Who wore what

[Mosana]

There seems to be a bit of debate about who wore what in the Napoleonic era, particularly with regards to headgear, so I hope this clears some things up: (note: some of this is pasted from my posts elsewhere)

INFANTRY

Shakos/chakos/schakos were used by practically all armies of the Napoleonic period, particularly later on, and were used mostly by infantry and light cavalry.

Most armies, such as Britain in the Peninsula, Russia up to 1812 and Austria wore the Stovepipe shako or a slight variation of it:

France, Brunswick and KGL Dragoons wore the bell-topped shako, which got wider towards the top:

British and Netherlands troops at waterloo wore the Belgic shako:

Russian troops for Borodino and onwards wore the "Kiwer" shako:

Grenadiers wore bearskins, either the cylindrical style, used by France and Britain:

Or the "cap" style, used by Austria:

Pre-shako Austrian infantry wore a variation of the comb-style helmet.

CAVALRY

As mentioned before, most light cavalry wore shakos.

Uhlans and lancers of all countries, as well as Polish troops, wore the czapka/schapzka:

Except for French Line Lancers, who wore the comb helmet.

Dragoons and cuirassiers of France and Britain wore the Roman-style helmet:

A variation of this was the comb-helmet, worn by Saxon heay cavalry, French carabiniers and British life guards:

Hussars wore busbies/dolmans, which resembled French/British bearskins, although they were more square in shape:

There was the not-often-used Tarleton Helmet, named for Sir Banastre Tarleton, worn by British light dragoons early on in the Wars, the Rocket Troop and the Royal Horse Artillery:

If you have any questions about uniforms, not necessarily headgear, feel free to ask.

Edited July 5, 2007 by Mosana

[Bonaparte]

I wonder what would be the most representative uniform for a Mameluk in Napoleons army.

You find lots of different pictures on the internet, so it difficult for me to select one that I will use to make my Lego Mameluk cavalry.

[Mosana]

The mamelukes were never particularly uniform. Are you looking for an official body to use or wanting to know the best way to make a custom?

[Bonaparte]

The mamelukes were never particularly uniform. Are you looking for an official body to use or wanting to know the best way to make a custom?

I prefer a custom, because it might be expensive to buy 10 official torso's for making my Mameluk cavalry.

I've been experimenting a bit. I'll open a separate thread for my Mameluks.

[Mister Phes]

Or the "cap" style, used by Austria:

Is the URL to this image broken?

[Mosana]

It is indeed. I have replaced the image.

[Mister Phes]

Most armies, such as Britain in the Peninsula, Russia up to 1812 and Austria wore the Stovepipe shako or a slight variation of it:

And this is the shako The LEGO Group would have based the design for their shakos, would it not?