"AWI French Grenadiers" Topic

I have found one drawing of AWI French Grenadiers. The bearskin cap is depicted with a brass/gold colored plaque on the front, a white feather plume topped in red and the back round spot of cloth in red. Is this the standard look of French bearskin caps during the AWI? Or did each bearskin cap vary per regiment as with the Germans?

Somewhere, I have the vague recollection that the plume was white with a tip of the facing colour, but I may be mistaken. Did the grenadier in the drawing have red facings?

Actually both the tip of the plume and the back cloth patch both match the facing color. Did all grenadier caps have the brass plate on the front as well? I know the Germans plate varied and were either silver or brass colored dependent on the regiment.

Hello Jagger,
The info that I have indicates that the plate was brass for all grenadiers. The plume I am not getting any concrete info on. I did see a picture in Osprey that shows the bag and plume tipped in the facing color.
Keith

I have a handful of images that show a French grenadier wearing a bearskin cap with plume. A summary is below:

* Royal Vaisseaux. 18th Century illustration of the 1776 uniform. Bottom of the plume is obscured; the top is white.

* Royal Deux-Ponts. 18th Century illustration of what appears to be the 1779 uniform. Bottom of the plume is obscured; the top is white.

* 18th Century drawing of French grenadiers (including those of Hainault) at capture of Grenada. Troops appear to be wearing the 1779 uniform (probably an error on the artists' part). Plume is light colored, probably white -- at least at tip. See link: link

* van Blarenberghe painting of French troops at Yorktown. Shows a grenadier (difficult to discern the regiment -- maybe Agenois?) in bearskin with what appears to be a white plume. See link: link

* Photos of reenactors depicting Regiment Saintonge. They have a plume that is white on top and red on the bottom.

I am a member of the re-created Royal Deupont Grenadiers. The front plate is brass, the plume white, as are the cords and tassels, with a yellow cloth cloth circle at the top. This is the facing color. All grens used the brass plate, as far as I know, but the detail of decorations may have varied. The period plate I have seen has bomb in the center. We have plates with a crown at the center, bombs and arms at the corners with Fluers. Keep in mind that the bearskin bonnets were suppressed by the official ordinances in this time period. Grens were suppose to wear the cocked hat with red pompom above the three color cockade. There is evidence that the regiments ignored this, and wore their bonnets anyway.

There is only 1 regiment with grenadier caps without front plate, as far as I know: the grenadiers of the Volontaires étranger de Lauzun, part of Rochambeau's Corps Expéditionnaire.