Helmet: rounded and top made of copper, turban of sealskin, black mane and puff, eyeshade made of leather rimmed in copper. Feather normally in black and scarlet, but often with white.

Uniform: green, flat, tin buttons with regiment numbers.

Jacket: white fabric with tin buttons. Pants of leather with tall rim. Overpants in ecru color fabric and side-buttoned.

Boots: soft, hold in place by a copper latch, attached with a button to the overpants.

Coat: white all around and stitched in blue.

Equipment: Black bag without any ormanentation.

Belt: in three parts united by hoods and closed with a square buckle, loops for a saber and bayonet.

Weapons:

Rifle:model IX, 1,415 m in length, 17.5 mm caliber, 4,275kg in weight.

Pistol: model IX and XIII, 37 cm in length, 17.1 mm caliber, 1,290kg in weight.

Saber: straight blade, 97.5cm in length an solid. Oak handle, brass cap, leather sheath with tip covered over in brass to the height of 16cm. Carrying the leather sheath was a must during service for the foot dragons.^[53]

Napoleon said the following about them: "They are necessary to push the light cavalry to the front, to the rear-guard, and at the wing-sides of an army. A division of 2000 dragons which can move itself quickly to a point with 1,500 horses of the light cavalry, can set foot to the ground to defend a bridge, the head of a parade, a high place and wait for the arrival of the infantry." ^[54]

The emperor had defined the role of the dragons exactly. That is why he didn't like to witness that his generals let them walk on foot. This fact, as we will come to see, could have spelled doom for Pierre Wagener at the beginning of the campaign.

In August 1805, Napoleon gathered his army on the French coast of the channel, in the range of three to four miles between Ambleuse and Etaples. He was prepared to attack England. The Kaiser, however, was already well informed about Napoleon's intent, and he was able to organize a new coalition against Napoleon. An Austrian army was set up at the Bavarian borders, which forced Napoleon to abandon his previous plans. On the 26^th of August, his army received the command to abandon the camps in the North of France and to march in the direction of Strasbourg.

On the 24^th of August 1805, Colonel Baraguey d'Hillier received the mission to organize four dragon-divisions on horseback and one division of dragons on foot. The one 19^th regiment, in which we have interest, formed the 2^nd brigade together with the 8th and the 25^th regiment, under the command of General Bourcier.

The 4^th division, made up of the 15^th, 17^th , 18^th, 19^th, and 27^th dragons, contained 2 brigades, the Sahuc brigade, and as said before, the Laplanche brigade. Together, with the first three dragon-divisions and the 2^nd division of the heavy cavalry, it formed the reserve-cavalry, under the command of Murat.

Our 19^th dragon-regiment consisted of 3 squadrons. Pierre Wagener belonged to the 2^nd squadron. Originally, the regiment consisted of 400 dragons and 426 horses. The plan was to acquire an additional 75 animals on the way.

Let us now follow the way of the young man from Tétange, in part with the route of the 4^th division, and in part with the 19^th dragon-regiment. The 4^th division left St. Omer on the 26^th of August 1805.

Marching route from 8-26-1805 to 10-1-1805

From Namur, the division swings toward the south, and on the 6^th of September arrives in Chimay, where it picks up the 19^th dragon-regiment moving in from Landrecies. After, they return to their original route and reach Marche on the 7^th of September.

The division crossed the Rhine in Kehl. It pushes north, following the course of the river Murg, and reach Selz, where it supervises the building of a bridge to cross the Rhine. A part of the 19^th division now becomes foot-dragons. On the 26^th of September, the division reaches Durlach, form there on, it is ordered to go south, to keep watch over the arrival of Napoleon in the area of Kehl.^[56] They move toward Oberkirchen and Offenburg. At this time, the Austrian armies stood at the Iller, the right flank in Ulm, the left one in Memmingen.

[53] Tulard: Dictionary
[54] ibidem
[55] Sauzey: History of the 19th dragons regiment.
[56] ibidem