Author: Ian Fletcher
Pages: 143
Illustrations: 152, including 4 color plates by Richard Hook, 95 period illustrations (some in color), and 53 photos of uniforms and insignia in museums and private collections.
Maps: None
Footnotes: None
Appendices: One, the Napoleonic Wars Directory, a "Guide to re-enactors, historians, art collectors, modelers, and wargamers" which provides addresses and the primary focus of each group; for example, there are re-enactors for the Imperial Guard and British Foot Guards. Most of the groups are European, but information is also given for the United States and Canada.
Bibliography: 25 general sources, 4 periodicals, and 22 memoirs are listed along with a bibliographic essay which emphasizes the importance of period paintings for accuracy in appearance.
Index: 106 entries and sub-entries
Publisher: Brassey's Inc., P.O. Box 960, Herndon, VA 20172-0960 USA
Publication Date: 1996
Binding: Cloth (hardbound)
ISBN: 1-85753-173-6
Price: $31.95
Summary: The latest offering in Brassey's uniforms series features the British soldiers that fought in the Peninsular War and Waterloo campaigns. The author lays out the "standard" British uniforms of the period, as outlined in the 1802 dress regulations, and concedes that there is very little that can be added to the existing published work. However, the author does examine the differences between the official regulations and how uniforms really appeared while on campaign. Using period paintings, soldier's memoirs, and deductive reasoning, the author examines the impact of wear, weather, and logistics. His conclusion is unsurprising; British uniforms were occasionally uncomfortable and vulnerable to hard use.

Ian Fletcher is clearly familiar with his subject, as an examination of the bibliography shows. He has authored three histories of British regiments, and edited three volumes of memoirs. The book offers a thorough examination of the British uniform regulations of 1802. This is the famous redcoat, white or gray trousers, and black stovepipe shako. The focus of Fletcher's narrative is how these regulations were implemented in practice.

As could be expected, the author states that the poorly constructed shoes and boots quickly fell apart in the harsh Spanish terrain. Replacement footwear was slow in coming, but did eventually arrive through the English logistical system which was better than most other nations. In the meantime, the soldiers fashioned sandals out of cow-hide, which many felt were superior in comfort and durability than their issued footwear.

Similar problems arose with the coats, which faded and tore. The famous green of the 95th Rifles turned black, and all sorts of shades replaced the red worn by most of the infantry. Pants were patched or replaced by brown Spanish blankets. Shakos were warped by the rain, and became even more ill-fitting and uncomfortable. The cavalry suffered from all these same problems.

Other technical issues examined in the book include a description of the muskets, Baker rifle, and swords used. The author is very favorably inclined towards the Baker rifle, referring to it as "glorious", "short, sleek", and "beautiful". The discussion of artillery is very short in comparison.

Fletcher deviates from his practical approach when he moves into a discussion of the British Army's "Fighting Spirit". With all due professional and personal respect to the awesome history of British arms, the author is perhaps too close to his subject to remain objective. Perhaps he never intended to romanticize. He does identify what he considers to be the critical factors in British success: "...her seapower and on the mighty British pound...good leadership, motivation, tactics, a sound system, and, above all, an imperturbable and brave British soldier."

The regimental system is identified by Fletcher as the "heart and soul" of the British soldier, but the large and growing body of work on combat effectiveness is not mentioned by the author. Van Crefeld in Israel, S.L.A. Marshall and Dupuy in America, and numerous recent military studies have identified the critical importance of small, primary groups to gaining and maintaining a high level of military effectiveness. However, this complex subject is beyond the primary scope of the book.

Although there is little new here for someone studying uniforms of the era, Wellington's Army can be a valuable primer and is a worthwhile addition to the library of those seeking a deeper understanding of how the "friction" of war impacted on British uniforms and equipment.

Brassey's History of Uniforms
Napoleonic Wars: Napoleon's Army

Author: Rene Chartrand
Pages: 144
Illustrations: 164, including 3 color plates by Christa Hook, 153 period illustrations (some in color), and 8 photos of uniforms and equipment in museums and private collections.
Maps: None
Footnotes: None
Appendices: One, the Napoleonic Wars Directory, the same which is noted above in Wellington's Army.
Bibliography: Annotated, with 30 book entries, one periodical entry, 16 plate books and print series, and one reference to a post card series, plus unpublished series of lithographs and prints. The author indicates the importance of using prints, lithographs, and post cards for eyewitness accuracy. Soldier's memoirs play the same role.
Index: 536 entries and sub-entries.
Publisher: Brassey's Inc., P.O. Box 960, Herndon, VA 20172-0960 Publication Date: 1996
Binding: Cloth (hardbound)
ISBN: 1-85753-183-3
Price: $31.95
Summary: This book serves to condense, in English, a broader body of work on Napoleonic uniforms. Napoleon's Army is more academic in style than the companion volume on the British Army and, while incorporating soldiers' first-hand accounts of weather, wear, and logistics, this book is more concerned with organization and regulation appearance. The contrast between English logistical efforts and French foraging becomes clearer after reading the two volumes.

