Napoleon's Dragoons and Lancers

Osprey Men at Arms #55

by Emir Bukhari

France was to call up a total of 1,600,000 men during the Napoleonic Wars, of whom a mere 600,000 were to survive. 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 adept with both musket and sabre, and proud of that distinction. 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.

Genres: Military History, History, 19th Century

50 pages, Paperback

First published March 26, 1992

Reviews

[Almantas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Osprey Publishing Men-At-Arms publication.

[John Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best thing about the series of Osprey titles on Napoleon's cavalry (Cuirassiers & Carabiniers, Dragoons & Lancers, Hussars, Chasseurs) are the wonderful uniform plates by the late Angus McBride, which reach just the right balance of naturalism, clarity and expression. McBride is (in my opinion) by far the best of the illustrators to have worked on this series.

Bukhari's text follows the pattern of other books he wrote for Arms & Armour, a rundown of uniform developments followed by potted unit histories. Though fascinating reads for their time (first released in mid-1970's) much of the factual information can be easily found elsewhere nowadays.

Where the books really fall down is the lack of coverage of the Revolutionary War period, Bukhari and McBride jumping in at 1803. This is a great shame, as Napoleonic uniforms developed from the wars of the 1790's.

[William Shep · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like the vast majority of Osprey books, this is an excellent military history overview with concise text and wonderful illustrations. This is an important and informative reference work for me as I research my ancestor, Martin Louis Charpentier, who served in the 4th French Dragoon regiment before emigrating to Pennsylvania after the wars were over.