Reenacting The French Napoleonic Fusilier Part I: Headgear & Uniforms

A detailed examination of the late Napoleonic era French Fusilier of the 21st Regiment of the Line. This video is the documentation of how I created my impression with the help of Ian McWherter. The goal was to create the most accurate representation possible based on the resources available to me. Technically this impression would be representative of the 1812-1815 French Napoleonic Infantryman.
Music: La Victoire est a Nous:
Where I got my shoes:
www.umlaufshoes.com/cs/produkt...
Where I got my Shako & Buttons:
sergeantique.com

[@kshatriiya2046]

Most people want to reenact the imperial guard, it's nice to finally see someone reenacting a common Fusilier for a change. Uniform turned out great by the way. I also love that you paid attention to accuracy.

[@Zarastro54]

The Guard are cool to look at, but in terms of something I’d actually want to wear I’ve always preferred the standard fusilier.

[@kshatriiya2046]

@@Zarastro54 I don't blame you at all, if you've worn a Bearskin, you'd very much prefer a shako without a doubt

[@kristofantal8801]

@@kshatriiya2046 The bearskin was used only by the Old Guard, but not by the Middle and Young Guards.

[@kshatriiya2046]

Line Grenadiers wore Bearskins early war aswell, the Grenadiers of the 3éme Régiment de ligne wore them until 1811. Added to that, Légère Carabiniers also wore Bearskins early war

[@Zarastro54]

@@kristofantal8801 Are you sure bearskins weren't also worn by at least the grenadiers of the Middle Guard?

[@neilsanghvi5229]

The 1812 pattern gilet - the best a fusilier can get

[@jeffbertucen1839]

Neil Sanghvi That’s hilarious - !!

[@roberts1938]

Very Impressive !!! You put so much work and knowledge into creating this Napoleonic soldier that you should get a job, as specialist curator at the Musée de l'Armée in Paris. Great respect, in the pursuit of excellence. Lucien Rousselot, a battle painter of the Napoleonic era, often painted using original elements of uniforms and armament. At one time he was very dissatisfied with the way his shirt or jacket sleeves were arranged on a model. He looked through the books until he discovered that the cloth was cut by a tailornot along but across (or the other way round - I don't remember anymore). I see a similar passion in you. Thanks to you, the Napoleonic army is still alive.

[@davidbowen5621]

Absolutely fantastic video. I am an American War of Independence reenactor and have been thinking of getting into Napoleonic for a few years. Really nice to see someone go over all the details and compare the reproductions to the originals.

[@malkolmlind8598]

That uniform is absolutely stunning! Marvelous!

[@CAPNGRIZZ]

Fantastic and very impressive. Love seeing someone put all the intricate details of these old uniforms on KZbin. Keep up the great work!

[@PharaohMan007]

Well done! This was an interesting in-depth look at the uniforms and your efforts for reconstructing the fusilier is commendable.

[@justinbradfield1489]

Amazing historical re-creation with incredible eye for detail well done!

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

You see it all of the time in the movies - the costumiers put the waist line at the modern level and never take the trouble to notice that historically it was much higher, at navel level, or in some early periods even lower than it is today. Well spotted! What a great video and great impression!

[@urgadurga]

this is fantastic! i just recently decided to dive into this era of history i had neglected for so long and it's incredibly fascinating. Napoleon Total War is what piqued my interest originally and it's been a lot of fun learning about all the different empires and kingdoms at the time, learning what each unit did and looking into the amazing uniforms everyone was wearing.

[@Boilerz1]

Hi just want to say thanks a huge amount for this video. I am just starting to get into napoleonic french reenactment, and your videos have been immense help so far getting the impression together

[@antedoricic5646]

Great breakdown of the uniform! I had the change to wear it while being an extra for Far Cry Primal trailer / teaser, but did not get enough info from my pics at the set, this was very helpful! Thanks!

[@christhorpejunction8982]

I was in the 21eme with my father Trevor back in 1982 with Chris Durkin and Chris Perko, he continued on until he passed in 2005. His uniform was the one used as the basis of kit for the filming of Soldiers and all the Sharpe series, etc. He even got himself featured in Uniformes magazine. Of course a whole lot more research was undertaken since those early days and I can remember when we first wore the wool breeches at Malmaison back in if memory serves about 1997. If you meet Mike and Peggy Mathews and Tod Creasey pass on my regards to them. Andy.

[@fionaraavita6469]

I love this! great attention to detail and beautiful sewing

[@timbukdrew4262]

Thank you for this. I am really wanting to get into the War of the Third Coalition, and being a WW1 guy it is very hard to find a starting point. Really good work! I very much appreciate what level of research and detail you put into this. I would be proud to have you as a colleague.

