two forthcoming volumes among the 8 planned in Paul Lindsay Dawson's series
Coming in autumn 2024 or early spring 2025, the most comprehensive review of the French Line Infantry respecting the 1806 regulations. The predominant uniform colour of the French army was white, over 30 regiments for fact, and realistically over 70, and the last white habits disapeared in 1809, following a brief regulated return to white in July 1808. The headdress of the French soldier till summer 1808 was predominantly the chapeau. The archive of every regiment of Ligne that existed upto 1812 is discussed, as are all the various uniform regulations from 1806 to 1812. Our research shows how the Line was dressed behind the myth and glamour of grenadiers swaggering in bearskins- which few actually did.
Coming later this year or early 2025, the most comprehensive review of the 8 different Bardin regulations, ever written. Bardin regulation was not a single monolithic regulation: it evolved and changed to suit the differing economic needs that the French military faced. Indeed, the regulation as written down and drawn by Vernet never existed.
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This book examines the uniforms and equipment of the backbone of the French army, the Line Infantry, at the height of its glory. The crushing defeat of the Prussian army at the twin battles of Jena and Auerstedt in 1806 was arguably the most impressive of all Napoleon’s many victories. This was followed in 1807 with the defeat of the Russians at Friedland, leaving Napoleon as the unrivalled master of Europe.
Just weeks after the Battle of Friedland, Napoleon became embroiled in Spanish politics. Seeking to rid the continent of Europe of British influence, the Emperor sought to conquer Portugal and subjugate the British ally to the Empire. The Peninsular War had begun. As the Grande Armée trudged from Germany to Spain, what were the troops wearing? A huge stock take took place across the armed forces of France in winter 1807 to spring 1808. Using tens of thousands of archive sources, housed in over 1,000 archive boxes, we are able to reconstruct in meticulous detail how the army appeared at the beginning of the Peninsular War.
This book looks at the dress of the Line Infantry following the reforms of 1806 which did most to change the way the army appeared until the proto-Bardin regulation of 1811. The book seeks to explore the famous or infamous white habits as well as the dress of the army on campaign, notably in the Peninsular War.
The author demonstrates that the perception of ‘anything goes’ was largely myth, regarding the dress of the line infantry during the rigours of the gruelling peninsular war. The author demonstrates that not every grenadier wore a bearskin let alone had scarlet epaulettes, nor every voltigeur had unique distinctions and sapeurs were a ‘rare beast’ in the Grande Armée.
