Hi there I'm trying to find out the list of horseflesh colours for the various cavalry regiments in both imperial guards. I'm currently working on Russian Lifeguard Hussars
Alexander Mikaberidze's Russian Eyewitness Accounts of the Campaign of 1812 includes a description by artillery officer Ilya Radozhitskii of the Battle of Vitebsk. He writes, 'As we approached the site of the combat, we saw the returning Life Guard Hussars in their beautiful uniforms and shakos bearing the imperial arms, on handsome grey horses.' Presumably it was the third squadron that he saw.
Jonathan Gingerich's excellent site Russian Facings of the Napoleonic Era has details for the Russian guard (unfortunately the site is down at the moment so I am taking this from an old version I have saved). Apparently, the horse coat colours varied across the period so I am listing the year followed by the squadron numbers.
Cavalier-Guard 1808 Sqd 1 - bays and grays; 2 - chestnuts and roans; 3 - chestnuts, grays and roans; 4 - chestnuts, grays and blue roans; 5 - bays and grays.
Cavalier-Guard 1810-11 Sqd 1 - bays; 2 - bays, blacks, duns; 3 - bays and browns; 4 - dark buckskin, dark grays, bays, dark bays, and bay roans; 5 - black bays and blacks
He also gives the horse coat colours specifically for the L-g. Hussars but these come in on November 7th 1815, so probably after the period you are looking for. Sqd 1 - grays; 2 - blacks; 3 - chestnuts; 4 - grays; 5 - bays; 6 - bays; trumpeters - buckskin and palomino. (Jonathan doesn't give trumpeter horse coat colours for the earlier period so I would guess there were no regulations on the matter.)
With regard to the French guard, as far as I am aware, the Empress' Dragoons and Chasseurs a Cheval were all mounted on chestnuts and bays. The Horse Grenadiers, Elite Gendarmes and Horse Artillery were all on black horses. Meanwhile, the Polish Lancers were 1 Sqd - chestnut; 2 - bay; 3 - black; 4 -gray. I don't know about the Dutch lancers but I would guess it was the same since that was the general practice for the rest of the army. The trumpeters would have been on grays and whites.
The information on the French came from the Miniatures Page website. I can't give you a link to it because this website thinks I am posting spam but if you search 'TMP Polish Lancer horse colours' you should be able to find it.
Thanks all and Stephen
Hi Peter,
Alexander Mikaberidze's Russian Eyewitness Accounts of the Campaign of 1812 includes a description by artillery officer Ilya Radozhitskii of the Battle of Vitebsk. He writes, 'As we approached the site of the combat, we saw the returning Life Guard Hussars in their beautiful uniforms and shakos bearing the imperial arms, on handsome grey horses.' Presumably it was the third squadron that he saw.
Best wishes
Stephen
Jonathan Gingerich's excellent site Russian Facings of the Napoleonic Era has details for the Russian guard (unfortunately the site is down at the moment so I am taking this from an old version I have saved). Apparently, the horse coat colours varied across the period so I am listing the year followed by the squadron numbers.
Cavalier-Guard 1808 Sqd 1 - bays and grays; 2 - chestnuts and roans; 3 - chestnuts, grays and roans; 4 - chestnuts, grays and blue roans; 5 - bays and grays.
Cavalier-Guard 1810-11 Sqd 1 - bays; 2 - bays, blacks, duns; 3 - bays and browns; 4 - dark buckskin, dark grays, bays, dark bays, and bay roans; 5 - black bays and blacks
Cavalier-Guard 1812 Sqd 1 - bays; 2 - chestnuts; 3 - grays; 4 - blacks; 5 - bays
He also gives the horse coat colours specifically for the L-g. Hussars but these come in on November 7th 1815, so probably after the period you are looking for. Sqd 1 - grays; 2 - blacks; 3 - chestnuts; 4 - grays; 5 - bays; 6 - bays; trumpeters - buckskin and palomino. (Jonathan doesn't give trumpeter horse coat colours for the earlier period so I would guess there were no regulations on the matter.)
With regard to the French guard, as far as I am aware, the Empress' Dragoons and Chasseurs a Cheval were all mounted on chestnuts and bays. The Horse Grenadiers, Elite Gendarmes and Horse Artillery were all on black horses. Meanwhile, the Polish Lancers were 1 Sqd - chestnut; 2 - bay; 3 - black; 4 -gray. I don't know about the Dutch lancers but I would guess it was the same since that was the general practice for the rest of the army. The trumpeters would have been on grays and whites.
The information on the French came from the Miniatures Page website. I can't give you a link to it because this website thinks I am posting spam but if you search 'TMP Polish Lancer horse colours' you should be able to find it.