “I intend to write the history of the great achievements we have performed together. Adieu, my friends. If I could, I would press you all to my heart.”
According to legend, more than a few of the battle-hardened veterans broke down as the scene played out before them.
The Guard was made up of Napoleon’s finest. They were the most seasoned soldiers of the French army and the best of his elite Imperial Guard. All were hand-picked volunteers of above-average height, each one hardened by years of campaigning.
The emperor housed his fiercely loyal Old Guard in the best quarters, dressed them in the sharpest uniforms and lavished them with the finest rations. In return, he expected them to fight ferociously when called upon. And fight they did, with unflagging bravery in all of Napoleon’s most famous battles.
Disbanded in 1814, elements of the Old Guard would reform the following year as Bonaparte escaped from exile. Yet despite their final defeat at Waterloo 100 days later, the Old Guard would go down in history as one of the most famous fighting units to ever set foot on a battlefield. Here are 10 essential facts about this storied unit.
They were with Bonaparte from the beginning
The origins of the Old Guard can be traced back to December of 1799. That’s when Napoleon, having been in power as First Consul for less than six weeks, ordered the creation of his own version of the Praetorian guard. Known as Le Garde des Consuls, it was comprised of elite veterans recruited from the regular army. But Bonaparte envisioned the new regiment as being more than just a ceremonial palace watch – it would also fight with him on the front lines. The Consular Guard marched into battle for the first time on June 14, 1800 at Marengo. Eyewitnesses described how the unit advanced against the Austrians with parade-square precision and held off enemy counterattacks “like a redoubt made of granite.” When Napoleon crowned himself emperor in 1804, the guard first achieved its ‘imperial’ designation. Napoleon later established guard cavalry units, engineers, gendarmes, light infantry or chasseurs a pied and line infantry, as well as his famous grenadiers.
(Image source: WikiCommons)
Experience (and height) were required
By 1812, soldiers wishing to join the vaunted Old Guard had to have at least 10 years of service. They were also required to be a minimum six-feet-tall and in top physical shape. Typically in their 30s and 40s, soldiers in the Old Guard were seasoned veterans of as many as 20 campaigns and had fought for Bonaparte since his earliest battles. By 1815, the average age of a soldier in the 1er Grenadiers and 1er Chasseurs was 35. Promising recruits without years of service were sent to Bonaparte’s elite but junior Middle or Young guard.
They were dressed to kill
The men of the Old Guard cut impressive figures on the battlefield. Their long-tailed jackets and waistcoats set them apart from the shabbier rank-and-file soldiers, as did their regulation powdered white ponytail queues and gold ear rings. Distinctive black bear skin hats made the already tall guardsmen even more menacing to friend and foe alike. Contemporary observers also noted that the soldiers’ solid muscular legs, honed by a lifetime of marching, were handsomely set off by their fine fitted breeches and gaiters, which looked much sharper than the ordinary trousers worn by Napoleon’s regular troops.
They enjoyed better pay and instant promotion
Guard regiments drew more generous salaries than other units in the Grande Armée. A typical non-commissioned officer in the Old Guard earned more than two francs a day, which was roughly the same as a regular army lieutenant’s pay. Additionally, a soldier’s rank in the Old Guard was automatically equal to the next higher rating in any other regiment. For example, an Old Guard private enjoyed corporal status elsewhere in the army. Guardsmen officers were also more likely to have been promoted up from the ranks for heroism.
They were respected wherever they marched
The perks didn’t end with money and promotions. All other units in Napoleon’s army were required to show their deference to the Old Guard. Regular regiments were obliged to clear the road, dip their colours a sound a salute on fife and drum as the elite soldiers approached. On the other hand, Guard formations were obliged to render honours to no one, save for the emperor himself. Even lowly privates were addressed by the honorific monsieur by NCOs and officers.
Guardsmen were given permission to complain
The men of the Guard were not held to the same standard of discipline as their regular army counterparts. Ordinary rankers in the elite corps were permitted to openly fraternize with their officers; something unheard of in other regiments. And while not on campaign, soldiers could assemble for morning roll call out of uniform and then return to their bunks to sleep late. More astonishingly, because of their special status, guardsmen could gripe freely about army life, even in front of officers. In fact, it’s this license that earned the men of the Old Guard their famous nickname: les Grognards or “the Grumblers.”
They lived in (relative) luxury
Despite les Grognards’ complaining privileges, guardsmen likely had far fewer grievances than their ordinary compatriots. Their barracks were typically cleaner and more spacious than other soldiers’ cramped hovels. Napoleon himself ordered larger bunks for taller members of the corps after noting that his soldiers’ feet were hanging over the end of their beds. Bonaparte also assigned France’s preeminent army surgeon, Dominique Jean Larrey, to oversee their health. Better food and drink was also a perk of life in the Old Guard.
