Foot Dragoons

 

Here comes a troop of Foot Dragoons entering a wood.

Ordinary dragoons were supposed to be able to fight either on horseback or on foot. But on several occasions during the First French Empire, the difficulty finding enough horses forced Napoleon to dismount a few regiments of dragoons who became, for a time, infantrymen.

The Foot Dragoons would retain their helmet, uniform and weapons (a cavalryman's straight long sword and a musket and bayonet) and would wear an infantry backpack.

Although not technically part of the Imperial Guard, some Foot Dragoon regiments were attached to the Guard for a short time.

Sappers, minus their horses, would accompany Foot Dragoon companies, just as they did mounted regiments. Below is such a sapper clearing a fallen tree for an officer lucky enough to have retained his horse.

Unlike ordinary dragoons who would go along a trumpeter on horseback, Foot Dragoons were typically served, in the style of regular infantry, by a drummer. 

Like Napoleon, I ended up with my Foot Dragoons a little bit by accident.

The first dragoons I bought from Brickpanda two years ago were equipped with a goldenish helmet (below, left). But when some time later I expanded on my dragoon figurines by ordering one or two more, I discovered that the helmets were now properly gilded (below, right).

Of course, I needed the shiniest version for my dragoons and had therefore to order a new bunch of them. But what to do with the now horseless men wearing the oldest model? They became Foot Dragoons!

Incidentally, I had to make custom backpacks as ordinary "brick" backpacks are not compatible with the helmets. Clearly a miss by Brickpanda who haven't thought that one through (as a combination of such a helmet plus a backpack could be used for Foot Dragoons, Sappers of the Imperial Guard, etc.).