Osprey Men-at-Arms 55 : Napoleon's Dragoons and Lancers

From the great victories of Marengo and Hohenlinden in 1800 to the terrible defeat of Waterloo in 1815, France was to call up a total of 1,600,000 men of whom a mere 600,000 were to survive. Little, perhaps, in comparison to the giant levies and losses of the wars of this century, but what matter cold statistics to the man who has to do the soldiering? Whether armed with pike, musket or anti-tank gun, the grisly reality remains the same. For those conscripted into service, one of the better fates would be recruitment as a cavalryman. Napoleon's dragoons were not just any band of individuals sorted and labelled cavalrymen; they were mounted infantrymen, trained to be equally adept with musket and sabre, and proud of that distinction. Though their role was to become increasingly similar to that of heavy cavalry, theirs was a distinguished heritage. Originally mounted for the sake of mobility but generally fighting on foot, they evolved into an army equally at home sabring at the charge as firing dismounted. Emir Bukhari examines the organisation and uniforms of Napoleon's dragoons and lancers, plus the war service of individual regiments, in a book which includes a plethora of illustrations and diagrams, plus eight full page colour plates by Angus McBride.

Contents

• The Men
• Dragoon Uniform
• Lancer Uniform
• Horse Furniture
• Organization
• The Foot Dragoons
• War Service of Individual Regiments
• The Plates