"Napoleonic French Officers" Topic

Can anyone tell me what the Officer uniform distinctions were for in the French army in 1815?

All picture references I can find simply refer to the subject as being an officer without giving a rank. When I do find a subject described as a "Captain" he looks no different from a "Lieutenant"

Any advice would be gratefully received.

It's all in the epaulettes. Mostly.

Have a look here

link

Go on, it's not a link to a picture of Sean Connery in a nappy. Honest

Accoding to Ugo Pericoli's Armies at Waterloo rank distinctions were also on the shako in 1815.

Colonel and Lieutenant-Colonel: two gold bands, top one 35mm, lower one 15mm, white plume

Major: top gold band 35mm, lower silver band 15mm, plume white tipped red

Chef de Battalion one gold band 35mm red plume

Captain one gold band 30mm (red plume for grenadiers, yellow or occasionally green for voltiguers, presumably appropriate pom-pom for centre companies)

Lieutenant one gold band 25mm

2nd Lieutenant one gold band 20mm

He shows a Legere officer with a silver instead of gold band.

Ched de bataillon and above had VERY large epaulettes – as for generals – hence the nickname given to all senior officers "grosses epaulettes" (fat epaulettes)

Otherwise – for line infantry (ivert the metals for light)

Colonel: Two large epaulettes with braiding – gold
Major: Two large epaulettes – braiding gold, top body silver
Chef de bataillon: left epaulette gold with braiding (large), right counter-epaulette (no braiding) gold
Capitaine: same as chef de bataillon but standard braiding (not large)
Capitaine adjudant major: same as capitaine, but invert counter apulette and epaulette
Lieutenant: same as capitaine, but top body has a narrow strip of red silk running in the middle parallel to the shoulder
sous lieutenant: same as lieutenant but with two red stripes of red silk

otherwise plumes have been indicated – this is all documented in Rousselot's palte N°62 also in the recent reprint of all the Rousselot plates by LCV – this is page 495 of volume 2

YM

Thanks very much for your help.