The Guards of Honor of Alsace and Lorraine at the Time of the First Empire: Les Gardes d’Honneur d’Alsace et de Lorraine à l'Epoque du Premier Empire (Soldiers of the Napoleonic Wars Book 5)

Well-known—to Napoleon buffs—are the four regiments of Honor Guards added to Napoleon's Imperial Guard in 1813. Less well-known are the various municipal honor guards. Indeed, I had never seen them mentioned in the literature until I came across this work.No major battles hinged on these companies. They were created to show the cities’ devotion to the Emperor, a display of civic pride and patriotism, a chance for young men to wear a fine uniform and march in parades without undergoing the sordid experience of actual warfare—although some of the guards were veterans of other branches, and some fought in the Campaign of France, Napoleon’s brilliant but futile struggle against the Allies’ 1814 invasion of France.Still, they are part of the military culture of the Napoleonic Age; their story should be available, and here it is in a hypertext translation. Read more