History of Uniforms - Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon's Army

74 Pages·2007·47.73 MB·English

by  Rene Chartrand

Brassey's History of Uniforms
-------
Napoleonic Wars
Current titles
Napoleon's Army
American Civil War: Confederate Army
American Civil War: Union Army
apoleonic Wars: apoleon's Army
apoleonic Wars: Wellington's Army
English Civil War
By Rene Chartrand
Mexican-American War 1846-48
I
Barbarian Warriors: Saxons, Vikings and Normans Color plates by Christa Hook
Roman Army: Wars ofthe Empire
Spanish-American War I
World War One: British Army
World War One: German Army
Forthcoming title
British Army: Zulu War to Boer War
About the author
Rene Chartrand is an internationally renowned
expert on military uniforms. Asenior curator with
Canada's ational Historic Sites for nearly three
decades, he is now a freelance writer and historical
consultant. He has written numerous books,
including the first two volumes ofCanadian Military
Heritage.
Series editor Tim ewark
To my sons Contents
Copyright 1996, 2000 Brassey's
6 Introduction
All Rights Reserved. 0 partofthis publjcation maybe
reproduced, stored in a retrevial system or transmined in
any form or by any means; e1ectronjc, electrostatic, 12 Senior Officers and Staff
magnetic tape, mecharucal, photocopying, recordingor
20 The Imperial Guard
otherwise, without perm.jssion in writing from the
publishers. 50 Infantry
66 Heavy Cavalry
FirstEngHsh Edition 1996
82 Light Cavalry
FirstPaperbackEdjtion 2000
101 Artillery, Specialists, Reserves and avy
UKeditorial offices: 120 Foreign Troops
Brassey's, 9 Blenheim.Court, Brewery Road,
London 1 79NT
134 Bibliography
Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected] 136 apoleonic Wars Directory
Website: www.brasseys.com 141 Index
Ch~lis
Amemberofthe Grouppic
Rene Chartrand has asserted his moral right to be
identified as the author ofthis work.
LibraryofCongress Cataloguingin PubHcation Data
available
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Acatalogue record for this book is avajlable from the
British Library
I5B 1-57488-306-2 Paperback
Typeset byHedgehog
Printed in China
Front cover: French cavalrymen of2ndHussm"sand 1stLDluer
Regimentofthe Vistula Legion during the battleofAlbuerain
Spain, 1811.
Detailofpai/ltingby Christa Hook.
Introduction
The genesisofthe uniforms worn by theFrench Army until I 12 when, like the infantry, they finally gave up
duringthe Napoleonic period owed much to the last the long-tailed coat for theshort-tailed coatee.
majordress regulations ofLouis )(VI's royal army Artillery, engineers and otherspecialist trOOps had
promulgated in 1786. 'Vhile thecolourofthe few changes in dress duringthe Revolutionaryperiod.
infantry's coats changed from white to blue duringthe National Guard orvolunteergunners only used ared
French Revolution, manydetails, and especially the collaron the standard artillery uniform instead ofthe
cutofthe coats, remained largely the same until the blue piped red collarofthe regulars which eventually
Imperial regulations decreed in 1812.The standing remained tilestandard. Engineers toocontinued to use
collars did gethigherduringthe 1790sand cuffflaps tile same uniform. The creation ofhorse artillery
were added but, byand large, lapels remained the regiments, however, brought the prevailinghussar
ame, each with itsse\'en small buttons, and coattail fashion to thatcorps butin the moresoberartillery
forming turnbacks remained long. coloursofblue trimmed with red. Gunners
An alternative to the line infantry's long-tailed everywhere are traditionally more consen'ative
coats with squared and cut-away lapel, and, until dresser than hussars.
