Napoleon's Light Infantry and Artillery : Uniforms and Equipment

Provides a detailed, archival-based study of the actual uniforms and equipment worn by Napoleon's Grande Armée.This groundbreaking book offers a detailed exploration of the dress of the thirty-seven regiments of Light Infantry and other support troops in Napoleon's Grande Armè e, including foot and horse artillery, sapeurs, musicians, and carabiniers. For the first time in two centuries, it accurately examines how these troops were clothed and equipped.Paul Dawsonresearch draws from over 1,000 archive boxes in the Service Historique de l Armè e de Terre and the Archives Nationales in Paris. These documents reveal how the 1806 uniform regulations and Bardin regulations were implemented in practice, offering insights previously unavailable to the public.The archives focus on the annual inspections of regiments, where the condition of uniforms and equipment was assessed. Soldiers' uniforms were provided through stoppages in their pay, with a prescribed lifespan for each item. The regimental Council of

Administration also drew funds for clothing renewals, repairs, and equipment.Dawsonstudy demonstrates that the Bardin regulations, often seen as the standard, were largely a myth until the Waterloo Campaign. Through contemporary illustrations and photographs of existing uniforms, this book provides an authoritative understanding of the actual dress worn by Napoleontroops, making previous descriptions of the Grande Armè eappearance obsolete. [Publisher's Text]