"Question about the French train uniforms." Topic

I've been gaming Napoleonics for decades and I've often wondered why the French artillery train drivers wore different color uniform coats:

I can understand it for medical services. Were they non-combatants? To keep them out of the infantry? Did they ever help man guns in this uniform? Was it for espirt de corps?
Any info appreciated!

Oops! Department of Redundancy Department!

They're working for the highest-ranking artilleryman in history, and they're not real gunners. If someone has to wear a uniform that's not real dark blue because there isn't enough indigo, who would you expect him to pick?

They stayed with the limbers and supply wagons, what are you going to do if you run low on ammunition at the battery? If no one is ready to bring up a caisson to resupply you. These were held back from the guns so not to draw fire. If the Artillery needed extra personnel to help them, they pulled them from the infantry

It goes back to the WSS (or earlier). Those who transported the guns were private contractors- who had only to protect their limbers and draught animals. So when the going went bad, they were long gone and lots of guns were left to the enemy. By the time of Napoleon, those "drovers" were now part of the Army and could be commanded NOT to run away. Being part of the Army and being a specialized task masters, they needed a uniform to help establish them as a "unit" and instill a sense of pride. Of course, each unit needed to distinguish themselves to create and maintain an "Espirit du Corps". So the "train" was incorporated into the Army and their function identified by their basic uniform. As to color variation, thee really was not some lad that evaluated what the correct shade of material was when units were raised all over the country. As mentioned above, if lighter or darker, or different lace patterns, etc. just added to the unit's cohesion. I have specific uniform info on the SYW/Prussians specifically, but feel it didn't drastically change in European armies until the industrial revolution.

Here is some more info on the Trains for Napoleon.

link

They had a different uniform simply because the Battalions of Train of Artillery (and not "Train" alone given confusion with Train des Equipages raised in 1807) – Transport of Artillery pieces – is a specific branch of the Army and Artillery militarized since 1800 and not merged and belonging to Artillery Regiments, as it will happen in 1880 when such branch was disbanded and drivers becoming only soldiers among others artillerymen in the artillery batteries

the Coast Guard Artillery companies had also their own uniforms

The Austrian Army's Train of Artillery had also specific white uniform for the Militär-Fuhrwesens-Corps, different from the brown Artillery

Lilian,
Ahhh, that makes sense to me as I thought that the train was part of the artillery.
Tanks!

Don't mix the Train des Equipages and the Train d'Artillerie

yes of course the Train of Artillery raised in 1800 was part of Artillery but as independant units/Battalions (initially 38 quickly reduced the following year to 8 then until 27), as one of its branches, not belonging nor merged within the Horse or Foot Artillery Regiments but transporting the pieces of these last ones, as it existed several branches within Infantry or Cavalry

the same in the Artillery it existed also others branches and specialities belonging to Artillery, Train of Artillery, Pontoneers Battalions, Ordnance and Armorers companies, Coast Guard, Sedentary and Veterans companies, Artillery service employees excluding Imperial Guard Artillery and Marine Artillery Regiments and Marine Artillery Ordnance companies

Iron grey, the coat colour, was much darker than usually shown on model figures. It was a cloth from blue and white threads intertwined and the result was a dark blue/grey. Still much lighter than the gunners', whose blue was almost black (Dark Prussian Blue from Vallejo)