As illustrated here in this wonderful photo captured by Daz's Photography, French soldats only ever carried their muskets on their left shoulder, whether at the "portez" or "au bras" positions. By contrast, a French Officer or "bas Officier", a supernumerary NCO such as a sergent or a caporal acting as a sergent, always carried their … Continue reading Portez vos armes!
Marching on with more equipment
Now whilst it may be fair to say an army marches on its stomach, crucially it actually marches on its feet! Information about French army footwear in this period is "helpfully" vague and, as with many other issues, the first time any official standard was set was during the reforms of the late-1780s. We therefore … Continue reading Marching on with more equipment
Chapeaux Update
Another example of us continuing to learn and improve. After we posted about our 1779 chapeaux, historian Dr Robert Selig was able to provide us with some new information from the journal of Jean-Baptiste Dupleix de Cadignan. As Lt.-Col. of le Régiment de Agenois, Dupleix noted that, in August 1779, the regiments stationed in Saint-Domingue … Continue reading Chapeaux Update
Making a Habit out of this!
With the first of our regimental coats (or "habit", pronounced a-bi) completed, we wanted to take the opportunity to talk a little about a few of the finer details. The garment itself is built to last (many of the edges are piped, rather than left raw) and for good reason. The French army only issued … Continue reading Making a Habit out of this!
New Year, New Kit!
As a #progressivereenacting group, we are always committing to improving. When we began the project, we were not sure that the fleur-de-lys on our pokalems were correct, but we needed to make a decision and so produced ours based on what we had. We have since confirmed that we were wrong. We therefore undertook to … Continue reading New Year, New Kit!
Uniform – Chapeaus!
Of course, another necessity for military service in the #revwar is headwear! This is a tricky subject for French grenadiers in this period. Up until 1776, like British grenadiers, they wore a bearskin, or "bonnet de peau d'ours". However, the 1776 reforms instituted by the Comte de Saint-Germain included a prohibition of these, requiring that … Continue reading Uniform – Chapeaus!
The musket modèle 1777 at rest.
Photo by kind permission of David Hoult
Uniform – Gaiters!
We promised a post about gaiters, and so we deliver! 3 pairs might seem excessive, and it certainly produced a lot of work with 20-24 buttons and button holes per leg, but having the options was to both spread the wear and prepare a soldat for the whole year. This winter pair would have seen … Continue reading Uniform – Gaiters!
Le bonnet de police en forme de Pokalem (fatigue cap in the shape of a “pokalem”)
As we begin eagerly ticking down the days towards our first event, and work continues on a whole menagerie of this impression, we thought we'd also share a little bit about the next item of kit on our list: le bonnet de police en forme de Pokalem (fatigue cap in the shape of a "pokalem"). … Continue reading Le bonnet de police en forme de Pokalem (fatigue cap in the shape of a “pokalem”)
Uniform – Vestes (sleeved waistcoats)
As the first impression of the French Army during the #RevWar in the UK, it is essential to set a high standard for all our kit and equipment. At present our main priority is, of course, uniforms! These are grounded in the Reglementes, consultation with historians and researchers, and produced in partnership with some incredibly … Continue reading Uniform – Vestes (sleeved waistcoats)
Le Régiment Gatinois 