1807, bicorn hats, were the lightinfantryand chasseur At the head ofthis colourful parade was probably Hussar,c. 1800.PrintafterC.Vernet.J.Ostiguy.Ottawa.
units who wore short-tailed coatees with pointed the mostsplendid and fashionable general staffin
lapels. Theywerealreadysportingshakos in the late modern history. The flamboyant fashions ofFrench Hues ofcolours
I790s, and long, tight trousers and shortgaiters. All revolutionarygenerals, somethingofan explosion of Amongsubjects ofconfusion, thatofthe exactcolour
this supposedlymade them more 'light' and nimble. gold embroidery, lace, plumes, silksashes and so on, hues ofunifornls ranks high. Duringthe Revolut
The French cavalry, and especiallythe light competed stronglywith the dandy'incroyables' and ionary and apoleonicperiod, manychemicals or
cavalry, sawan explosion ofvaried units in the early 'merveilleu es' to beseen in thestreets ofParis. Some chemical effects were notunderstood with scientific
1790screated more or less spontaneouslyand wearing orderwa attempted duringthe Consular and Imperial precision in asemi-industrial manufacturingcontext.
justabouteverycolourin the rainbow. Often raised periods which did bring in more graciousdress but, by Thus, while thereweregeneral rules and dyestuffs
among the wealthierclasses ofsociety, these units and large, toseeNapoleon's marshals and generals was available, thedyeingofvastquantities ofmaterial
designed uniforms unhindered byany regulations. to see the heightsofmilitary fashion for general could varyaccordingto theartisan's talents, the
However, theywere rationalized thanks to the genius officers. The impression was such that most nations ingredients used and the technical possibilities ofthe
for organization that the M.inisterof\Var, Lazare emulated these uniforms for acentury to come. equipment. Therefore, absolute uniformity in hue,
Carnot, possessed duringthis turbulent period. All In anothersense, uniforms and uniformityofdress even on the same boltofcloth was impossible.
sorts ofhussars 'ofLiberty' of'Death' and so on were came to somethingofapeakduring Tapoleon's rule. Generallyspeaking, the colourbluewas averydark Grenadierprivateofalineinfantryhalf-brigade,1793.This
a
grouped into new regular units ofChasseurs cheval With the adventofcon cription from 1792, far more blue generally known as 'Imperial blue'. The colour
soldierwearsthenewblue'national'uniformwithred
and hussars and, afteratime, adopted more 'standard' Frenchmen tllan ever before found themselves in green wasalso averydark'Imperial green'. Red
epaulettesandahangerdenotinghisgrenadier'sstatus.The
uniforms although the readerwill doubtthatany uniform to do their militaryservice. Thus was the covered quite a lotofrelated hues such as 'garance',
crestedcapwasaremnantofthe1791 dressregulations.
standardization occurred after eeingourchapter conceptofa national unifornl born, forging newlinks usuallygiven as abrightred, and scarletwhich was GermanprintafterSeeIe.
devoted to the lightcavalry! between the country'sarmyand its population atlarge. also abrightred, butofricherquality. Butred could
The heavycavalryand dragoons saw relativelyfew The wearingofmilitary-style uniform spread to also besomewhatdarker pinkwith atouch ofvioletto braid was 'aurore'which we haveconsistently
changes duringthe 1790 .The 'Cavalerie' regiments occupations which were note entiall)'militarysuch as be 'amaranth'. In Britainand the ruted States, translated as orangesince itwas made,vith two parts
too were often in rags, lackingequipmentand their customs, train drivers and man)'othertypes ofcivilian crimson was asombre darkred butin France, crimson yellow mixed with one partred. Yellowwas often
uniform did notradicallychange until converted into services. Like militaryuniform, the civilian uniforms was brighterwith a hard to define pinkish-violet hue, termed 'jonquille' to indicate afairly brightyellow.
cuirassier regiments from 1803-180-+' As for dragoons, gave asense oforder and efficiency to the public. even on survivinguniforms. On the otherhand, 'puce' 'Gris-de-fer' (literally: steel-grey) was a lightish blue
theirgeneral appearance changed little from the 1780s was adarkcrimson. Acommon colour for lace and grey. But many lightblue-grey uniformswereactually
6introduction introduction 7
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Patternofanofficer'scoat,16thLightInfantryRegiment, give them shoes. Imagine their dress! Everythingsent Patternofanofficer'scoatee, 1st'Chevau-LegersLanciers' Patternofatrooper'skurta,2ndLancersoftheImperialGuard,
1812Regulations.A:front,B:back,C:lapelwithitsfold, from France, men, horses, supplies, is consumed [or Regiment,1814.A:front,B:back,C:doubleplastron,D:topof 1810-1815.A:front,B:back,C:topofsleeve, D:undersleeve,
D:topofsleeve,E:undersleeve,F:collar,G:cuffwithitsfold, diverted] on the way. Convoys take up to ayear to Sleeve, E:underSleeve, F:halfofcollar,G:cuff,H:'Soubise' E:turnback,F:halfofcollar,G:cuff,H:pocketflap, I:beltloop,
H:pocketflap.Costumesatuniforrnas, 1912. reach us... Abad qualityhatisworth 150francs. Each typepocketflap.Theliliesontheturnbackwereputonafter J:pipedpieceintheskirt.Costumesatuniforrnas, 1912.
