The chasseurs, being the indigenous French light horse, can perhaps be equated best with the infantry demi-brigades of this period, a half-trained, unprofessional, makeshift collection, making up with zeal what they lacked in experience, a qualification which in no way diminished the importance of their role within Napoleon's all-conquering army. Emir Bukhari's fine text examines the dress and equipment of Napoleon's line chasseurs, plus the histories of individual regiments in a volume containing a plethora of illustrations and diagrams including eight full page color plates by popular artist Angus McBride, showing a variety of uniforms in admirable detail.
From the partisans and legions of the mid-eighteenth century to the Napoleonic regiments, this title is a comprehensive study of French light infantry between 1788-1815. It covers the formal chasseur battalions and regiments and the light companies of scouts and voltigeurs in Napoleon's armies. It details the separate roles of the chasseurs and car
The two privileged regiments of Carabiniers survived the French Revolution with their elite status intact. They covered themselves with glory at Austerlitz, Friedland, Ratisbonne and Wagram where their bloody losses shocked Napoleon into ordering them new helmets and cuirasses. Re-formed after near annihilation in Russia in 1812, they fought at Leipzig and in many actions of the 1814 French campaign, and made one of the final charges at Waterloo. lllustrated with rare early prints and meticulous colour reconstructions, this book details their story, and their unique uniforms, from surviving period documents.
Napoleon's Hussars made their first real impact during the Napoleonic Wars in 1806, with their astonishing pursuit of the Prussians over 1,160km from the river Saale to the Oder in twenty-five days. They then capped this feat on arrival when, by dint of audacious demonstrations by the 500 men of the combined 5th and 7th Hussars, the 6,000-strong Prussian garrison was bluffed into capitulating its fortress at Stettin along with 160 cannon. This splendid volume by Emir Bukhari describes the organization, war records, dress and equipment of these most colorful of Napoleon's troops.
This superb and comprehensive book details the foreign units which formed such an important part of Napoleon's forces. It examines each non-French unit in turn, giving an overview of the unit's origins, its organizational and combat history, its uniforms and standards, and details of the unit's eventual fate. Colourful accounts, taken from contemporary reports and memoirs, emphasize the qualities of the unit and throw light on what life was like for many of the foreign soldiers recruited into the Grande Armée. In total more than 100 different foreign units that served in the French Army are investigated in detail in this ambitious publication. Some foreign units fought and flourished throughout the Consulate and Empire, whilst others lasted for just a few months. Covers Polish, German, Swiss, Italian, Spanish, and other units in the French Army and presents a combat history and details uniforms for each regiment. Napoleon's Mercenaries is the best single-volume study of this aspect of Napoleon s army and a vital reference for every Napoleonic enthusiast. Little can be found on the foreign units that were an integral part of the French army ... For a long time a gap has existed, but now Napoleon s Mercenaries fills this gap. Robert Burnham, Napoleonic Series
Dressed in distinctive green uniforms and classically inspired copper helmets, the Dragoons of the Imperial Guard were raised in 1806 by the same criteria as other Guard units – by selection of picked, literate veterans from Line regiments who had six to ten years of service, and citations for bravery in at least two campaigns. The following year they were named Dragons de l'Impératrice in a unique compliment to the Empress Josephine. As a ceremonial regiment it enjoyed many privileges, but it also saw combat on a number of occasions, including the battles of Essling and Wagram (1809), the Russian campaign (1812, when it suffered severe losses), at Bautzen, Wachau and Leipzig (1813), in the 1814 Campaign of France, and at Ligny and Waterloo (1815).
Small men, with big egos and moustaches, the hussars of Napoleon’s army wore some of the most flamboyant and stylish uniforms of the epoch. The uniforms of the seventeen regiments of hussars are discussed in detail, along with the dress of their brethren in the thirty-two regiments of chasseurs a cheval, with an emphasis on highly elaborate dress of the trumpeters. Archive documents which have never been previously used to study the subject will be used for the first time: many of these documents have not been published in French and have never appeared as translations. Illustrated with contemporary illustrations, original items of uniform and reconstructions of uniforms, this is the definitive guide to the dress of the Napoleon’s light cavalry. This is one of a series of ground-breaking books which will be the defacto study of this perennially popular subject for historians, researchers, wargamers, re-enactors and artists. Using archive records to ‘set the record straight’, as well as contemporary illustrations and original items of uniforms, the author sets out to describe the uniform of every regiment of Napoleon’s army. Using archive sources found in the Archives Nationales and Service Historique du Armee de Terre in Paris, the author’s unrivalled research over a period of twenty years, will reveal exactly how, for the first time in over 200 years, Napoleon’s army was mounted, clothed and equipped. Having been granted to access to over 1,000 archive boxes, the author assesses how the regulations were adopted in practice. This vast resource, as yet untapped by the majority of researchers and historians for understanding the Napoleonic era in general, include the many regimental archive boxes preserved in the French Army archives. These sources provide, potentially bias free empirical data from which we can reconstruct the life story of a regiment, its officers and above all its clothing. What did trumpeters wear? Did cavalry regiments really have sapeurs? We answer these questions and present the reality of how regiments were dressed derived from diaries, letters, inspection returns, regimental accounts and even cases of fraud. For the first time, this unique series of books discusses the wide ranging 1806 uniform regulation and the more famous Bardin regulation which applied to all arms of the Army and explores the way in which regiments on campaign adopted and adapted their uniforms. For the first time since the days of Napoleon, we can say exactly what was worn by the French army.
This book draws on original regimental records to give by far the most detailed account ever published in English of the organization and personalities of the most renowned of the foreign units that served in the Emperor's armies. Unlike most of his foreign troops, these Polish horsemen were true volunteers, who owed their honoured place in his Imperial Guard to their proven courage and dash on battlefields from Spain to Russia. The text is illustrated with rare portraits and photographs, and with detailed colour plates of the Lancers' magnificent uniforms.
A concise history of the hand-picked elite cavalry guard that served as Napoleon's close personal escort and were committed to the most dangerous areas of combat on the battlefield. Formed from his original escort of 'Guides' and the 'Consular Guard' in 1799, the Mounted Chasseurs were a personal favourite of the Emperor, who wore their uniform on campaign. Ronald Pawly's unique research into regimental archives has uncovered unprecedented detail about this exceptional unit and its soldiers and officers. With their colourful uniforms recreated in full-colour artwork and accounts of their actions in the most critical Napoleonic battles, this book provides a comprehensive description of these legendary elite soldiers.
Owing to the heavy casualties suffered by the Carabiniers in the 1809 campaign, the Emperor decreed that they should be armored to the same advantage as the Cuirassiers. In this way the two corps drew together in being the only troops of the Grande Armeé who were armoured, while at the same time they diverged in breaking away from their traditionally similar dress. Emir Bukhari does a splendid job of examining the uniforms and equipment of Napoleon's Cuirassiers and Carabiniers of the Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815), in a text complemented throughout by numerous illustrations and diagrams including eight full page color plates by the ever popular Angus McBride.
