The 2nd Regiment of Lancers of the French Imperial Guard
P. J. Hoyer illustrates and describes the famous French regiment in Part 3 of the series.
by P.J. Hoyer
Military Modelling, February 1977
2nd Lancer in ″Tenue de route″, worn 1811-1815.
It is difficult to gauge the effectiveness of the lance as an offensive weapon during the Napoleonic wars or, come to that, during any subsequent wars. It is quite incredible that such a maligned weapon should still be in use a hundred or so years later in the age of mechanisation — shades of Don Quixote, especially when its demise was all but complete in the centuries preceding the Napoleonic era.
One could almost dismiss it as a useless appendage, except for Albuera, where its potential was utilised to such an extent that nearly 1,250 officers and men of Colborne′s brigade were either killed, wounded or captured.
Under certain circumstances the lance could be a terrible weapon when in the hands of an experienced practitioner, but in the hands of novices, which many of the lancers were, it would appear to have been of little actual value and many instances are recorded of the weapon being thrown away without ever being used.
In individual combat and in a mélée the lance would surely have been a positive encumbrance.
Be that as it may, the hard lesson learned by the British at Albuera and in subsequent actions obviously had a profound effect upon the military minds at that time.
By the time the Red Lancers entered the international arena, they would have received a very thorough training, as was usual for members of the Imperial Guard.
To be a good horseman and an expert with the sabre was one thing but to be able to use a lance was quite another.
This weapon made from blackish wood, measured 2m.268 total length and its point was 216mm.
On the bottom was a pointed steel ferrule and positioned approximately half-way up the shaft was the white leather retaining strap.
Each lancer had two pennons, one for ordinary dress and the other kept in reserve especially for parades.
Both pennons were in the Polish National colours of red and white with the white uppermost which was the reverse of those of the Polish lancers of the Guard.
They measured 730mm long and 487mm wide with the middle seam uniting the two parts 405mm long.
When on the march the pennon was encased in a black canvas cover.
After the Russian debacle, it would seem that only part of the regiment was actually armed with the lance, the remainder reverting to the original role of light horse whilst retaining the title of lancer.
In addition to the lance, each lancer was armed with a sabre, pistols and, sometime in 1811, a carbine and bayonet.
The first sabre taken into general service was the model of the light cavalry of the Guard with the brass scabbard.
This sabre was more commonly known as the sabre ″des chasseurs a cheval″ and had a single strand brass guard, with brass pommel, backpiece, double langlets and quillon with a black grip possibly fishskin bound with yellow metal wire.
The scabbard was brass with black inserts with brass bands and rings.
This model had an appreciable curve.
On the reorganisation in 1813, a number of sabres of the model Year XI were issued; these had a guard with multiple strands in brass, brass pommel, backpiece, double langlets and quillon and a wooden handle recovered with black fishskin bound with yellow metal wire.
The scabbard was entirely in iron.
No doubt other models were also utilised as there would have been shortages due to the great loss of arms and equipment in Russia.
2nd Regiment Lancer in Campaign dress and lady.
2nd Regiment Lancer of the Young Guard.
2nd Regiment Lancer on Campaign.
The carbine* and bayonet was the model Year XIII and was a slightly shorter version of the infantry musket.
It would appear that from 1813 the lancers who did not carry a lance had a carbine and vice-versa.
This did not apply to the brigadiers of the front rank who carried sabre, lance, carbine, bayonet and pistols — a veritable one-man army.
Very little can be said about the pistols, except that they came in useful for despatching wounded horses, as on the battlefield the priming more often than not managed to fall out and it would have taken a very brave man indeed to have sat on his horse in the middle of a battle and load his pistol — I dare say the company sergeant would have had something to say had he done so!
The equipment in use included giberne, giberne strap, waistbelt, sabre-slings, sabre-knot, carbine strap and bayonet frog.
The giberne was in black leather with a brass eagle on the flap.
The strap of the giberne was in white leather with brass buckle, tip and keeper and brass rings and studs joining the giberne and strap.
The strap worn by the Old Guard was stitched along the edges, that of the Young Guard was plain.
The plaque of the waistbelt in brass was ornamented with a crowned eagle.
The waistbelt was in white leather and was of the same pattern as that of the Polish lancers of the Guard, being in one piece and stitched along the edges for the Old Guard but plain for the Young Guard.