man thus becomes in turn atailorand ashoemaker; Napoleon'sabdication.Costumesatuniforrnas, 1913.
skyblue. the mostskilJed cut, the others stitch. Pantaloons of infantrymen still had them five years later. 'The 36th
Lastbutnotleast, conditions in the field could brown cloth are muchin wearbyus, made with cloth the time ofthe Revolution. ButatBoulogne in late ofthe line,' wrote Marshal Castellane in Spain during
have dramaticeffects on uniformscolours and found in convents; itisverymuch in fashion in the 1803, apoleon ordered the armytocutits queues, November 1808, '[was a] regimentofthe small
uniformity. LieutenantPieron ofthe 32nd Regiment southern army...' quitthe messypowderand adoptthe eo-Roman number [ofunits] in the infantrywhose soldiersstill
a
ofLineInfantry in southernSpain wrote in 1810: 'Titus'style ofshorthairofnatural colour. 'Many wore the queue...' Hussarsand Chasseurs cheval
'The replacement [clothing] for the troopsoccursone Hairstyles grumbled butall eventualJysubmined' says Constant, were also ordered to adopt the newstyle, some
ortwoyears late. Our men are bare-footed, we cannot Queues and powdered hairwere the regulation style at who meantall line troops. However, afew regiments beingmost reluctant(see chapter 5). The
8Introduction I1ltl'Oduetiol1 9
Old Guard units were allowed to keep theirqueues gaiters were often worn. Light infantryhad short no bullion fringe on right.
and powder. gaiters which came ataboutmid-calf, usuallyedged Captain: one epauJette with thin strand fringe on
Moustaches were the prerogative ofgrenadiers and and sometimeswith tassel at top front. left, strap with no fringe on right.
a
hussars. Otherwise, all were clean-shaven (with Knapsack('Sac dos'): Made ofcow-hide with hair Captain and Adjutant-Major: oneepaulette with
sideburn) exceptfor sappers whowere the onlymen in outside, the top flap fastened bythree buckles and thin strand fringe on right, strap with no fringe on
the armyallowed to wear beards. straps, carried bystraps around each shoulder. The left.
greatcoatcould be rolled, and sometimes putin a linen Lieutenant; one epaulette \vith thin strand fringe
Glossary bag, and carried on top ofthe knapsackheld bytwo on left, strap with no fringe on right. Both strap have
Bicorn hat('Chapeau bicorne'): essentiallyawide and laterthreestraps. Tapoleon felt that, since a red line at thecentre.
brimmed hat folded to fonn two points. soldiers packed all theirworldly belongings in their Sub-Lieutenant: one epaulette \vith thin strand
Breeches('Culottes'): fairly tightnetherwear knapsacks, theyshould notleave them in the field fringe on left, strap \vith no fringe on right. Both
endingbelow the knee with agarterand sideopening before abattle and lose them, as he had seen the straps have two red lines atthe centre.
fastened byseveral small buttons. Worn by nearlyall Russian doatAusterlitz, so he insisted that'thesoldier
militaryand civilianson dressoccasions. Hussar(or should wear hi knapsacks atall times'. Thus, the Non-Commissioned Officers:
Hungarian) style breecheswere tighterand wentdown French apoleonic armywentinto battlewearing djutant: two epauJetteswith red straps with two
lower. knapsacks. (gold orsilver) lines atthe centre. Fringe red and gold
Coat('Habit'): the basiccoatworn bymost foot Kurta: Polish-style coatee worn especially by orsilver mixed.
