The Napoleonic Wars 1800-1815
The uniforms worn
during the first fifteen years of the nineteenth century represent the most
elaborate display of pomp in the whole history of military dress. The
Napoleonic wars moulded the appearance of armies throughout the entire century.
The uniforms of
the European armies underwent a fundamental change in during this period in
time. The leather or felt shako became the principle headdress, the cavalry
were distinguished by plumed metal helmets, and the Polish Chapska. The flugel
cap (mirliton) previously typical of the Hussars, disappeared. The low fur cap
of the Hussars also became less common, although in France it became the
distinguishing mark of the elite cavalry troops.
The basic colours
of the nations had already been firmly established in the eighteenth century;
blue for Prussia, red for Great Britain. The Russians were in dark green, the
Austrians in white, and the French were either in white or blue. It was only
after the French Revolution when the tricolour was adopted as the national
flag, and the blue, white and red combination became the basis for French
infantry uniform.a
After 1807 the
various line infantry regiments were less commonly distinguished by different
coloured markings (facings, collars and cuffs), but instead by regimental
numbers on buttons and headdress. Loose linen trousers (pantaloons) also became
standard for the infantry, and linen overalls with leather strapping on the
inside leg for the cavalry, as well as waterproof covers for the shakos.
In many states
the Hussars kept the old practice of clothing each regiment differently, and
four of the thirty-one Chasseurs wore a uniform cut in the style of the
Hussars. It also remained common practice for soldiers to be equipped with
three uniforms: dress uniform, active service uniform, and barracks uniform.
The Neapolitan Hussar Guards appeared in richly braided yellow uniforms, and
they were always mounted on dun horses with white mains and tails.
Hussars were
known for their individuality, and did not want to be made feel inferior. Not
only was each regiment dressed in a completely different uniform, but they were
also remarkable for their coloured plumes.
By 9th November 1810 Napoleon had strictly
forbidden these plumes on Hussars shakos and fur caps, but the Hussars were not
bothered by this. Up to the time of Waterloo in 1815 they wore plumes of every
colour such as red, light blue, white, green and brown, depending on their
regiments.
Appearance was also determined by circumstance. For
example in 1806, there was a shortage in indigo used for dyeing cloth and so
Napoleon ordered the introduction of a white uniform for his line infantry.
When the importing of indigo resumed the blue uniforms where reinstated.
Madder-red was later introduced by Napoleon to his infantry, however, since
this cloth was not available in sufficient quantity, while white was readily
available, the regiments were given white uniforms contrary to the wishes of
the Emperor.
This was the same for headdresses; the shako had been
introduced for the French infantry, however, they for the greater part were
still wearing busbys and felt bicornes which should have been discarded. This
was due to existing stock still having to be exhausted.
Shakos had initially been prescribed for the Hussars
in place of flugel caps, but they were only being worn in two of the eleven
Hussar regiments as the others had kept their traditional flugel caps. The
Prussian Hussars still appeared at times in long coats and hats, and the colour
of the Hussar breeches was often left to chance, or rather to what was
available. As an example, the Gettkandt Hussars should have worn whit breeched
with their dark green dolmans and pelisses, but they fought at the battle of
Jena wearing red ones. When uniform stocks were low, reserve supplies were
used.
Uniforms in practice were worn with so many
modifications that are often difficult, if not impossible to identify soldiers
depicted in contemporary representations. This is not only a problem for us
today, but also one that many soldiers had to face in battle. Many of them must
have perished because they could not be identified when necessary. Many
regiments were mistaken on occasion
Uniforms were expensive, and officers had to pay for
them out of their own pocket. The uniform of a French infantryman of the guard
cost 258 francs, while the cavalryman paid as much as 517 francs. In total
between 1806 and 1810, the French state alone had to pay the sum of 20,000,000
francs for the uniforms of the Garde Imperiale. Even more expensive was the
uniform of the front line carabiniers that costs 2,000 francs. After the
Napoleonic era uniforms became altogether plainer, with some luxuries still
surviving. The nations whose funds had been exhausted as a result of these
costly wars had new reduced the expenditure on uniform and cut down on their
armies to save money.The end of the Napoleonic era also marked the end of an
era for magnificent military uniforms.
