Napoleon's Dragoons of the Imperial Guard

The Dragoons of Napoleon's Imperial Guard were a legendary regiment that fought with the Emperor in many famous battles across Europe.
Dressed in distinctive green uniforms and classically inspired copper helmets, the Dragoons of the Imperial Guard were raised in 1806 by the same criteria as other Guard units - by selection of picked, literate veterans from Line regiments who had six to ten years of service, and citations for bravery in at least two campaigns. The following year they were named Dragons de l'Impératrice in a unique compliment to the Empress Josephine. As a ceremonial regiment it enjoyed many privileges, but it also saw combat on a number of occasions, including the battles of Essling and Wagram (1809), the Russian campaign (1812, when it suffered severe losses), at Bautzen, Wachau and Leipzig (1813), in the 1814 Campaign of France, and at Ligny and Waterloo (1815).
Lavishly illustrated and based on a wealth of archival sources, this study by noted authority Ronald Pawly celebrates the colourful history and appearance of this regiment.

Ronald Pawly was born in Antwerp, Belgium, in 1956 and still lives and works in that city. He is a respected member of several international societies for Napoleonic studies, and an expert on 19th-century military portraiture. He is the author of the monumental The Red Lancers: Anatomy of a Napoleonic Regiment (Crowood Press, 1998), and of a study of Napoleonic veterans' tombs in Belgium.
Patrice Courcelle was born in northern France in 1950 and has been a professional illustrator for some 20 years. Entirely self-taught, he has illustrated many books and magazine articles for Continental publishers, and his work hangs in a number of public and private collections.

Introduction
Raising the regiment: the Imperial Decree of 15 April 1806 - recruitment
Naming - the Empress Josephine
Uniforms and equipment
1807: the Eylau and Friedland campaign - enlargement of regiment
1808 and 1810: service in Spain
1809: Essling and Wagram campaign
1812: raising and absorption of Young Guard squadron - service in Russia
1813: German campaign; battles of Bautzen, Wachau and Leipzig - reinforcement by regiment of Eclaireurs
1814: Campaign of France - defence of Champagne - battles of Brienne, Champaubert, Montmirail, Château-Thierry, Vauchamps, Montereau, Rheims, Craonne, Arics, St Dizier
Paris - the First Abdication - disbandment and re-raising as Corps Royal de Dragons de France
1815: the Hundred Days - Ligny and Waterloo - final disbandment
Bibliography