r
troops until 1812. t had longtails. The collarwas lancers. It featured pipingon the backseams and Sub-Adjutant: one epaulette \vith thin strand fringe
standing. The cuffs were usually round with acuffflap underthe sleeves. on left, strap with no fringe on right. Bothstraps red
bearingthree small buttons. The lapels each had seven Overall ('Surculotte' or 'Pantalon de cheval' or with two (gold orsilver) lines atthe centre. Fringe red
small buttons and hooked atthe top but flared away 'Charivari'): ample trousers for mounted personnel, and gold orsilver mixed.
comingdown. The bottom ofthe lapel wa usually often with buttons on acoloured stripe ateach side, Marechal des logis chef(ChiefQuartermaster,
square butcould also end in apointjustbelow the reinforced with leatherattheseat, down the inside of equivalentofsergeant-major in mounted troops): two
waist, usually for light troops. The tails had atthe top the legsand often endingin a leathercuffatthe points up gold orsilverchevronsabove cuffs.
three-pointed pocket flaps, usuallysethoriwntallybut bottom ofeach leg. Marechal des logis (Quartermaster, equivalentof
sometimes vertically. Shako: cap with aleatherpeakand reinforcing sergeantin mounted troops): two diagonal gold or
Coatee (,Habit-veste'): essentiallythe same as the bands, generally bearingametal plate, cockadeand silverchevrons above cuffs.
coat butwith shorttails. Before 1812, the coatee front cockade loop, feather orpompon and chin scales. Drum-Major: two red epaulettes, gold orsilver Officer,1stCavalryRegiment,c. 1800.Thiswasthedressof
would usuallybe flared. From 1812, the coatee had Introduced in the I790s for lighttroops, ithad spread strand fringe. Gold orsilver lace edgingfacings. linecavalryregimentsuntilconvertedintocuirassiersin1803.
square lapels which hooked down to the waist to the wholearmyby 1808.The shako gavean Sergeant-Major: twodiagonal gold orsilverbars PrintafterHoffman.
completelyhidingthewaistcoat. impression ofoverbearingheighttosoldiers. Itwas above cuff .
Epaulettes ('epaulettes'): in this book, epaulettes alsosupposed to give some minimal protection against Fourrier: two diagonal gold orsilverbars on cuffs and frontofbreeches, three of20 mm \vide, two
referto ashoulderstrap \vith fringes. Usuallyworn by sabre blows to the head. sleeves above elbows of9 mm.
elite troops in coloured wool and officers in gold or Shoulderstrap ('Patte d'epaule'): in this book, Sergeant: one diagonal gold orsilver barabove Lieutenant-Colonel: twoof20 mm, two of9 null.
silver lace with bullion orstrand fringes. shoulderstrap refers toa pieceofcloth on the coat's cuffs. Major: oneof9 mm near thecuff, one of20 mm
Forage cap ('Bonnetde Police' and, from 1812, shoulder, usuallyofthe coatcolourand edged with Brigadier(equivalentofcorporal in mounted and twoof9 mm.
'Pokalem'): the 'Bonnetde Police' was acap \vith a plpll1g. troops): two diagonal yelloworwhite bars above cuffs. Captain: four laces of9 mm.
longcrown thatended in apointwith a tassel atthe Surtout: averyplain undress coat, single breasted, Corporal: twodiagonal yelloworwhite bars above Second Captain: three laces of9 mm.
end and had awide turnup. The crown was often with longtails and usuallyofasingle colour. Collars cuffs. Lieutenant: two laces of9 mm.
folded in two and tucked in the turnup. The crown's and/or cuffs can be ofa facing colour.Verypopular Appointe (Lance-Corporal): onediagonal yellow or Sub-Lieutenant: one lace of9 mm.
seams and the turnup were edged with piping. The with officers. white barabove cuffs. Adjutant: three silver orgold chevrons above cuffs.
turnup also had alace edgingand, often, abadge ora Rengage (re-enlisted soldier): chevron on upper Marechal des logis chef: twosilverorgold
numeral in front. This type offorage cap was rolled Rank Badges sleeve, one for each eightyear period. Generallywhite chevrons above cuffs.
and fastened under thecartridge box flap, the tassel Foottroops, heavycavalry, dragoons, gendarmerie, on blue, green orred coats; blue onwhite coats. Marechal des logis: onesilverorgold chevron
hangingbellow. The 'Pokalen' forage cap introduced transportcorps. Bars and chevrons were 23 mm \vide, often with above cuffs.
