"THE GRUMBLERS"

Drapeaux of the French Army

1804-15

Infantry Regiments of the Imperial Guard

Images Added October 2004

Middle Guard Fusiliers Chasseurs (1806-11)
Old Guard Foot Chasseurs (1812-14)

Old Guard Foot Grenadiers & Foot Chasseurs, 1804-11

The reorganization of the French Army in 1803-04 included the transformation of the Guard of the Consuls into the Imperial Guard. Initially, the infantry component of the Guard consisted of one regiment of Foot Grenadiers and one of Foot Chasseurs, each with two march battalions and one training battalion. The Foot Grenadiers and Foot Chasseurs constituted what came to be called the Old Guard. They received colors similar to those of the line and light infantry regiments, but with grenades or hunting horns in the corners and the imperial eagle and crown on the reverse. The basis of issue was one per battalion. As was the case with the line and light infantry regiments, the cloth flag was secondary in importance to the gilded bronze Eagle that topped the color staff. All colors were about 2 1/2 feet square and made of oiled silk .
 

Left: 1st Battalion, Foot Grenadiers     Right: 1st Battalion, Foot Chasseurs
 

Middle Guard Fusiliers Grenadiers & Fusiliers Chasseurs, 1804-11

In 1806, two further Guard infantry regiments were raised: the Fusiliers Grenadiers and the Fusiliers Chasseurs. They received colors of the same pattern as the original two regiments. These new regiments constituted what came to be called the Middle Guard.

Left: 1st Battalion, Fusiliers Grenadiers     Right: 1st Battalion, Fusiliers Chasseurs
 

Old Guard Foot Grenadiers & Foot Chasseurs, 1811-12

In 1810, the Regiment of Foot Grenadiers of the Dutch Royal Guard was incorporated into the Imperial Guard as the 2nd Regiment of Foot Grenadiers. Then in 1811 two more regiments, one of Foot Grenadiers and one of Foot Chasseurs, were raised. Because their cadres came from the existing regiments, they were classed as part of the Old Guard. The former Dutch Grenadiers were renumbered as the 3rd Foot Grenadiers, so that the infantry of the Old Guard now consisted of three foot grenadier and two foot chasseur regiments. New colors, with numerals instead of badges in the corners and different inscriptions, were issued to all regiments of the Guard in 1811. The basis of issue remained one color per battalion.
 

Left: 2nd Battalion, 1st Foot Grenadiers     Right: 2nd Battalion, 2nd Foot Chasseurs
 

Old Guard Foot Grenadiers & Foot Chasseurs, 1812-14

In 1812, the infantry of the Imperial Guard received new colors of the same pattern as those being issued to the line and light infantry regiments. Grenadier regiments had flaming grenades in the wreaths on the white stripe, while chasseur regiments had hunting horns. The basis of issue for the 1812 colors was one per regiment, to be carried by the 1st Battalion; other battalions carried plain red bunting flags with black grenades or hunting horns in the center and corners. These colors were abolished and mostly destroyed after the abdication of Napoleon in 1814.
 

Left: 2nd Regiment of Foot Grenadiers     Right: 1st Regiment of Foot Chasseurs

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