They were on a first-name basis with Napoleon
Guardsmen also had access to their emperor unlike other soldiers. On campaign, Bonaparte enjoyed chatting with his Grognards at every opportunity and reportedly knew many by their first names. He joked with them, shared their sorrows and listened closely as they brought their personal problems to his attention. In one story, a guardsman complained to the emperor that he’d not yet received a citation that was promised to him months earlier. Napoleon not only remembered the trooper’s name, he could recount the man’s heroism before pledging to have the late honours finally bestowed. In another account, a guardsman by the name of Jean-Roch Coignet was entrusted with guarding emperor’s own infant son at the Château de Saint-Cloud near Paris. The soldier recalled in his memoirs how a nurse once asked him to hold the toddler, at which point the young prince tugged on the plume attached to his bearskin hat. Coignet considered it as one of the proudest moments of his life.
They fought and died bravely
To be sure, the Old Guard enjoyed rights and privileges unheard in the wider army. But when Napoleon did order his beloved Grognards into battle, he expected them to lay down their lives without hesitation. Yet, instead of using his Old Guard as shock troops or cannon fodder, the emperor usually only committed his famed immortals in the final minutes of battle, often to deliver the coup de grâce to a wavering enemy. In other instances, he called upon his elite corps to save the day when all hope seemed lost. In several engagements, Napoleon kept the Old Guard out of harm’s way altogether. During the epic slaughter of Borodino, Bonaparte bristled at the idea of deploying them. “If there should be another battle tomorrow, where is my army?” he demanded. Still, the Old Guard managed to deliver victory to their emperor in a number of major battles including Ulm, Austerlitz, Eylau, Wagram and Dresden.
They were ‘too old for this shit’
The Old Guard remained by Napoleon’s side until the bitter end. Les Grognards flocked to the colours after Bonaparte’s escape from exile in 1815 and were with him for the brief Waterloo campaign. The Guard helped win their beloved emperor his last victory at Ligny on June 16 and fought again two days later at Waterloo; it would be their last battle. As the fighting raged, Bonaparte would throw his Old Guard into action in a desperate bid to end the engagement before Prussian reinforcements could deploy and tip the balance in the Duke of Wellington’s favour. Amazingly, Napoleon’s immortals were thrown back in the 11th hour and, for the first time ever, fled the field. “The Guard is retreating,” ordinary French soldiers cried at the unbelievable spectacle. “Every man for himself!” Remnants of the guard attempted to rally, but were surrounded by British and allied troops. When offered a chance to lay down their arms, their commander, Pierre Cambronne, famously replied: “The Guard dies. It does not surrender.” Other accounts say he simply yelled “Shit!”
The surviving Guard units were disbanded following Napoleon’s surrender; its members largely disappeared into obscurity. Yet a handful of aging Grognards donned their uniforms once last time in 1840 when the remains of Napoleon were carried back to France to be laid to rest at Hôtel des Invalides in Paris.
Selected Sources:
https://ospreypublishing.com/imperial-guardsman-1799-1815-pb
http://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/military-history/napoleon-bonapartes-old-guard-at-the-battle-of-waterloo/
http://www.napolun.com/mirror/napoleonistyka.atspace.com/IMPERIAL_GUARD_infantry_1.htm#frenchtheyoungguard
https://archive.org/stream/notebookofcaptai006638mbp/notebookofcaptai006638mbp_djvu.txt
https://books.google.ca/books?id=4tTYCLqjwj8C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Guard_(Napoleon_I)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Guard
(Originally published on MilitaryHistoryNow.com on Nov. 5, 2017)
The quote about the Consular Guard at Marengo is not an eyewitness, but taken from a Bulletin (as in “to lie like a”). They did engage the Austrian IR51 for about 15 minutes before being taken in the rear by Frimont’s cavalry and took no further part in the fighting.
They were actually named the grumblers because they complained about being held in reserve and thus did not see as much action as they preferred.
And Cambronne never said that. Or ‘shit.’ French journalists after the fact did. Cambronne survived Waterloo and later claimed he said ‘buggers like us don’t surrender.’
Do you have a reference for the first statement or is this just more Old Guard hot air.
Long live the Emperor
INCORRECT: “As the fighting raged, Bonaparte would throw his Old Guard into action in a desperate bid to end the engagement before Prussian reinforcements could deploy and tip the balance in the Duke of Wellington’s favour. Amazingly, Napoleon’s immortals were thrown back in the 11th hour and, for the first time ever, fled the field.”
You’re talking about the MIDDLE Guard. The Old Guard was stationed in a village and was only deployed to protect the retreat.
My 4th great grandfather was a member of the immortals Old Guard and he was thrown back in to fight at the end at Waterloo. He was injured via sword but fled and ended up sailing to America, living his days in Maine
As above then like a lot of French soldiers he told you a wopper, the guard who fought at Waterloo were the middle guard, see above.
My direct 4th Great Grandfather was a surviving member, fleeing Waterloo after being run through with a sword. He gathered his family and sailed to America, landing in Maine where he lived the remainder of his days. He named his 1st born in tribute to his old leader; Lewis Napoleon Bonaparte Kershner.
Putting them into the battle selectively makes them appear more effective than they were.