It is often easy to take for granted the fact that anyone interested in the Napoleonic era will know what each uniform article is by its nomenclature. Many people do not, so here is a brief primer to the name that each uniform article went by and what it usually consisted of in the French hussars.
Pelisse: was the hussar's braided, fur-trimmed outer jacket, worn in winter as a short overcoat, or slung back over the left shoulder. In summer, most regiments left them with the baggage trains.
Dolman: his equally braided inner jacket, cut much like the World War II "Ike jacket."
Sabretache: a leather pouch suspended from the left side of the sword belt.
Busby: a flat-topped fur bonnet.
Officially...
mike Gilbert's sketch below show hussars as they were supposed to appear. Variations in these "official" uniforms often occurred due to shortages and delays in receiving new supplies. Captured items were sometimes used, and after weeks of campaigning, a hussar rarely looked as good as the regulations specified.
Beau Sabreurs: The Legendary French Hussars
Beau Sabreurs: Colors of the Hussar Regiments
Beau Sabreurs: Hussar Regiments Campaign Duties 1792-1815 (chart)
Back to Table of Contents -- Napoleon #3
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