french chevau-lÉgers lanciers
Before the Russian campaign Napoleon wanted to add some screening abilites to the
French heavy cavalry divisions. Having also in mind, the great number of Cossacks to be found in the
Russian steppes, he converted the 1er, 3e, 8e, 9e, 10e and the 29e Régiment des Dragons to 1er, 2e, 3e,
4e, 5e, and 6e Chevau-Légers Lanciers. The Vistula Uhlans and the Polish Guard lancers sent their troopers
as instructors to the newly formed French units.
UNIFORMS
Headgear was a brass helmet similar to the dragoons but without the flowing horsehair mane and with a black
chenille. Plumes were usually scarlet, or white over red, but they were not usually worn on campaign. The
coat was basically the same as the dragoon coat - ie mid-green in colour, but with pointed cuffs instead
of the square cuffs and cuff flap of the dragoons. Regimental facing colours were worn on lapels,
collars, cuffs and turnbacks. Elite company troopers wore red epaulettes whereas other companies
wore green epaulettes piped in the regimental facing colour.
In full dress, mid-green breeches with hussar boots were worn. The breeches had a yellow stripe going down
the outer seam. 1st-4th Regiments had a yellow inverted arrowhead pattern on the front thigh of the
breeches. 5th and 6th Regiments had a yellow Hungarian knot design instead of the arrowhead. Overalls
were worn on campaign, and there was little standardisation: some were green with a stripe of the
regimental facing colour going down the outer seam. The inner thighs were reinforced with black
leather. Grey overalls were also worn - with the black leather reinforcement. Some had stripes,
some none, some with 2 stripes.
In addition to these 'French' units, Napoleon incorporated the Polish
1st and 2nd Vistula
Uhlans as 7th and 8th Chevau-Légers Lanciers, and a last 'German' 9th Regiment formed by
the conversion of the 30th Chasseurs a Cheval, raised in Hambourg. These 'non-French' regiments wore dark blue Polish style
uniforms with czapska top (the 9th Regiment wore also red breeches
in Mamelouk style).
The distinctive colors and facings were:
| Reg. | Collar/piping | Lapels | Cuffs/pipings | Turnbacks |
| 1st | scarlet | scarlet | scarlet | scarlet |
| 2nd | orange | orange | orange | orange |
| 3rd | pink | pink | pink | pink |
| 4th | crimson | crimson | crimson | crimson |
| 5th | sky blue | sky blue | sky blue | sky blue |
| 6th | madder red | madder red | madder red | madder red |
| 7th | yellow/dk blue | yellow | yellow/- | yellow |
| 8th | dk blue/yellow | yellow | dk blue/yellow | yellow |
| 9th | lt yellow | lt yellow | lt yellow | lt yellow |
All the Chevau-legers Lanciers Regiments fought in the Campaign of
Leipzig. However I was initially interested in the 3rd and 5th
Regiments.
MINIATURES
There are several 1/72 plastics Polish-style lanciers available, but only a set of plastics
'French' line lancers:
Hat #8011 Napoleonic French Lancers, but I don't like it. However, I found the
metal
Newline Designs French Line Lancers, and I bought two 10-figures
unit packs: 24F18 French Line Lancers Charging and 24F19 French Line
Lancers Standing ando two normal pack: FR12/1 Command Charging and
FR12/2 Command Standing (4 figures each). Two Lasalle
normal (8 figures) units were painted as the 3rd and 5th Regiments
having respectivley pink and sky blue facongs, and the rest were painted
with generic red red facings (1st, 4th and 6th Regiments).
| UNIT | FIGURES | COLOR SCHEME | PICTURES |
| FRENCH Chevau-Légers Lanciers |
NEWLINE DESIGNS 24F18, 24F19, FR12/1 and FR 12/2 |
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Links of interest:
Chevau-Leger Lanciers (Napnuts page)
Napoleon, His Army and Enemies
Napoleon's Dragoons and Lancers. Emir Bukhari and Angus McBride. Men-at-Arms 55, 1976
The Poles and Saxons of the Napoleonic Wars. George Nafziger and Mariusz T. Wesolowski. The Emperor's Press, 1991
Histofig Site
| The full movie: French Chevaulegers-Lanciers |
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