Trousers seem baggier than the Crimean period - when did the French line infantry adopt trousers a la chasseur?Armée de ligne 1859. Infanterie de ligne : grenadier et fusilier en tenue de route
Auteur :
Armand-Dumaresq Charles-Edouard (1826-1895)
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Ralphus
ReplyDeleteEssentially, the campaign dress of the French infantry changed twice during the Second Empire period. The first uniform was that worn in the Crimea and in Italy in 1859. It is well illustrated in the copy article you have posted today from “Tradition”.
The second uniform, the one with the baggy chasseur-type trousers, was adopted by a decree dated 30 March 1860, though it seems to have been trialled in late 1859. This is the dress illustrated in this Armand-Dumaresq plate. It was worn in Mexico, in China and at Mentana in 1867.
Late in 1867, the silhouette of the French infantry reverted to something very like what it been during the wars of the 1850s, as can be seen from any illustration of French infantry in 1870.
The practical consequence of this for the wargamer is that the same figures (certainly if they are 15mm or smaller) can be used to represent French line infantry in the Crimea, in 1859 and in 1870.