Rene Chartrand has written extensively on military history and is a senior curator with Canada's national historic sites. Specializing in 18th and 19th Century military history, he has also written the first two volumes of Canadian Military Heritage. Beginning with a valuable introduction, the author explains the many colors and hues which varied dependent upon non-industrial dies. Hairstyles, rank badges, and a glossary set the stage for the non-specialist, while historians should also find the glossary useful.

The French army of the Napoleonic period, according to the author, "owed much to the last major dress regulations of Louis XVI's royal army promulgated in 1786". From this basis, Napoleon built the force that campaigned through Europe. The general officers and staff were "...probably the most splendid and fashionable general staff in modern history". In contrast, Napoleon's taste in uniforms was simple and unadorned. This, according to the author, was deliberate and "...contrasted enormously with the lavish dress of his entourage, be they civil or military, and considerably enhanced his image and legend".

The importance of maintaining a steady supply of footwear to insure the army's mobility, and a consistent amount of food to prevent against starvation and disease, is difficult to comprehend in our mechanized age. Such things were literally a matter of life and death to the soldiers of the period, and the author clearly points this out.

With the formation of the Imperial Guard in July 1804, "Napoleon clearly wished to create a dependable elite reserve that would be the envy of the Army and create emulation". This purpose was accomplished. Making good use of veterans' quotes, the author demonstrates that for all their imposing appearance, the Guard's uniforms were not comfortable or durable. These problems were the same for other infantry uniforms.

Chartrand begins his discussion of infantry uniforms with a short history of the Revolution of 1789's impact on organization and dress. The incorporation of the blue uniformed national guards with the white coated royal regulars in Demi-Brigades on 21 February, 1793 led to the creation of the familiar blue "national uniform".

The shift from bicorn hats to shakos begun on 25 February, 1806 is shown by the author to have lasted into 1808. Napoleon's brief experiment with returning to white coats in April, 1806 was abruptly cut short in the summer of 1807 as the 15th Line's "...dead and wounded at Friedland looked horrific". Within limits, there was considerable variation in the infantry uniform, as the book shows through soldier's writings, inspection reports, and period art.

The French cavalry was considerably more colorful and varied in their appearance than the infantry. The author states that the heavy cavalry was fairly regular in their uniforms, as the smaller numbers of carabiniers, cuirassiers, and dragoons were easier to outfit and control. In contrast, the light cavalry (hussars and chasseurs ˆ cheval) were tremendously varied. "Hussar regiments had many peculiarities in organization and uniforms far too numerous to relate here....In matters of uniforms, hussars were reputed, and rightly so, to be the most outlandish dressers in the army." The chasseurs ˆ cheval were also uncontrollable in uniform matters. According to the author, "In spite of an apparent uniformity because all wore green, the chasseurs a cheval had, perhaps, the most varied dress of all the arms of service".

In contrast to the flamboyance of the light cavalry, the specialist troops were apparently dull. The artillery, in particular, was utilitarian due to the nature of the equipment and work. The engineers were similarly attired. According to the author, "Napoleon's extensive talents to organize and militarize all sorts of forces is exemplified by the creation of a large reserve army, the militarization of police units and the creation or transformation of civil service units into constabulary and para-military corps".

The author closes with the large numbers of foreign troops which wore some of the "most unusual uniforms" in the French Napoleonic army. Only the main units are examined in detail, which include units from Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Poland, the Balkans, Holland and the various foreign legions (Irish, Portuguese, Spanish). The Polish lancers, states the author, had the most impact on uniforms and equipment, with the deadly lancers influencing many other European armies based on their effectiveness.

Napoleon's Army is a useful, concise examination of the history, structure, uniforms and equipment of these forces. Like its companion volume, this book will prove useful to the amateur or specialist in Napoleonic history.

More Book Reviews:

How Far from Austerlitz?
Napoleon Bonaparte
Brassey's Napoleonic Wars

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