by Paul Lindsay Dawson
Pen & Sword books. This is the first of 8 books in the series covering the entirety of the French Army 1789 to 1815. Two decades work to get to this point, and over 1,000 archive boxes. No one has ever studied the dress and equipment of a nations army over a 25 years period down to company level. A huge investment on my part in cash and time which I hope is worth it.
1. Hussars & Chasseurs (published 2nd November 2023)
2. Cuirassiers & Carabiniers (30th may 2024)
3. Napoleon's Army at Austerlitz (autumn 2024)
4. Dragoons & Lancers (november 2024)
5. Line Infantry 1806-1812
6. Line Infantry 1812-1815
7. Light Infantry, National Guard i.e 134e-156e de Ligne and Support Troops
8. French Army of the Revolution and Marengo
In design stage is our forthcoming title on the clothing and equipment of Napoleon's Light Cavalry. This will be followed by the Cuirassiers and Carabiniers, and then Dragoons and Lancers.
Hot on the heels of the Chasseurs and Hussars will be the Cuirassiers and Carabiniers. Each of the 19 regiments of cuirassiers is covered. The story explores the long gestation of the cuirassier arm, starting with the 8e Cavalerie, through to the Cuirassiers du Roi formed in 1814. A lot of myths are busted on the way about what the cuirassiers wore - scarlet epaulettes were a luxury not every man had a pair is just one - and the evolution of their armour. The so called 'officers pattern' cuirass of 1804 are no such thing, and are much older than 1804! Not forgetting the carabiniers and their mythical sky blue undress uniforms. Dragoons and Lancers will follow, and thence at the end of 2023 the first of the three volumes assessing the Ligne, Légère, Garde Nationale, Artillerie and Génie plus the troops of the Train.
around 30 pages shared on Googlebooks as preview of the Volume 1 Hussars and Chasseurs