Attack on Fort San Xavier during the siege of Puebla, 29 March 1863

This painting by Jean -Adolphe Beauce shows the attack on Fort San Xavier on 29 March 1863, during the second siege of Puebla. The attack is under the command of General Bazaine who is the officer in the centre holding some sort of staff or telescope. Bazaine was to be made a marshal for his exploits in Mexico and was to command, disastrously, the Army of the Rhine in 1870.

A wide variety of troop types are shown, including zouaves and chasseurs. However, my main reason for posting it here is to show the 1860 line infantry uniform discussed in my earlier comments on the Armand-Dumaresq plate. This uniform is worn by several of the figures in the bottom left of the picture. Unlike in the Armand-Dumaresq plate, they are wearing the kepi rather than the shako, and they are not wearing greatcoats. All appear to be grenadiers, since they are all wearing red epaulettes.