French Hussars 1724 - 1873.

The uniforming of the French Hussars (Richard Knötel). Taken from the Handbook of Uniformology, p. 171 ff.

"This arm has existed in France since 1692. At that time a regiment called Hussards royaux was raised, mainly from Croats, Poles and Turks. In 1701 a 2nd regiment was formed and later others. Until 1720 the various hussar formations were almost without exception uniformed in light blue. In that year the newly established Esterhazy regiment received ochre-colored dolmans.... (In the Bercheny regiment) the dolman is sky blue with white cords; the red breeches are almost hidden by the sky-blue szarawads, the pelisse is replaced by a fur, the cap has a red pouch. The black sabretache shows a white fleur-de-lis. Until 1740 some men, in addition to the saber, were still armed with the "panzerstecher", a long, thin, square-sectioned smallsword."

According to the regulations of 1752 all hussar regiments (Bercheny, Trupin, Polleresky, Linden, Beausobre, Raugrave and Ferrari) were uniformed with light-blue dolmans, pelisses and breeches; the cords were white. The regiments now wore winged caps, whose color and trim constituted the regimental badges. By 1757 only four regiments remained, of which "Nassau-Saarbrücken" had only been founded in 1756. This regiment was completely differently uniformed: black felt caps with similarly orange- and white-edged wings. On the front of the cap a white fleur-de-lis. Dolman and breeches royal blue, pelisse red, cords white. The red sabretache showed a white crowned lion and was edged in orange and white. Around 1745 hussar detachments also appear in the various free corps.

Among these should be mentioned, among others, the Breton Free Hussars. Dolman, cords on the pelisse, breeches and winged cap sky blue, pelisse, dolman cuffs and dolman cords light brown. Free Hussars of the Dauphin: dolman and breeches light brown, pelisse and dolman cuffs light blue, cords yellow, felt cap black with light-blue wing. Monet Hussars: entirely green with white cords and a black felt cap. Cantabrian Hussars: entirely light blue with red cuffs and white cords. As these individual examples show, the uniforming was very colorful.

After the reorganization of the army in 1762 only three hussar regiments remained, to which a fourth was added in 1794. The insignia were now simplified. All four regiments received green pelisses and dolmans with white cords; the breeches were consistently red. As saddlecloths, sheepskins with a scalloped cloth border. The color of this border, together with the like-colored dolman cuffs and the wing lining of the felt cap, formed the distinguishing mark of the regiments, namely the Bercheny regiment wore madder red, Chamboran black, Royal-Nassau aurore (light orange) and Esterhazy white. The sabretaches were red and adorned with a fleur-de-lis, in the case of Royal-Nassau replaced by the royal monogram. Still in the seventies, Bercheny received as base color, Chamboran brown, Conflans (formed from the Legion Conflans and Nassau Hussars) green, Esterhazy silver-gray, and the hussar regiment of the same name, established in 1783 from the Legion Lauzun, sky blue.

The type of uniform did not change essentially during the Revolution. When in 1791 the regiments lost their names and received numbers instead, the strength was six regiments.

No.	Former designation	Dolman	Pelisse	Cords	Breeches	Winged caps
1	Bercheny	blue	blue	white	blue	red and black
2	Chamboran	brown	brown	white	sky blue	sky blue and black
3	Esterhazy	blue-gray	blue-gray	red	blue-gray	white and black
4	Saxe	green	green	yellow	red	green
5	Colonel-Général	blue	red	yellow	blue	black
6	Lauzun	blue	white	yellow	blue	red and black

The officers wore panther-skin shabraques and pelisse caps. The tuft on the winged cap was black with a red tip. When the Saxe hussar regiment emigrated, a renumbering took place among regiments 5 and 6: Colonel-Général received No. 4 and Lauzun No. 5. In the following years many new formations occurred, mostly of short duration. We now find, besides the mentioned regular regiments, two Corps de la Liberté, furthermore American Hussars, foot hussars, Hussars of Death, marksmen-hussars, Free Hussars of the North (also called black hussars), Hussars of Equality, etc. The Free Hussars of Paris were nicknamed canaries because of their yellow dolmans and pelisses. Shakos replaced the winged caps. Initially the tuft was placed over the left side of the shako, later in front. Around 1812 the form of the shako became more cylindrical and received a colored cloth covering.

