The Uniforms of the French Army under Napoleon I (1800 - 1815) - The Cavalry - Hussars I

The hussars, which first appeared mainly in the 17th century, became part of the cavalry of most European armies during the 18th century and represented the classic light cavalry.

Their tasks were above all reconnaissance of enemy troop movements, masking the marches of their own army, skirmishing with the enemy vanguard, pursuing the enemy after an engagement or battle, but also foraging or conducting smaller military operations behind enemy lines.

In France the hussar arm was introduced in 1692.

In 1792 there were 13 hussar regiments (Rogers, p. 66). This number was subsequently reduced. By 1803 only 10 regiments remained. In 1810 an 11th hussar regiment was added.

The hussar regiments 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 11 took part in the Russian campaign of 1812.

In the Battle of Waterloo (18 June 1815) the following hussar regiments fought: 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7.

In the revolutionary years the hussars wore the winged cap with a long wing of colored cloth.

Apparently an eye-visor could also be attached to this (cf. Knötel, Uniformenkunde, Volume XVI, No. 49. 3rd Hussar Regiment around 1797).

The uniforms of the French hussars were extremely colorful and splendid and were characterized by elements of the original Hungarian national costume.

They corresponded to the typical style of this type of cavalry. They consisted of a laced dolman, a fur-trimmed jacket (pelisse), close-fitting legwear (breeches) and hussar boots.

The pelisse could be worn as a jacket or hung over the left shoulder. Its trim was usually black (or brown); the lining was white.

The lacing usually matched the button color (different, for example, in the 3rd Hussar Regiment; cf. Knötel, Uniformenkunde, Volume XIII, No. 8).

In the field overtrousers were mostly worn. These generally had the colors of the breeches. They could, however, also simply be grey.

The colored sabretaches showed, within a laurel wreath, the crowned imperial eagle with the regimental number beneath, or the regimental number with a crown. In the field simpler models of the sabretaches were worn (black with regimental number).

The distinctive colors of the various hussar regiments were, according to Funcken in 1812, as follows:

The shako served as headgear. It had a white hanging cloth and a plume in the regiment's corresponding facing color.

Around 1805 the black shako was adorned with a large tricolor and replaced the previously used cap plate. In 1807 a diamond-shaped ornament was introduced. This showed the regimental number. From 1810 a cap plate in the form of an imperial eagle was used.

In the field waterproof shako covers were used.

In practice, however, there were many individual variations among the regiments, e.g. in the feather plumes.

The elite companies of the hussars wore fur caps. Their kolpaks were red. The hanging cloth was likewise red, blue or white.

Trumpeters often wore a dolman of a different color and colored shakos. For example, an illustration by Knötel the Younger shows a trumpeter from the 9th Hussar Regiment in a yellow dolman with a red pelisse and a sky-blue covered shako with yellow trimming stripes. A plate by Rigo shows a trumpeter with a white dolman (instead of sky-blue) and a sky-blue pelisse (instead of white).

The armament consisted of a sabre (Model IV) and a carbine.

Braided hair and plaits were the customary hairstyle. These were also retained for a long time (documented for the 8th Hussar Regiment as late as 1812; cf. Knötel, Uniformenkunde, Volume XIII, No. 18).

The later General Marcellin Marbot describes his instructor in the Bercheny Hussar Regiment (1799) as follows: "Very stiff indeed in bearing, but with the shako on his ear, with a dragging sabre, a huge scar across the flaming red face, the half‑foot‑long moustache greased up to the ears, two thick hair plaits protruding from under the shako from the temples down to the chest...." (Stuttgart 1907, Vol. 1, p. 46).

From 1813/14 the shako became tall and cylindrical. This form (rouleau) was in some cases already worn in 1812 (Regts. 6 and 8 made of red cloth).

The hussars wore colorful sashes (crimson red).