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Uniforms and Badges of Rank
Many aspects of
the flamboyant military uniforms of the Napoleonic period were highly
impractical: the colours, especially white, the work involved to keep them up
to scratch – to pipe clay belts, polish brass buttons and cap plates: the
excessive weight of the brass fronted mitre caps of the grenadiers; and the
terrible lack of inadequate protection against the cold and wet weather. These
were all indicative of the societies that were obsessed with appearance at the
expense of utility and common sense. It was not until khaki and field grey came
in to use at the end of the nineteenth century that common sense began to
become a significant feature of military fashion. It was not until the Second
World War that real practicality was introduced into uniforms in general.
Regiments were usually
distinguished by the colour of their ‘facings’; the cuffs, collars and the shoulder
strap on their left shoulder and by their buttons, which were of brass or tin.
Further distinction was often achieved by the colour of the waistcoats and
breeches, known as the ‘small clothes’, with white, buff and yellow being the
colours mostly selected. The coat turnbacks were often the same colour for all
the regiments,as were the belts. Its quickly become evident to all armies that
they needed to have some visible way of identifying the status of commanders on
and off the battlefield. Those in command had to be easily located by
messengers, staff officers and superiors. Subordinates needed to the able to
recognize authority. In the early days of the richness of senior officers’
clothing sufficed, but later a formalized system was introduced.
In the sixteenth
century, officers were identified by wide silks saches, worn around the waist
or over the shoulder. These were originally intended to be used as hammocks or
slings, in the case of an officer being wounded it would be used to carry him
off the battlefield. By the Napoleonic era these sashes had significantly
reduced in size. They were usually in the colours of the house and ended in
heavy worsted, silk or bullion tassels depending on the wearers rank. Officers
of Britain and the United States wore crimson sashes. Most general officers
added gold or silver lace edging and feathered trim to their bicorns, and had
elaborate gold or silver brooches to hold their national cockades. The tassels
of their hat cord were also of precious metal. When full armour was abandoned,
officers retained the gorget, (a steel collar to protect the throat) as a sign
of office. This would be decorated with the rulers crest.
Epaulettes
The French army
of the eighteenth century seems to have led the way for the general
introduction of epaulettes for officers. These were usually in the button
colour, and were fringed in bullion or silk according to rank. Eventually,
these became a well-defined system used by most nations. The sous lieutenant
wore two epaulettes, each with two red stripes along the strap, that on the
left having thin fringes. The lieutenant wore the same, but the straps had only
one stripe. The captains epaulettes had no stripes. A chef d’escadron
(commander of a cavalry squadron) had a bullion fringe on the left shoulder.
Field officers (battalion commanders, majors and colonels) had bullions on both
shoulders. Generals had heavier bullion fringes and two, three four, five
pointed stars in the epaulette fields. Marshals wore crossed batons in the
epaulette fields. French corporals wore two diagonal bars (chevrons if the cuffs
were pointed) on the forearm in the button colour and edged red. The fourier
had the same bars, plus a third bar, in the button colour and on red backing on
the upper arm. Sergeants had a single bar in the button colour on red backing
on the forearm, and sergeant majors had two such bars. Senior NCO’s also had
the gold threads mixed in their red or green epaulette fringes if in the elite
companies.
Long service was
shown for non-commissioned ranks by one or two red chevrons on the left arm.
The Republican Cavalry
The cavalry regiments
suffered a drain of officers following the revolution of 1789. By 1796 the
cavalry was on the road to recovery and began to improve. The backbone of the
cavalry was the dragoons and chasseurs a cheval.
The Carabiniers
There were two
regiments of carabiniers, which were always brigaded together. Their title
derived from the short musket, or carbine, with which they were armed. The
uniform was originally dark blue with red lapels, collar, cuffs, long turnbacks,
with dark blue grenade badges, and small clothes, but the latter were buff by
1789.
The 1st
Carabiniers had red cuff flaps with dark blue piping, the 2nd had
dark blue cuff flaps with red piping. The dark blue shoulder straps were edged
red. The bicorn had a wide white edging and a red, drooping feather plume
decorated by the tricolour cockade and white loop and button.
Small clothes
were deep yellow, buttons and belts were white. The straight-bladed sword was
carried in a black sheath. Saddlery was dark blue with white edging and grenade
badges. The harness was black with steel fittings.
The dragoon
Regiments
There were 18
regiments of the Dragoons in 1792. The 19th and 21st were
raised in 1793, and 21st were disbanded in 1798. They wore a medium
green coat and brass helmet with comb, drooping black horsehair crest, red
plume and turban without a peak.
