User:Coldstreamer20/List of French Imperial Army units and formations

Abbreviations
Abbreviations used in the lost below include:


 * IF -> Initial Formation (date which the unit was formed, but not necessarily the name it is known as)
 * FD -> Formation Date (date which the unit was formed as it would be known, ie: date where the Light Cavalry of the Guard becoming the Mounted Grenadiers) – also used when a unit is adopted into a certain corps or the French Army
 * F1 -> First Formation (date which the unit was first formed) [up to whatever number is needed]
 * D1 -> First Disbandment (date which the unit was first disbanded) [up to whatever number is needed]
 * RF -> Reformation Date (date which the unit was reformed)
 * FR -> First Bourbon Restoration note
 * SR -> Second Bourbon Restoration note

Imperial Guard
Note: units will not include the suffix 'of the Imperial Guard" for this list.

The Imperial Guard (La Garde Impériale) rather ironically contained some of the youngest regiments in Napoleon's army. Their history is thus relatively short and simple compared to the ancient regiments of the line, many of which were raised in the 1500 and 1600s. The life span of most of the Guard regiments was also very short, while certain units were attached to the Guard in 1813, for example the Saxon Life Grenadier Guard Regiment (Sasiche Liebgrenadiergarde Regiment) and a battalion of Polish grenadiers, but therese were not part of the guard and in-turn, didn't wear the guard button.

Whilst in 1804 all the existing Guard regiments (those of the Consular Guard) were presented with colours, it seems that in 1813 this was not the case. According to some accounts, only the 1st and 2nd Grenadiers; 1st and 2nd Chasseurs; Mounted Grenadiers; Mounted Chasseurs; Mamelukes; and the 1st and 2nd Lancers were given new colours in the 1812 style. Colours or standards (but no eagles) were presented to the 3rd Foot Grenadiers (ex Royal Dutch Guard), in addition to the Empress's Dragoon Regiment, Mounted Chasseurs, 3rd Lancers, and Elite Gendarmes, which all had standards but no eagles or new regimental colours of the 1812 variant.

Heavy Cavalry
Carabiniers & Cuirassiers

Among the cavalry regiments that Napoleon took over when he became First Consul of France in late 1799 were 25 of heavy cavalry (cavalerie de battaille), literally "Cavalry of Battle" and two of carabiniers (carabiniers à cheval) literally "Carabiniers on Horse". Originally big men on tall, powerful horses, the heavy cavalry had declined greatly in efficiency during the Revolutionary Wars: France could not provide them with suitable remounts and – compared to the showier hussars and chassuers – they had trouble attracting recruits.

Napoleon solved this problem by dissolving the 7 highest numbered regiments and reassigning their men and horses to the remaining 18. The strongest horses and men of all 25 regiments went into the first 12, which he converted to cuirassiers. The remaining 6 regiments became dragoons. The 2 carabinier regiments were retained and built up with men from the elite companies of the disbanded regiments.

As originally uniformed, the first 6 cuirassier regiments had scarlet facings, the other 6 bright yellow. The 13th and 14th Regiments (added between 1808 and 1810) were assigned lees of wine. During 1810–12 the colours of the original 12 were changed to: 1st–3rd scarlet; 4th–6th golden orange; 7th–9th yellow; and the 10th–12th rose pink. The 2nd, 5th, 8th, and 11th normally had blue collars.

Because all cuirassiers and carabiniers were considered elite troops, their regiments had no elite companies. Their uniforms, therefore included the usual indications of elite status: scarlet plumes and epaulettes, and the flaming-grenade insignia on their coattails, saddle clothes, and belt buckles.

Dragoons

Dragoons appeared during the 17th Century's wars as a sort of mounted infantry that could be used for all types of odd jobs, including outpost and pioneer work. Their horses being small, cheap nags, they frequently were ridden over when enemy cavalry caught them mounted. Consequently, dragoon officer in all European armies sought to improve their men's swordsmanship and get them better horses. Thus the 20 dragoon regiments in the French Army in 1800 had evolved into another type of cavalryman, with practically no aptitude for dismounted service.

