The uniforms of the French Grande Armée was regulated by a system of orders, colors, and insignia to distinguish between branches of service, regiments, and ranks on the battlefield as well as during garrison duty. The dress was based on the traditions of the royal army of the Ancien Régime and the reforms of the French Revolution, but was modified several times during the Napoleonic Wars. Initially the uniforms for Infantry were white but later became blue while other branches, such as the cavalry and artillery, had their own colors cuts and garment. Due to material shortages, prolonged campaigns, and the integration of foreign contingents, the practical implementation of these regulations often deviated from the official standard.
Marshals The ceremonial uniform for Marshals of the Empire was deep blue, manufactured from silk, velvet, and featured embroidery along all seams that replicated the version used by staff officers but was one third larger. This heavily embellished caot was reserved for formal and state occasions, featuring no turnbacks to the skirt and being worn completely without epaulettes. The full dress tunic served as a more durable replica of the ceremonial dress, generally manufactured from hard-wearing linen, and it was worn with epaulettes. The blue tunic itself followed the regulations prescribed for the undress uniform of generaux de division, though the embroidery was larger by a third.
The buttons on this uniform were embossed with two crossed marshals' batons tied together with the ribbon of the Legion of Honour and surrounded by a garland of half oak and half laurel leaves. Additionally, some marshals wore aiguillettes with their full dress by reason of their office. The undress uniform provided a cheaper alternative to the ceremonial tunic, constructed with no pockets or lace to simulate them on the skirt, and completely lacking embroidery on the sleeve or back seams. It did, however, feature turnbacks on the skirt that were embellished with marshals' lace and the standard insignia common to all staff officers.
On campaign, marshals wore a plain coat that resembled a surtout, which limited lace ornamentation strictly to the collar and cuffs. The skirt of this campaign uniform was stitched with false turnbacks, remaining entirely devoid of ornament except for the gold device characteristic of staff officers. Regarding the rank insignia, the epaulettes used were based on those of a general de division but substituted the traditional stars with two marshals' batons embroidered in blue silk, though certain individuals like Bernadotte persisted in retaining up to five stars on theirs. The sashes varied greatly between individual marshals, as the regulation gold ground-cloth pattern could be replaced with white silk varieties featuring three lateral gold bands, speckled gold points, or embroidered gold star friezes. Furthermore, the tassels of these sashes were not strictly limited to blue silk batons, as many marshals opted for decorations featuring stars or Imperial eagles instead.
Infantry Line Infantry When in 1792 the War of the First Coalition commenced most of the infantry still wore the white coats of the ancient regime. Nine regiments wore dark blue coats and 14 wore red. Regiments were distinguished by different facing colours and white or yellow buttons. In 1793 all infantry were issued with blue coats with lapels, turnback skirts and waistcoat all in white and red collar and cuffs. The trousers were also white. Regiments were distinguished by their number on the buttons and regimental plates on their helmets.
Officers Until 1812, the generals’ uniforms consisted of a dark blue, double-breasted tunic, which featured a red collar and red lapels when in full dress, while an all-blue version was worn for daily duty. The buttons were gold-colored, and gold embroidery ran around the collar, lapels, and horizontal pocket flaps; this embroidery was single-strand for a General de Brigade and double-strand for a General de Division. In addition, golden epaulettes with heavy bouillon fringe were worn, bearing rank insignia consisting of two five-pointed stars for a General de Brigade, three stars for a General de Division, or crossed marshal's batons within a ring of silver stars for a Marshal of France. A wide silk sash with gold stripes and gold tassels served as the official insignia; it was knotted on the left side and varied in color depending on rank: white for a Marshal, red for a General de Division, and light blue for a General de Brigade. The uniform was completed by a white waistcoat, white breeches, and high black boots.
Colonels wore two gold or silver epaulettes with heavy bouillon fringe, as well as a gold sword knot. Majors also wore two epaulettes in gold or silver, but with fringe in the opposite colors, and a gold sword knot. The uniform of a battalion commander and that of a captain resembled that of a colonel, with only the left epaulette featuring fringe. The adjutant-major, had only the right epaulette adorned with fringe. The lieutenant's epaulettes were the same as those of the captain but featured a single red line along the epaulette band, while second lieutenants had two red lines on their epaulette bands. Adjutants wore two white-and-yellow lines across the epaulette band, and their epaulette fringes were mixed with red. An exception was made for the officers of the Hussars and the Chasseurs à Cheval, who did not wear epaulets; their ranks were instead indicated by a corresponding number of gold or silver chevrons above the pointed lapels and around the elaborate leg knots of their Hungarian trousers. Unless otherwise specified, the belts and undergarments—consisting of vests and trousers—were white, while the gaiters were white in summer and black in winter.
