Assignment of Recruits

Categories / Army. Navy/Military Ceremonies, Life, and Service
ASSIGNMENT OF RECRUITS, ceremony of assignment of recruits to guards regiments, introduced by emperor Nicholas I, was held annually 4-6 times during autumn in the Mikhailovsky Manege (Riding Academy) personally by the Emperor or guards corps commander. Recruits were assigned to a particular regiment according to the physical constitution: red-haired, very tall and of peasant robustness were assigned to the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment, handsome blue-eyed blonds – to the Semenovsky Life Guards Regiment, stocky dark-haired men with a broad face – to the Chasseur Life Guards Regiment, snub-nosed blue-eyed men with brown hair to the Pavlovsky Life Guards Regiment etc. After the assignment, recruits, in full dress, were then taken to barracks escorted by the officers, regiment’s lower rank platoons and the regiment’s orchestra.

G. V. Kalashnikov. Nicholas I, Emperor
Manege
Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment
Semenovsky Life Guards Regiment
Chasseur Life Guards Regiment
Pavlovsky Life Guards Regiment