in 1812 was acap \vith aflat round crown and awide red (usually) edging, on the coatsand coatees. The Fourriers: three silverorgold chevrons above
headband, piped in the facingcolour. However, many Officers: corporals, appointes and rengagesalso had their rank elbow.
preferred the older typeand continued to wear it. Colonel: two epaulettes \vith bullion fringe. badges on the waistcoatbut II mm \vide. Brigadiers: two white oryellowchevrons above
Gaiters ('Guetres'): protective legwearofwool or Major: two epaulettes with straps and bullion cuffs.
linen with instepand closed ateach side with many fringe ofcontrastingmetal, i.e. foracorps with gold LightCavalry. Appointes: one white oryellow chevron above
small buttons. Wentabove the knee until 1812 then buttons: silverstraps and gold fringe; for acorps \vith cuffs.
below butthe Old Guard infantrycontinued wearing silverbuttons: gold straps \vith silver fringe. Officers: Rengage: one white oryellowchevron above elbow
the old style. On campaign, cutdown or plain short Chefde bataillon: oneepaulette on left, strap \vith Colonel: five gold orsilver laces setas chevrons at pereightyearsofservice.
i0introduction Introduction iJ
Senior Officers and Staff
apoleon Bonapartewas born on 15 ugust 1769.At Grenadiersofhis guard and, increasingly, his famous
age ten, he entered the militaryacademyofBrienne greygreatcoat.
and from then on wore aunifoml duringmostofhis This simplicity in dress from theworld's most
life. FirstthatofBrienne then, from 1783, thatofthe eminentman ofthe daycontrasted enormouslywith
Ecole Militaire in Paris. Hewas commissioned in the the lavish dressofhis entourage, be theycivil or
artillery in 1785 and wore its uniform until promoted military, and considerablyenhanced his image and his
general in 1794. From 1799when he became Consul, legend. His hat, his greygreatcoatare still universally
and laterFirstConsul, he often wore ascarlet recognized instantlynearlytwo centuries later!
'uniform' coatembroidered with gold associated with Yet, while apoleon musthave planned this
that function but, as timewenton, his dress became studied simplicity in dress, hisdisdain of'fuss and
simplerand he reverted graduallyto purely military feathers' and his love ofcomfortableclothes were
uniforms. Bythe time he was crowned Emperor in factors. His personal valet, Constant, recalled thathe
1804, he commonlywore the plain hat, an undress was not fussy about fashion buthe liked his clothes to
coatofthe Chasseursit cheval orthe unifoml ofFoot be comfortable and made ofthe finest materials. 'His
frocks, his coats and hisgreygreatcoatwere made of TheFrenchCampaignof1814.Oneofthemostfamous
the finest Louviers cloth' buthis dailydress did not picturesofNapoleonshownwearinghisfamoushatandgrey
vary much. Everymoming, he puton whitesilk greatcoat.Itcapturesthesombremoodduringtheinvasionof
stockings, white casemere breeches ortight Francebytheallies.PrintafterthepaintingbyMeissonnier.
pantaloons, white casemere waistcoat, shirt, blacksilk
stockand eitherthe green undresscoatofthe Guard adopted someverydistinctive unifomls of
Chasseurs it cheval or, lessoften, the bluecoatofthe 'revolutionary fashion' featuring bunchesoflarge
Grenadiersofthe Guard. Hewould wearsoft leather tricolourhatplumes, high stand-and-fall collars,
riding boots with silverspurs or 'shortEnglish-style ample tricoloursashes, tight pantaloons and low boors.
boors'. The Emperor's famous hatwas of'beaver felt, The basic uniform was blue \vith scarletcollarand
extremely fine and verylight; the inside lined \vith silk. cuffs, often with white cuffflaps, and decorated \vith
Ithad no tassels, laceor plume, simplywith a flat silk much gold embroidery. Thiswas regulated further in
loop holdingasmall tricolourcockade'. 1798 \vith generals in chiefnow having red and white
Under his uniform coatand overhis waistcoat, he sashes, generals ofdivision scarletsashes and generals
wore the red sash ofthe Legion ofHonourso thatit ofbrigades sky blue sashes butall this could be
was hardlyvisible 'except for parades' when he wore it followed loosely.
