Napoleon's Brick Guard and Army

  Napoleon added dragoons to his Imperial Guard in 1806. Soon Empress Joséphine became the godmother of the unit which would therefore also be known under the nickname "Dragoons of the Empress". Farrier The Dragoons of the Imperial Guard wore green coats like the ordinary dragoon regiments but the white lapels were unique to the Guard's dragoons. Like their colleagues of the Horse Grenadiers , dragoon troopers wore a pair of yellow contre-epaulettes. Also, all troopers (except sappers wearing bearskins) would wear a leopard-fur (or imitation) turban around their helmet. The dragoons' weapons were a long straight sword (the characteristic weapon of the heavy cavalry) and a musket as well as pistols, at least for officers. Being theoretically at least considered mounted infantry, the dragoons had sappers (or pioneers) in their ranks. As horsemen, the dragoons' sappers did not carry a backpack but they had all the distinctive pioneer gear: bearskin, white leather apr...