A Boatload of Perry Early British Napoleonics

[WillieB]

Hoping Alan and Michael will eventually do the French (Egypt) dragoons as well. Buttoned down overalls and single breasted surtout. Would be great if they did them with separate heads, Helmet and Casquette a pouf. That way you could give then green, blue or even (off) white uniform jackets.

[Arthur]

If you are referring to the white uniform below, it's a complete fabrication by Knötel. He erroneously assumed that the off-duty white surtout some dragoon officers had local tailors custom-make for them was worn by the rank and file as well. The clothing bills for 1800-1801 clearly show that no such garment was ever issued to dragoon privates and NCO's and the men continued to wear the regulation green long-tailed habit until their return to France in 1801.



Dragoons were issued a dark green double-breasted stable jacket for fatigue duties (see figure C below) but such jackets would not normally be worn in action. The casquette à pouf was similarly issued as an undress item though some dragoons would wear it in combat if their helmet had been lost or damaged. Some enterprising troopers even replaced the pouf with a horsehair tail to make the cap look more like a regular dragoon helmet (see 11). That said, helmets would normally be worn in battle if the men could help it.    

[WillieB]

Thanks for that Arthur! Don't know much about Napoleonic uniforms at all.

But I was referencing to an illustration in the Charles Grant book Napoleon's Campaign in Egypt Vol I (illustrations by Bob Marrion- but obviously based on the Knotel plate) that shows an officer of the 3rd regiment in this outfit.
It also mentions the clothing regulation of 19.6.1799 that says that single breasted coats of unbleached linen, piped in the appropriate facing colour were issued.

But I"ll already be quite happy if the Perrys bring out the dragoons in campaign dress.





 

[Arthur]

I haven't got Grant's books on the Egyptian campaign but I'd be curious to see his source for the white surtouts. Frankly, this is the first time I've heard of a clothing ordinance dated June 1799. Bonaparte did reorganise his cavalry on June 25th 1799 but it was not until August that he ordered the entire army into new uniforms, which weren't manufactured and issued until November anyway. The strangest thing is that Rigo (a.k.a Albert Rigondeau, who worked from the administrative records of the Armée d'Orient) never mentions such a document.
 

[WillieB]

I haven't got Grant's books on the Egyptian campaign but I'd be curious to see his source for the white surtouts. Frankly, this is the first time I've heard of a clothing ordinance dated June 1799. Bonaparte did reorganise his cavalry on June 25th 1799 but it was not until August that he ordered the entire army into new uniforms, which weren't manufactured and issued until November anyway. The strangest thing is that Rigo (a.k.a Albert Rigondeau, who worked from the administrative records of the Armée d'Orient) never mentions such a document.
 

The only thing I could find is a translation of an anonymous member in the Service de Habillement ( also in the Grant book) Translated by Elting and appeared in Tradition #43. Apparently a 4 part article by R Marrion again.

Roughly it says that Napoleon wanted a second issue of clothing for his army instead of the first which was made of linen. The second issue had to be wool but not enough of any single colour could be found with the spectacular results we all admire now. Perhaps those unbleached linen surtouts were part of the first, unsatisfactory, issue? I've got a few older French books on the subject and will see if I can find something more concrete.
This is indeed a perfect illustration of the fun a wargamer can have!

[Arthur]

This is all perfectly true : the cotton uniform issued in late 1798 proved too fragile to the rigours of campaign and most officers complained that their men were in rags by the time the army returned from the Syrian campaign in June/July 1799 (only the trousers were linen by the way, the coats being made of a lightweight cotton material called cotonnade). Hence the decision to switch to cloth habits-vestes in August 1799, the result being the famous 'Kléber' uniform. 

I doubt the dragoons received white leftover cotton uniforms for two reasons : 1/ because those remaining in the stores would have immediately been issued to the infantry as stopgap clothing until the new cloth habit-vestes were ready and that doesn't seem to have happened 2/ because I seem to recall coats were always made from already dyed material, not tailored first and dyed afterwards (which is the reason for the multi-coloured uniforms of late 1799 : the French clothing board made use of all existing colours available in the stores in sufficient quantities).