We have already seen in Issue #6, the function and capabilities of the Flotilla crews, etc., and also a short history on the crew recruiting system of the French Navy. Today we are going to see the Sailors of the Imperial Guard. they came to existence about the same time for the same purpose than the Flotilla crews. In many publications, the "Sailors of the Imperial Guard" are called marines. Don't take my word for it and see for yourself in the following four books or magazines available to most of us: 1. Soldiers of the Peninsula Wars by Rene North, page 44. 2. Soldiers of the Napoleonic wars- The Uniforms- French Imperial Infantry- June 1815, page 50. (Both are Almark Publications). 3. In the "Campaigns of Napoleon," David Chandler on page 338, calls them marines and does not go through any explanation. 4. In "Anatomy of Glory" the translator and adapter of Lachouque "Napoleon and His Guard" calls them marines except in one page (page 100) and I think it is significant. Let us see what it is: On 25 June the marines of the Guard were rewarded for their fatigue and disappointment. The Emperor and the Tsar were to meet on a raft built by the artificers of the Guard artillery and anchored in the middle of the Niemen. Since he would embark upon water, His Majesty's escort was assigned to the marines. Unfortunately, the river was very low at this moment. Captain Daugier predicted that the Emperor's barge would not be able to move more than fifty yards before running aground, a fact 'that irritated His Majesty...'It was therefore on a common scow, manned sailors of the Guard, that Napoleon put out from the left bank to meet Alexander. It is interesting, is it not? They describe them as marines and sailors. How can sailors also be marines?...I think that one of their main duties is clearly defined: to man boats. It is the reason they were incorporated in the Guard in the first place, to become the crews of the small boats that Napoleon and his staff would use during the planned invasion of England. It is always them, the sailors, that man the boat any time the Emperor boards one. Then later, when Napoleon gives up the invasion since they were in the Guard, they remained there and they were not terribly out of place as you will see later. Then why all the confusion? To be exact, only books in English are confused about the matter. All the books in French call them "sailors.," It certainly started because of the similarity of the French word Marin which means sailor in English. Marine in French is Navy. It Is therefore, a purely academic dissertation to argue about the translation of the word Marin, but why not call a cat just a cat? The case becomes more complicated if you consider the meaning of the work marine for an Englishman or an American. For an American, "marines" are the troops that serve on board ships of war or in conjunction with Naval operations: For an Englishman it is a slightly different matter. We are speaking of corps of soldiers created in 1649 for the service on ships as skilled riflemen, shore parties and also, on occasion, to help enforce the discipline on board. However, in both cases, the functions or duties of the Marines are those of the sailors. In 1803 Bonaparte (not Napoleon yet) decided to raise elite crews to man and defend the boats transferring his and his staff across the Channel and to incorporate them in the Guard. On September 27, 1803 the crews were integrated in a battalion for that very purpose. To be exact, we should say the Consular Guard since the Empire did not exist yet. The Empire was created in 1804. So, on an executive order of July 29, 1804, they are incorporated in the Imperial Guard. The Marins De La Garde were, therefore, later on, part of the Old Guard. The executive order of September 27, 1803 called for a battalion with five crews (equipage in French) each crew of five squads each. Within five days of the receipt of the order each maritime prefect was to send his quota of sailors to the depot of Courbevoie (near Paris). Selected for the honor of joining the entourage of the First consul the sailors must be robust, at least 5'6" and have earned a reputation for good conduct and loyalty. The Funkens say that the battalion was at first recruited mainly with men from Corsica and the south of France. The Capitaine De Vaisseau C. V. Daugier became the first commander of the battalion which included 737 men as it follows: 30 officers, 75 non-commissioned officers, 625 sailors, and 5 trumpeteers. All of the officers and non-commissioned officers were called by their Navy rank. These sunburned tars with gold rung in their ears were nicknamed "Naval Hussars" because of their uniform which consisted of a Hungarian jacket or "dolman" and a plumed shako. Their officers were reported to be "gilded like chalices." These gaudy uniforms were worn only ashore and quite logically when aboard ship the Sailors of the Guard were dressed as sailors. They were paid the same as the cavalry of the Guard. The Funkens report they were armed with 1/3 cutlas, 1/3 axes and 1/3 figures. It is quite possible. Nevertheless, the Marins De La Garde were initiated (or perfected) into the mysteries of the manual of arms at the Courbevoie barracks. Then after, the five crews were dispatched separately to various channel ports before being concentrated at Boulogne where Captain Dougeir took command in May 1804. Muskets appear to have been issued around that time. Lachouque reports that on September 2, 1805 near Boulogne, Napoleon found the primacies of the flotillas manned by the sailors of the Guard. Then every morning they were drilled in marching and marksmanship so they had muskets by that time or at least could use them. Daugier was later succeeded by a very energetic man, Commandant Baste, who was killed at Brienne in 1814. Saveral officers became famous. Lt. Grivel, for instance, was a magnificent seaman and a splendid officer. He ended as a Vice Admiral and died at 92 in 1862. Everywhere, including Baylen, the sailors of the Imp. Gd. performed well covering themselves with glory. No other units of the Imp. Army received, in proportion, so many decorations. It should be kept in mind that most of the members of the other units of the Old Guard were already members of the Legion of Honor before they entered the Guard. The bttn of the Marins of the Guard received the following: 2 crosses of commandeurs 10 crosses of officers 88 crosses of the Knight of the Legion of Honor Their ranks were completed several times over. On Sept 16, 1810, an executive order increased the bttn to 1136 men in 6 companies, further increased to a total of 8 companies in 1811. They were very well considered by the eEmperor and 21 sailors and an ensign accompnied him to Elba (Funcken says 35 sailors went to Elba). They were disbanded in June 1814 and the officers were inducted into the Navy at an increase in pay and rant and then men sent to the fleet. On Elba, the 21 sailors of the Guard were attached to Elba Navy, composed of a brig, 3 small boats, and 3 gigs. They also manned the Emperor's barge. They were issued strat hats and canvas suits to spare their uniforms. They were armed with sabres and muskets. 