Sailors of the Imperial Guard


The Sailors of the Imperial Guard were a naval unit within Napoleon's Imperial Guard. The unit's soldiers not only operated as naval infantry but as gunners, sailors and engineers. Napoleon himself stated, "They were good sailors, then they were the best soldiers. And they did everything - they were soldiers, gunners, sappers, everything!".

History

On 23 September 1803, First Consul Napoleon issued orders to raise a battalion of naval infantry known as the "Sailors of the Consular Guard", with recruitment for the new unit beginning four days later. Recruited primarily from Corsica and coastal areas of mainland France, the battalion was charged with operating landing craft for Napoleon's planned invasion of Britain. In 1804, Napoleon integrated the battalion, consisting of 737 officers and men divided into five crews, into the newly-formed Old Guard. The battalion was expanded to 818 men in the same year, and placed under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Navy; each crew was commanded by a ship-of-the-line captain or frigate captain and four other officers, under which served 15 non-commissioned officers and 125 enlisted personnel.
The new unit was initially stationed at the Camp of Boulogne along with the rest of Napoleon's invasion force. It participated in reconnaissance duties, coastal patrols, engineering works, rescue operations, and naval training. When the planned invasion was called off in 1805, the unit participated in the Ulm campaign, providing a reliable flow of rations and other military supplies to other French troops. In 1806, 102 men from the unit took part in the Prussian campaign, maintaining a solid line of supplies, and providing their expertise in engineering works, to the soldiers in Jena. They secured rivers and built bridges and earthworks for the Grande Armée preceding the Battle of Eylau and Friedland, ensuring order and steady supplies, vital in the eventual victory of the French army.
The unit participated in the 1807 siege of Danzig, where they formed part of François de Chasseloup-Laubat's force of engineers. During the siege, a crew of no more than 100 men took part in carrying supplies past the Royal Navy to deliver resources to other French troops besieging the city. The remainder of the battalion arrived after the city fell to the French. They were then separated from the rest of the Old Guard, and sent to partake in the Siege of Stralsund. An affair that lasted through October, and had made them miss the November 25th Imperial Guard's return Celebration in Paris.
At the Peace of Tilsit, the unit was made to man the boats that carried Napoleon in his famous union with Alexander I of Russia. The unit was sent back to France, and by March 15, 1808, Murat had commented to Napoleon that "Les Marins sont bien fatigués,". As of course they would have been; having taken part in continuous sieges and campaigns while much of the Old Guard had taken part in festivities and break.

