Help support TMP


Napoleon's Imperial Guard


Author
Gabrielle Esposito
Type
Non-fiction
Status
In Print
Publisher
Pen & Sword Military (2021)

SHaT1984 writes:

Oh dear another mess of publication it seems.
Just the illustration used on the cover, I'm not sure rendering gold attributes darker than brass, incorrect uniform cuff flaps on officer etc. qualifies the rest with any confidence…
Not on my list fer shure_____



Rate This Book

If you have read this book, please rate it from 1 (low) to 10 (high).

TMP Members can rate this book. Would you like to be a member?


Back to BOOKS FOR WARGAMERS


Areas of Interest

Napoleonic

Featured Hobby News Article


Featured Link


Featured Ruleset


Featured Showcase Article

GallopingJack Checks Out The Terrain Mat

Mal Wright Fezian goes to sea with the Terrain Mat.


Current Poll


This entry created 10 November 2021. Last revised on 10 November 2021.

2,291 hits since 10 Nov 2021
©1994-2024 Bill Armintrout
Comments or corrections?


Napoleon's Imperial Guard

Organization, Uniforms and Weapons

Rating: gold star gold star gold star gold star no star no star no star no star no star no star (3.50)

145 pages. Color illustrations throughout. Author mini-bio, acknowledgements, introduction, bibliography, index.

With this book, Italian researcher Gabrielle Esposito provides a useful guide to the many branches of the Imperial Guard, how they developed, their uniforms, and a synopsis of their military actions.

Illustrations are from the digital collection of the New York Public Library, including the Vinkhuijzen Collection of Military Uniforms.

Chapter 1, The Consular Guard, describes the pre-Revolution royal units, the various guard units that replaced them, and the establishment of the Imperial Guard under Napoleon. Bonaparte's veteran Guides had been absorbed into the Consular Guard; when he became emperor, this became the Imperial Guard. (15 pages)

The following chapters each look at a branch of the Imperial Guard. The format is similar: how the unit(s) were established, changes over time (including orders of battle), list of battles, descriptions of uniforms and equipment.

The Foot Grenadiers and Foot Chasseurs
Follows the convoluted history of these corps, the creation of velites, absorption of the Dutch Royal Guard. (21 pages)
The Infantry of the Middle Guard and Young Guard
Younger soldiers expand the Guard. Creation of Tirailleur light infantry. Absorption of veteran National Guardsmen. Creation of Voltigeurs. Creation of Pupilles, originally from war orphans, as soldiers-in-training. Absorption of Polish exiles. (19 pages)
The Mounted Grenadiers
Brief history of grenadiers in general, formation of a mounted guard unit, recruiting of velites (upper-class cadets). (9 pages)
The Mounted Chasseurs
Napoleon's personal bodyguard. Includes brief history of chasseurs and mounted chasseurs in general. (12 pages)
The Empress' Dragoons
History of dragoons in general, and in French service. Addition of mounted dragoons to the Guard. Creation of Gendarmerie d'Ordinnance (upper-class cadets as light cavalry). (9 pages)
The Polish Lancers
Only foreign cavalry in the Old Guard. Valor in Spain. Conversion to uhlans. (9 pages)
The Dutch Lancers
Absorbed into Guard, converted from lancers to uhlans. Known as the Red Lancers. (4 pages)
The German Lancers and the Lithuanian Lancers
Germans raised by Murat, later absorbed into the Guard, converted to uhlans. Lithuanian lancers later absorbed into Polish lancers. (5 pages)
The Guards of Honour and the Scouts
The Guards were cavalry hastily recruited from the upper classes after the Russian debacle. Scouts (Eclaireurs) were lancers intended to cope with Russian Cossacks. (13 pages)
The Mamelukes and the Tatars
Egyptian mamelukes served the French in Egypt, and were eventually included in the Old Guard. The Tatars were recruited from Lithuanian Muslims. (8 pages)
The Sailors and the Gendarmerie
Naval infantry intended for the invasion of Britain. Gendarmerie d'Elite were military police. (9 pages)
The Artillery and the Train
Foot and mounted artillery. Support units of engineers and wagon trains. (10 pages)

This is a reference book, full of useful information, but not a lot of 'easy reading'. Note that the cover subtitle says 'weapons' – that seems to be an error, the interior text correctly says 'equipment'. Weapons are not discussed.

I wish the author had more carefully checked the text against the plates, as the descriptions do not always match. For example, on page 59 the author claims that the Mounted Grenadiers were mounted on "big black horses" – the image opposite shows a brown horse, as well as the plate on page 63.

Useful reference book for anyone who has Imperial Guard.

Reviewed by Personal logo Editor in Chief Bill The Editor of TMP Fezian.