The Chasseurs a
Cheval
There was no
practical difference in the tactical employment of the chasseurs a cheval or
hussars and very little sartorial difference either. Both carried the same
weapons and adopted the costume of the Hungarian Hussars, although the
chasseurs wore no pelisses or sabretasches. Even allowing for the large size of
the French army, the emphasis on a powerful light cavalry arm is impressive.
In 1779 the first
six regiments appeared in the army list. During the Revolutionary period they
wore green coats, breeched with white trim, a hussar dolman, together with the
infantry style crested helmet. This helmet was then replaced with the winged
cap or replaced with the mirliton in the facing colour, edged in the button
colour. The Hussar costume in dark green and white was retained (belts were
white) but without a pelisse. Waepons were curved, hussar-pattern sabre with a
brass hilt, a carbine and a brace of pistols.
The Hussars
Although light
cavalry was well represented by numerous regiments of chasseurs a cheval, the
French also raised six regiments of Hussars prior to 1792. The French Hussar
regiments modelled their uniforms very faithfully on those pioneered by the
Hungarian horsemen. This included the winged cap, or mirliton, plus the braided
dolman and pelisse, each with 18 rows of buttons and lace on the chest. Some
regiments wore five buttons in each row on the chest (2nd 4th
5th 9th and 10th regiments) others wore only
three.
The pelisse was
20cm longer than the dolman and could be worn as a jacket in the winter. It was
usually fastened by a chord and slung over the left shoulder to act as
protection against sabre cuts. French hussars also wore decorated breeches,
woolen barrel sash (crimson and white or yellow according to the button
colour), short boots, dangling sarbetasche, curved sabre of their Hungarian
counterparts. Badges of rank were chevrons in the button colour placed above
the cuffs: these were worn on the dolman and the pelisse. Hussars had their own
hairstyles: the usual pigtail, plus one plait of hear in front of each ear
(known as cadenettes) the traditional mirliton, or peakless, winged cap, was
originally in the form of a truncated cone with a long flap of cloth in the
facing colour and edged with the button colour wrapped around it or allowed to
fly free. In barracks the shako would be replaced by a soft cap, the bonnet de police, in the dolman colour
decorated in the facing colour or the lace colour.
The pelisse bore
eighteen rows each of five ball buttons and was lined with white sheepskin,
edged with black lamb’s wool. It was usually worn slung over the left shoulder.
The dolman was usually in the colours of the pelisse, but there were
exceptions.
The Hungarian
breeches had decorative knots on the thigh vents and similar braid up the
outside of each leg and across the backside where there would be a loop. These
were protected in the field by buttoned overalls, having eighteen buttons to
each side usually in the same colours as the pantaloons and reinforced with
black leather inside the legs and around the bottoms. The boots had steel
screw-in spurs and the tops were cut out in the front centre, edged with white
or yellow cord and had a tassel in the front cut-out.
The Imperial Hussars
The hussars enjoyed
great popularity in most armies, in none so more than the French. The thing
that set these light cavalrymen apart from the rest of the line regiments was
their history. Originally, Hussars (meaning corsairs, pirates or raiders) were
irregulars, often fighting alone. Their origins lay in the Mongolian raiders
who plundered their way through Eastern Europe in the thirteenth century. These
excellent horsemen scoured ahead of their main army, striking terror in to the
enemy population. Part of their stock in trade was to wear wolf’s skin across
their left shoulder, and this acted as a light shield as well as giving the
rider a charming appearance. They wore long moustaches and cadenettes. The
Molgols settled in some areas of Hungary, becoming less warlike, and influenced
the Hungarians national costume which featured the dolman with typical multiple
rows of buttons and lace. The wolf’s skin was replaced by the pelisse (derived
from the word pelz meaning animal skin) and elaborately decorated breeches. In
the wars of the eighteenth century the hussars of the Austrian army scored some
notable victories over the Prussians. With their colourful and flamboyant
costumes the popularity of the Hussars spread across Europe.
