Battle of Reims 1814

 Salvete Omnes,

on the 13th of this month it passed another anniversary of the battle of Reims, one of the battles during the 1814 campaign of France.

we can see here the splendor of the Hungarian-style uniform of the Guards of Honour

Briefly, as you can read in many books and on many webpages, Emperor Napoleon I brought crica 10,000 strong army against a combined Prussian-Russian command (15,000 strong) under the command of general Emmanuel Saint-Priest.
Polish cavalrymen of the 1st Chevaulegrs Lanciers  Polonais (Polish Lancers of the Guard) commanded by general Wincenty Krasinski  charged across the streets of Reims and breaking Prussian-Russian defences and capturing hundreds of enemy soldiers.

During this battle a cavalry regiment known as the Eclaireurs-Lanciers (3e Regiment d'Eclaireurs de la Garde Imperiale or 3rd Scouts) also distinguished themselves. This cavalry unit was  a regiment organized based on the reorganization of the Polish lancers by the emperor in December 1813. They were attached to our Polish lancers and with mostly Polish officers and sergeants within their ranks. But curiously all the regimental farriers were German by birth, while all 14 trumpeters were all French.  On March 8, 1814 they had 66 officers and 794 men.

Per uniforms they wore a czapka lancer cap (rogatywka) dark-blue kurtka jacker and trousers, armed with lances and sabres & pistols. 

During this battle of Reims Polish officer  captain Wincenty Szeptycki commanded the duty squadron of the 3rd and they attacked with their valiant captain at the head and captured an entire Prussian infantry battalion. 

Imperial French cavalry also had another late comer to the Grand Army there , the  3rd Regiment of Guards of Honour, it was organized in Tulouse in 1813 - you see and study their uniforms below. And the 3rd took part in the 1813 and 1814 campaigns. , during this campaign  it was commanded by general Philippe-Paul de Segur,  a seasoned cavalry officer, who commanded personally in front of his horse soldiers, engaging in hand to hand combat with the enemy dragoons and Cossacks. 

 During the battle  the 3rd along with elements of the 1st Regiment of Guards of Honour charged the Russian dragoons at the Soissons-Epernay crossroads, and went through them all the way to the gates and walls of the city. After many deed of valour, facing the artillery fire from the walls and a canister shot form two cannons of the Russian artillery unit and musket fire from the Riazanski , Russian, Regiment, the Honour cavalrymen persisted but many officers and soldiers and their horses sustained many wounds, including mortal ones. 

The colonel-major (2nd in command) Count Cesar Vachon de Belmont-Briancon was killed. The officers of the regiment tasked Horace Vernet to paint a posthumous portrait of the colonel-major as he appeared on the morning of the 13th of March.

light cavalry saddle under the ornate green and silver lace shabraque

 He was dressed in his Hungarian hussar-like campaign dress: dark green pants with silver buttoned side-stripes, dark green pelisse with silver braid and sleeve rank stripes, and a red shako with one narrow and one wide rank stripes at the top and the white plume of a regimental staff officer.  He has a red leather sabretache on his left hip.

light cavalry bridle, in the Hungarian of Old Polish fashion

horses and cavalrymen of the 3rd regiment of the Guards od Honour on campaign  

enjoy

Valete