"Napoleonic Russian Guard Jagers Plumes or not?" Topic

I am wondering if someone could please clarify whether any Russian Guard Jagers wore plumes?

I have a copy of Peter Sorensen's "The Russian Army of the Napoleonic Wars" and he states that the Guard Jagers wore no plumes. Does this also apply to the Carabineers in these units? Line Jager units apparently also did not have plumes other than Carabineers.

Any assistance on this topic would be appreciated.

It depends upon the year, and the 'function' in question – dress parade, combat, training, etc.,- but there is support for Mr. Sorensen's views. From Mark Conrad's fine translation of A.V. Viskovatov's work:

6 December 1809 – Field and company-grade officers were ordered to have shakos [kivera] with flat gild chinscales, as established at this time for officers of Guards heavy infantry. In the Grenadier Company of the L.-Gds. Finland Battalion the shako additionally had a black hair plume while the battalion's remaining companies, as well as the entire L.-Gds. Jäger Regiment, had no plumes (Illus. 1962).

You can read more about the evolution of uniforms in the Guard units here: link

Fixing a typo in the above link :

link

Further down the page ….

22 February 1811 – With the L.-Gds. Jäger Regiment being brought to a three-battalion configuration, each of one Grenadier and three Jäger companies, ….[o]fficers and lower ranks of Grenadier platoons, as well as the regimental drummer, were directed to wear shakos with the plumes prescribed at this time for Guards heavy infantry and the L.-Gds. Finland Battalion

For Army jägers

link

4 February 1811—Grenadiers and Marksmen are ordered to have hair plumes on their shakos, of the same pattern as those confirmed at this time for Grenadier regiments: for privates —all black; for noncommissioned officers—black with a white top with an orange stripe down its middle; for drummers and fifers —all red; for musicians—red with the same top as for noncommissioned officers

The following directives, described above, for Grenadier and Musketeer regiments were also applied to Jäger regiments: 22 February 1811 — … about Marksmen not wearing plumes

Note : Grenadier Companies in Jäger Battalions were composed of 2 platoons : a Grenadier Platoon and a Markmen/Strelkov Platoon.

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Also, a little pedantic, but ….

In the old spelling :
30 Августа 1815 — Гренадерскіе Егерскіе полки наименованы Карабинерными: 1-й — 1-мъ, 3-й — 2-мъ, 8-й— 3-мъ, 14—4-мъ, 26-й—25-мъ и 29-й—6-мъ
30 August 1815 – Grenadier Jäger regiments were named Carabinier

12 Февраля 1816 — 17-й Егерскій полкъ, за отличіе, переименованъ въ 7-й Карабинерный;
12 February 1816 – The 17th Jäger regiment, for distinction, was re-designated as the 7th Karabinernyi.

Karabinernyi Regiment was an honorific title, replacing/re-naming Grenadier Jäger Regiment. Previously, the distinguished jäger regiments conserved their original numbers : 1st Grenadier Jäger, 3rd Grenadier Jäger, 8th Grenadier Jäger, etc.
After the war, this was changed to 1-i Karabinernyi Polk, 2-i Karabinernyi Polk, etc.

The term "carabinier" applied to distinguished Army regiments, not Guard. It did not, officially, apply to the Grenadier Companies or Grenadier Platoons or individual Grenadiers within regiments. However, there was some natural "over-use" of the nomenclature, un-officially.

In any case, this would be all late 1815 and later.

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Chuvak