Dawson, Paul L. Napoleon's Line Infantry

From the Battle of Jena to the Invasion of Iberia. Uniforms and Equipment

This book deals with the uniforms and equipment of the line infantry, the backbone of the French army at the height of its glory. The crushing defeat of the Prussian army in the two battles of Jena and Auerstedt in 1806 was arguably the most impressive of Napoleon's numerous victories. This was followed in 1807 by the defeat of the Russians at Friedland, which made Napoleon the undisputed ruler of Europe. Only a few weeks after the Battle of Friedland, Napoleon became involved in Spanish politics. In an effort to free the European continent from British influence, the emperor attempted to conquer Portugal and subjugate Britain's allies to the empire. The Spanish War of Independence had begun. What did the troops wear when the Grande Armée marched from Germany to Spain? In the winter of 1807 and spring of 1808, a major inventory of French forces was carried out. Using tens of thousands of archival sources stored in over 1,000 archive boxes, we can reconstruct in minute detail what the army looked like at the beginning of the Spanish War of Independence. This book deals with the clothing of the line infantry after the reforms of 1806, which most significantly changed the appearance of the army until the Proto-Bardin Regulation of 1811. The book examines the famous or infamous white uniforms as well as the clothing of the army in the field, particularly during the Spanish War of Independence. The author shows that the idea that anything went in terms of line infantry clothing during the harsh Spanish War of Independence was largely a myth. The author shows that not every grenadier wore a bearskin cap, let alone had scarlet epaulettes, that not every voltigeur wore unique decorations, and that sapeurs were a rare species in the Grande Armée.