over his coat. On his coat, he pinned onlytwo medals:
the Legion ofHonour and theIron Crown. Napoleonbeingtreatedforaslightfootwoundfromaspent
bulletduringthe 1809campaigninAustria.Roustan,the
Generals and Marshals Emperor'spersonalMamelukinorientaldressistakingoffthe
At the timeofthe Revolution, French generals bootwhilethreeservantsoftheImperialhouseholdprepare
clothingandmedicines.Theywearaliveryconsistingof
TheyoungCorsicangentleman-cadetNapoleonedi completelygreencapsandcoatslacedwithgold,red
BuonaparteattheBriennemilitaryacademy,showninthe waistcoatandbreeches.WherevertheEmperorwasinthe
school'sbluefacedreduniform,thefirstwornbythefuture field,apick\'tofChasseursIIchevaloftheGuardincampaign
emperorshowninthisevocativeprintafterJOB. dressformed aperimetrearoundhim.PrintafterJOB.
12 Seniol'OfficersandStoff SeniorOffice'rsandStoff13
NapoleonandMarshalMuratduringthe1805campaign.
Murat,famousforhisoutlandishpersonaluniforms,wearsa
whitehussardresswithscartetpelisselacedwithgold.Print
afterJOB.
From 14September 1803, generals were assigned
three types ofuniforms. The full dress uniform was a
bluecoatwith scarletcollarand cuffs heavily
embroidered \vith agold oakleafand acorn pattern on
both sides ofthe front, on and around the pocket flaps
and on the collarand cuffs; gold buttons. This full
dress coat had no rurnbacks and no epaulettes. The
white waistcoathad asimilar embroidery. The
breeches and stockingswere white on footand blue
breeches and blackbootswereworn mounted. Agold
laced bicorn with a flurry oftricolourplumes
completed this dress.
The 'undress' uniform was much more popularand
soon became the onlyone worn for all butthe most
elaborate dressoccasions. Itwasablue coatwith blue
collar, cuffs and liningbutwith no turnbacks although
cutaway, embroidered with the gold lace oak leaf
pattern as on the dress coat, gold epaulettes; gold
buttons; white breeches and longboots. The bicorn
was edged with wide gold lace and aplume border
which was usuallywhite for commandinggenerals and
black for the others. Even simplerwas the campaign
uniform which consisted ofan all blue coatwith blue Above.
turnbacks, gold embroideryonlyatthe collarand M.deVence,ordertyofficertotheEmperor,1809.Printafter
cuffs, gold epaulettes. paintingbyA.Adam.
Rankdistinctions were, for generals in chief:
double rowofembroideryon thecollar, cuffsand Topright.
pockets; whitesilkand gold sash; four silverstars on Countd'Astorg,AidedecamptoMarshalBessieres,1812,
the epawettes, the sash tasselsand thesword knots. wearingtheregulationhussardressforamarshal'saidede
Generals ofdivision had ascarletand gold sash and camp.PrintafteraportraitbyGounod.
threesilverstars. Generals ofbrigades had asL:y blue
and gold sash and twosilverstars. Right.
Marshals ofFrance were generals given that BaronLejeune,ADCtoMarshalBerthierpaintedthisportrait
supreme title for theirindividual achievements. Thus, ofhimselfproudlywearingtheuniformhedesigned.Entering
beingamarshal was notquitearegular militaryrank MadridinDecember1808withfiveotherofBerthier'sADCs,
although itwas understood that he was the helaterwrotethat'wewereremarkableevenattheheadof
commander in chiefofan army. The uniform worn by theImperialGuard...Ineversawanythingmorebrilliantor
mostof apoleon's marshals was basically thatof moreelegant...thanourcavalcade...'Printafterselfportrait.
generals in chiefbutwith additional gold oakleaf
embroideryon the coatseamsatthesleeves and the marshal's unifomls were notofficiallyregulated until
back. However, somejustwore general in chiefs 1836.
