1er Régiment de Chasseurs à Cheval de la Garde Impériale

[hussard]

Chasseurs à Cheval de la Vieille Garde Impériale

- The Origin of the Chasseurs à Cheval de la Garde -​

The history Chasseurs à Cheval de la Garde Impériale lies directly intertwined with that of their Emperor. Napoléon's mounted escort unit was originally raised as Guides à Cheval during the Italian Campaign of 1796, this contingent would be tasked with the purpose of guarding the young Bonaparte's field headquarters along with providing a mounted escort throughout the day. Soon after the coup d'état of Eighteenth Brumaire, in 1800 the Guides à Cheval would be inducted into the Garde Consulaire, the Chasseurs à Cheval would be now be mandated as a company

. As Bonaparte's political dominance ascended, the status of the Chasseurs à Cheval would follow; first being gazetted as a regiment in 1802 and upon Bonaparte's
coronation in 1804 they would be formalized within the Garde Impériale.

- Exploits of the Chasseurs à Cheval de la Garde -

Participating in every major campaign and engaging in around forty battles and combats combined, the Chasseurs à Cheval de la Garde garnered a multitude feats that would aid their legend. Some of these endeavours are more well known; such as their infamous charge at the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805 or notorious contribution within Murat's charge at Eylau (1807) where they relieved the French centre during the tipping point of the battle. However some of the Chasseurs à Cheval de la Garde most impressive feats are the less mentioned. One of these exploits commence after the capitulation of General Mack at the Battle of Ulm (October 15th, 1805), during the evening the Chasseurs à Cheval de la Garde arrived at a village reserved for the headquarters of the Emperor. In terrible rain the Chasseurs à Cheval de la Garde occupied housing reserved for the Emperor's household staff, when the aforementioned staff finally arrived they were rather rudely refused entrance. The following day a portion of the Austrian Army under Archduke Ferdinand escaped the Ulm encirclement, upon receiving this news the Emperor immediately ordered Marshal Murat to spearhead a hunt for them. To punish the Chasseurs à Cheval de la Garde for their prior behaviour, the Emperor suspended the Chasseurs à Cheval from their standard escort duties and instead had them form the vanguard of Murat's cavalry corps. The Emperor's orders were clear; "Do not spare them, and keep them in your vanguard as long as you are chasing the Austrians." For twelve hard days through day and night the Chasseurs, like a pack of wolves, would remain on the heels of the Austrians; Murat's corp eventually capturing two thirds of the Austrians with fifteen artillery pieces and eighteen standards. On the twenty-first of October near Nuremberg around three hundred Austrian Light Infantry were spotted by Murat's spearpoint of around thirty Chasseurs à Cheval de la Garde. The Chasseurs à Cheval de la Garde led under the gallant Lieutenant Desmichels stormed the Austrian rearguard, within minutes the entire force surrendered. Sending the prisoners with the rest of his squadron that was following

behind, Lieutenant Desmichels returned to the chase. Another four hundred Austrian infantrymen​

would be spotted just a few hundred yards away, upon contact the Austrians once more throw down their arms and surrender. Nothing could stop "Les Invincibles" now, with around twenty-four men they now came upon the Austrian cavalry who were marching along a narrow passage. Reinforced by around five hundred dragoons, Lieutenant Desmichels took advantage of the narrow road and once more threw his cavalry upon the Austrians. The Austrian cavalry surprised by the shock and unable to see the numbers of men opposing them, the Austrian cavalry crumbled. Having more than redeemed their reputation in the eyes of their Emperor, the Chasseurs à Cheval de la Garde returned basking in glory.

- Structure of our Regiment -​

The 1er Régiment de Chasseurs à Cheval de la Garde Impériale is organized in a method that attempts to maximize historical accuracy whilst also maintaining efficiency. As in any regiment; discipline is key. Of course there are times for fun but we endeavour to be a skillful and well maintained regiment. In the 1er Chasseurs à Cheval de la Garde members that display maturity, prove themselves on the battlefield, consistently come to events, and exhibit leadership qualities will be rewarded with praise, promotions, and commendations. Those that display lack of discipline, rude behaviour, and lack of activity will not receive awards; if bad behaviour becomes unbearable then they will be removed.​

Historically a cavalry regiment would have multiple escadrons yet we chose to only focus on the Premier Escadron and utilize multiple companies. All initial recruits are placed into the 8e Compagnie de Chasseurs à Cheval de Vélites which is the reserve company of the regiment. Upon proving your ability, you will be moved into the frontline combat company, the 5e Compagnie de Chasseurs à Cheval. The third company is the 7e Compagnie de Chasseurs à Pied, which is the regiment's dismounted detachment that acts as line infantry/ skirmishers. Lastly there is the 1er Compagnie d'Elite which is the elite cavalry company of the regiment, only the most skilled and disciplined Chasseurs may receive membership within this company. Besides receiving higher rations and pay, members of the 1er Compagnie d'Elite are allowed to personally escort the Emperor and guard the Imperial Salle de Bain. If a person's activity and or behavior lessens in quality of their company, then they are subject to transfer into the reserves.​

- Rank Structure -
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Officiers	Sous-Officiers	Cavaliers
Le Colonel Commandant en Seconde​	Adjudant Sous-Officier : AdjSO​	Chasseur Vétéran : ChasV​
Chef d'Escadron : CdE​	Maréchal-des-logis Chef : MdlC​	Chasseur Appointé : ChasA​
Capitaine : Cpt​	Maréchal-des-logis : Mdl​	Chasseur : Chas​
Lieutenant : Lt​	Brigadier-Fourrier : BrgF​	Recrue : Rec​
Sous-Lieutenant : Slt​	Brigadier-Trompette : BrgT​
	Brigadier : Brg​

- History of our Regiment -
​

The regiment was formed in early December of 2019, initially we were known as the 12e Régiment d'Infanterie Légère yet after a couple of months we decided to trade in our muskets for sabres and horses. Originally the regiment was made with the intent of giving French, Italien, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian players an environment to game, discuss history, and have fun; yet the regiment soon developed to recruit from all groups. In essence we have remained the same, the regiment exists to provide those who enjoy in-depth historically accurate commands, roles, commendations, and structure a regiment; despite this we still maintain a chill atmosphere during the majority of our events excluding 1v1's where PTS is utilized. Here in the 1er Chasseurs à Cheval de la Garde Impériale our primary goals are to strive to always please the Emperor whilst exemplifying bravery in the name of the regiment, and to always remember to simply enjoy ourselves.​

- Regimental Contact Information -
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Le Colonel Commandant en Seconde - Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/id/colonelhussard
- Discord: Hussard#4447

The Regiment's Steam Group - http://steamcommunity.com/groups/1erchasseursacheval
Regimental Discord - https://discord.gg/MDc8EdE

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[Silver Von Mint Jams]

Good Luck!