Napoleonic French Grenadiers

[War Depot David]

Does anyone have any rules they follow for use of red pompoms versus red plumes for French Grenadiers of Line Battalions. And then when do you throw in bearskins?

I know the bearskins were definite in the Guard Grenadier battalions and I know there were bearskins in the peninsula used by line regiments but I just work out which figures to use for my line grenadier companies.

[Scott Bowden]

David,

I know that you might receive a wide variety of responses to this...

The army that entered Russia was still in the uniforms widely seen in 1809, and bearskins were still present in some regiments as late as 1813, showing (clearly) the power and preferences of the colonels, as well as the delay in getting "regulation" uniforms manufactured and distributed across the Eurpoean continent. Fyi...the inspection returns of the regiments show the particulars, among many other things. I mention these inspection notes at various places in different books.

This, however, is also known: the only time a French army took the field exclusively wearing the Bardin regulation uniforms that had been decreed in 1812 was during the Hundred Days in 1815, and that being the Armee du Nord.

This should indicate to you just how widely ranging/varying were the uniforms in the armies of Napoleonic France.

[War Depot David]

Thanks Scott.

So for my detailed but simplified generalisations (!), I would say that bicornes and bearskins with poms and plumes up to 1808 and then shakos with poms all round, except for a few individuals units.

Do we know which units still had bearskins up to which dates?

[Scott Bowden]

Yes...the info is in the inspection returns, some of which are detailed in the superb Rousselot plates