Religion was integral to eighteenth-century French society, and the same was true of the military! Owing to the fact that a large part of the authority of the French monarchy's absolute rule stemmed from its dedication to Catholicism, it is perhaps unsurprising that Protestants were not recognised in eighteenth-century France. Louis XIV's 1685 Edict of … Continue reading Soldats Gathering in their Masses
Leadership in Battle
In the chaos of battle, soldiers looked to their Officiers and Bas-Officiers (or NCOs in English) for leadership, support, and alignement! This wonderful photo by Katie events Photography also highlights the most obvious distinctions between regiments in the French army: facing colour of lapels and cuffs. The violet of le Gatinois contrasts visibly with the … Continue reading Leadership in Battle
New Acquisitions!
Why do I need two coffee pots? One for getting grubby on the fire, and another for serving coffee to guests at table, of course! Beautiful coffee pots by Master Tinner Steve Delisle
Marching in Step?
Contrary to popular belief, it was not common for eighteenth-century armies to march fully formed and in step. Contemporary military theorists all agreed that it achieved nothing - other than tiring the men (and the drummers) out unnecessarily. More commonly, once a formation was en route, the soldats would be ordered to carry their arms … Continue reading Marching in Step?
Research in Action!
On the left, Charles M. Lefferts's early 20th century illustration of le Regiment de Gatinois; on the right is our impression! It is always interesting to see how far we've come in our understanding - but also what details differ from other interpretations. Photo kindly provided by Skipping Red Panda
Sergent’s “Stripes”
The main distinguishing feature of our new sergent's impression is the lace band around his forearm. The 1779 Reglemente says that his lace should be "a simple silver braid on the forearm," nothing that to make it stand out more on the white uniform it should be piped in the facing colour. For ours, that … Continue reading Sergent’s “Stripes”
Making Cartridges – Part 3
Welcome back- at last we've assembled our cartouches and loaded the giberne! And how, you might ask? With the template cut out... ...we place a lead ball in the top of the mandrel, and then roll it into the paper. We use the "hole" in the table to secure the paper around the ball. Then … Continue reading Making Cartridges – Part 3
Making Cartridges – Part 2
The next step in our reproduction cartouche (cartridge) making is the necessary implements to shape them! The instructions that we are following, which were issued in 1777 to the officers in charge of ammunition manufacturing, state that you need: - a "wooden mandrel, 7 inches long and 6 lines 9 points in diameter; these must … Continue reading Making Cartridges – Part 2
Making Cartridges – Part 1
This weekend, a small detachment began the work on a project we've been researching for a while….reproduction cartridges. The first step is, of course, casting the lead musket balls! The main difficulty is the twin nature of molten metal and toxic lead, so appropriate safety precautions (as seen here) were an essential - but otherwise … Continue reading Making Cartridges – Part 1
Le Régiment Gatinois 