Marines of the Guard

On 30 Fructidor Year XI (September 17, 1803) a battalion of sailors was created to be part of the Consuls' Guard; it consisted of five crews and a staff. The men were mostly On 30 Fructidor Year XI
(September 17, 1803) a battalion of sailors was created to be part of the Consuls' guard; it consisted of five crews and a staff. The men were for the most part recruited in the South and in Corsica. Their armament was of three types, distributed by third of battalion; it consisted of sabres, axes and pikes. Each sailor additionally carried a pair of pistols in his belt.
It is probable that the rifle was not granted to them until after the battalion had been incorporated into the Imperial Guard, on July 29, 1804 Intended first of all to arm the ships which would transport the Emperor and his staff to England, the sailors left the camps on the coasts of the Ocean with the Grand Army.
They took part in the Austrian campaign in 1805, transporting by river food,
ammunition and artillery pieces whose transport by land proved difficult. They had witnessed the capitulation of Ulm on October 20, and later the battle of Austerlitz,
without however taking an active part in it. They returned to Paris
in 1806.
On September 16, 1810, a decree increased the corps of sailors of the Guard to 1,136 men. A new organization divided them into 6 companies, to which two others were added later (1811). They were dismissed at Fontainebleau in April 1814, but a detachment of 35 sailors accompanied the Emperor in exile. At the Hundred Days, Napoleon re-established the sailors of his Guard. There was, however, only one crew of 150 men.
After having taken an active and very brilliant part in the defense of Paris, the sailors were brought back beyond the Loire and laid off
permanently. Although few in number, they too had written a few more beautiful pages to the glory of the Emperor's soldiers.