Description
During the First Empire, there were two types of honor guard :
The first, consisting of four regiments of light cavalry, was raised in 1813 and its role was to reinforce the French Imperial Guard. The particularity of these units is that they were composed of soldiers from the bourgeoisie and the lower nobility who equipped themselves at their own expense. At the time, it was well seen to integrate the corps of the Grande Armée and these units were a good way to distinguish themselves.
The second was a local guard raised by certain towns in France and Belgium, mainly on the occasion of a visit by the emperor.
