|
|
Tirailleurs de la Garde Imperiale: 1809-1815
"In war, I profit more from the Fusiliers and Conscripts than
from
the Grenadiers and Chasseurs’
Introduction
By Paul Dawson
In late 1808, Napoleon’s Grande Armee returned from Spain. The Emperor
was in an economising mood, and needed a way in which to make the army
more attractive to conscripts with the troubles in Spain continuing
and war with Austria plainly coming. Napoleon’s economy drive of 1808,
saw the disbandment of the ‘extremely expensive’ 2eme Grenadiers and
Chassuers-á-Pied de la Garde, and the birth of the ‘Young Guard’.
Thus, on 16 January, the cadre of the Grenadiers and were transformed
into Grenadiers-Conscrits, which were soon restyled Tirailleur-Grenadiers.
The ranks were filled with the best of the year's conscripts. The regiment
was attached to the Grenadiers-á-Pied, and was equipped as light
infantry. The new regiment was organised into two battalions of six
companies, of 200 men each, to be commanded by a Major, assisted by
two Chefs-de-Bataillon, each company to be headed by a Capitaine, all
of which were drawn from the 2eme Grenadiers-á-Pied and retained
their status, uniforms, and pay. The sous-lieutenants were drawn from
the school at Saint-Cyr.
Spring 1809 found Napoleon still in an economising mood. The news that
the new regiment cost half a million francs less than its line counterpart
led to the sanctioning of new regiments. Thus, on 29 March, Napoleon
ordered the creation of two new regiments, one the Grenadiers-Conscrit,
the other Tirailleur-Chasseurs. Soon after, on 31 March, the 2nd Regiment
of Grenadiers-Conscits were raised, along with two regiments of Chasseurs-Conscrit.
Two more regiments were formed on 25 April, the 2nd Regiments
of Tirailleur-Grenadiers and Tirailleur-Chasseurs. These regiments were
formed hastily for the war against Austria, and were unable to take
part in the campaign. They were to be commanded by a major, and to be
composed of two battalions, each of six (later four) companies of 200
men, for a total of 1600 soldiers. Half of the men were to come from
the conscripts of the Guard, other half was to be taken on the conscripts
of the reserve of 1810. The major and the two heads of battalion were
to be drawn from the officers of Grenadiers or Chasseurs of the Guard;
the company captaines from the Fusiliers who retained there higher status,
pay and uniforms. The second lieutenants came from the Saint-Cyr Military
School (2 per company). Each battalion had one of them acting a Adjutant.
There was thus no lieutenants in the regiment, but two sous-lieutenants,
though the decree provided that the post would be selected among these
young officers, once they had served for two years and taken part in
a campaign. The Regiments of Fusilier-Grenadiers and Chasseurs were
to provide the framework as NCO’s and corporals: a sergent major, 4
sergeants, a corporal fourrier and 8 corporals per company, also two
adjudant-sous-officiers per battalion. In all 450 men were transferred
from the Fusilier-Grenadiers. The conscrits were drawn from the line
conscripts of 1809 and reserve of 1810, and after 2 years service, could
be admitted to the Fusiliers; and after four more in to the Grenadiers
and Chasseurs-á-Pied. The Fusilier regiments also supplied the
officers for the regiments staff, the Capitaine-Adjutant-Major, Officier
Payeur and Lieutenant-Adjutant-Major.
Eventhough the decree’s ordering the organisation of the Conscrit-Chasseurs
were issued on March 29 and March 31, they were not organised until
21 April.
The cadre, especially the senior officers
transferred from the 2eme Grenadiers and Chassuers-á-Pied, of
the conscrits regiments did not take kindly to being in ‘conscript’
units. One regiment’s vehicles were marked ‘Garde Imperiale, Regiment
des Grenadiers’ in bold letters two feet high, below which was placed
in small print ‘CTS’, the abbreviation of Conscript. This was thought
exceedingly funny by the rest of the army, notably the other regiments
of the Imperiale Guard, who nicknamed them the CTS. The regiment was
not amused, and several duels resulted.
