Army of Egypt

Index

Plate 1: General Bonaparte's Guides, Cavalry Officer, 1799.

Plate 2: General Bonaparte' s Guides. Cavalryman, Field Uniform, 1798.
Plate 3: General Bonaparte's Guides, Infantryman, Full-Dress Uniform, 1799.
Plate 4: General Bonaparte's Guides, Infantryman, Field Uniform, 1799.
Plate 5: General Bonaparte's Guides, Infantry Drummer, 1799.
Plate 6: General Bonaparte's Guides, Native Company, 1799.
Plate 7: 2nd Light Infantry Demi-Brigade, Chasseur Private, 1799.
Plate 8: 4th Light Infantry Demi-Brigade, Chasseur Company 1st Sergeant, 1799.
Plate 9: 21st Light Infantry Demi-Brigade, Lieutenant, 1800.
Plate 10: 22nd Light Infantry Demi-Brigade, Chasseur Private, 1800.
Plate 11: 9th Line Infantry Demi-Brigade, Colonel, Field Uniform, 1800.
Plate 12: 9th Line Infantry Demi-Brigade, Drum Major, Full Dress, 1800.
Plate 13: 9th Line Infantry Demi-Brigade, Sergeant Major, 1800.
Plate 14: 9th Line Infantry Demi-Brigade. Bandsman, 1800.
Plate 15: 9th Line Inftntry Demi-Brigade, Lieutenant, 1800.
Plate 16: 9th Line Infantry Demi-Brigade, Grenadier 1st Sergeant, 1799.
Plate 17: 9th Line Infantry Demi-Brigade, Grenadier, 1799.
Plate 18: 9th Line Infantry Demi-Brigade, Fusilier, 1800.
Plate 19: 9th Line Infantry Demi-Brigade. Fusilier Company Drummer, 1800.
Plate 20: 13th Line Infantry Demi-Brigade, Fusilier, 1800.
Plate 21: 18th Line Infantry Demi-Brigade, Fusilier, 1800.
Plate 22: 25th Line Infantry Demi-Brigade, Fusilier Company Drummer, 1800.
Plate 23: 32nd Line Infantry Demi-Brigade, Fusilier, 1800.
Plate 24: 61st Line Infantry Demi-Brigade, Bandsman, 1800.
Plate 25: 61st Line Infantry Demi-Brigade, Fusilier. 1800.
Plate 26: 69th Line Infantry Demi-Brigade, Fusilier, 1800.
Plate 27: 75th Line Infantry Demi-Brigade, Fusilier, 1799.
Plate 28: 85th Line Infantry Demi-Brigade, Fusilier, 1800.
Plate 29: 88th Line Infantry Demi-Brigade, Grenadier, 1800.
Plate 30: 88th Line Infantry Demi-Brigade, Fusilier, 1800.
Plate 31: The Coptic Legion, Grenadier, 1799.
Plate 32: The Maltese Legion, Fusilier, 1800.
Plate 33: The Greek Legion, 1800.
Plate 34: Garrison of Malta, Grenadier, 1799.
Plate 35: 7th (bis) Hussar Regiment, Officer, 1800.
Plate 36: 7th (bis) Hussar Regiment, Hussar, 1799.
Plate 37: 22nd Regiment of Chasseurs à Cheval. Squadron Commander, 1799.
Plate 38: 22nd Regiment of Chasseurs à Cheval, Chasseur, 1800.
Plate 39: 3rd Dragoon Regiment, Dragoon, 1800.
Plate 40: 15th Dragoon Regiment, Captain, 1800.
Plate 41: Dromedary Regiment, Officer, 1800.
Plate 42: Dromedary Regiment, Private, 1799.
Plate 43: Artillery Artificer, 1799.
Plate 44: Miner, 1800-1801.
Plate 45: Balloon Company, 1799.
Plate 46: Naval Legion, Fusilier Private, 1799.

Part Four
Army of Egypt

Officially L’Armée de l’Orient (Army of the East), this small force, which probably never mustered more than 35,000
effective men, conquered Egypt and maintained itself there for three years. Shortly after its landing on 1 July 1798, it was cut
off from any large-scale reinforcement or resupply from France by the destruction of most of the French Mediterranean fleet
by Admiral Horatio Nelson at Aboukir Bay. The French then organized and modernized Egypt's resources to provide
themselves with weapons, ammunition, and clothing.
The uniforms of L’Armée de 1'0rient went through three phases. It landed in regulation French uniforms, probably already
considerably worn. Soldiers found them unbearably hot during the first desert marches; a good many discarded their woolen
coats and then shivered in the chill desert nights. By August it was evident that the army would have to be reclothed. After
considering and rejecting a semi-oriental style, a board of officers adopted a short blue single-breasted coat of cotton cloth with
red cuffs and collar and white cotton lining. Issued with this were two pairs of white cotton trousers, short white leggins, and a
white cotton waistcoat. Shortly thereafter the infantry's battered hats were replaced by leather helmets, each regiment helm
assigned its own distinctive colored crest (pouffe). New overcoats of linen cloth, usually white, sometimes blue, followed.
This uniform lasted for approximately one year's campaigning. Apparently it lacked warmth; a sensible compromise seemed
to be a wool coat and a linen or cotton waistcoat. Napoleon returned to France in August 1799 before much had been done to
develop new uniforms, but his successor, General Jean Kléber, pushed the work. Kléber's clothing service requisitioned most
of the woolen cloth in Egypt, demanding more than was actually required to make the army appear larger than it was. It then
found itself confronted by an amazing jigsaw puzzle of excellent, bad, or acceptable cloths in every imaginable color, weave,
and size. Distributing them among the regiments was a long. frustrating, problem, especially since some colonels had definite
color preferences. Eventually it was accomplished through late 1799-carly 1800, producing one of the most unusual-appearing
armies in western military history.
Unfortunately Herbert Knötel died before he was able to paint either the cotton uniform or the army's command and staff,
artillery, and medical services. General officers appear to have continued to wear their regulation uniforms : possibly with
extra gold embroidery; one adopted a helmet somewhat like the infantry's, but circled with a laurel wreath in gold embroidery
and crowned with a mass of red" white, and blue plumage. Surgeons may have worn scarlet breeches as a means of quick
identification.
These plates are based on surviving records. Many details however must remain obscure. Different regiments favored
different styles of coats, and there probably was considerable variation in the size and shapes of the regimental pouffes.