The artillery of the Russian Army has long been regarded as its "natural" arm, this dating from the time of Tsar Peter. The sheer volume of pieces used by the Russian armies of this period is nothing short of phenomenal - 13,000 pieces being accounted for in 1713, and this despite a whole series of crippling losses since 1700.

During the course of his reign, Peter gradually replaced his older bronze pieces with cast iron ones, and regularised the multiplicity of bores and calibres to a standard series. It is also stated that he formed the world's first horse artillery batteries, but this has yet to be proven, it being possible that this was actually the regimental artillery attached to the Dragoon regiments, which arc better thought of as being more akin to infantry battalion guns.

Artillery during this period was often closely connected with the ruling monarch, and this seems to have been the case in Russia. Certainly, when it comes to uniform, the colour red seems to have been adopted very early. By 1720, the regulations stated that the coats should be red, with blue collars and cuffs, with red waistcoats and breeches, and white stockings.

More GNW Uniforms: Russia

Introduction
The Foot
The Dragoons
Artillery
Infantry Colours (Chart)