Peninsular War

The unit left for Spain soon afterwards to fight in the Peninsular War. Under the orders of General Pierre Dupont de l'Étang, they were separated from the Imperial Guard again with orders to support the siege of Cádiz. They traveled with Dupont's conscripts and stood as the most veteran unit there. During their march to Cádiz, they saw their first line battle, supporting General Fresia's cavalry in the Battle of Alcolea Bridge. In the battle they charged behind the cavalry and routed the Spanish volunteers holding the bridge. They later secured the bridge and the villages near it from guerillas, taking no casualties in the process.
After proceeding past Cordoba, they served an active role in the Battle of Bailén. At first part of Dupont's reserve force, they eventually were allowed to partake in the French cannonade with devastating effect. Near the end of the battle, Dupont sent them forward into the Spanish center in a desperate charge. Despite the unit breaking through the first and second Spanish lines, a lack of reinforcements led them to be quickly overwhelmed. By the time of surrender, a third of their force was dead. Dupont capitulated, with the terms of surrender allowing his army to be sent back to France without arms. However, the Seville Junta refused to honour the pact, and only Dupont and his staff officers were sent back to France. Most of Dupont's surrendered army were imprisoned in Cádiz on barges, where some remained until 1814. Conditions on these prison ships were hellish. 1,800 men at least were stuffed onto each ship, with rotting rations and no water, a majority of the prisoners would never see France again.
A result of these conditions had caused the Sailors to become adamant on escape:
In March 1809, as Commander Vattier of the Sailors of the Guard was being transferred to a prison ship named La Fortune, he made his escape with other officers of the Guard. Through a networks of vessels and aids, they soon arrived to safety.
Fearing closing French ships would rescue those on the prison ships, many prisoners would be sent to the decrepit island of Cabrera. Among them 180 Sailors of the Guard. There they would be given nothing, expected to starve and die on the island. In fact, 2,000 would perish between May 9, 1809, and October 1, 1809. An instance exists of nine Guard Sailors who captured a Spanish gunboat in their escape:
Cabrera would see the Sailors of the Guard attempt two more escapes, with the knowledge of leaving their comrades abandoned on the island. One would lead to nearly ten men to be beat to death by Spaniard and Frenchmen alike, the other ten of the group escaped. The second would see two imprisoned, and all means of escape destroyed. Many Sailors of the Guard would also be transferred to English prisons. Despite the distance two Guard Sailor officers would somehow steal two small boats, and sail back to France in order to rejoin the Emperor's campaigns!
As for the fate of the rest of the men in Cabrera, by 1814, nearly 10,000 would be sent there. Even despite the terms of prisoner releases by Napoleon's abdication in 1814, 2000 would remain there. All of whom would die. Still yet, more escapes would occur for those trapped on the prison hulks harbored in Cadiz. With news that nearby French forces were besieging Cádiz, Lieutenant de Vaisseau Grivel orchestrated a grand escape plan. With the help of a few fellow Guard Sailors and an array of desperate prisoners, they planned to take advantage of the recent pattern of favorable winds to steal a Spanish boat. On February 22, 1810, two Sailors of the Guard came down to a recently moored Spanish guard-boat. The Spanish guards on the boat had expected the French prisoners to clean and maintain the boat lines, however these two sailors instead came up to them with the guise of buying thread and needles from them. Grivel himself then walked towards the Guards:
Having secured the boat, they set open the sail, and escaped. Maneuvering themselves towards French lines, they evaded Spanish and British gunboats, arriving safely along the sand among their French allies. Inspired by Grivel's escape, Lieutenant de Vaisseau Moreau and 700 men of the prison hulk Vieille-Castille planned an escape. On May 15, 1810, they took control their prison ship with ease and began drifting towards the French lines in a prison break. Nearby British ships eventually caught wind of the plot and fired salvos into the ship. One cannonball beheaded Moreau, and the Sailors fired back. After a brief firefight, they arrived close to French lines. Grivel and the Guard Sailors from the previous escape immediately took to evacuate those on the Vielle Castille, setting it ablaze afterward. These men immediately took to helping the besiegers of Cadiz with a renewed fury.
The French prisoners on the Spanish ship L'Argonaute, also inspired by the recent prison breaks, began to plan for escape. A poorly kept hospital ship with 600 sick and dying, along with around sixty able-bodied, the Guard Sailors of the ship decided they too would escape. On May 26, 1810, the three sailors called upon their co-conspirers, 20 other brave men, to cut the anchors and cables of the ship with hopes it will drift towards French lines. These three sailors are remarked to have rid the ship of all guards. As the ship drifted, it came under heavy bombardment by British and Spanish ships. As night set upon the bombardment, Grivel and other Sailors of the Guard, impatient for its arrival, sailed towards the ship and evacuated the men inside through cannonballs and fire:
The Sailors of the Guard, having escaped captivity, immediately joined the siege of Cádiz. Grivel had even grown a garden of tomatoes, and happily fished with his men as they sieged the Spanish city. The men were soon called back to France in 1811 to join a new battalion of Guard Sailors for Napoleon's upcoming war with Russia. On their way back to France, a few queridas, followed the Sailors back. The road to France was extremely dangerous, and it is noted that the Guard Sailors partook in fights against great guerilla bands such as the Mina Band, as well as skirmishes with Wellington's own reconnaissance cavalry. When they arrived in Paris around September 1813, one would be married to a Guard Sailor by order of Grivel himself, who was taken aback by the querida's loyalty.

