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Post by andrew on Jan 12, 2021 11:33:12 GMT -5
We'll begin with one of the odder, more obscure entries. They never numbered more than a few hundred but Napoleon's Mamluks of the Republic (later of the Imperial Guard) were instantly recognizable. With the advent of photography it became fashionable for elderly veterans of the Napoleonic wars to be photographed in their uniforms. In this colourized image, a veteran of the guard shows off his uniform.   |
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Post by Aurelia on Jan 12, 2021 15:06:08 GMT -5
I'm going for the jugular in terms of headgear... I'm going with the Hessian uniforms as seen during the American Revolution.  GAZE UPON THE MITRE (Fusilier's mitre cap):  Fragments of an original cap at the National Museum of American History:  I would wear this in a heartbeat. |
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Post by andrew on Jan 12, 2021 16:21:19 GMT -5
The Russian Pavlovski Grenadiers passed down the brass on their mitres. A grenadier on parade in 1917 might be wearing a relic of Borodino, complete with bullet holes.
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Post by Aurelia on Jan 12, 2021 16:33:25 GMT -5
The Russian Pavlovski Grenadiers passed down the brass on their mitres. A grenadier on parade in 1917 might be wearing a relic of Borodino, complete with bullet holes. War was so different back then... these flashy helmets (with no real protective function)... and those wicked looking spontoons in the image I shared. With those backwards facing barbs on the one, it seems ideal to hook someone and pulling them off a horse... or maybe that's just my blood-thirsty imagination. 😅 |
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Post by andrew on Jan 12, 2021 19:01:57 GMT -5
The Russian Pavlovski Grenadiers passed down the brass on their mitres. A grenadier on parade in 1917 might be wearing a relic of Borodino, complete with bullet holes. War was so different back then... these flashy helmets (with no real protective function)... and those wicked looking spontoons in the image I shared. With those backwards facing barbs on the one, it seems ideal to hook someone and pulling them off a horse... or maybe that's just my blood-thirsty imagination. 😅 Protection was never a function of military headgear until well after the start of WW1, but the mitre, despite its fancy nature, did at least have a functional aspect. Grenadiers adopted them because the wide-brimmed hats of the regular infantry were an impediment. I've never actually been clear if they were an impediment to the carrying or the throwing of grenades, but such is the story. The late medieval bill hook, weapon of choice for the peasant soldier in the wars of the roses, had a very similar hook and for exactly the reason you describe. That is undoubtedly its purpose on the spontoon as well. |
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