Napoleon gradually increased the number of his dragoon regiments to 30: in 1800 a Piedmontese dragoon regiment was taken in French service as the 21st; during 1803–04, the 22nd–27th (heavy) Cavalry Regiments and three Hussar Regiments were also converted to dragoons. At various times Napoleon formed provisional dragoon regiments, but these were always absorbed into the regular regiments once the need for them had passed. In 1811, with war in Russia apparently inevitable, Napoleon ordered to conversion of the 1st, 3rd, 8th, 9th, 10th, and 29th Dragoons into regiments of 'Chevauléger Lanciers ' or Light Horse Lancers.

In part because he could not find horses for all his dragoons, Napoleon had them trained during 1802–05 in dismounted action. Success was limited; when all these "foot dragoons" (two full regiments of which were formed) were mounted on horses captured by the Austrians and Prussians during 1805–06, they proved rather indifferent cavalrymen. Beginning in 1808 Napoleon, therefore, sent 24 regiments of them into Spain where they learned their trade thoroughly; in 1813–14, these "Dragoons of Spain" were the most effective cavalry with Napoleon's armies.

Light Cavalry
Lancers

With one or two minor exceptions such as Marshal Maurice, Comte de Saxe's uhlan regiment of assorted foreigners, France had no lancers until the last years of the eighteen century. These again were foreigners–Polish volunteers, famous throughout Europe for their horsemanship and their skill with the long weapon.

Faced with inevitable war with Russia and its swarms of regular and irregular lancers, in 1811 Napoleon hastily converted one chasseurs à cheval regiment and six dragoon regiments to lancers and added another Polish regiment. Organised in haste, the new "French Lancers", becoming designated as light horse–lancers (chevauléger lanciers) were only partially ready when the Invasion of Russia began in June 1812. But Napoleon had picked their colonels carefully, and the six regiments served creditably enough, though full of raw recruits and remounts and new officers.

Chasseurs à Cheval

The Chasseurs à Cheval, (literally translated as "Chasseurs on Horse", but actually simply light cavalry armed with carbines), were the backbone of the French light cavalry corps. Together with the more ornate hussars, they were used for scouting, raiding, or knee-to-knee massed charges. In 1804, Napoleon had 24 regiments of chasseurs à cheval, numbered "1st" to "26th", the 17th and 18th being vacant however. Thereafter, he formed 5 more, though one of these (the 30th) was quickly converted to lancers.

Except for being green, the original chasseurs à cheval uniforms were much like those of the hussars. Between 1801–06, most regiments were put into the cheaper tailcoat (habit), though some clung to hussar-style dress or retained the caraco. The tailcoat came in two styles: a long-tailed one for full dress, and a short-tailed model (sometimes termed kinski) generally worn on campaign. Both were cut high in front, making the waistcoat necessary except in the warmest weather. The habit-veste, made regulation in 1812 but probably not general adopted until 1813, was short-tailed like the kinski, but cut much lower in the front so that the soldier's stomach was covered.

In actual fact, except for particular directives such as the assignment of facing colours, the chasseurs à cheval had no overall uniform regulations until 1812, leaving their colonels great freedom in clothing their regiments. Uniforms issued in 1813 were quite regulation, being manufactured under central direction, but some regiments still modified them to meet their own preferences. Chasseurs à Cheval regiments were assigned distinctive facing colours in series of threes: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd had bad scarlet; thereafter became bright yellow, rose, crimson, orange, sky blue, aurore, capucine, garance, amaranth, and chamois. Originally the 1st regiment of each series had both collars and cuffs of its distinctive colour: the 2nd, cuffs only; the 3rd, collar only. In 1812, the 3rd regiments were also given cuffs of their colour, but this soon resulted in confusion and many of them resumed their green cuffs. Chasseurs à Cheval officers used the same insignia of grade as the dragoons and infantry, except that many of them wore only their fringed epaulettes, discarding their contre-epaulettes.