NAPOLEON'S GODS: The Grenadiers a Cheval 1812-1815

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The senior regiment of Napoleon's Imperial Guard was the Grenadiers a Cheval, nicknamed the Gods, and hence the title of this book.

As heavy cavalry of the Guard, they took part in the charge of the cavalry of the Guard at Austerlitz. They especially took a share of glory with their charge at Eylau on 8 February 1807. They served in Spain, Austria and Russia. No other cavalry regiment in the French army compared to its service in 1813 and 1814, the campaigns of the Guard par excellence. They were present at Dresden, Leipzig and especially Hanau where they charged the Austrian and Bavarian cavalry, and took part in the famous charges of the Imperial Guard at Waterloo.

This book provides a brief introduction to Napoleon's Imperial Guard and the regiment's place in it, as well as brief early history of the regiment, and a hoof-to-tack description of the Grenadiers a Cheval from the fateful Russian campaign of 1812 to its disbandment in 1815 following the disaster of Waterloo. It describes the horses, uniforms and equipment of the regiment, as well as regimental organization, and provides short biographies of the officers and some of the men, giving a vivid picture of how the men of the regiment lived, and in some cases, how they died.