"a special pomon regulation for french artillery drvers?" Topic

Hi Gents
Was there a regulation for french artillery drivers? I know they had plumes! greetings serge joe

Mine got plain light blue to match their jackets…OK "Iron grey" I know. The Guard jacket colour in La Musee de l'Armee did surprise me as far darker blue than I had thought.

Apologies, not answering your question at all!

Generally the pom-poms of the line artillery train under the Empire appear to have been blue (when the train was first instituted in 1800 each battalion included an elite company, which had red pom-poms, but these were disbanded in 1801). According to Rousselot (Napoleon's Army 1790-1815), the colours of the pom-poms worn in the days of the Consulate are not known but he surmises that they might have been red-over-blue and "carrot-shaped". Once the shako replaced the bicorne pom-poms seem to have been blue though Rousselot's illustrations also show drivers with red pom-poms and blue pom-poms with red centres. He also shows drivers with flat pom-poms, which are blue with a white centre containing the regimental number. He notes that the actual dress worn often deviated from the regulations.

However, the Mont St. Jean site shows them as red: link and Digby Smith (writing as Otto von Pivka) in 'Armies of 1812' also gives the pom-pom colour as red.

The pom-poms of the Guard artillery train appear to have been red (though Rousselot does include an illustration of a driver of the 2nd Regiment in 1813-14 earing what appears to be a dark blue pom-pom).

Dear Dead Head.
Apologies excepted greetings serge joe

So just red any compagny greetings serge joe

Yes. Apart from the ones who wore blue.

Hey, S-J.

Do you know this site:

link

By all means keep asking questions here but this is a great uniform resource for the 100 Days.

So no clue?
Yes. Apart from the ones who wore blue.
whitch one?
greetings serge jioe

As I said, Rousselot (whom I take to be a good authority) believes that in general terms the line wore blue and the guard wore red. However, the regulations were not always followed and there are contemporary illustrations of line drivers with red pom-poms. There were also many variations in the style of the pom-poms, some being ball-shaped and others being flat-discs, each coming in a variety of colour combinations.

The train battalions all had elite companies and they went to pull the horse artillery companies. They were not disbanded in 1800/1801.

The battalions were reorganized in 1800 with lieutenants commanding companies and captains battalions, but the elite companies remained, and the battalions were increased from five companies to six.

B

As to uniform colors, sometimes they were dyed a darker shade than regulation and would gradually fade to the 'correct' color.

B

The train battalions all had elite companies and they went to pull the horse artillery companies. They were not disbanded in 1800/1801.

Rousselot specifically states that they were disbanded: "A Decree of 16th Thermidore, Year IX (4th August, 1801), gave details of the train of artillery: Composed of 8 battalions, each of 6 companies comprising 76 NCOs and men, trumpeter included. There was no longer an Elite Company."

Is he mistaken in this or were the elite companies reinstated at a later date? And if they were how did their uniform differ from the regular companies? Would they be the ones who wore red pom-poms?

Col Elting in Swords Around A Throne makes a point of stating that they were employed with the horse artillery.

B

Yes, Rousselot also states that the elite companies, during their brief existence, were usually attached to the horse artillery. In Swords Around the Throne (p.254) Col. Elting says that, at the creation of the artillery train in 1800, one of the five companies was elite. However, he goes on to say that the campaigns of that year caused a reorganisation of the train into eight battalions of six companies. He doesn't state that one of the companies retained its elite status so I see no reason to assume that it did.

stick to Rousselot