Napoleon's Guard Infantry (2) by Philip Haythornthwaite

Author:Philip Haythornthwaite
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: Napoleon’s Guard Infantry (2)
ISBN: 9781780969817
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Fusiliers-Grenadiers

Like that of the Fusiliers-Chasseurs, the uniform of the Fusiliers-Grenadiers was styled upon that of their parent corps, the Grenadiers à Pied. A German watercolour (probably by Kolbe) c. 1807 shows a long-tailed blue habit with blue collar piped scarlet (conceivably the coat lining instead of true piping), white lapels piped scarlet, scarlet cuffs with scarlet three-pointed flaps piped white, scarlet turnbacks and vertical pocket piping, and blue shoulder straps piped scarlet; another picture by the same artist, possibly slightly later, shows scarlet shoulder straps piped white, and turnbacks without badges. A picture of this date showing pointed-ended lapels is in error, the Fusiliers-Grenadiers having square-cut lapels like the Grenadiers à Pied. White cuff flaps were adopted, after a short time, and white eagle turnback badges probably in 1808.

The shako had a white lace upper band, a white chevron on the side, tricolour cockade with a white lace loop above a brass crowned eagle on the front, white cords with two raquettes at the right, and a scarlet carrot-shaped pompon. Between their return from Spain and their departure for the Austrian campaign in April 1809 they received tall red plumes and epaulettes; and a new shako with chinscales but without the white band, though retaining the chevrons. Marco de Sainte-Hilaire describes the epaulettes as white with two red stripes on the straps, confirmed by several illustrations (Berka adding a red crescent); others show a red strap with two white stripes, and Martinet red epaulettes with white crescent and fringe. The last uniform specifications (15 October 1813) mention only a scarlet lentille pompon, no plume, white shako cords and eagle turnback badges; and describe the epaulettes as having red straps with two white stripes, white fringe, and scarlet transverse strap lined white.

The remainder of the uniform was like that of the Grenadiers à Pied; white waistcoat and breeches, long black gaiters with copper buttons, etc., though campaign legwear is noted as light brown trousers (1807), off-white linen (1811) and blue (1811–13). Shako and cartridge box covers existed in 1813–14 if not before. Equipment was like that of the Fusiliers-Chasseurs; no official mention is made of sword knots, which are elsewhere shown as either scarlet or white with scarlet tassel. The bonnet de police is described in specifications approved by Dorsenne on 15 October 1808 (and repeated in 1813) as blue with golden-yellow lace, piping and tassel. Greatcoats were initially blue, but apparently iron-grey was adopted in 1811 and confirmed in 1813; an unofficial style described by Bourgogne was the manufacture in Moscow in 1812 of capes made from billiard cloth by some members of the regiment!

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