Legion du Nord (Liberated Poland 1806)

[Kein Prinz]

Only a very minor point, though I have never seen, and will not accept, any post-Duchy of Warsaw creations being relevant.

The ex-Prussian soldiers/ prisoners etc. that were added to the units in a 'Polish call to arms' were as I understand them, originally poorly costumed and adopted with French consent, Prussian uniform and arms attributes.

To come to my question, what of emblems and a kind of troop 'standard'? Is anything known or did these have to wait till 1808 creation of the Duchy?

I have a 'spare' Prussian battalion (actually Brunswickers) but close enough that I can designate it a suitable unit to enhance the LdNord; previosuly I was going to blend them in to French units, since the acquisition was 'a la mode' for them.

Any suggestions helpful,
thanks dave

[Prince of Essling]

From Dempsey's " Napoleon's Mercenaries: Foreign Units in the French Army Under the Consulate and Empire, 1799 to 1814"


Uniforms Article 2 of the Organisational Decree of the Legion stated that the Legion would be uniformed in a ‘Polish-style costume’, but gave no information beyond that. Following further correspondence on the subject, the Ministry of War was able to add the following details (Minister of War to Kellerman, 10 November 1806 quoted in Coqueugniot, pp. 176–7):

Dark blue jacket with crimson lapels, cuffs and trim; crimson collar for the staff and the companies of carabiniers and chasseurs, but buff collars for the voltigeur companies; white vest, dark blue trousers; silver metal buttons stamped with the number ‘1’ surrounded by the words ‘Légion du Nord’; vertical pockets; half-gaiters and, for headwear, a shako in a style to be chosen by General Zayonchek. The officers will have a jacket with long tails and white or silver rank distinctions.

The uniform of the 2nd Legion was supposed to be the same except that the facing colour was pink and the buttons were marked with the number ‘2’.

The reality of the dress of the Legion was, for the most part, far from this theoretical ideal. The officers may have had the prescribed uniform, but the men were dressed in a very haphazard fashion using cast-off clothing supplies from Prussian stores that included (Coqueugniot, pp. 41–2):

Overcoats made from bad cloth one could see through even though it was brown.

White vests made from thin cloth that would not have lasted a year in the Prussian Army.

Unlined trousers made from the same cloth as the vests, but cut very narrow.

Heavy canvas gaiters with black leather buttons.

Shoes from Prussian magazines that were of the worst imaginable quality …

Blue wool socks that wore out almost immediately.

Black neckstocks from Prussian supplies no one would have dared to give to French soldiers.

Shakos made of bad felt that quickly faded to white, to which had been added visors cut in the shape of a shovel blade.

(A modern illustration depicting this version of the Legion’s dress can be found in Courcelle, ‘La Légion’.) By the time the siege of Danzig ended, this clothing, which had been bad enough to begin with, was filthy and in tatters. (Coqueugniot, p. 114.) Napoleon was so appalled by the appearance of the Legion when he inspected it on 2 June 1807 that he immediately ordered the replacement of all the Legion’s clothing using stocks of cloth found in the captured city.

The resulting uniforms seem to have followed the original pattern prescribed for the Legion if some naive drawings that were found in the manuscript for Coqueugniot’s memoirs can be believed. (These drawings were formerly in the Cottreau Collection but their whereabouts is now unknown [Coppens, La Fortunately, they have been preserved through copies made by JOB that were reproduced in Tenues de Troupes de No 2, December 1901.) The salient features of the new uniform were a tall black leather czapka with a brass plate, cords and an even taller plume (red for Carabiniers, light blue for Chasseurs and chamois/yellow for Voltigeurs), red cuffs with red cuff flaps, vertical pockets in the coat-tails, and white grenade ornaments in the turnbacks. A picture of Coqueugniot himself includes a white plume, white trim at the top and mid-line of the czapka, a white plume and cords with rackets on the right side and white epaulettes with fringe on each shoulder. That same picture has the Major wearing white breeches and black heavy cavalry boots. He is also riding a horse with a blue saddle cloth with a band of white trim along the outer edge and a smaller band of white within that.