Reorganization and continued service

A decree by Napoleon on March 27, 1809, had reduced the Sailors of the Guard to 149 men. One crew. Made up of remaining Guard Sailors and some newly levied men by the navy, under the command of Captain de vaisseau Pierre Baste. This force was separated between those who would follow Marshal Bessières back into Spain, 65 men total, and those who would police waterways on the lugger Le Saint-Ander, 24 men total. On September 1, 1810, 8 more crews were added, raising the unit's strength to 1,136 officers, NCOs and ratings.
During the Austrian Campaign in 1809, the Sailors of the Guard were given the task of commanding and drilling the 44th Battalion of the Flotilla, for their expected operations along the Danube. However, operations had not gone as smoothly as expected, and Napoleon became increasingly frustrated at their poor performance in comparison to the services he was used to from his Guard Sailors.
The Sailors of the Guard continued their services in the Battle of Essling and the Battle of Wagram. Here they provided the army with a steady supply of food and munitions, on occasion a detachment would serve in the Guard Artillery. From September 1–2, 1809, there was a grand parade at Schoenbrunn; the Guard Sailors appeared there with the other corps of the Imperial Guard. The Emperor stopped before the front of the crew and complimented them; telling his Sailors that they had come very quickly.
In April 1810, the Sailors of the Guard accompanied the Emperor Napoleon and Empress Marie-Louise from Vincennes to Antwerp. In this royal outing by Napoleon, he boasted his Naval power to his new Empress. The Guard Sailors remained as Napoleon's personal guard for the next month.
As of January 27, 1811, the Corps of Guard Sailors was as such:
First Company
Lieutenant de vaisseau, captain: Thanaron Pierre-Paul
Second Company
Lieutenant de vaisseau, captain: Etchegaray Michel
Third Company; Of which was made up of the survivors of Spain, and the most veteran of the Corps of Guard Sailors
Lieutenant de vaisseau, captain: Grivel Jean-Baptiste
Fourth Company
Lieutenant de vaisseau, captain: Margueritte Eugène
Fifth Company
Lieutenant de vaisseau, captain: Le Roy Jean
Sixth Company
Lieutenant de vaisseau, captain: de Rigny Henri
Two companies were sent to reinforce the Portugal Campaigns, being commanded under Marshal Ney's rearguard. Two companies, the 3rd and 5th Crews, were sent to Brest and Antwerp, respectively, to reinforce and secure the coastal towns. Two companies, the 2nd and 6th Crews, would go with the rest of the Grande Armee into Russia.

The Russian Campaign

In July 1812, the Sailors of the Guard were attached to the engineers of the army. In this role they aided in bridgebuilding and river crossings across Germany and through the Neman River. They traveled without much gruesome events through Russia, with both companies reuniting in Smolensk on August 10.
Arriving to the Battle of Borodino in full, they partook in Napoleon's exception of use of the Old Guard reserves.Fearing that the inclusion of Barclay's Corps in the Russian lines were an indicator of a potential massed attack, he ordered General Sorbier's Guard Artillery, including the Guard Sailors aid in the annihilation of the Russian effort. The result was a stalemate of right center. However their expertise in cannon was impressive to the eyes of Napoleon, and he gave each company six batteries to care for and use. An amazing compliment by all means, Napoleon having been an artilleryman himself.
Arriving in Moscow, they accompanied Napoleon wherever he went, and followed directly alongside him when the time came for them to retreat the flaming city. The retreat from Russia was when the Sailor corps suffered the greatest losses, mostly to Cossack raids, of whom many Guard Sailors would become prisoners. However, they would shine once more in the Battle of Berezina, where they would brave the freezing waters to construct the vital bridges, and defend against opportunistic Cossacks at the same time throughout the entirety of the battle. After Berezina, they would be virtually destroyed. By the time they reached France in December 1813, only 85 would remain from the 250. Of course not counting the escaped Cossack prisoners who would trickle back into France for the next two years.