uniforms in the field. aturally, amarshal such as Therealso were afew special rankssuch as
Muratwould dress after hisown outlandish tasteand Colonel-General ofHussars. The holderofrhis office
still besomewhatwithin acertain legitimacyas wasMarshalJunotwhich entitled him to wearawhite
dolman, blue pelisse and breeches, red boots, black
MarshalAngereauinfull dressuniform.Marshalsusuallyhad hako with white aigrette, thewhole richly
thesameasseniorgeneralswiththeadditionofembroideryat embroidered, corded and laced \vith gold.The
a
thecoatseams.Printafterportrait. Colonel-General ofthe Chasseurs cheval ofthe
14SeniorOffice1"SolldStoff SeniOl'Office1"SolldStoff/5
Guard had asimilar dress butwith green dolman, red dolman with scarletcollarand cuffs, scarlet
pelisse and breeches, and afur busby. pantaloons, blackpelis e, all the garnishings in gold.'
From Augu t 1807, Berthier'sADCs also had asimpler
Aides de Camp (ADC) uniform consistingofascarlet frock ,vith blackcollar
Duringthe Imperial era, the numberofADCs was to and pointed cuffs, white piped black lapels, facing
besix for marshals, three for generals ofdivisionsand embroidered with gold oakleaves, gold epaulettes,
two for generalsofbrigades. The Emperorhad some white waistcoatand breeches, bicorn hatwith black
ADCs athisservice and al 0 had up to 11 'Officiers plume.
d'ordonnance' to transmit hisorders. Berthierwas verytouchyabouthisADCs
Uniform: earlyrevolutionaryADCs tended towear uniforms; General Castellanerecalled thatin Spain
blue\vith slqrbluecollarand red cuffs and, from 1798, during 1809, Berthierinsisted thatonly hisADCs
their regimental uniforms with an arm-band on the would wearred trousers amonghisstaff. Even the
upper leftarm ofthe colouroftheircommander'ssash ministerofwar'sADC sentto serve \vith Berthierhad
with gold embroidery. From 1803, the uniform was to to wear blue trouser. Oneday, oneofMarshal ey's
be a blue single breasted coat, skyblue collarand ADCs arrived and 'presented dispatches wearingred
cuffs, blue rurnbacks \vith gold thunderbolts, gold pantaloons; [Berthier's] angerwas mostcomical' and
epaulettes; gold buttons; whitewaistcoat; blue the unfortunateADC had to immediatelyobtain 'with
breeches and pantaloons; plain bicorn with gold greatdifficulty' another pairoftrousers before he
cockade loop\vith white tipped red, blue tipped red or could leave!
skyblue plume for ADCsofgenerals in chief, of There were manyothervariations and changes but
division and ofbrigade. However, manywore their the examplegiven abovewill giveafair idea ofthe
regimental uniforms instead oradded detailssuch as fanciful and varied dressoftheADCs.
lapels piped skyblue. Lastbutnot least, the uniformsofthe Emperor's
On 30March 1807, an order attempted tocheck 'Officiers d'ordonnance' ororderlyofficers: on 30
the fantasy in the uniformsworn byADCs. Those of March 1807, theywere reported wearinga'green coat
generals ofdivisionsand ofbrigades were onlytowear with gold aiguillettes.' Possiblybecauseofits
abluecoat\vith longtails, 'skyblue collarand buttons resemblance to the Imperial livery, thiswas ordered
ofaidesde camp' and a bicorn. However, some fantasy changed on 31January 1809to 'a hussarstyle medium
wenton as engineerCaptain Paulin, ADC to General blue [usuallyshown asskyblue] frock [shown as along
ofDivision Bertrand, recalled wearingapelisse, a tailed coat\vith pointed lapels] with cuffs, collar, lapels
'dolman \vith astrakhan fur with the czap ka' during and liningofthesamecolour; cuffs, collarand lapel
1809. Portraits ofthe period show manyvariations. embroidered with silver;silverepaulettesand
Bythe orderof30March 1807,onlytheADCs of aiguillettes, scarletwaistcoatand medium blue
marshalswould 'be allowed towearthe blue hussar pantaloons laced silver; hussarboots; bicorn hatwith
style coat[dolman] \vith gold cords, colbackor fur silvergarnishing.' Dress housings were to be ahussar
cap.' On 3May 1807, the uniform ofmarshals' ADCs style tigerskin orbearskin edged with scarlet.
was furtherordered to havea red collarand cuffson However, medium bluecloth edged with silverwas
thedolman, gold buttonsand braid, fur busbyin used forordinaryduty.
winterand shako in summer.
