"Tall Plumes at Waterloo" Topic

How prevalent were tall plumes on various French infantry uniforms at Waterloo?

The recent information would suggest that not even the Old Guard would have worn their tall plumes at waterloo.

I believe line and light units had all adopted the ball pompom, some with short tuft, no tall plumes.

(My own collection of Napoleonic French has some of the regiments from Waterloo organized into divisions of the Peninsular campaign, most in earlier period uniforms – grenadiers and voltigeurs with tall plumes. I even use a 38 figure battalion of the 33eme de ligne in the 1806 white uniform faced violette to represent a battalion of the 36eme de ligne in the 2nd Corps! Tall yellow plumes and all-yellow epaulettes for the voltigeurs. Might be a way to get tall plumes onto the wargame board for Waterloo!)

GdeP

Sorry for the double post. Can't seem to be able to erase it!)

The recent information would suggest that not even the Old Guard would have worn their tall plumes at Waterloo.

I believe line and light units had all adopted the ball pompom, some with short tuft, no tall plumes.

(My own collection of Napoleonic French has some of the regiments from Waterloo organized into divisions of the Peninsular campaign, most in earlier period uniforms – grenadiers and voltigeurs with tall plumes. I even use a 38 figure battalion of the 33eme de ligne in the 1806 white uniform faced violette to represent a battalion of the 36eme de ligne in the 2nd Corps! Tall yellow plumes and all-yellow epaulettes for the voltigeurs. Might be a way to get tall plumes onto the wargame board for Waterloo!)

GdeP

By the way, the 33eme was never in Spain. Like many gamers in the 1960's I started with units where I had uniform data, and Bucquoy had a wonderful series on the 33eme. I did British 7th Foot, Royal Fusiliers, in white breeches, black gaiters, and too-large bearskin; Highlanders; Garde de Paris, and many units that were in some way wrong. They soldier on!

GdeP

So if I do the plumes yellow I can use them?
This is a bit confusing but that is why I am here.

This from Les Cent Jours website, and illustrates the 96th French Line regiment, voltigeurs. They were in the Hundred Days campaign. (This regiment was in the Ist Corps in Spain – 3 battalions, serving in the 1st Division with 3 battalions of the 9th Leger and 3 of the 24th line.) Very "typical" or standard uniform for voltigeurs at Waterloo. Notice the selection of epaulettes shown lower left, from green/yellow/green to red/yellow/green/ to green/red/green ("typical of center company French line – chasseurs – in the earlier periods); and all green. Take your pick, but no tall plumes :

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In Spain, Rousselot shows a drummer of voltigeurs of the 96th, 3rd from the left, top row, with all-green epaulettes, but 2-colors tall plume – 3/4 scarlet over yellow, in green ball on front of shako, and all green cords. Could have been for all the voltigeurs in the company, but lapels would have been white, edges scarlet; collar probably yellow edged red of white; cuffs red, edged white; and cuff flaps blue, edged red. One of the fun searches in earlier French uniforms – pre 1812 – is to see if one can find drummer information. This regiment used "cramoisy" (?crimson?) lapels and cuffs for its drummers.

I have not found tall all-yellow plumes for any other than the 33rd, and only for the 1806 white uniform. The "standard" tall plumes for pre-1812 voltigeurs would have been top 1/5 yellow, bottom 4/5 green.

I would use any French figures to do a Waterloo replay, even though uniformed for 1806, 1809, etc.

GdeP

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How would you paint these for Waterloo?
I have a few I want to use.

The easiest way is to do tall scarlet plumes and epaulettes for the grenadiers, and green plumes tipped yellow for the voltigeurs. Green epaulettes with yellow crescent would be fine as well.

You can also do yellow upper band on the voltigeur shako if you like. I would not be able to do chevrons of yellow, or a yellow bottom band on an 18mm figure! The Cent Jour site above might have other options for other French line and light regiments

To be "correct," cut the plumes down to a tuft above the ball pompom. All scarlet for grenadiers.

All green; green ball with yellow tuft; green ball with red tuft; all possible for Voltigeurs.

GdeP

Thanks for the painting tip. That's what I was looking for. I thought about cutting them down but decided against it. I have good mix for my French army. Both the appropriate and not so appropriate. I think in reality there was a good mix on the French side at Waterloo.