The Last campaigns

By the time of February 13, 1813, 3rd Company was temporarily placed as a Young Guard Unit. Reasons unknown, it was reinstated as an Old Guard regiment by September of the same year. In that time, they fought in the Battle of Lutzen, beating back Prussian cavalry, before switching to a sapper-role and digging out culverts for the army. 3rd Company later fought at the Battle of Leipzig with the Imperial Guard under Napoleon. It is thought a detachment had fought in part at Möckern, as Von Hiller had suggested, but they did not partake in its defense. Rather they served a minor role in the Reserve Artillery as part of the Old Guard. By November 5, 1813, 3rd Company would end with 107 Sailors from their 148.
In January 1814, the 3rd, 6th, and 7th, crews combined to a total of 450 men, and were integrated into General Friant's 1st Division of Old Guard. The unit took part in the campaign in north-east France, notably the Battle of Paris. On January 29, 1814, they fought at Brienne, where Pierre Baste was beheaded by a Russian cannonball. On February 1, they were integrated into the engineer portion of the division. On February 10, they charged with Friant's Old Guard at L'Epine Aux Bois at bayonet point during the Battle of Montmirail, killing 8000 by morning. On February 18, they took victory at Montereau. On March 2, after Prussian forces demolished the bridge at Marne, the Guard Sailors rebuilt it in a night, chasing the Prussians and beating them at Craonne. On March 9, they took a loss at the Battle of Laon.
On March 20, they fought at the Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube, where they were not committed in the first day. However, as Napoleon realized the size of the army he faced, he fled. On the second day, in the city, the Sailors of the Guard were marching to escape across the bridge in order, facing the enemy loosely and without much threat. Suddenly, a cavalry commander came to the commander of the Sailors in panic, stating that the Guard cavalry were being pressured by enemy infantry on La Villete bridge, and would be decimated if without help. In a moment the Guard Sailors sprinted towards the bridgehead where they were met by over 30 enemy squadrons. Without hesitation they formed up and opened fire, setting the enemy to flight. They held the rearguard of the Guard until the last cavalier had crossed, they then crossed themselves, and burned the bridge behind them. They took three casualties. On their forced March to Paris, they were saddened and furious to hear its surrender to the coalition. During Napoleon's farewell to his Old Guard, only a few officers of the Sailors of the Guard were present, the rest were marching to Le Havre to be disbanded. On June 30, 1814, they were disbanded.

From Elba to Waterloo

A small detachment of 21 sailors from the unit accompanied Napoleon into exile on Elba. On Elba, Lieutenant de Vaisseau Taillade was given command of the Sailors of the Guard. From here, Taillade kept close with Napoleon. Napoleon, in Elba, was refused his promise amenities constantly, and on one occasion, an order to kidnap Napoleon was presented to Taillade. It was promptly refused and reported to Napoleon, who was then adamant on departing Elba at once. On February 7, 1815, Lieutenant de Vaisseau Taillade organized with his men the escape of Napoleon from Elba on the ship L'Inconstant. It was successful, and on landing back in France, were made to march second in column behind the Old Guard 1st Grenadiers. In Paris, Sailors of the Guard from before disbandment flocked back to the service of the emperor. The Corps was reconstituted to 150 men, where they immediately volunteered for the defense of France. Their armament in this period were Dragoon Carbines, due to the lack of equipment that plagued Napoleon's Hundred Days.
On June 15, 1815, the Sailors of the Guard served a major role in the taking of Charleroi. Here they overran the Prussians on Charleroi bridge, blowing up the gates and clearing the city of all resistance. At the Battle of Waterloo, they played their role as Guard Artillery for a majority of the battle. In the final moments of the battle, they formed up the last square of Old Guard. They went from 150 men to 57 men by the end of the battle, Taillade himself had gone missing in this time as well. At Aubervillier, where they retreated to in good order, they were reinforced to 93 men, and given the task of defending the village to the bitter end. They did so until Napoleon's second abdication.

Final Dissolution

On August 10, 1815, by decree of King Louis of France, the final dissolution of the Sailors of the Guard would occur. With men to have been with Napoleon from 1796 to 1815, they incorporated a remarkable corps during the Napoleonic Wars.

Uniform

The uniform consisted of a navy blue tunic and trousers with an Austrian knot on each thigh. The tunic consisted of red cuffs and dolman styled embroidery and scale epaulettes. The shako was black with orange laces, chevrons and cords. It had a unique shako plate that consisted of an anchor with the Imperial eagle. The shoes, waistbelt and cross-belt were also black. The waistbelt was designed after the light cavalry's design. The musicians wore similar uniforms to the infantry but instead wore a lighter blue than the infantry's dark blue. Even the fatigue caps of the sailors are decorated with an anchor at the front hem.
The officers wore navy blue uniforms like their infantry counterparts, but had an aiguillette draped across the right shoulder. On the left shoulder they had a golden epaulette. The shako is replaced by a bicorne with a large red plume.

Commanders

Primary sources

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