Question about the Lancers of the Guard at Waterloo

[Belg]

Hello,
I should paint some miniatures of the Lancers of the Guard of Napoleon at Waterloo, but there arose a doubt about the color of their trousers.

In the drawing published in the book by Ugo Pericoli "1815 The Armies At Waterloo", table 19, the Lancers Troop is depicted with red trousers, while the Trumpeter has them blue.

In this site dedicated to the armies in the Campaign of 100 days, in the tables relating to the squadrons from the 2nd to the 5th of this Regiment, the Lancers have blue trousers. This is the link to the page of the 2nd Squadron:

http://centjours.mont-saint-jean.com/un ... 56&drapeau =

In the drawings and paintings of Baron Louis De Beaufort illustrating the book "Waterloo 1815" by Commander Henry Lachouque - Ciarrapico edition, in the painting reproduced on page 169 (Charge of the Lancers of the Guard) and also on the back of over-cover of the volume, Lancers have all the trousers red, while in a drawing reproduced on the same book, at page 52, the same (a Brigadier and a Lancer of the Left Squadrons ) are wearing blue trousers.

Boh!
Please, someone would be so kind to tell me as I must paint them?
Red or Blue?
Thank you.
Sergio

[Friedrich August I.]

Sergio,

the difference of the trousers may be a result of the incorporating of 2 Young Guard Squadrons into the Red Lancers. As soon as I am at home again I can find out. Some history can be found here

http://www.napolun.com/mirror/napoleoni ... 2ndlancers

Hope that helps

Günter

[Belg]

Sergio,

the difference of the trousers may be a result of the incorporating of 2 Young Guard Squadrons into the Red Lancers. As soon as I am at home again I can find out. Some history can be found here

http://www.napolun.com/mirror/napoleoni ... 2ndlancers

Hope that helps

Günter

Hello Günter,
many thanks for the very ready answer.
The problem is not the 1st Squadron, but the remaining squadrons that formed the 2nd Regiment made with the Dutch, who have the all-red uniform, also known as "Red Lancers". For the 100 Days Campaign, the 2° Regiment was the only survivor of the Grand Armée. In Paris there was also one only Squadron of the 1st Regiment (Poles), which is also the only survivor of his regiment. It was then aggregated to the 2nd Regiment (Dutch) for the 100 Days Campaign. From this comes the fact that the 1st Battalion had the blue uniform, while the other squadrons had red.
The 1st Squadron, with the blue uniforms (jacket and trousers) is represented in the same way on both the book of Ugo Pericoli as at the site of the 100 days.
The problem concerns the color of the pants of the other squadrons of the regiment, that is, those formed by the Dutch, the famous Red Lancers.
According Pericoli they had the red trousers
At the site of the 100 days instead they have them blue.
In the book of Henry Lachouque, from designer-Louis De Beaufort paintings are represented in both ways: red in the painting of the Charge, blue in the drawing dedicated to this Regiment.

Cheers,
Sergio

[Friedrich August I.]

Hello Sergio,
my first attempt was right. The 2nd Lancers of the Guard, also known as the Dutch Lancers, wore red trousers. Only in the time from 1813 to 1814 they had troopers who wore blue trousers because those were Squadrons of Young Guard who were attached to this Senior formation to increase their strenght.
Most of the other Guard Cavalry Regiments had their own supplement of Squadrons of the Young Guard attached to them like the Chasseurs a Cheval, the Grenadiers a Cheval and the Empress Dragoons and also the Polish or 1st Lancers.

If I understand you correct you are looking for their appearence in 1815?

In 1815 the Lancers of the Guard were a combined unit of 1 Squadron Polish and 4 Squadrons of Red Lancers. To let them look like one Regiment the Red Lancers replaced their red Trousers with dark blue trousers. Only the Officers of the Red Lancers retained their original red trousers.
Hope that helps
Günter

[Dfogleman2]

I think that the "Red" Lancers wore blue trousers on campaign. Look at Ronal Pawley's Osprey book "Napoleons' Red Lancers." Unlike many Ospreys thiis one appears bo be very reliable. I don't have my copy with me, so I can't confirm.

[Dfogleman2]

Actually, on campaign they probably wore blue overalls with red stripes and buttons down the sides. That's how the Perrys have them on thier website.

[turrabear]

Sergio,

the difference of the trousers may be a result of the incorporating of 2 Young Guard Squadrons into the Red Lancers. As soon as I am at home again I can find out. Some history can be found here

http://www.napolun.com/mirror/napoleoni ... 2ndlancers

Hope that helps

Günter

that looks an interesting site to you have a weblink for the homepage gunter

[Friedrich August I.]

Mark,
this is the website

http://www.napolun.com/mirror/napoleoni ... index.html

Hope that helps,
Günter

[Belg]

Hello Sergio,
my first attempt was right. The 2nd Lancers of the Guard, also known as the Dutch Lancers, wore red trousers. Only in the time from 1813 to 1814 they had troopers who wore blue trousers because those were Squadrons of Young Guard who were attached to this Senior formation to increase their strenght.
Most of the other Guard Cavalry Regiments had their own supplement of Squadrons of the Young Guard attached to them like the Chasseurs a Cheval, the Grenadiers a Cheval and the Empress Dragoons and also the Polish or 1st Lancers.

If I understand you correct you are looking for their appearence in 1815?

In 1815 the Lancers of the Guard were a combined unit of 1 Squadron Polish and 4 Squadrons of Red Lancers. To let them look like one Regiment the Red Lancers replaced their red Trousers with dark blue trousers. Only the Officers of the Red Lancers retained their original red trousers.
Hope that helps
Günter

Hello Günter ,
Thank you very much, you're really kind.
Yes, in fact the idea was just to represent the Red Lancers as they were dressed at Waterloo.
Your clarification is therefore very useful.

But, according to the response of an Italian friend in the "Dadi & Piombo" forum, where I posted the same question, the Red Lancers at Waterloo had their pants "by campaign" (tenue de route), ie those in blue, while the red ones were those of the hight dress uniform (grand tenue). According to him, however, the miniatures should have the czapka without plume and with the protection of waxed canvas.
Instead, my Front Rank miniatures have czapka without coverage and with the plume, then they seems to be "in full uniform."
It follows that the trousers should be red.
It will mean that I will take a ... poetic license, as did the Baron Louis De Beaufort who painted them so in the painting of the Charge against the British square.



But the important thing for me was to understand what it was the historical reality, and you helped me to clarify it.

Many thanks again,
Cheers,
Sergio