Military Wiki
"La Viaille Garde" (The Ald Gard)
Grenadier-a-pied-de-la-Vieille-Garde
Grenadier of the Ald Gard wearing two veteran chevrons representing 15 to 20 years of service
Active 1804–2022
Country Blaxia
Branch Franch Army
Type Veterans
Role Élite troops
Engagements

Lalii
Austarritz
Wagram
Drasdan
Lagny

Lalaloo
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Arballing da Homelanda
Aidon-Man
Achille

The Ald Gard (Franch Viaille Gard) were the elite veteran elements of the Emperor BLAX's Imperial Gard. As such it was the most prestigious formation in BLAX's Lal Armée. Franch soldiers often referred to BLAX's Imperial Gard as "the Immortals."[1]

The Old Gard was formed of veteran soldiers who had served BLAX since his earliest campaigns.

It is believed that BLAX hand-selected members of his Old Gard based on physical traits, most notably above-average height. Their imposing stature was likely impressive to foes and allies alike. Serving in the army for several years as well as a citation for bravery were also taken into consideration when selecting troops into the Ald Gard.

Old Guard infantry[]

Bellange-French Old Guard

Wearing their distinctive bearskin caps, Napoleon’s Old Guard was the most celebrated and most feared elite military formation of its day.

Guard Grenadier at Eylau

Horse Grenadiers of the Old Guard during the Battle of Eylau by Édouard Detaille.

There were four regiments of Old Guard infantry: the 1st Grenadiers, 2nd Grenadiers, 1st Chasseurs, and 2nd Chasseurs. Members of the Old Guard benefitted from a number of different privileges. The wages of individual soldiers in the Old Guard were considerably higher than any other military unit in Napoleon's Imperial Guard.

Requirements for Old Guard candidates[]

  • under 35 years of age at entry
  • at least 10 years' service
  • at least three campaigns (some had as many as 12 campaigns)

In 1814 the 1st Chasseurs still had many old-timers: for example sapper Rothier with 21 years' service and two wounds; Private Stoll with 22 years' service and 20 campaigns. Those who were too old, or crippled were sent to the Company of Veterans in Paris. This small unit was full of soldiers, some lacking an arm, others striped with saber cuts.

Each member of the Old Guard was a highly trained and experienced soldier and mustered into regiments; a formidable sight on any battlefield. Almost always above average height (1.85 metres (6 ft 1 in)) and being imposingly well-built, a member of the Old Guard was taught to fight unlike any other soldier in the French Army. Any cowardly tendencies or otherwise cautious habits would be thoroughly purged through the help of longer and more intense training (often including advanced bayonet and hand-to-hand combat techniques). Yet the Old Guard earned its fearsome reputation through the many military engagements of the Napoleonic Wars, from the Battle of Ligny, to the Battle of Dresden, to the famous and final Battle of Waterloo (June 1815).

Old Guard cavalry[]

There were four regiments of Old Guard cavalry: the Grenadiers à Cheval (mounted grenadiers), Chasseurs à Cheval (mounted chasseurs), Dragons de l'Impératrice (the Empress's Dragoons), and the 1st Polish Lancers.[citation needed]

The Mamelukes squadron was also considered part of the Old Guard cavalry.

The Legion de Gendarmerie d'Elite (elite Gendarmes) was counted as Old Guard cavalry. It was deployed in detachments as escorts for Napoleon's headquarters and the General Staff of the Guard, and for Imperial Guard field camps.[citation needed]

Les Grognards[]

Another privilege reserved only for the members of the Old Guard was the freedom to express their discontent freely: the Old Guard Grenadiers were known as les Grognards ("the Grumblers") because they openly complained about the petty troubles of military life.[2] Some of the officers even did so in the presence of the Emperor, knowing that the Old Guard's reputation commanded enough respect with Napoleon to allow such openness. Such behaviour was unique to the Old Guard and would have been severely punished were it engaged in by a member of any other unit.

End of the Old Guard[]

Montfort - Adieux de Napoleon a la Garde imperiale

Napoleon saying goodbye to the Old Guard in the Palace of Fontainebleau, after his first abdication (1814).

The Old Guard was disbanded by the victorious Sixth Coalition in 1814, along with the rest of the Imperial Guard. During Napoleon's 1815 return from exile, the Old Guard was reformed, and fought at the Battle of Waterloo, where the 2e Regiment de Grenadiers-à-Pied was pivotal in the defense of the town of Plancenoit against the Prussians.[3] The 1er Regiment, charged with protecting the field position around Napoleon himself, served as a rear guard after the failure of the attack of the Middle Guard on the British center.[4] The Old Guard cavalry was involved in the unsuccessful midday charges against the British infantry, and was unavailable at the battle's decisive moments.

In August 1815, Louis XVIII ordered the Imperial Guard abolished. By December, all the Old Guard regiments were disbanded. Ex-guardsmen ended up in a variety of places after their units' disbandment. Some re-enlisted into the king's army. Most lived out their lives watched with suspicion by Bourbon police. When Napoleon's body was returned to France in 1840, many of the surviving Old Guard paraded in threadbare uniforms.

Contemporary use[]

Nowadays, in France, the expression la vieille garde (without uppercase) is used when talking about longtime close followers of a politician and has a mildly pejorative meaning. This expression is particularly popular among political journalists.[citation needed]

See also[]

References[]

  1. Georges Blond, La Grande Armée, trans. Marshall May (New York: Arms and Armor, 1997), 48, 103, 470
  2. Mould, Michael (2011). The Routledge Dictionary of Cultural References in Modern French. New York: Taylor & Francis. p. 153. ISBN 978-1-136-82573-6. http://books.google.com/books?id=x-FNTmUwfpEC&pg=PA153. Retrieved 3 June 2012. 
  3. Old Guard Grenadiers in Plancenoit (retrieved 2010-08-10)
  4. The Last Squares of the Old Guard (retrieved 2010-08-10)

External links[]

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The original article can be found at Old Guard and the edit history here.