1815 In 1815, Napoleon raised again the Marins de la Garde, but only a company of 147 men was at Waterloo attached to the Old Guard. After Waterloo, they took up an active and brilliant part in the defense of Paris. After the second abdication of Napoleon, like the rest of teh army, they were withdrawn behind the Loire River and again disbanded. The Battalion des Marins de la Garde received an Eagle with a flag in 1805, which was delivered to the depot at the Caserne du Montcenis in Paris. The Eagle of the bttn was not give with the eagle of the other bttns of the Imperial Guard (Dec 5 1804)--reported to be 13 Eagles given to the Garde at that date. No official explanation has been found. It can be postulated that because of the nature of their duties, they practically never carried their flag on the field and thus certainly remained in the Tuilleries with the other eagles of the Regiments of the Guard. The Eagle was positively not taken in the invasion of Russia. The only Eagles taken with the Imperial Guard to Russia were: Eagle of the 1st Grenadiers Eagle of the 1st Chasseurs Eagle of the Grenadiers a Cheval The above was specified by Napoleon to Marshal Bessieres in a letter dated March 10, 1812. The inscription of the flag of the 1804 pattern is: L'EMPEREUR DES FRANCAIS AU B on DE MARINS DE LA GARDE IMPERIALE The translation is quite clear: "To the Bttn of sailors of the Imperial Guard." The flag not described in the currently available books is one of thevery few Eagles, with flags, remaining today. It is in the Collection of Raoul and Jean Brianon in France (Ref: Les Aigles Imperiales, Page 285). Actions Following is a more detailed, if incomplete, series of actions in which the sailors of the Guard were involved in the Napoleonic Wars. At Baylen, the partial bttn covered itself with glory, repairing a bridge at Cordoba, stopping a Spanish rearguard with the help of dragoons at Alcolea. They also harvested grains, built ovens, baked bread, and maintained order under the surrounded army of Dupont. (See Lachouque, Anatomy of Glory, pages 123-129). At La Carolina, finally Dupont placed himself at the head of the Sailors of the Guard deployed in column and charged. The attack by the sailors was repulsed and Dupont wounded They also held the bridge of Rumblar against a full Spanish division that completely surrounded them. 10 officers were wounded, among them Grivel, who said, "We were in a mouse trap." At Baylen, only the 116th of the line did not surrender, escaped, and succeeded in rejoining the French army. It was certainly a wise choice to have retained the Sailors of the Garde inthe army. They were not terribly out of place because of their former training. We have seen them at Baylen building ovens, baking bread, repairing a bridge, and even attacking in column. On top of being excellent infantry men, they were also good sappers and even gunners on rare occasions. We find them in similar duties. In 1807, they helped the sappers of the Garde to build rafts at Tilsit, and on rafts manned by the Sailors of the garde that Napoleon put out from the left bank of the Niemen to meet Alexander. Previously on April 30, the sailors of the guard had been ordered to join the Army before Dantzig. They departed on May 5 from Boulogne on (no transportation being available) covering the 1000 miles between Boulogne and Dantzig in 30 days flat, but too late Dantzig had fallen to the French at the end of May. In 1809 The assisted in the building of the bridges across the Danube (in 1809) for the battles of Aspern-Esline and Wagram. At Wagram it is also reported that Captain Baste with the Sailors of the Guard commanding the "fleet" on the Danube had cleared a path of Oudinot's troops and the sappers had thrown bridges across. Then Baste allowed his flotilla to drift downstream to cover Oudinot's Grenadiers and voltigeurs as they crossed the river. In 1807 during the Narew maneuver, they had been sent ahead to ferry Davout's light infantry over the Narew in pursuit of Benningen. Time after time the same is repeated. They are involved in building bridges or helping the crossing of rivers by the French Army in one way or another. We find them in the front of Smolenshk, with Michel's grenadiers where they recalled the happy time of Boulogne, then at the Berezina- one of the few times the battalion is assembled. There, together with the sappers, pontooneers, and gunners, they initially held the two bridges thrown across the Berezina with their arms among the ice floes. They defended the bridges almost to the last man. On Christmas Day 1812, at Koenisberg, only four or five officers and 35 to 40 sailors of the Guard remained. Nevertheless the battalion was raised again. We find them again in Lutzen spread among the first Guard and 2nd Guard Divisions. During the armistice of 1813, they built barracks at Dresden with the sappers. Then after and during the battle of Dresden, the French troops pour in the city across the 30 bridges and the ferry run by the Sailors of the Guard under a hail of shots and shells. They were also at Leipzig. In 1813 we find them with the 1st Division of the guard in Namur. Slowly their effectiveness melted away once more building a bridge here and fighting there. On March 2, 1814 Napoleon sent the Marins of the Guard with the sappers to rebuild a bridge across the Marne "at once and at all costs"...simple words that show their reliability. We should not forget to mention their brilliant rear guard action at the battle at Fuentes de Onor. I hope all the above will be of interest to you and helped to clear up a subject confused again and again by people not going back to original, available official sources. The Sailors of the Guard were sailors and not marines. After the Imperial "Epopee" were reintegrated as such in the French Navy. Back to Empire, Eagles, & Lions Table of Contents Vol. 1 No. 7 Back to EEL List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1997 by Jean Lochet This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com