Standard

No information found, although it is known that a French general who had pretensions to take command of the Legion took action to purchase a separate coloured cloth flag for each of the Legion’s 36 companies. (Coqueugniot, p. 43.)

[Kein Prinz]

My thanks Ian,

Interesting input.
1- I'd not bought the Dempsey book as it was slightly out of context for me I thought... perhaps not,
2- "crimson collar for the staff and the companies of carabiniers and chasseurs, but buff collars for the voltigeur companies;" - this interesting elaboration that again mentions chasseurs and not fusiliers in relation to the Polish auxiliaries; exactly the same wording as for the 1799/1800 Danube Legion. Was this a tangible nod to the Poles fighting as legere, not line styled do you think?
3- And at that a uniform that Didier Davin has depicted as the ultimate dress over at SEHRI.
4- Open slather on a standard or fanions then! I may opt for small type fanions just to add the flavour of 'toetherness'.

Thanks again, any further Polish led content would be appreciated,
cheers davew

[Prince of Essling]

Hi Dave,

A few attachements:
1st - 3 pages extracted on the Legion from JOB's Tenues des troupes de France � toutes les �poques - Arm�es de terre et de mer.
2nd & 3rd are extracts from the 1898 editions of "Nouvelle revue r�trospective" by Paul Cottin, Unfortunately no more extracts from Coqueugniot in the remaing editions to 1904.

All the best

Ian

[Sans-Souci]

Die Korrespondenz Poniatowskis von 1807-8 enthält auch einiges zur Légion du Nord (PDF, 31 MB):

http://pbc.biaman.pl/Content/45715/

[Spaen]

Die Vielzahl der französischen Fremdtruppen kann schon manchmal verwirren. Neben einer Unzahl Fremdregimenter und Bataillone gab es z.B. noch eine germanische Legion, eine Hannoversche Legion, das Regiment Isenburg, das 4. Fremden-Regiment (Reg. de Prusse) usw. usf.

Hier mal ein Bild eines Grenadiers (Füsiliere nach meiner Kenntnis: Epauletten und Stutz in blau, Behang weiß)

Nord.jpg

[Prince of Essling]

JOB planche is attached.

Website at has a "reconstruction" of the poor material Prussian style uniform.

Extract from Tradition Magazine - HS 008 - Napoleon et les troupes Polonais de 1797-1815 de lArmee d'Italie a la Grande Armee is attached.

Patrice Courcelle drawings of the Legion including a larger version of the Prussian style uniform https://i.pinimg.com/1200x/ec/f2/4c/...56c6992498.jpg

[Prince of Essling]

Moravski drawings:
Legion du Nord 1.jpg

[Kein Prinz]

JOB planche is attached.

Website at has a "reconstruction" of the poor material Prussian style uniform.

Extract from Tradition Magazine - HS 008 - Napoleon et les troupes Polonais de 1797-1815 de lArmee d'Italie a la Grande Armee is attached.

Patrice Courcelle drawings of the Legion including a larger version of the Prussian style uniform https://i.pinimg.com/1200x/ec/f2/4c/...56c6992498.jpg

Thank you, again and again!
Amazing array of material detailled...

In response I am a little concerned these representations are perhaps a little too perfect ?
Both Job and Courcelle, a century apart themselves and again from the events, have some conjectural frames that make one question that perfection... ?

I will model the corps, albeit used in sieges predominantly, but will err to less precision and company effects than given
Morawski similarly offer variants, despite the high cost of his publications now.
Also appreciate very much the 'Tradition Magazine' article as it gives a depth of background to the issue

- thanks to all, dave

*PS- Apologies I have had a couple of busy days attending to other matters and could not reply sooner.

[Prince of Essling]

Dave,

From a Polish website (translated) - am waiting for an e-mail clearance which will enable me to post their pics:

"Lazare Claude Coqueugniot
Grenadier, fusilier and vaulter 1. Northern Legion

Coqueugnit Lazare Claude (1760-1829), French officer, major of the Northern Legion, author of the memoirs "Le légion du Nord. Mémoires de Lazare-Claude Coqueugniot"
describing his service in this unit. The account was complemented by drawings made from nature, now known thanks to later copies, e.g. by JOB and Bronisław Gembarzewski.

