"French hussars in AWI " Topic
9 Posts
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Winston Smith | 22 Jul 2016 12:47 p.m. PST |
I have several uniform guides that show Lauzun's Ldgion with yellow breeches and yellow trim around the wrappings on the mirleton or hat. Interestingly, Chartrand's Osprey book shows LL with scarlet breeches and red trim along the mirleton. He has another hussar troop of the Voluntaires Etrangere etc with the yellow trim everybody else shows. To confuse things even more, the VE were shipped up with the Yorktown French and served with LL. I pretty much know how I'll paint them, with the Old Glory lancers with scarlet breeches and the Foundry Copplestone SYW swordsmen with yellow etc. And I am not painting them for a Gloucester Point game, but as French cavalry in a '98 game in Ireland. That's their first use anyway, so they'll be ready for GP later. I'm just curious why Chartrand is the only one showing scarlet breeches rather than yellow. What did others miss? |
rmaker | 22 Jul 2016 1:14 p.m. PST |
The Company of Military Historians explains this. The red breeches were the uniform of the HQ hussars, the yellow that of the First Legion squadron. The other three legions had different colors (no, I don't know what they were). When Lauzun's Legion shipped out for America, all the hussars were issued the red breeches. Chartrand shows the uniform actually worn, the others the "regulation" uniform of the 1st Legion. |
Gnu2000 | 22 Jul 2016 1:18 p.m. PST |
My understanding, is that Lauzun's Legion was formed from the 2nd VE, who would have worn yellow (as you describe), rather than simply BEING the 2nd legion under a new name. When Lauzun's Legion was formed in 1780 it amalgamated the elements of the 2nd VE shipped from France (the fusilers remained behind), with new recruits and the VEdeNassau. At this point the hussars adopted the dress of the Compagnie generale – with red breeches and red trim on the mirliton.(See Plate D1 of Chartrand's Osprey book on the French army in the AWI) The 1st Legion VE also partly appeared during the war, and their hussars would have worn yellow breeches, etc. Some may have been present at Yorktown. I think these are what Chartrand shows in plate C1 of the Osprey book – on service in the W.Indies The 3rd Legion VE didn't contribute to the conflict in America and Legions 4 to 8 were planned but never actually raised. So paint them how you like! I'm sure others will chip in with comments and corrections :-) |
Winston Smith | 22 Jul 2016 3:56 p.m. PST |
Scarlet breeches are awesome. |
Supercilius Maximus | 23 Jul 2016 3:46 a.m. PST |
Gnu is correct; the hussars with Lauzun were the 2eme Legion, not the 1ere. Also, I think it was the Compagnie Generale that had lances, whilst the 2eme had sabres. You can find out more about Lauzun's Legion here:- lauzunslegion.com I'm fairly sure the 1ere VEdlM (to give them their full acronym) came up from the Caribbean with St Simon. I'm also fairly sure that, like the small detachment from the Belsunce Dragoons, they did not bring horses with them and may either have relied on American-supplied mounts once they got there, or not had any at all. |
Winston Smith | 23 Jul 2016 6:27 a.m. PST |
And I found this picture of the trumpeter. link Lovely shade of green, n'est ce pas? Heck, that's better than plain old reversed colors. |
Supercilius Maximus | 25 Jul 2016 10:20 a.m. PST |
Sorry to rain on the parade, Winston, but I'm afraid that uniform is post-AWi, from when the LL became a regular hussar regiment. |
Winston Smith | 25 Jul 2016 12:12 p.m. PST |
Shoot. Haven't painted it yet. |
Supercilius Maximus | 26 Jul 2016 3:14 a.m. PST |
From what I've found, it's only the colours that are wrong; the cut of the uniform is ok for the Legion company (the Compagnie Generale trumpeter(s) wore hussar uniform). |
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