The first regiment to be raised, which is credited with making the whole idea of an imperial Guard popular, was the regiment of Guides. This colorful unit wore dark green dolman and pelisse covered with aurora lace, the trousers being red with aurora Hungarian lace on the thigh. The headgear was a full busby reminiscent of those of the Chasseurs a Cheval of Uncle Napoleon's guard, with red bag, aurora trim, and white plume with green base. Officers substituted gold for much of the aurora. Shabraques were of coat color with aurora edging and crowned N's, sabertache green with aurora and red edging, and aurora trophies in the center. The Guides were armed with sabers of an oriental pattern and normally paraded without carbines although carbines were issued on campaign. Trumpeters had reversed colors with red shabraques and sabertaches trimmed green in the former, aurora in the latter case. This regiment was formed from picked men of the light cavalry and spent much time on parades and horsemanship exercises which delighted and impressed military and civilians alike, thus paving the way for the acceptance of the rest of the Imperial Guard.
Once the idea caught on, a regiment of Chasseurs a Cheval was added, which very much resembled the Guides, but had white instead of aurora lace, and generally paraded without pelisse and with carbines. The trousers of this regiment were "en lasalle" with false boots, and even the trumpeters are sometimes shown with carbines. Together with the Guides, they formed the light brigade of the Guard.
The medium brigade consisted of lancers and dragoons--both variously claiming the patronage of the Empress Eugenie. The dragoons looked very much like Dragons de l'imperatrice of the first empire, with green coat and white plastron. The helmet lacked turban, but was decorated with much engraving, and had a black horsehair plume and red side plume. Belting was white. Trumpeters wore reversed colors, and the shoulder arm was rifled. Buttons were of brass, epaulettes of soldiers white, officers gold, trumpeters wore reversed colors with red horsehair plume, side plume white topped with red. The trousers were the familiar red of the second empire (green for the trumpeters). Shabraques were green trimmed white and red, with the crowned N in white. Cuffs and turnbacks on the short coat were green but had thin red trim. The brigade mates of the dragoons were the Guard Lancers. This colorful regiment paraded in white kurtka, with pointed cuffs, plastron, and collar of light blue, shabraque light blue trimmed white, czapska with black bottom, white middle band, light blue top, and red plume, with a large brass plate in front and brass chin scales. A red fouragere with tassels adorned the front of the piastron on parade. The lance penant was white over red, pantaloons en lasalle red with light blue twin stripes. For trumpeters colors were reversed, while officers had gold belting, pants stripes, and epaulettes (red for the troop). In the field this regiment wore a light blue kurtka piped white - which may account for the malicious rumor that their own brigade mates mistook them for uhlans and charged them at Acres sur Yron (Mars la Tour).
Illustrations
Top: (left:) GUIDES DE LA GARDE 1855-70 and (right:) CHASSEURS A CHEVAL OF THE GUARD
Top: (left:) GUARD LANCERS 1855-70 and (right:) GUARD DRAGOONS 1855-70
More Napoleon III Imperial Guard
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