Noncommissioned officers wore various stripes and fringes as rank insignia. A Maréchal des logis chef had epaulet fringes in a mix of red and gold-silver, as well as two gold-silver diagonal stripes on a red background on the lower sleeves. A Maréchal des logis was similar, but had only a single gold-silver stripe on the lower sleeves. The Fourrier wore a gold stripe on the left upper arm and two red stripes on an orange background on the lower sleeves. A Corporal also had two red stripes on an orange background on the lower sleeves. Years of service were generally indicated by red chevrons pointing upward on the left upper arm. Light infantry
At the start of the Revolutionary Wars, the light infantry wore a dark green tunic cut in the infantry style, with horizontal pockets and white-metal buttons bearing the battalion number inside the loop of a hunting horn. The lapels were green, piped in the regimental color; collars, cuffs, and cuff flaps were either in the regimental color or green. Carabiniers wore red, fringed epaulettes, while chasseurs wore epaulettes in the tunic color, piped in the regimental color. Instead of the usual breeches and long gaiters, the light infantry wore short gaiters that reached only to the middle of the calf, usually with a curved upper edge and often decorated with colored trim and a tassel at the top. The officers’ greatcoats, introduced in 1792, were dark green with a collar in the regimental color.
Starting in 1793, the blue uniform was introduced for the light infantry in place of the previous green one, although the distinctive features that remained exclusive to the light regiments throughout this period were retained. The 1793 coat resembled that of the line infantry but featured a distinctive cut, including lapels whose lower edges tapered to a point, and almost without exception omitted the buttons and blind buttonholes found beneath the lapels of the line coat. The tunic was dark blue with dark blue lapels, cuffs, and skirts, all edged with white piping; the collar and the rectangular cuff flaps were scarlet, edged with blue (or white) piping, with the flaps bearing three (or occasionally four) buttons. Other forms of lapels were common, either the flapless version with vertical piping, as worn on many infantry coats, or pointed lapels. The lapel flaps were embroidered with insignia in the form of white hunting horns or red grenades for the Carabinieri. The buttons were made of brass, and the pockets were vertical, edged with white piping.
In addition to their shoulder straps, the Chasseurs also wore green epaulettes; the Carabiniers retained their red epaulettes. Vests were blue, often with white piping (including the pocket edging), and the legwear remained the same as before: dark blue breeches with short gaiters. To better meet the tactical demands of skirmish combat, the long coat was replaced in 1799 with a variant featuring shorter skirts. Officers generally retained the long skirts of the earlier coat. The short tunic remained dark blue, with a scarlet collar and lapels; pointed lapels, as worn by some regiments, were either blue or scarlet. The piping was white, with the same insignia on the lapels as before.
The white-metal buttons featured a hunting horn and the regimental number. In addition to blue shoulder straps with white piping, hunters often continued to wear green epaulettes; carabiniers retained their red epaulettes. The dark blue vest (often double-breasted) sometimes had white piping. Some regiments wore white linen gaiters in the summer, and on campaigns, loose-fitting trousers were common either dark blue (for winter) or white, chamois-colored, or light gray-ochre (for summer) which were worn over the gaiters.
The voltigeurs wore chamois-colored collars (piped in red or white) and occasionally had other variations in their insignia, such as yellow or chamois-colored cuff flaps or pointed cuffs. Their epaulettes were combinations of yellow, green, or red, with gaiter tassels in the same colors; yellow hunting horns were embroidered on the skirts. The officers’ uniforms resembled those of the enlisted men, but had long coat skirts. The officers’ buttons and lapel insignia were silver-colored; their silver braided epaulettes were identical to those of the line infantry: Colonel thick cord fringe on both shoulders; Major as Colonel, but with gold-embroidered fields; Chef de Bataillon as Colonel, but with fringe only on the left shoulder; Captain with silver fringe only on the left shoulder; Capitaine Adjudant-Major with braided fringe only on the right shoulder; Lieutenant like the Captain, but with a red stripe on the field; Second Lieutenant with two red stripes; Adjudant-Sous-Officier with red fields featuring two silver stripes and mixed red and silver fringe only on the left shoulder.
The gorget appeared in both gold-plated and silver versions, with the emblems usually made of contrasting metal and depicting the regiment number, the eagle, or the hunting horn; for the Carabiniers, they depicted a grenade or a grenade and a horn. Sergeants and higher ranks wore rank insignia made of silver braid on a red background, silver trim on the lapel badges and epaulet fields, as well as silver threads in the epaulet fringes, shako cords, and saber tassels; occasionally, they also wore insignia on the epaulette field, such as silver grenades for the Carabiniers.