NetNews Usenet Archive 1993 #3/NN_1993_3.iso/spool/sci/military/12766

Text File | 1993-01-23 | 2.6 KB | 61 lines

Newsgroups: sci.military
Path: sparky!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!ncr-sd!ncrcae!ncrhub2!ciss!law7!military
From: "Michael J. White" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Napoleon's Guard
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Sender: [e-mail] (Sci.Military Login)
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
References: <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]>
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 17:47:44 GMT
Approved: [e-mail]
Lines: 48


From "Michael J. White" <[e-mail]>

Isakabdar Taib writes:

>Were there any differences in uniforms within Light Infantry battalions?
>I remember that in a battalion of the Line the Fusiliers and Grenadier
>companies wore blue coats, white lapels and white trousers while the Vol-
>tiguers wore blue coats, lapels and trousers. The Grenadiers wore red
>piping and crests, the Voltiguers yellow and green.

As Elting said, "there are three sorts of uniforms for every period of
history: those described in the uniform regulations; those shown by
the artists of that period; and what the soldiers really wore!"

If French light troops went "by the book," voltigeurs in line
battalions would have dressed like the fusiler companies but with
yellow or buff collars and turnback designs, yellow and green
epaulettes, and yellow/red or yellow/green shako plums and cords.

Light battalions wore blue throughout.  Voltigeur companies had
distinctions similar to line voltiguers while carabiniers (light
grenadiers) wore uniforms which resembled those of line grenadiers.
Another major distinction between light and line troops was footwear.
Lights wore hessian boots (low-cut boots with fringe and tassles)
while line soldiers wore gaiters.

Of course, during the Napoleonic period inadequate supply systems,
the personal preferences of officers and an unstandardized
manufacture system produced an endless variety of uniforms.  Often
soldiers in the same unit might wear a number of different styles
of uniforms.  At Waterloo, the 4th Regiment of Guard Grenadiers
wore shakos, bearskins and chapeaus.
>
[deleted stuff]
>
>Wasn't there a British regiment called the Royal Fusiliers who
>wore Dragoon type helmets? I remember that Bruce Quarry's tables
>gave them somewhat better ratings than regular Line Infantry.

There were four regiments of fusilers.  They wore bearskins in
dress uniform and stovepipe shakos on campaign.

--
Michael White                [e-mail]
Engineering Library          [e-mail]
The University of Michigan          [e-mail]