french chevau-lÉgers lanciers
Before the Russian campaign Napoleon wanted to add some screening
abilites to the French heavy cavalry divisions. Having also in mind, the
great number of Cossacks to be found in the Russian steppes, he
converted the 1er, 3e, 8e, 9e, 10e and the 29e Régiment des Dragons to
1er, 2e, 3e, 4e, 5e, and 6e Chevau-Légers Lanciers. The Vistula Uhlans
and the Polish Guard lancers sent their troopers as instructors to the
newly formed French units.
UNIFORMS
Headgear was a brass helmet similar to the dragoons but without
the flowing horsehair mane and with a black chenille. Plumes were
usually scarlet, or white over red, but they were not usually worn on
campaign. The coat was basically the same as the dragoon coat - ie
mid-green in colour, but with pointed cuffs instead of the square cuffs
and cuff flap of the dragoons. Regimental facing colours were worn on
lapels, collars, cuffs and turnbacks. Elite company troopers wore red
epaulettes whereas other companies wore green epaulettes piped in the
regimental facing colour.
In full dress, mid-green breeches with hussar boots were worn. The
breeches had a yellow stripe going down the outer seam. 1st-4th
Regiments had a yellow inverted arrowhead pattern on the front thigh of
the breeches. 5th and 6th Regiments had a yellow Hungarian knot design
instead of the arrowhead. Overalls were worn on campaign, and there was
little standardisation: some were green with a stripe of the regimental
facing colour going down the outer seam. The inner thighs were
reinforced with black leather. Grey overalls were also worn - with the
black leather reinforcement. Some had stripes, some none, some with 2
stripes.
In addition to these 'French' units, Napoleon
incorporated the Polish
1st and 2nd Vistula Uhlans as 7th and 8th Chevau-Légers Lanciers, and a
last 'German' 9th Regiment formed by the conversion of the 30th
Chasseurs a Cheval, raised in Hambourg. These 'non-French' regiments
wore dark blue Polish style uniforms with czapska top (the 9th Regiment
wore also red breeches in Mamelouk style).
The distinctive colors and facings were:
Reg. | Collar/piping | Lapels | Cuffs/pipings | Turnbacks |
1st | scarlet | scarlet | scarlet | scarlet |
2nd | orange | orange | orange | orange |
3rd | pink | pink | pink | pink |
4th | crimson | crimson | crimson | crimson |
5th | sky blue | sky blue | sky blue | sky blue |
6th | madder red | madder red | madder red | madder red |
7th | yellow/dk blue | yellow | yellow/- | yellow |
8th | dk blue/yellow | yellow | dk blue/yellow | yellow |
9th | lt yellow | lt yellow | lt yellow | lt yellow |
All the Chevau-legers Lanciers Regiments fought in the Campaign of
Leipzig. However I was initially interested in the 3rd and 5th
Regiments.
MINIATURES
There are several 1/72 plastics Polish-style lanciers available,
but only a set of plastics 'French' line lancers:
Hat #8011 Napoleonic French Lancers, but I don't like it. However, I
found the metal
Newline Designs French Line Lancers, and I bought two 10-figures
unit packs: 24F18 French Line Lancers Charging and 24F19 French Line
Lancers Standing ando two normal pack: FR12/1 Command Charging and
FR12/2 Command Standing (4 figures each). Two Lasalle
normal (8 figures) units were painted as the 3rd and 5th Regiments
having respectivley pink and sky blue facongs, and the rest were painted
with generic red red facings (1st, 4th and 6th Regiments).
UNIT | FIGURES | COLOR SCHEME | PICTURES |
FRENCH Chevau-Légers Lanciers |
NEWLINE DESIGNS 24F18, 24F19, FR12/1 and FR 12/2 |
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Links of interest:
Chevau-Leger Lanciers (Napnuts page)
Napoleon, His Army and Enemies
Napoleon's Dragoons and Lancers. Emir Bukhari and Angus McBride.
Men-at-Arms 55, 1976
The Poles and Saxons of the Napoleonic Wars. George Nafziger and
Mariusz T. Wesolowski. The Emperor's Press, 1991
Histofig Site
The full movie: French Chevaulegers-Lanciers |
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