Theorderof30March 1807 also mentioned that Marshal's Guides
princes commandingan armycorpscould chose the Some marshals had theirown companies of'guides'
coloursoftheirADCs hussaruniforms. Some had which were escortunits oflightcavalry. Theywere
alreadybeen chosen. The orderacknowledged thatthe usuallydres ed in luxurious and colourful uniforms.
ADCs ofPrinceJer6me had agreen uniform \vith 'red For instance, Marshal Mortier's had green dolman and
facings and silvercords.'TheADCsofthe Grand breeches, yellowcollar, cuffs and pelisse edged with
DukeofBerg,Murat, wore 'amaranth with buff black fur, yellowcordsand buttons, green and yellow
facings and gold cords. White pelissewith gold lace.' sash, busby\vith white plume tipped red,yellowbag
Otherprinces quicklyacted toselecttheir piped green.
uniforms. By20April 1807, the PrinceofPonte
Corvo, Bernadotte, had hisADCs in 'sky blue dolman Opposite.
\vith buffcollarand cuffs, skyblue pantaloons, buff MarshalJosefPoniatowsky,1813.WearingaPolishdress
pelisse \vith all garnishingin gold.'The Princeof uniformofbluewithcrimsontrousersandsilverlace.Aftera
eufchatel, Berthier,dressed hisADCs in a'white printpublishedinDresden.
16SeniorOfficersandStafJ SmwrOfficersandSwfJ17
Artillery, c. 1808.
TheFrenchartilleryofNapoleon'sarmieswasreputedtobe plateshowsthedresswornabout1808.
amongthemostadvancedofitstime.Thesecondhalfofthe ManyregimentsofLightorHorseArtillerywereraised
18thcenturyhadseendramaticprogressinthematerieland duringtheRevolution,provedtobeusefulandwere
thetrainingofartillerymeninFrance,thankstothesystem appreciatedbyNapoleon.Being'light'thedressoftheHorse
broughtforth byGeneralGribeauval. Artilleryfollowedthatofthelightcavalryandfeaturedhussar
Theonemajorirritantleftinthe1790swasthepersistent dolmansandbreeches.Thecolourswereinkeepingwiththe
difficultyfacedbycommandersoncampaignwhenprivate morereservedcharacterofthegunnersbeingallbluewithred
contractorsmightnotbringtooswiftlytobattlelinesthe cordsratherthantheoutlandishstyleswornbyhussars.The
excellentGribeauvalsystemartillery.Shortlyafterhecameto HorseArtillerymanshowsthefulldressusedinabout1808.
power,Napoleondecreed,inJanuary1800,thatthedriversbe Gunswereusuallyofpolishedbrass,thecarriagesand
militarized,formedinto'BattalionsoftheArtilleryTrain'and limberspaintedolive-greenwithhardwareinblack.Paintingby
putintoablue-greyuniform.Bluefacingsweresoonadded ChristaHook.
andeventually,somevariationswereperceived. Forinstance,
itseemsskybluewasoftenusedinsteadofalightblue-grey
forthecoateesandwhitepipingedgingthefacingsisalso
recorded.Thefigureintheplateshowsthestandarddressfor
theTraininabout1808. Aboveleft.
GunnersoftheFrench FootArtilleryoftheLineregiments Captain Dreux-Nancre,ADCtoGeneralofDivisionGudin,
woreauniformthatwasalmostcompletelyblueexceptforthe c.1809.Printafterminiature.
redcuffs,turnbacksandpiping.Apartfromthechangefrom
bicornstoshakosin1807-1808,theuniformremained Aboveright.
practicallyidenticaluntil1812whenthecoateereplacedthe Napoleoninhisfavouritedress:thegreentrimmedred
long-tailedcoat.Shakosusuallyhadredbandsandpompons campaigncoatoftheChasseursachevaloftheGuard,
butsomesourcesalsoshowredfeathers.Thegunnerinthe c.1804.PrintafterDuplessls-Berteaux.
18SeniorOffiCe1"SmidStoff SeniorOfficersandStoff19