The Imperial Guards of Napoleon Bonaparte - Essay Example

The Old Guards were the most prominent and were the creme de la creme of Napoleon’s infantry. To be admitted to this group, the aspirant should have at least 10 years of service, not exceeding 35 years of age, can read and write, with exemplary conduct, recognized for a brave act, and must at least have a height of 5’10 and 5’8 for grenadier and chasseur, respectively. Men who have received the Legion of Honor Award are admitted even without reaching the height marks. With this set of requirements, it is not surprising to learn that they were the battle-hardened veterans, the boldest, and the strongest amongst the guards. They were labeled as “The Grumblers,” “The Eagles,” “The Gaiter Straps,” or “The Supporters of the Usurper” (Yudice et al., French Guard n. pag).

Another group is that of the Middle Guards, which was formed between 1806 and 1809. This group includes veterans with at least 6 years of service – the 3rd Grenadiers, the Amsterdam Veteran Company, corporals and privates of the 2nd Grenadiers, 2nd Chasseurs and Fusiliers, and the Velites of Florence and Turin (“The Young Guard in Action” 4). In 1811, after the disbandment of 1806 regiment units, this division was restored by admitting 500 men with 5 years of service along with 1,000 men coming from the battalions. The most notable account for Middle Guards was concerning their exceptional skills in artillery (Macready,and in Yudice et al., Napoleon’s Guard n. pag).

Last of all three groups was the Young Guard, formed around 1809. This group was composed of “newly raised regiments” (Haythornthwaite 7), rigorously trained by Cadres who came from the Old Guards, as well as by the strongest and best-educated Privates. The first trained regiments came out as strong and healthy men, as they flushed their martial air with their great stamina. Moreover, the Young Guards consisted of the best yearly recruits of conscripts and volunteers – with high caliber and superior line regiments. It was composed of the creme de la creme of amateur soldiers, who are fully inspired to fight on to be admitted as the Guards themselves in the future. Notably, they were seen as effective “shock troops” on the battlefield (Yudice et al., French Guard n. pag).

            Apart from the three divisions is Napoleon’s strong army, located at the coast of the English Channel, known as the Grand’Armee. This group was composed of conscripts who came from the poorer classes, soldiers with little training, and had to learn on their own on the actual battlefield. Essentially, Grand’Armee threatened England and sparked curiosity among Napoleon’s foes, dumbfounded if this was only Napoleon’s tactic of pinning down English troops, or if this was part of a strategy to move eastward. Either way, this gave Napoleon a superior position as commander, acquiring a huge pool of resources ready to be deployed any time (“Napoleon” n. pag).