The illustration of JOB, created in 1901, as well as the drawing of Coqueugniot himself, which was probably its prototype, show legionnaires in uniforms which, in terms of form and color, coincide with the initial arrangements from November 1806. This is evidenced by the following excerpt from the correspondence between the Ministry of War and Marshal Kellerman, in which the initial appearance of the future uniforms is briefly outlined: "Dark blue jacket with scarlet discounts, cuffs and tabs; a scarlet collar for the staff, a company of grenadiers, and fusiliers, but buff for a company of voltigeurs; white vest, dark blue pants; silver metal buttons marked with the number 1, surrounded by the inscription Legion du Nord; vertical pockets, half-leggings and as a headgear, shako in the style chosen by General Zajączek."

Unfortunately, the legion managed to achieve this state, and with some minor changes, only nine months later, in June or July 1807, i.e. just before its dissolution. Until then, as Major Coqueugnot convinces us in his memoirs, the unit used quite random uniforms, of dubious quality and form, coming mainly from Prussian warehouses captured in the initial phase of the war:

"Coats made of poor cloth, see-through and brown. White waistcoats made of thin cloth, which would not last even a year in the Prussian army. Unlined trousers, made of the same cloth as the waistcoats, but very scantily cut. Heavy embroidered gaiters with brown leather buttons. Shoes from Prussian warehouses that were of unimaginably poor quality. (...) Stiff collars that would not dare to puff out French soldiers. Shakas made of poor fiberboard, which faded quickly, to which spade-shaped peaks were added."

An element not mentioned in the letter and left there at the discretion of the unit commander is quite accurately depicted by JOB, most probably a leather cap, with a half-sun-shaped head plate, a long putty, in the colors of red for the grenadier company, yellow for the vaulting company and light blue for the fusiliers. The whole is complemented by cords sewn on the joint of the quarters in the color of putty and a French bow on the edge, white, red and blue."

So as we say: "You pays your money and takes your choice!".

All the best

Ian

[Kein Prinz]

Dave,

From a Polish website (translated) - am waiting for an e-mail clearance which will enable me to post their pics:

...

Unfortunately, the legion managed to achieve this state, and with some minor changes, only nine months later, in June or July 1807, i.e. just before its dissolution. Until then, as Major Coqueugnot convinces us in his memoirs, the unit used quite random uniforms, of dubious quality and form, coming mainly from Prussian warehouses captured in the initial phase of the war:

"Coats made of poor cloth, see-through and brown. White waistcoats made of thin cloth, which would not last even a year in the Prussian army. Unlined trousers, made of the same cloth as the waistcoats, but very scantily cut. Heavy embroidered gaiters with brown leather buttons. Shoes from Prussian warehouses that were of unimaginably poor quality. (...) Stiff collars that would not dare to puff out French soldiers. Shakas made of poor fiberboard, which faded quickly, to which spade-shaped peaks were added."

An element not mentioned in the letter and left there at the discretion of the unit commander is quite accurately depicted by JOB, most probably a leather cap, with a half-sun-shaped head plate, a long putty, in the colors of red for the grenadier company....

So as we say: "You pays your money and takes your choice!".

All the best

Ian[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]

Many thanks Ian
Wonderful work !

It does conclude the timeliness issue that I suspected all along- source of illustrations or not- being romanticised because 'thats what the customer expects' behaviour. No disagreement there are valuable depictions otherwise.

I'm assuming from the translation wording, 'putty' perhaps refers to meaning PLUMES?

Damn and blast I'd used mottled greys for the Prussian body in greatcoats I've pencilled in for the Poles use!

davew

[Prince of Essling]

Apologies Dave,

Must read the translations more carefully (missed that one) - you are correct "Plumes" not "Putty"!!!

Ian

[Kein Prinz]

Apologies Dave,

Must read the translations more carefully (missed that one) - you are correct "Plumes" not "Putty"!!!

Ian

Hah no need to apologise Ian, I get weird results all the time, so translation-scheisse?? is pretty common.
Why my browser defaults to Estonian and not English in analysis of translation is beyond me however...
cheers dave