[@ihartmacz]

I ordered the Russian shako from the website you got yours from! The quality of your shako looked good, so I hope the Russian one is the same!

[@BocageTiger]

Outstanding!

[@roynajecki1100]

Well done Dan.

[@petertremblay3725]

Eh there thank a lot for this i was currently modeling this uniform for a game i am working on right now and this will come very handy!

[@tanelchen7963]

Hi, congratulations on and many thanks for your remarkable achievements in reenacting the clothing and gear of the individual Napoleonic infantryman! This, from a Frenchman ;) I was wondering, are you considering making clothing from that era on order? I'd be interested in the underwear (really...), i.e. the linen shirt and drawers. If so, we could discuss details of confection and tariffs. Looking forward to hearing from you. Best, Tanelchen

[@vladimir5407]

Great job dude, thanks

[@crazysithslave]

That is crazy! And awesome! Wow!

[@Noir_comme_la_mort]

Mon ami, great wideo. I really like how you put a lot of effort into recreating the individual pieces! As a reenactor myself from the 33eme de ligne in Poland, I too make (most) of my equipment myself. All the pieces look great, I only have one comment concerning the campaign pants. The drawings from the period wich you refer to, are showing caricatures and the pants were in reality a lot lower and would end a bit above the navel. If you read the earlier regulations, it is mentioned that the veste should cover the highest button of the pants, which tells us something about the height of the pants themselves. Keep doing great work and I hope to see more videos from you in the future! Vive l'empereur!

[@juancarlosromero6569]

One of the best, if not the best french napoleonic reenacment I've seen about 1812 uniform, congratulations, you will share the pattern of couvre shako or gatiers? Would be awesome fot the napoleonic comunity! Thanks in advance! Regards from Spain.

[@willbliss349]

very very good, great to see the Nepoleonic Era staying alive!!!

[@gandigooglegandigoogle7202]

so great

[@andreolsson9210]

Boy I love your uniform!

[@calteacher2191]

Thank you! It was a labor of love.

[@sealstorm1935]

magnifique

[@jackpritchard2120]

Well done Fusilier

[@redentertainment63]

This is a very good video and also great attention to detail. I do have a question though. Is it possible to still see 1806 model shakos in 1810+ (when the new shako first eas first made) or would they have all been replaced by then?

[@antoinettelelu5731]

Gilet is pronounced : gee-lay, and tricot is : tree-co. Cool video.

[@rdiddyspace1708]

ha I bought that same us 1812 militia pattern LOL I am trying to sew my own early Crimean war British Grenadier Guard coatee and will also be modifying also to match museum pieces. bravo well done uniform. I wanna get into the Grande Armee one day!

[@breadsucksatwaterloo7286]

you should put the patterns you made online for purchase somewhere so people can make this aswell

[@slayerfiend]

just out of interest, how does the coat actually open? great work btw

[@butterfunger5081]

Hey I have a question. Since the napoleonic wars was located in Europe, what kind of impression are you able to do in America? Like what I mean is, is that what can you do or represent in North America? I could be wrong about you living in North America but I wouldn’t think after the Louisiana purchase that any troops that would remain in North America.

[@troysmith9309]

Can you make a link to the pokalem pattern

[@ashtongreig4137]

Wow how did you even do this

[@mga220870]

Was it hard to sew the uniform? And how long did it take? I can only imagine such a well made uniform must have been very tiring to sew.

[@ericcook5224]

Curious as to what they would have put inside the internal pockets of the coat tails. Also want to know if the pre -1812 trousers were cut as high? Any input on that?

[@Noir_comme_la_mort]

They would put everything in them: from all kinds of food to coinpurses, spoons, tobacco pouches. Maybe even some small tools for the firearm. As for the pantaloons, they reached up to the navel, not higher as shown here. The ones in the video are unfortunetely incorrect compared to originals. The image he used is only a caricature.

[@MrThePsychologist]

where can i get a uniform ?

[@xyzoub]

Hi, how do you find the fit of the high waisted pants? (sitting, moving, etc.) Thanks

[@calteacher2191]

They are actually very comfortable. It seems awkward at first from our 21st century mind frame.

[@taylorbrownfield2073]

Dan, are you going to Waterloo in 2025? I and a few others from the southern states are planning to go as 9th Light Infantry.

[@historypunkwargames4760]

How did you make the gaters?

[@max.t957]

Where do you get your wool?

[@Boilerz1]

Do you mind me asking what your oilcloth recipe was? Have been looking around for a good historical one to use without much success.