The regimental insignia from 1803 to 1812 were as follows:

No. 1	Dolman	Collar	Cuffs	Pelisse	Cords	Breeches
1	sky blue	sky blue	red	sky blue	white	sky blue
2	brown	brown	sky blue	brown	white	sky blue
3	gray	gray	red	gray	red	gray
4	royal blue	royal blue	red	red	yellow	royal blue
5	sky blue	sky blue	white	white	yellow	sky blue
6	red	red	red	royal blue	yellow	royal blue
7	green	red	red	green	yellow	red
8	green	red	red	green	white	red
9	red	light blue	light blue	light blue	yellow	light blue
10	sky blue	red	red	sky blue	white	sky blue
11	royal blue	red	red	royal blue	yellow	royal blue

The pelisse border was uniformly black with the exception of the 11th regiment, which wore it white. The sash was carmine with yellow or white knots, according to the color of the cords and buttons. The sabretache, which during the Revolutionary period had shown on a colored ground a bundle of lictor's rods surmounted by the Phrygian cap of liberty alongside two wreaths with the letters R. F., received in 1804 the imperial eagle. Later it was made of black glazed leather, with the plain regimental number on it. Instead of the Hungarian breeches, which were only parade items, in the field and for ordinary service buttoned over-trousers were worn, partly gray in color, partly corresponding to the color of the Hungarian breeches. The elite companies of the hussars were distinguished by a pelisse cap with a red tuft. 1812: green riding breeches. 1813: The former 9th regiment received the number 12 and retained the uniform of the 9th regiment with white cords. The 13th regiment received the clothing of the 2nd regiment with light-blue collars and a red cylindrical shako.

Among the hussar formations of the First Empire we must also mention the four regiments of the Imperial Guard (1813 - 1814). Red shako with white braid and white eagle, green pelisses and dolmans laced with white; the latter with red collars and cuffs, carmine and white sash, red Hungarian breeches with white trim, green over-button trousers. Black sabretache with white eagle. The regiments differed by the colored tip of the shako tuft, these colors being for the 1st regiment red, 2nd blue, 3rd yellow, 4th white. White sheepskin cloak with green cloth border. A Croatian hussar regiment raised in 1813 received sky-blue dolmans and pelisses, chamois collars and cuffs, white cords and iron-gray breeches; otherwise the uniform was entirely like those of the other regiments.

The Restoration of 1815 left only six regiments:

No.	Names	Dolman and Pelisse	Breeches
1	du Jura	sky blue	scarlet
2	de la Meurthe	brown	sky blue
3	de la Moselle	gray	carmine
4	du Nord	light green	scarlet
5	du Bas-Rhin	royal blue	scarlet
6	du Haut-Rhin	dark gray	sky blue

The color of the braiding was everywhere mixed from the dolman and breeches color; thus for the 1st regiment sky blue and scarlet-twisted cords, etc. Also under the royal guard there now existed a regiment which wore royal-blue uniforms with amaranth-red collar, cuffs and breeches as well as the pouch of the pelisse cap. Cords white. Pelisse border black, tuft white with red root.

In accordance with general fashion, in the twenties and thirties the shako rose to an incredible height.

The insignia colors were in 1834:

No.	Dolman and Pelisse	Breeches and Shako
1	sky blue	madder red
2	brown	madder red
3	silver-gray	madder red
4	madder red	sky blue
5	dark blue	madder red
6	green	madder red

In the shortly following period the following changes are to be recorded. The 2nd regiment received blue shakos and breeches, in memory of the old Chamboran Hussars, together with white cords. The 1st and 4th also received white braiding. The other regiments retained the cord color mixed from the color of the dolman and breeches. When three new regiments were established in 1840, the 7th received a uniform similar to that of Napoleon I's Guides, the 9th a black uniform in memory of the Hussards de la Mort. The 8th regiment white dolman and pelisse with stripes in memory of the old Lauzun Hussars.

Under the Second Empire a black pelisse cap with red pouch was introduced as headgear. In 1862 pelisses and sashes were discontinued.

All eight regiments (the 9th had been disbanded) had red breeches and collars. The 3rd and 8th sky-blue dolmans, the 2nd brown, the 3rd and 4th silver-gray, the 5th dark blue, the 6th and 7th light green. The braiding on the first six regiments white, the others yellow. In 1869 the 1st and 8th regiments received, instead of the tightly braided dolman, a kind of Attila (tunique) with only six rows of braid. The sabretaches were black with a copper eagle. Officers usually wore, instead of the pelisse cap, a leather kepi with cover.

After the campaign of 1870/71 a light-blue Attila with white braiding was generally introduced. The light-blue collar showed the regimental number in the same color on a white patch. Legwear remained the same; the service cap of red ground color had a light-blue band. Parade kepi light blue with white trim and white Hungarian knots. 1907 single-breasted light-blue tunics with light-blue collar and red regimental number, light-blue sleeve cuffs, white trefoils, white buttons. Some regiments received cuirassier helmets with a star on the plate before the World War.

At the outbreak of war in 1914 light-blue kepi covers. For the field uniform M15 and M35 dark-blue collar patches with light-blue angular cords and number, white buttons. Mess dress all-metal silver, collar, collar patch, cuff patch, the lampasses on the trousers and the kepi band light blue.