Does anyone know the book where i can find combination of drummer uniform color and voltigeur epauletes/shako feathers, per french light infantry regiment?
a such book for each regiment will see the light with Paul Lindsay Dawson writing several volumes for Pen & Sword (concerning 1811-1815) and Helion, for 2023 at the very best, about Line and Light Infantry uniforms based from French Regimental Archives researches, his opinion after that is quite severe to not say trenchant
Some truly hideous colour combinations used
99% of representations of bands and drummers are total fiction
Thank you Loïc. It is as I suspected, something yet to be fully revealed, although I’m sure many myths persist.
I remembers quite a heated debate in another forum, one “uniformologist” adamant the white bearskins were worn by trumpeters of a unit, because Comdr Bucquoy showed it. His protagonist had a diary entry from a trumpeter, that said that bearskins were left in depot, and they wore chapeau on campaign.
We then had a long monologue on the unreliability of eyewitness accounts.
I’m willing to concede that recollections differ and that people sometimes exaggerate. But I’ve got a reasonable recollection what I was required to put on my head every day, and presume this chap did too. What would be his incentive to lie?
However, people get attached to their illustrations, even when Paul L Dawson provides that no such cloth existed in stores and none was purchased.
If it is half as revealing as Napoleon’s Last Army I eagerly await in anticipation.
Just curious - I searched site and that link for 8th Legere but could not find this plate? Can you please send me a link to the plate just to explore it?
@Bolebg You could find those plates, as those I attached by surfing and searching the world wide web, whenever I stumble across some I copy them and store them on my hard drive
Personally, I’d probably put them in standard habit-veste, possibly with laced lapels and perhaps sleeves. A little like the first restoration royalist livery perhaps, as it seems to hark back to an earlier style. In all honesty, if I were in any doubt I’d probably put the drummer in a greatcoat!
There is probably a book to be written on the dress of tête du colonne, unless I’m unaware of one.
red lapels and chevrons on the arms - on the other hand, as stated above this could vary from regiment to regiment, otherweise I would suggest to consult this side which shows some regiments in great detail
In his work on the Otto manuscript (Napoleon’s Soldiers page 75) he quotes a letter written by Soult in May 1808 to the Minister of War:
“But there are still many other abuses which merit the attention of the Government both because of the inconvenience they create and the excessive expenses they occasion. All Colonels, both in the infantry and the cavalry, believe themselves to be authorised by custom to make arbitrary changes in the uniforms of drummers, trumpeters and musicians. There are some who’ limited only by imagination, pass successively from one style to another and from the bizarre to the ridiculous”
Unless we have eye witness testimony this puts us at something of a disadvantage, as it would be dangerous to infer the General from the specific,
In this work their are a number of Tambour-Major’s shown for ligne and légère but no drummers themselves
Pre-Bardin I’d always understood that individual regiments had quite a bit of leeway. I don’t know of any comprehensive survey.
Even now, we are still not sure for the Armée du Nord in 1815 whether regiments had re-adopted Bardin, retained the Royalist dress or something else. Paul L Dawson has done a magnificent job in Napoleon’s Last Army of chasing down the archives. From how much lace/green cloth that was used/ordered he makes some good deductions. Some remain unknown, or just represents a best guess.
Pre or post Bardin?
Osprey MAA 146 Napoleon’s Light Infantry ISBN 0-85045-521-9
A Chasseurs drummer from 27eme Léger 1807 at plate E3
The text though suggests the sky blue colouring was specific to the 27th
a such book for each regiment will see the light with Paul Lindsay Dawson writing several volumes for Pen & Sword (concerning 1811-1815) and Helion, for 2023 at the very best, about Line and Light Infantry uniforms based from French Regimental Archives researches, his opinion after that is quite severe to not say trenchant
Some truly hideous colour combinations used
99% of representations of bands and drummers are total fiction
Just curious - I searched site and that link for 8th Legere but could not find this plate? Can you please send me a link to the plate just to explore it?
Thank you! Very great site with source of information!
So how would you paint drummers in french light battalions?
In his work on the Otto manuscript (Napoleon’s Soldiers page 75) he quotes a letter written by Soult in May 1808 to the Minister of War: “But there are still many other abuses which merit the attention of the Government both because of the inconvenience they create and the excessive expenses they occasion. All Colonels, both in the infantry and the cavalry, believe themselves to be authorised by custom to make arbitrary changes in the uniforms of drummers, trumpeters and musicians. There are some who’ limited only by imagination, pass successively from one style to another and from the bizarre to the ridiculous” Unless we have eye witness testimony this puts us at something of a disadvantage, as it would be dangerous to infer the General from the specific, In this work their are a number of Tambour-Major’s shown for ligne and légère but no drummers themselves
Yes, pre bardin as i am making army for spain 1809-1812
Guy Dempsey’s work on the prints of Aaron Martinet only shows a ligne tambour, no légère musicians at all.
Yes, thats the one of which i know about. I have some other samples from other books. But was hoping for full list per regiment.
Pre or post Bardin? Osprey MAA 146 Napoleon’s Light Infantry ISBN 0-85045-521-9 A Chasseurs drummer from 27eme Léger 1807 at plate E3 The text though suggests the sky blue colouring was specific to the 27th