Napoleon’s Line Infantry – From the Battle of Jena to the Invasion of Iberia : Uniforms and Equipment

This book examines the uniforms and equipment of the backbone of the French army, the Line Infantry, at the height of its glory. The crushing defeat of the Prussian army at the twin battles of Jena and Auerstedt in 1806 was arguably the most impressive of all Napoleon’s many victories. This was followed in 1807 with the defeat of the Russians at Friedland, leaving Napoleon as the unrivalled master of Europe.

Just weeks after the Battle of Friedland, Napoleon became embroiled in Spanish politics. Seeking to rid the continent of Europe of British influence, the Emperor sought to conquer Portugal and subjugate the British ally to the Empire. The Peninsular War had begun. As the Grande Armée trudged from Germany to Spain, what were the troops wearing? A huge stock take took place across the armed forces of France in winter 1807 to spring 1808.

Using tens of thousands of archive sources, housed in over 1,000 archive boxes, we are able to reconstruct in meticulous detail how the army appeared at the beginning of the Peninsular War. This book looks at the dress of the Line Infantry following the reforms of 1806 which did most to change the way the army appeared until the proto-Bardin regulation of 1811. The book seeks to explore the famous or infamous white habits as well as the dress of the army on campaign, notably in the Peninsular War. The author demonstrates that the perception of ‘anything goes’ was largely myth, regarding the dress of the line infantry during the rigours of the gruelling peninsular war.

The author demonstrates that not every grenadier wore a bearskin let alone had scarlet epaulettes, nor every voltigeur had unique distinctions and sapeurs were a ‘rare beast’ in the Grande Armée.