The sabre-slings were also in white leather stitched as the waistbelt, the fittings being in brass as were the buckles.
The bayonet strap and frog were in white leather stitched on the edges and were utilised by both Old and Young Guard.
The bayonet scabbard was in brown leather.
The carbine strap was also quilted and was in white leather for the Old Guard, that of the Young Guard being the cheaper unstitched version.
The final pieces of equipment the sabre-knot, carbine lock cover and lance strap were all in white leather and were of the same model for all.
The shabraque was in blue cloth with yellow piping on the edges and two yellow stripes, the outside one being 54mm and the inner 20mm.
In the rear corners two crowned eagles in yellow.
A black sheepskin was placed on top of the shabraque forming a false seat.
The Sheepskin was lined and trimmed with a yellow scallop.
Many authorities including Malibran, Fallou, Vallet, Job, the figures in the former Boersch collection, the figures in the panorama in the museum at Waterloo and many others either indicate or describe the shabraque as having the same decoration as that of the 1st Regt. which would include a crowned ″N″ in yellow wool on either side at the front.
Other authorities including Rousselot, Benigni, Bellange, De Moraine and others show the front to be plain.
Rousselot in his Plate No.68 states that he was unable to trace an invoice covering this particular decoration — but this is not conclusive evidence as invoices are often lost no matter how efficient the system.
One must make up his own mind in face of such contradictory evidence, but both theories could of course be correct insofar as the shabraques MAY HAVE BEEN issued with them and without them at different periods.
Further controversy existed over whether or not a shabraque was used at all when on campaign or whether just the black sheepskin was utilised as shown by Rousselot and Benigni in the Bucquoy series of cards.
This is cleared up by Rousselot himself in the above mentioned plate, when he confirms that the Bucquoy cards are incorrect and that the black sheepskin formed only a false seat and was not a shabraque in itself.
The original theory probably gained some credance from the painting of Borodino by Lejeune which clearly shows a ″Red Lancer″ with only a black sheepskin which has a red scallop.
A retaining strap and keeper fastened the shabraque to the saddle.
The shabraque utilised by the Young Guard was similar in appearance to that previously described except that it had a single lace 54mm wide and was not piped on the edges.
The porte—manteau was in scarlet cloth trimmed with a yellow lace on the ends and the edges piped yellow, the straps were in black leather.
The same model appears to have been common to both Old and Young- Guard.
The harnessing was in black leather, with buckles and trimmings in brass.
The saddle was the ″Light Cavalry″ model with flaps and panels and incorporating holsters, stirrup leathers, stirrups, belts, thongs, girth strap, crupper and breastpiece.
The breast strap ornament was a sunray in brass.
The headpiece of the bridle also had a sunray on the crosspiece and the buckles, headchains and crescent were in brass as were the bosses of the bit.
The snaffle-bridle and halter were also in black leather, the latter trimmed with scarlet cloth with a scalloped or ″dogs tooth″ edging.
It is possible that this was used only on parades or similar functions, but I am unable to offer any definite information on this point.
In concluding the first section on the dress and effects of the N.C.O.s and men, mention must be made of the N.C.O.′s ″Walking Out″ or ″Town Dress″ which included a blue frock coat, which had two ranges of seven buttons and was ornamented by the lace of the rank as described for the kurtka.
In all probability they most likely wore the bicorne, hose and buckled shoes like their colleagues in the Horse Grenadiers etc.
Except for the aforementioned coat and the stable jacket (mentioned in earlier parts), also the trumpeter′s dress which will be dealt with later, it would appear that there were no other blue kurtkas, coats or jackets issued which is contrary to popular belief.
Footnote The writer recognises the fact that such authorities as Fallou and Malibran state that the ″Red Lancers″ were classed as ″Moyenne Garde″ — Middle Guard, and there is no reason to doubt this statement.
However, we know that in the latter years of the Empire the premier squadrons were classed as Old Guard and one assumes the remaining squadrons were Young Guard.
To avoid confusion all reference to uniform is made on the basis of Old or Young Guard — the method adopted by Fallou.
*The term ′Carbine′ is used in the French meaning i.e., it was not rifled.
Source: pp. 102-103, Military Modelling, February 1977.
