Uniform question?

[Harry Faversham]

I'm going to do three or four Perry French elite Hussars, lead by a Veteran Sergeant...
how would the Sergeant's uniform differ from the rank and file please?

[dadlamassu]

The insignia matched the button colour of each particular regiment so for the 14th Hussars (silver buttons), they were as follows:

Hussar – only a 1 cm wide white braid edging on the cuff

Brigadier (Corporal) – two woollen tresses, each 2.5 cm wide, over the cuff (the tresses at a distance of 1 cm from each other)

Brigadier-fourrier (Quartermaster-Corporal) – in addition to the two chevron tresses of the brigadier, another 2.5 cm wide silver slanted tress on the upper sleeve.

Maréchal des logis (Sergeant) – one 2.5 cm wide silver chevron tress at a distance of 1 cm from the cuff

Maréchal-des-logis chef (Chief Sergeant) – a second 2.5 cm wide silver tress at a distance of 1 cm above the tress of the Maréchal des logis

Adjutant sous-officier (Sergeant-Major) – a third silver tress

Sous-lieutenant (Second-Lieutenant) - a silver coloured, 1 cm wide tress on the edge of the cuff

Lieutenant – two silver 1 cm wide tresses above the cuffs (no distance between them!)

Adjutant-major            - this rank requires an exact explanation; according to my documents it is apparently a lieutenant with more than two years service as such and who is just before promotion to captain; so I can only make some assumptions as to his insignia, but probably these were the three chevron tresses of the captain – a further feature of the adjutant-major was a cane, the meaning of which is however fully unclear to me – maybe a reader can help with solving this mystery?

Capitaine (Captain) – three 1 cm wide silver tresses above the cuff

Chef d’escadron (Squadron chief) – according to regulations, three silver, 1 cm wide tresses as well as one silver, 2.2. cm wide tress, which is fixed second above the cuff – more often though, one finds the arrangement as shown on page 17, namely alternately two thin (1 cm) and two wide (2.2. cm) chevron tresses

Major (Lieutenant Colonel) –three thin (1 cm) silver and two wide (2.2 cm) golden tresses alternating above the cuff

Colonel – as for the major, except the two wide chevron tresses are also silver.

For hussar regiments with yellow button colour, the insignia must therefore have been yellow or gold.

All that remains is to explain the following ranks:

Quartier-maître trésorier (Quartermaster and Paymaster) – he was usually held the rank of lieutenant or captain and should therefore have worn their insignia, I am not aware of any specific insignia

Chirurgien major (Surgeon 1st class) – he did not hold the status of an officer and was subject to the dress regulations for medical personnel

Chirurgien aide-major (Surgeon 2nd Class) – as above

Chirurgien sous aide-major (Surgeon 3rd Class) – as above

Artiste vétérinaire (Veterinarian) – as above

Trompette major (Staff trumpeter) – he wore the insignia of his rank (e.g. Brigadier or Maréchal des logis)

Maîtres-ouvriers (Master Craftsmen) – in detail, these were 1 tailleur (tailor), 1 sellier (saddler), 1 armurier (Armourer) and 1 bottier (shoemaker); their uniforms and insignia are completely unknown to me

Enfant de troupe (?) – Junior soldier? cadet? orphan? musician?  I don't know.

Maréchal-ferrant (farrier) – a horseshoe in the button colour (white for the 14th regiment) on the right upper sleeve

In addition, to mark the years of service red woollen chevron tresses were worn on the left upper sleeve of the dolman, the pelisse and the coat of the other ranks and NCOs as follows: 1 tress for at least 10 years, 2 tresses for at least 15 years and three tresses for at least 20 years.

[Harry Faversham]

Thanks D, I'm going for Maréchal des logis (Sergeant), would he have the tress on his Pelisse too?

[dadlamassu]

Thanks D, I'm going for Maréchal des logis (Sergeant), would he have the tress on his Pelisse too?

Yes, on the dolman, pelisse and coat.  You can see the tresses on the sleeves of the right hand figure.

[Harry Faversham]

Thank you Sir, just wot I needed to get the uniforms looking right. Fun bit starts now, having a look in the books to see which Hussar Regiments served in the Peninsula.

[Harry Faversham]

Just got this month's WI magazine, there's a couple of free British Life Guards with it. The painting guide shows the bridle and reins as black leather. I seem to recall British Waterloo period horse tac being brown leather, which is correct? I aim to do one figure as the redoubtable Corporal Shaw, not sure about the other maybe a Trooper of the Blues?