Napoleons Famous Horse “Marengo”

 

A painting by Jacques Louis David of Napoleon and Marengo

Marengo was born in 1793 and was the favorite mount of Napoleon. He was named after the Battle of Marengo. Napoleons horse was imported to France from Egypt following the Battle of Abukir in 1799 as a six-year-old. The light grey Arabian was only 14.1 hands high, probably bred at the famous El Naseri Stud. He was a reliable horse, steady, and courageous mount. Marengo was wounded eight times in his career, and carried the Emperor in the Battle of Austerlitz, Battle of Jena-Auerstedt, Battle of Wagram, and the Battle of Waterloo. He also was frequently used in the 80-mile gallops from Valladolid to Burgos, which he often completed in five hours. As one of 52 horses in Napoleon's personal stud, Marengo fled with these horses when it was raided by Russians in 1812, surviving the retreat from Moscow; however, the stallion was captured in 1815 at the Battle of Waterloo by William Petre, 11th Baron Petre, after Napoleon fled the battlefield in a carriage.

Petre brought the horse back to England and was paraded before the crowds where after he was sold to Lieutenant-Colonel Angerstein of the Grenadier Guards. Marengo stood at stud (unsuccessfully) at New Barnes, near Ely, and lived out his days as a star attraction at various parades and exhibitions. at the age of 27. He eventually died at the old age of 38 and in 1831 his skeleton (minus two hooves) was preserved and later passed to the Royal United Services Institute and is now on display at the National Army Museum in Chelsea, London.

One of the remaining hooves was given to the officers of the Brigade of Guards by John Julius Angerstein as a snuff box. The fourth hoof was mounted as a silver inkwell and retained by the family; it is still owned by the family but is now on loan to the Household Cavalry Museum. The Duke of Wellington was asked to disinter his own horse, Copenhagen, to be exhibited alongside Marengo, but refused to do so. Coincidentally, one of Copenhagen's hooves was also later used as an ornament.