"French Grenadiers in Greatcoats" Topic

Is there any unit which participated in Austerlitz that I can paint my 1/72 Revell French Grenadiers (in greatcoats) as? It seems to me (correct me if I am wrong) that the Grenadiers of the Imperial Guard wore parade dress, as did Oudinot's division. Did any grenadier units other than the grenadier companies of the line battalions (the Italian Royal Guard, for example) wear greatcoats?

Also, does anyone know if the single-breasted surtouts worn by the officers are appropriate for Austerlitz?

Jaques,

Always good to hear from another plastics guy.

The best use for your Revell Grenadiers is as grenadier companies for line battalions in greatcoat. Also, you can convert any greatcoat French to 1805 with bicorn head swaps.

I don't know of any units in particular wearing greatcoats or not at Austerlitz.

No telling what Oudinot's division looked like. Probably quite a scramble. Individual companies wearing their parental regimental distinctions, every color combination on epaulettes, every hat and plume combination, what a mess. Oudinot's memoires mention the issue of "a sober shako" being issued to the entire division, but I had to sell my copy, so I'm not sure if that was before or after Austerlitz. My impression was that the shako was issued when the division was first formed – probably the first entire division in shakos.

Thanks,

Unfortunately, I don't have any spare hats at the moment, and in any case I don't want to spoil such excellent figures with head-and-hat-swaps. In any case my line battalions have slightly too many grenadiers and voltigeurs already.

Regarding the shako, I was sure it was first issued to the line infantry in 1806, but a few minutes' search on the internet suggests you may be right:
According to link (assuming it's reliable):
"In 1804 a shako with red cords was prescribed for Napoleonic line grenadiers."

Also " In 1805 at Austerlitz the foot and horse guardsmen and Oudinot's 'granite division' wore parade dress (bearskins, red plumes etc.) But they also wore the trousers (in infantry) and overalls (in cavalry) over gaiters and breeches."

So, since headgear is just about anything, the question seems to be whether greatcoats are appropriate or not.

Many French soldiers seem to have worn their greatcoats even at Waterloo, on a sultry, hot day in June, so on a clammy, foggy day in December on the Moravian plains, I'd say they may well have worn whatever they could to keep warm?

So perhaps I misunderstood the term "parade dress" – maybe instead of "the same appearance as they would have on parade (except for the overalls)" it means "they wore their parade uniforms as well as any other items that could help them keep warm"?

I have been reading Sir Charles Oman's opus again – bed time stories for me – and he notes that the French at the Battle of Vitoria wore covered shakos and long linen coats much like overcoats. These were not not wool clothing, just functional to cover the basic uniform – or perhaps worn over the vest, with the habit in their back packs or in battalion baggage. The greatcoats at Waterloo may have been these smocks, not overcoats.

GdeP

Didn't the converged companies of grenadiers/carabiniers at Vimiero wear light-coloured linen "dusters" over their waistcoats?

Would these have been very different in appearance from the greatcoat? Could greatcoated figures be painted up to depict these linen overcoats?