The first flag shown is of the Prussian pattern for line infantry. The center oval is orange with a black eagle, surrounded by green olive leaves with red berries, white ribbon. The scroll under the crown is light blue. The monogram in each white comer is gold with gold crown and silver laurel wreath. The same pattern, basically, goes with the second example for Guard Grenadiers, except that there are gold grenades on the black cross arms. A smaller verion with silver fringe serves for the line cavalry. However, the Guard cavalry seems to have retained a white standard. Wise and Rossignoli show such a standard with light blue instead of orange circle in the centeras well as on the monograms. The standard bearer of the newly raised 3rd Guard Uhlans is shown standing by his horse in a recent Zeitschrift fur Heereskunde with a white standard, orange center oval which in the illustration appears almost square.
The Bavarian infantry color, with light blue cross arms, and a center shield featuring gold lion on black in the upper left quarter, red overwhite in the upper right quarter, white and red diagonal stripes with a center post of. yellow in the lower left quarter, blue lion with gold crown in the lower left quarter has a green laurel wreath with yellow or gold knot. The monogram L with a gold crown lined red, is that of Ludwig the Mad, creator of Neufwanstein Castle. Wise and Rossignoli describe the sovereign's standard for cavalry as being white with the monogram in gold at the center.
The Austrian infantry color shows an eagle in natural colors whose center shield is mostly red and yellow. The smaller shields are too complicated to paint even in 25mm, and in the case of the white sovereign's standard, the reverse shows the Virgin in glory with blue lined purple cape, white dress, gold aura. The trim has yellow outer triangles, with red and black alternating on the inside. The battalion verion of this was yellow with the eagle on both sides. Curiously the cavalry version is rectangularand has a blue center with the Virgin's cape dark blue against the light blue background, and the outer teeth alternate between yellow and white. Other side bore the eagle. This standard was carried from the Napoleonic era, so commercial flags from the earlier period are usable.
The Piedmontese infantry color resembles the original French model, but with green/white/red. The shield of the house of Savoy, red with white cross outlined in blue, appears in the center. The fringe, which is silver, is unusual for infantry.
The Russian infantry standard shown has a red orange center with inset of a knight on a horse, green cross arms, gold monogram, wreath and crown in the white corners. The cavalry version is all green with trim and fringe in one button color(yellow orwhite metal) and the squares in the corners of the center rectangle probably in the regimental facing colors. An alternate version of the infantry color for Jaeghers had red bands outlining the white arms with the monograms. Don't confuse Jaeghers with riflemen. A brigade in each Russian division consisted of "Light Infantry". Normally they skirmished in column and, like the French light infantry who were converted to line by Napoleon III during the Crimean War, they were really line troops. The riflemen were a single battalion in each corps.
The French colors and standards are no surprise. Blue blanc et rouge toujours! The cavalry versions were around 64cm and might be heavily decorated in gold crowns and wreathed "N's", crown top, monogram center, and eagle at bottom of the colored bands. The regimental number appeared in a gold wreath above and below the Imperial script. However, for infantry, the colors were 120cm and as shown except that the regimental number or for chasseures a pied battalion number would appear in the salutation. On the reverse would appear battle honors of the unit.
Flags and Formations in the Age of Napoleon the Little
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