During the Napoleonic period, great variations of uniform coats exsisted. According to Knoetel, regulations mention a short jacket called a demikaftan, over which was worn the traditional Cossak coat called the chekmen. Both jacket and coat were usually of the same colour.
The fur cap, cailed the kolpak, was black lambskin. In the 1840's the Don Cossacks wore blue uniforms with yellow lace, loops and epaulettes; red cap bags; black girdle; and red shabraques with white lace. The Black Sea units had a similar uniform, but with red cuffs, blue shabraques with white lace and white girdle.
Tartar Cossacks
The Tartar Cossacks wore blue uniforms with collar, cuffs and shoulder straps, blue cap bag, and black girdle.
Everybody had black leather equipment. Zowie!
| Regiment | Jacket / Trousers | Collar | Piping | Shoulder / Straps | Girdle | Cap Bag |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Don | blue | blue | red | blue | black | red |
| Black Sea | blue | blue | red | blue | white | red |
| Astrakan | blue | blue | yellow | yellow | yellow | yellow |
| Little Russia | green | green | red | red | black | red |
| Azoff | blue | blue | white | blue | white | red |
| Danube | blue | blue | dk red | blue | dk red | dk red |
| Ural | blue | blue | lt blue | It blue | It blue | It blue |
| Stavropol | blue | red | blue | red | red | red |
| Mesherya | blue | blue | blue | blue | black | It blue |
| Orenburg* | green | green | It blue | It blue | It blue | red |
| Siberia | blue | blue | blue | red | red | red |
| Tobolsk | blue | red | blue | red | black | blue |
| Tomsk | blue | red | blue | red | black | blue |
| Yeniseisk | blue | red | blue | red | black | blue |
| Irkutsk | blue | red | blue | red | black | blue |
| Sabaikal | blue | red | blue | red | black | blue |
| Yakutsk | blue | red | blue | red | black | blue |
| Tartar | blue | red | blue | red | black | blue |
| * The Orenburg regiment was stationed on the Afghan border. I cannot recall my source for this information, but I have gone so far as to paint up a squadron in 25mm!) | ||||||
Caucasian Cossacks
The Caucasian regiments wore a different uniform. Their coat was called a cherkesska, and it was a form of open-necked kaftan without a collar. Under this was wom the beshmet, an undercoat with a stand collar. Across the front of the cherkesska were loops for cartridges. The colour of the beshmet matched the colour of the shoulder straps on the cherkesska. As of 1840 these colours were as follows:
| Regiment | Cherkesska | Beshmet, Shoulder Strap, Cap Baa |
|---|---|---|
| Caucasus | blue | red |
| Kuban | blue | white |
| Coper | blue | yellow |
| Volga | blue | light blue |
| Stavropol | blue | gray- green |
| Gor | brown | red |
| Greben | brown | yellow |
| Mosdak | brown | white |
| Kislar | brown | light blue |
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© Copyright 1997 by Richard Brooks.
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