Book Reviews:

Napoleonic Uniforms

Reviewed by John Grehan


by Colonel John R. Elting (USA Ret'd), illustrated by Herbert Knotel.
Published by Macmillan Books in two volumes with 864 pages and 918 original water-colours.
Price 150 pounds, weight 5 kilos.

Only a limited number of these sets were published, of which only a few have been made available for sale in the UK and the Commonwealth. Readers of this review will thus have had little opportunity to examine this splendid work in detail, hence the necessity of a review.

The book is presented in six parts, portraying the French Army from the pre-Revolutionary Royal Army of 1786-91, through the French Emigrant regiments, the Revolutionary armies, and Bonaparte's Army of Egypt, to the Grande Armee. Part 6 shows a few of the uniforms from the 1814 and 1815 restoration armies of Louis XVIII.

The book claims to be 'the most comprehensive, accurate, and detailed portrayal of Napoleon's soldiers ever collected'. I know of no other book to which it can be compared other than Bucquoy's multi-volume 'Les Uniformes du Premier Empire'. The main body of the work (793 plates) deals with La Grande Armee, covering the period from 1804-15. Included in this are 51 plates of the General Staff, showing the uniforms of Marshals, aides-de-camp, staff officers and Generals.

There are over 100 plates on the infantry, almost 200 on the cavalry and a similar number depicting the Imperial Guard. The Artillery, Engineers, Gendarmerie, National Guards, regional Guards of Honour, military schools and the Naval soldiers are all represented, as well as the regiments of foreign troops in service with the French Army at the time. These foreign troops include Romana's Spanish Corps, the Albanian, Croatian and Lithuanian troops of 1812-13, the Prussian contingent of 1812, the Swiss regiments and the Regiments d'etranger, as well as the various Legions (Hanoverian, Italian, Portuguese, Vistula, du Midi, and the North).

Some Weaknesses

The book, however, does have its weaknesses. Although every colour plate is accompanied by an explanatory text, very little information is provided on the organisation of any of the regiments that are shown. The wargamer wishing to paint a French army would have to seek out additional publications. The appendices, which list the sources for the paintings and the bibliography, also disappoint in that they give no indication which sources were used by Knotel for any particular painting. Nevertheless, Napoleonic Uniforms must rate as one of the finest books on military uniforms ever published, and yet, even though so few sets are available, some still remain unsold two years after publication. The reason is, of course, the cost as few people, even if they could afford it would spend 150 pounds on a set of two books.

Value? Alternatives?

But what are the alternatives? Osprey, for instance, need 15 titles in their Men-at-Arms series to cover the French Army at a total cost of 122.50 pounds. Bucquoy's six volumes cost (when last available) between 30 and 32.50 pounds each, making a total of 185 pounds.

Viewed in this light, Napoleonic Uniforms must be considered good value for money. But in funding only a short print run, the publishers knew that demand for such an expensive publication would be extremely limited. Enthusiasts in their thousands will continue to spend 7.50 pounds on Ospreys. Few will save their money until they can afford a book of the quality of Napoleonic Uniforms, even though the latter will appreciate in value with the passing of each year.

So yes, l would recommend Napoleonic Uniforms to the reader as both a magnificent reference book and a sound investment. But when your partner discovers that you have just spent 150 pounds on them, don't quote me!

Readers unfamiliar with this Knotel's work will have seen examples of the paintings in the Army Guide to the Imperial Guard. We would like to thank Colonel Elting for the opportunity to show them-ED

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