[@nykrev]

Keep waiting bud

[@Boilerz1]

@@nykrev Lol, yeah ended up buying some oilcloth ready made to make shako covers.

[@nykrev]

@@Boilerz1 dude id love to see when you finish

[@Boilerz1]

@@nykrev Ah cheers. Just waiting on wool to arrive to start my Habit and capote, but other than that, I'm almost finished my 1806 fusilier impression. Fairly similar to that on the video, but more ''18th century'' with a longer open coat, breeches and long gaiters etc.

[@Boilerz1]

@@nykrev Here's some snaps of it finished in parade order. www.reddit.com/r/HistoricalCostuming/comments/ncav7s/my_full_french_infantry_uniform_parade_order_worn/

[@BungSpoot]

Uniforms = Big Morale Boost

[@sschwartz2509]

Where could someone start this process? I am interested in the russian uniforms specifically

[@calteacher2191]

Napoleonic uniforms very specific to nationality and time period. I'm not exactly sure where you would start with Russian. However, when I started researching French I found that being in Google's French version and using translator was very helpful (although not perfect).

[@chriscrowley7192]

Please tell me you’re selling uniforms. Please!

[@BocageTiger]

Can you share the name of the Music that opens this Video?

[@calteacher2191]

Sure..its: ¨La Victoire est a Nous¨

[@BocageTiger]

Thank you! I am looking at getting involved with Napoleonic reenacting. I have a friend here who is a member of 21. These videos are fantastic and very helpful.

[@danarooneo]

Hi how is it going? Are you with Brigade Napoleon? I am a Napoleonic reenactor myself. I portray a Grenadier Au Pied de Lagarde imperial'e. Grenadier of the Imperial Guard.

[@skvader4187]

it will always be a mystery to me on how they produced all of this kit for a single soldier. At the time, with no proper machines, how did they manage to mass produce these uniforms? How did they manage to kill so many cows and make backpacks from them?

[@kristofantal8801]

With manufactures. Manufactures replaced guilds in the early modern period. By the way there were early type of machines from the 18th century...

[@stevenhombrados1530]

The gilet, which is pronounced jeelet. Looks very closely like the confederate shell jacket.

[@chrisleach8009]

The. Old enemy

[@maddenanderson5812]

whats the name of your reenacting unit?

[@calteacher2191]

I'm with the 21ème Régiment de Ligne in North America

[@SgtLambert]

@@calteacher2191 I'm the unit commander and I don't believe we've met.

[@calteacher2191]

@@SgtLambert We have not met but I'm on your roster as of last year. My name is Dan Sutton. :^) Need to get my dues in for this year though!

[@SgtLambert]

@@calteacher2191 Ah, a nom de plume then. Yes, dues are past due. Perhaps we'll get to meet face to face at Fort Wayne? Probably the biggest event of the year.

[@TonyTheGreaser]

Okay. I understand why these products are so expensive now

[@xys7536]

Brandon F will be pissed🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐

[@RickBrode]

Why?

[@hhgeneralburkhalter4820]

My knowledge comes from mount and blade lol

[@JWvdv]

good video but your pronunciation of gilet and habit make me want to march to Moscow in winter

[@michaelwhite8031]

Nice reproduction

[@Freebird409]

"The inside is made with Lenin" ☭ ☭ ☭

[@notzeow2016]

british unlike this video

[@davidbowen5621]

Absolutely fantastic video. I am an American War of Independence reenactor and have been thinking of getting into Napoleonic for a few years. Really nice to see someone go over all the details and compare the reproductions to the originals.

[@redentertainment63]

This is a very good video and also great attention to detail. I do have a question though. Is it possible to still see 1806 model shakos in 1810+ (when the new shako first eas first made) or would they have all been replaced by then?

[@seanbissett-powell5916]

In theory they should all have been replaced. New equipment would be issued to fresh recruits plus an additional issue in the autumn (so that troops went through the winter with uniforms that weren't already falling apart). The regulation specified a 3-year replacement cycle on headgear, with each regiment receiving equipment for a third of their number each year. But regulation and reality often diverged ! There was a big re-equip in 1809-10 after the end of the 1809 campaign, at a time where the Emprire was mostly at peace (apart from a little bit of trouble down in Spain). So by 1811-12, it's almost certain that troops would almost entirely have current pattern shako's. There are bound to be a few men who kept old ones that had worn in and were comfortable, and quite a few colonels worked hard to keep hold of grenadier bearskins even though they were very non-regulation by then. But after 1812, you might see some 1806 pattern shakoes re-appearing as depots were stripped of anything hidng in dark corners to equip the new armies that were being raised in a hurry.