The French 11th Hussars, 1793-1814

By D.H. Hagger

Created by a decree of the National Convention on the 20th July, 1793, the 11th Hussars participated in the war of the Vendeé, then made the campaign on the Rhine in 1793. They were then at Bidassoa in 1794, in Germany in 1796/97, and in Italy in 1799 and 1800. Then in the reorganisation of the Year XII the regiment was converted to the 29th Dragoons.
    It was not until 1810 that the 11th Hussars were reconstituted from the regiment of Dutch hussars. The latter had made numerous campaigns after their formation in Holland in 1797. They were engaged against England in 1799 and then in Germany, under the orders of Augereau, in 1800/01. In 1805 they were attached to the 2nd Corps of the grand army, under the command of Marmont, and with the 6th Hussars and 8th Chasseurs formed the Lacoste Division. They participated throughout the campaign but were not directly engaged at the Battle of Austerlitz. During 1806/07 they served in the 8th Corps of Marshal Mortier and were at the siege of Colberg, defended stubbornly by the Prussians. ln 1809 whilst Napoleon was engaged against the Austrians there was trouble in Germany, particularly in the newly created Kingdom of Westphalia, and many Prussian free corps were active, especially that led by the redoubtable Major von Schill. The Dutch hussars were among the troops employed to pursue von Schill who, on the 25th May, freed the town of Stralsund from the French, but a counter attack was launched on the 31st May and in the course of this fighting von Schill fell to a blow delivered by one of the Dutch hussars.
    Four squadrons of the hussars had in the meanwhile been despatched to Spain where they arrived on the 25th October, 1808 and were incorporated into the 4th Corps commanded by Marshal Lefebvre. The hussars were engaged in many actions during the Spanish campaign and after the Battle of Medellin on the 28th March, 1809 the 4th Corps passed under the orders of General Sebastiani. They were particularly distinguished at the Battle of Cuidad Real and were also at the Battle of Talavera and other affrays. The regiment then returned to Madrid at the beginning of 1810 where one squadron was incorporated into the 1st Hussars and the others rejoined their depot at Bois-le-Duc to form the 11th Hussars in conformity with a decree of the 18th August, 1810.
    Organised at Arras under Colonel de Collaert the regiment found itself in 1812 in Ney's 3rd Corps prior to Napoleon's ill-fated assault on Russia. The 11th formed, with the 6th Chevau-Legers and 4th (Wurttemberg) Chasseurs, the 9th Light Cavalry Brigade, and crossed the Niemen on the 24th June, 1812. The 11th formed part of Murat's advance guard, covering the left wing, and took part in the Battle of Krasnoi on the 14th August. Three days later it was outside Smolensk. It was always part of the advance guard on the march towards Moscow and was present at the murderous Battle of Borodino where it suffered 140 casualties. After the abandonment of Moscow the 11th was part of Ney's rearguard during the terrible retreat. When they finally re-crossed the Niemen the regiment consisted of just 79 men. Colonel de Collaert having been taken prisoner during the retreat, a new colonel, Baron Liegeard, was appointed in 1813 at Arras. What was left of the regiment then took part in the fighting in Germany in 1813 and were present at the decisive Battle of Leipzig. Their last action was at Hanau and then at the beginning of 1814 they were finally disbanded, the remnants being absorbed into the 10th Hussars.

Uniform in 1810
Other Ranks
    Dark blue pelisse, bordered in white sheep-skin, lined with red flannel. Dolman the same, collar and cuffs scarlet, the front lined in red flannel, the back in grey linen. Dark blue Hungarian breeches. All lace and braid yellow, buttons brass. The vest scarlet, bordered with yellow lace and with three rows of brass buttons, ornamented in yellow braid. The shako conformed to the general model and had a black plume. The elite company, however, wore a distinctive white fur busby with a scarlet plume. The barrelled hussar sash was tricoloured. The stable jacket was dark blue with a red collar and two rows of brass buttons whilst the stable trousers were also dark blue, trimmed with black leather, with black buttons, and lined in grey linen. The forage cap was dark blue bordered with a yellow lace. The dark blue caped cloak was peculiar to the regiment.
N.C.O.s
    The uniform of the N.C.O.s conformed absolutely to the troopers but differed in the quality of the cloth, which was much finer, and the border of the pelisse, which was in fox fur. The undress uniform of the N.C.O.s consisted of a dark blue frock coat with a red collar, of the form adopted by the light troops, which they provided at their own expense.
Trumpeters
    The trumpeters had a pelisse in white cloth, bordered in black sheepskin. Their dolman was also white with collar and cuffs of dark blue and their Hungarian breeches were also of this shade. The lace and braid on all these garments was a mixture of dark blue and yellow. The head-dress was a black busby.
Officers
    Their dress, in cut and dimensions, conformed exactly to the other ranks except that the border of the pelisse was in grey fox fur, the lace and braid gold, and the buttons gilt. Their felt shakos were bordered with gold lace at the top, the plumes being black for company officers whilst those of the staff had a white base. Their sashes were silver, mixed with red and blue, with silver buttons. The officers' undress consisted of a dark blue frock coat with a red collar, following the model adopted by the light cavalry, with the epaulettes appropriate to their rank.

Equipment
N.C.O.s and other ranks
    The valise was dark blue, laced in yellow at the ends, and bearing the regimental number in yellow. The belting for the pouch and carbine belts was in white leather. The waistbelt and sabretache straps were of red Russian leather. The sabretache was of waxed black leather, bearing the regimental number in brass, the pouch plain black leather.
Officers
    The pouch-belt and pouch were of red morocco leather, the former bordered with two gold laces. The waistbelt and sabretache straps also of red morocco leather picked out in gold thread. The sabretache was of black lacquered leather bordered with a gold lace, and bore a gilt eagle as pouch and shako.

Horse Furniture.
Other ranks.
    Uniquely among Napoleon's hussar regiments the 11th's other ranks had a cloth shabraque of dark blue bordered with yellow lace and decorated in the four corners with an ornamental braid surrounding the regimental number. The saddle was of hussar pattern, the breastplate, crupper, and bridle being decorated with black leather rosettes.
Officers
    The officers' shabraque consisted of a tiger skin for parade purposes; for undress occasions a shabraque in dark blue cloth similar to the troopers’ was worn. The bridle, crupper, and breastplate were decorated with ornaments and the buckles were in gilt brass.
    The 1812 dress regulations, which were drawn up by a committee under the leadership of a Colonel Bardin, who gave his name to the regulations, took effect in 1813. An attempt was made to introduce more uniformity in dress and dark green was prescribed for the manufacture of overalls for all the light cavalry regiments including the hussars. This did not meet with unqualified approval by those affected and in June, 1813, Count de la Grange, reporting on an official inspection he made of the 11th Hussars, condemned the change in the colour of the officers’ hungarian breeches and riding overalls, both of which were madder red in colour, although the former should have been dark blue and the latter dark green, according to regulations. It is evident that the officers of the 11th had found the effect of dark green overalls against their dark blue dolmans and pelisses to be particularly disagreeable and had introduced the unauthorised colour which had called forth Count de la Grange's criticism.

Source: pp. 222 & 240, Military Modelling, April 1976.

Other 19th Century Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers