THIS TRADITIONAL POLISH helmet, or czapka, with its square top is actually from 2ème Régiment de Chevau-légers Lanciers de la Garde Impériale, more often known as the ‘Red Lancers’, which was formed in 1810 from the Royal Dutch Guard light cavalry, when the Kingdom of Holland was annexed by France. When the regiment was formed it was given a new scarlet uniform which replicated the traditional Polish lancer’s uniform. The regiment was commanded by Colonel Baron Pierre de Colbert-Chabanais, under whom it gained a fearsome reputation.
The front rank only carried the lance, which in dexterous hands was very effective, as it outreached the length of a musket with bayonet attached. The rear rank carried a sword, which was more easy to wield in close combat and avoided injuries to the man in front. Although seen as a deadly weapon, especially to unformed troops, there are numerous accounts of infantrymen sustaining as many as twenty-three lance wounds and surviving. However, all of the French lancers gained a fearsome reputation for showing no mercy at all, rarely, if ever, taking prisoners, and they are often cited as guilty of finishing off wounded men lying on the battlefield as they passed.
Lance head.
The regiment went to Russia in 1812 and was decimated during the terrible retreat, leaving very few surviving members of the original Dutch corps that had formed it. The numbers were replenished with Frenchmen and when Napoleon returned from Elba, the regiment marched with the Imperial Guard into Belgium with an additional squadron of Polish lancers – the last vestiges of the 1st Regiment of Lancers of the Guards known as the ‘Sacred Squadron’ who had gone to Elba with Napoleon under Chef d’Escadron Jerzmanowski. This squadron was attached, but was given seniority over the Red Lancers.
On 15 June the regiment advanced with Ney’s left wing of the army, skirmishing with Dutch troops at Frasnes, whilst the Polish squadron rode round the town and apparently got very close to the crossroads of Quatre Bras. The role of the Red Lancers at the Battle of Quatre Bras is unclear, although many British eyewitnesses claim that the infantry square of the 42nd was attacked by them.
At Waterloo, the regiment appears to have remained in reserve until the mass cavalry attacks against the allied squares. However, many witnesses from the Scots Greys claim to have been attacked by the Red Lancers during their charge, losing heavily to their lances. The regiment spent its force in the failed attacks against the squares, but did support the Imperial Guard in its final attack, before joining the rout.
Date of manufacture:
c. 1812–15
Location:
Musée de l’Armée, Paris, France