The
Hussars uniform
The shako
appeared in the Hussars from 1803. It was decorated with a regimental button,
loop, and tricolour cockade. The peak was edged in the button colour and chin
scales were worn with cords and a plume for parades, at the top, above the
cockade, there was a pompon in the squadron colour. The cords were held at the
sides of the top by hooks set in to five-pointed stars. The elite company of
the 1st squadron wore bearskin colpacks with a red pompon, plume and
cords. In 1813 the tall, cylindrical shako came in to service. Badges of rank
were in form of the chevrons above both cuffs. The breeches, with coloured
thigh knots and side seams were mostly covered on campaign with similar
coloured overalls. They were reinforced with black leather closing with eighteen
metal buttons on the coloured side stripe. The sabretasche was in the facing
colour, decorated and edged in the button colour. There were several variants
of decoration of this item: for troopers it was usually the regimental number
within laurel branches under a laurel wreath. Later in the period the crown
replaced the wreath over the regimental number. Officers often had the crowned
imperial eagle over the number. Later in the period many regiments adopted
plain back leather sabretasches with just the number in the button colour as
decoration.
From
1807new-style, steel hilted sabres in steel sheaths began to be introduced.
Saddle furniture was in the dolman colour, edged in decorated in the button
colour usually in the regimental number. The Westphalian Hussars of the King
Jeromes Guard were mostly Frenchmen and in January 1814 most of them fled back
to France with him. They were designated the 13th and wore red
shakos and dolmans, dark blue pelisses and breeches with yellow lace and
buttons. Their nickname was “The Lobsters”.
The British Light Cavalry and the
Hussars
Austria raised a
regiment of the Hussars in 1703, Prussia had a hussar regiment in 1721 and
several others were raised in the 1740’s. The Seven Years’ War saw many such
units of the continental armies.
England was much
more conservative, however, retained only regiments of horse, dragoons, and
dragoon guards. There simply was no light cavalry.
The Black Brunswickers
This consisted of an infantry regiment and a hussar regiment. The hussars wore black with light blue facings while there sashes were yellow and light blue. The shakos bore a silver skull and bones badge.
Austrian Hussars
Hussars
originated in Hungary; their title originally meaning corsair or raider. Their
flamboyant costume and their reputation for daredevil acts acquired during the
Seven Years War with Prussia made them immensely popular in all armies in
Europe.
Naturally, the
Austrian armed forces could call upon the services of considerable numbers of
them, as the hussar units were the core of the Empires light cavalry.
Curing the
Napoleonic period, hussars were employed as scouts, given raiding missions or
dispatched to pursue the defeated enemy on the run. They performed so well in
the Austrian forced of the Seven Years war that the vast majority of
continental Europe raised similar units for their own armies.
The Hussars 1792-1802
The 1767 new
uniform regulations were introduced. Prior to this, the hussars wore their own
interpretation of Hungarian national costume. This had largely consisted of a
fur colpack, with a coloured bag, a dolman (with colour cuffs and collars) and a fur-lined pelisse, both having fives rows of buttons on the chest, all linked with coloured lace with decorated breeches and short boots. The laces on the chest were the button colour for officers and for the sergeant major.
A curved sabre and sabretasche hung from the belt. In 1767 the fur colpack was retained only by officers and sergeants. All others now wore a felt cap of mirliton.
\
Sergeant Hussar Regiment No.10, 1809.
The twin gold braids around the top of the shako, the gold embroidered imperial cipher "FI" in the pompon and the yellow and black sabre were all badges of rank.
Hussar Kit
1. A dolman showing the intricate lace arrangement across the chest and down the back.
2. A Pelisse, with cords to fasten it so it can be worn over the left shoulder.
3. Black leather bandolier straps and cartouche
4. Black and yellow barrel sash
5. Crimson sabrtasche showing in detail the hungarian royal crown of Saint Stephen
The shakos introduced in 1798 had black and yellow cords and flounders and these regiments were the traditional Hungarian Costume. The fur trim to the pelisses was black. Officers had black bandoliers and their shakos decorated with gold lace. Barrel sash was black and yellow; the red sabretasche was edges in black and yellow. Belts were white. In 1802 all regiments were ordered to adopted blue dolmans, breeches and pelisses with black and yellow lace with yellow buttons. They were distinguished by there shakos.
Left: Junior Officer, Hussar Regiment No. 9, 1812.
Black shako has officers gold lace decoration. The officer wears a dark blue dolman and pelisse, gold buttons and lace, and crimson breeches. Senior officers had a second row of gold lace to the peak. The rear peak was also edged in gold.
Right: Trumpeter, Hussar Regiment No.1 (Kaiser), 1812
The red plume and swallows nests are the badges of the trumpeter.
