8170 Chasseurs of the Imperial Guard

Dated: November 21, 2007

The Chasseurs à Pied were one of the principal infantry formations of Napoleon’s Imperial Guard. Together with the Grenadiers à Pied, they formed the elite infantry at the heart of the Guard, although the grenadiers traditionally ranked slightly higher in precedence. Despite their name and light-infantry origins, the chasseurs were employed much like the grenadiers: as highly experienced veteran infantry, held in reserve and committed when Napoleon needed dependable troops at a critical moment.

Box.

Admission to the Old Guard was a mark of distinction. Its soldiers were generally seasoned veterans with years of service and campaign experience behind them, and the Guard enjoyed higher prestige, better pay and special privileges compared with ordinary line troops. The Chasseurs à Pied accompanied Napoleon through the great campaigns of the Empire and fought in actions from Central Europe and Russia to the final campaign of 1815.

Line drawings.
One sprue includes:
1 fifer
1 NCO
1 standing firing
1 loading
2 marching (pose1)
2 marching (pose2)
2 advancing
2 defending

This set depicts Guard Chasseurs in campaign dress rather than full parade uniform. The figures wear trousers instead of breeches and gaiters, and their bearskin caps lack the tall plumes of full dress. Details distinguishing them from Guard Grenadiers include the absence of a front plate and rear patch on the bearskin and the pointed cuffs of the coat. The equipment and coat details place the figures most comfortably in the later part of the Napoleonic Wars, roughly from 1810 onward.

Test sprue.

Chasseurs à Pied of the Imperial Guard
The Guard Chasseurs expanded considerably as Napoleon’s empire grew. The original regiment was eventually joined by additional regiments as the Imperial Guard enlarged, while distinctions developed between the Old Guard, Middle Guard and Young Guard. The senior Chasseurs à Pied remained among Napoleon’s most prestigious infantry and formed part of the veteran core of the Old Guard.

Campaigns of the Guard Chasseurs
Guard Chasseurs served in many of Napoleon’s major campaigns, including the wars of 1805–07 in Central and Eastern Europe, the 1809 campaign against Austria, the invasion of Russia in 1812, the campaigns in Germany and France in 1813–14, and the final Waterloo campaign of 1815. Like much of the Old Guard, they were often held back as a battlefield reserve rather than committed early in an engagement.

The Chasseurs à Pied and Grenadiers à Pied were the two principal Old Guard foot infantry formations.