Uniforming the Past: 3eme Ligne Grenadiers 1809

The 3eme Ligne in 1809 had four grenadier companies attached to the regiment. Three companies came from the first three battalions and a fourth company from the 4th battalion still forming its fusilier companies. The Imperial Decree of February 18,1808 stated in Article 9th: "The Grenadier Company shall be taken from the totality of the corps, from among the men most appropriate by their height and shall be accepted only if they have 4 years of service and have participated in at least 2 of the following campaigns: Ulm, Austerlitz, Jena or Friedland."

The picture represents a depleted half peleton of grenadiers from the 3eme Ligne in campaign dress 1809

Here we can see the grenadiers of the 3eme Ligne in 1809. According to Petit Soldats de Strasbourg, the grenadiers and sapeurs wore a bearskin bonnet with red epaulettes and red plumes. However, the Otto Manuscript c.1807-1808 depicts the fourth battalion under the orders of Major Duclos in white uniforms and shakos. The Otto Manuscript depicts a sapeur and a grenadier both wearing a shako with a grenade for the shako plate and a small red plume. It could be possible that some battalions of the 3eme Ligne wore bearskin bonnets and the others wore shakos. Without any inspection reports from the period available for me to research, I am unable to give a definitive answer.

The grenadier company like all the five other companies in a post-1808 french battalion had 121 grenadiers, 2 drummers, 8 caporals, 1 furrier, 4 sergeants, 1 sergeant-major, 1 sous-lieutenants, 1 lieutenant, and 1 captain. Unlike the other companies, the grenadier company in each battalion had 4 sapeurs. When the regiment was on the march or on review, a caporal sapeur led the combined sapeurs in front of the regiment's Tete de Colonne followed by the Tambour-major leading the musicians, and next the combined tambours under a caporal-tambour.