The Grenadiers and Chasseurs Conscrit were
not formed in time to fight at Wagram and Apsern-Essling, but were ordered
to Spain in the new year of 1810. Before they hit the road for Spain
for on the job training, the conscripts received very modern-seeming
orientatation, stressing the Spanish attitude toward such matters as
religion, and women, with special pains to express it to the men from
Holland, Italy, and Germany. The enlisted cadre still resented being
placed in a conscript unit, and so did not always set a proper example.
A regiment orderly book shows that they were put up for punishment almost
as frequently as the conscripts.
The Colonel-Major commanding the newly raised 2eme Regiment des Chasseurs-Conscrit,
Pierre-Francois Vrigny, had a keen eye for the fraudulant and exploitative
dealings of his NCO’s. One fourier newly transferred from the 2eme Chasseurs-á-Pied,
was caught only giving his company part of their meat ration. He was
quickly broken back to private, and was made to camp behind the barracks
for eight days. The responcible sous-lieutenant freshly out of Saint-Cyr,
who should have checked on the rations issued, was placed under arrest
for four days in the guard house, and was made to pay for the meat that
his company did not receive.
Before the Young Guard left for Spain in October 1809, Napoleon raised
three batteries of Artillerie-Conscrit. Each battery had six 6 pounder
guns, and were attached to the Guard Artillery. Number 7 Battery was
attached to the Grenadiers and Chasseur Conscrits, Number 8 to the Tirailleur
Grenadiers and Chasseurs, and Number 9 to the Fusilier Grenadiers and
Chasseurs. Each regiment had 3 guns. By attaching regimental artillery
to these new regiments, Napoleon hoped to increase both their effectiveness
in the field and to bolster the moral of the mainly inexperienced conscripts
which made up these units. This system of battalion or regimental artillery
ceased after April 1813, when the artillery was returned to the Guard
Artillery and designated as ‘Young Guard’.
The Young Guard was radically expanded in 1811. Firstly, the Tirailleur
regiments had their title amputated to Tirailleur for the Grenadiers
and Voltigeurs for the Chassuers by a decree of 30 December 1810. February
10 saw the conscrit regiments being converted to the 3rd
and 4th Tirailleur and Voltigeur regiments. Each corps was
then exapnded with the addition of a 5th Regiment on 11 March,
and a 6th on 28 August in Brussels, with cadres from the
line regiments, Fontainebleau, and the Velites de Turin. A seventh regiment
of Tirailleurs was formed by converting the Regiment des Pupilles on
17 January. The Gardes National de la Garde became the 7th
Regiment des Voltigeurs. The 8th regiments were created on
23 March, followed by the 9th, 10th, 11th,
12th and 13th on 6 April 1813; the 14th,
15th, and 16th on 11 January, with the cadre and
enlisted men coming from the Spanish Royal Guard. The 17th
and 18th Voltigeurs were formed on 21 January 1814. The Tirailleurs
and Voltigeurs, along with the regiments of Flankers, formed the mainstay
of the infantry of the French Army during the 1813 and 1814 Campaigns,
and bore the brunt of the fighting. These later regiments were equipped and organised under an imperial decree
of 8 April 1813, which stipulated that the regiments were to be organised
and equipped as a line regiment, but had the status of Young Guard.
By creating large numbers of Young Guard formations and taking conscripts
directly into them with minimal entry requirements, Napoleon sought
to minimize his desertion problems. Napoleon recognized that by putting
the label of Guard on his new conscripts and using the popular perception
of what Guardsman was and a how a Guardsman behaved, he could hold these
potentially reluctant recruits in the ranks. Napoleons desperation for
troops during 1814 had led him to the point of prostituting the prestige
and elite status of the Guard simply to draw anyone who could carry
a musket into the army.
Placed on the Napoleon Series: November 2003
[ Organization
Index | More
on French Guard Regiments ]
|
