La Grande Armée (Episode 2) - The Infantry & Officer Corps [58:21-63:25]

friendly fire incidents between French, Saxon, Prussian and Austrian troops occurred. Embarrassingly, too, the grand dame needed to relearn the revolutionary army's lessons on color dyeing. They discovered the hard way that if you want a blue coat, it must be dyed very heavily in the first place. The grand dame never quite got this mix right. Some producers overdied, others undidied, some mixed green and yellow when indigo was short. The result was that the infantry donned an oceanic panapoli of blue hues. Dust and dirt were dark in the tone given time, creating a somewhat consistent shade of dark blue. The Shaco by comparison was a clear success of the uniform regulations. These well-constructed hats were both popular and practical. Soldiers much preferred the Shaco which unlike the old revolutionary Shaco was quite sturdy and could even be covered in fabric to protect against the elements. They also liked that up inside its conical frame was space for linen, a brush and sewing kit. The basic design of the Shaco had its origins with the hussars of the revolutionary army, but the French infantry firmly cemented it as their own by adding a brim, a chin strap and after 1810, a cloth flap on the back that could be used to protect the nape of the neck. Napoleon, too, both economised and improved uniforms within La Grande d'Alme, paid close attention to any improvements that were proposed. Only by donning a pristine uniform and wearing it well could a soldier feel a sense of belonging and pride. In his mind a uniform had to be smart and practical in equal measure. It came as a shock then that Napoleon received reports from the Ministry of War administrations embedded inspectors that neither the soldiers nor the officers shared this opinion. The soldiers of course made their own field expedient modifications that led to distinct army uniformity. For instance, the three piece legwear of breaches, stockings and leggings proved hard to march in and too hot in warm weather. Most soldiers discarded their leggings until they could find a comfy pair of panthalon or trousers. Regimental officers didn't crack down on these infringements because it was they who made money by bulk ordering trousers for a company and then pocketing soldiers pay in lieu. Besides, most regimental officers only cared about snazzy coats and shuckle, not humdrum daily wear. Regiments vied for the most elegant or neat and boisterous designs. Not only did this enhance the imagined prestige of the regiment, but it was an excellent source of cash. A complex uniform demanded a bunch of fabrics, ornaments and dyes which came from a company's uniform allowance. By upping the complexity, the regiment could demand more money from the Ministry of Forward Administration. Napoleon was aware of these sorts of inefficiencies and abuses, but the issue could only be dealt with head on after the defeat of Austria in 1809. New regulations issued in 1810 stamped out the worst officers' excesses and made official many of the field expediencies made by the soldiers, namely the will and trousers. Uniform allowances were also curtailed, as were the abusers on Port-Fantassin, who until the changes were made to pay for their own spare uniforms and clothing out of pocket. Contractors back in France were augmented by new providers in Austria. The atelier of Vienna, Lince and Guards put the French to shame, and for the first time La Grande Armee had excess stocks of high quality to put in depot. Despite all these efforts, La Grande Armee remained a hodgepodge of styles and colors. Often these variations had original flair. French troops in Spain found the local water skins far preferable to their own tin canteens, which gave their water a metallic tinge. Troops on Italian, Balkan and Iberian fronts also shed as much of their uniform as possible in the summer months, only to quickly redone whatever civilian clothing could be bought or stolen as temps fell. Campanning in Russia brought with it the opportunity to outfit units with fur caps, a tendency that the Imperial Guard quickly petitioned against, as they felt the dignity was theirs by right. Rain in sleet in Germany required great coats. French made stock tended to shrink if submerged for washing, while stocks taken from defeated pressure disintegrated. Getting a hands on an Austrian coat was like finding gold, as they were of superb quality. In addition to his uniform, a French soldier carried an array of personal equipment needed to sustain him in the field. The list is long. He carried spare cloth for repairing his uniform and linen for bandages, bread, flour and other foods, as well as kitchen utensils like spoons, pots and pans, a spare pair of boots or at least some nails to fix the soul. As you bound with 30 to 60 cartridges, tools for basic weapon maintenance and some spare flints, a bed roll or bundle of hay, and on top of all of this any booty extra food or spare clothing the soldier chose to tuck away. All of this was stuffed into a sack, a bag made of leather or canvas. Whatever didn't fit in the sack was carried to the hip alongside a canteen filled with water or wine