Dawson, Paul L. Napoleon’s Dragoons and Lancers

The dragoons, which had their origins in the army of Louis XIV, were originally mounted infantry. During the wars of the First Empire, they became "all-rounders" who could be deployed as battle cavalry, scouts or infantry. However, there are only a few studies on the clothing of these thirty regiments or the ten regiments of Uhlans that emerged from the dragoons in 1811. The clothing and equipment of each dragoon and Uhlan regiment in Napoleon's army is analysed and presented here with greater accuracy than has previously been possible. This is due to the fact that renowned Napoleon author Paul Dawson has been given access to over 1,000 archive boxes found in the Service Historique de l'Armée de Terre in Paris and in the Archives Nationales. These have enabled the author to assess how the far-reaching uniform regulations of 1806 and the better-known Bardin regulations were implemented in practice. This extensive resource, which has not yet been utilised by the majority of researchers and historians to understand the Napoleonic era in general, provides details that have never before been made available to the public. This is possible because each year a regiment was inspected and the condition of the uniforms assessed. All the clothing to be discarded was returned and the appropriate number of new garments ordered. Items of clothing and equipment that needed to be repaired were also recorded, as was the number of items of clothing and equipment repaired since the last inspection. On joining a regiment, the recruit received his first full set of clothing and equipment, which came from the interruption of his pay. Each item of clothing had a specific lifespan. If the items had to be repaired or replaced within the prescribed period due to improper use, the cost was borne by the soldier. All of this was recorded. A colonel had an annual budget to cover the cost of renewing and repairing his regiment's clothing. In addition, the regiment's governing body provided funds for the purchase of raw materials, equipment and headgear. These funds also covered various items such as the adjutant NCO's epaulettes, lace for rank insignia, lace for service insignia, lace for musicians and drummers, plumes and pompoms, such is the detail of these records. These invaluable sources provide unbiased empirical data from which we can reconstruct the life history of a regiment, its officers and, above all, its dress. In addition to the official records, the author has reconstructed how the regiments were dressed using diaries, letters and even fraud cases. In addition to the recorded details, this book shows exactly what each regiment looked like in numerous illustrations. These images include contemporary paintings as well as works specially commissioned for this book and unique photographs of existing uniform items. Now, for the first time since the days of Napoleon, we can say exactly what Napoleon's cavalry wore.