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Figure 7: Infantryman on the march: a composite of a Vanson drawing
entitled 'Constantinople', and a Constantin Guys sketch titled 'Turkish
Convoy Guard in Bulgaria'.
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This type of greatcoat would appear to have been the most
commonly used type, judging from the frequency of depiction.
It is usually described as of coarse I grey or dark grey wool,
trimmed with red tape in much the same fashion as the 'old'
jackets. The skirts seem to have been frequently turned-back
in the French manner.
The trousers are shaded, presumably dark blue. The Guys figure
has his lower legs wrapped in what is described as white material,
presumably as protection against the cold. He wears the less
frequently seen white crossbelt equipment, with a large dark-coloured
pack, approximating more to Western types, with blanket roll
strapped to the top. |
Figure 8: Infantryman, from an untitled drawing.
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Another greatcoat variant, this time a more 'oriental' type
with attached hood. No colour description is given, but the
greatcoat is shaded much the same shade as the trousers, and
might be dark blue? The irregular patches on the breast are
commonly seen on this type of garment and have small bells or
tassels descending from chains. The trousers are tucked into
heavy ribbed dark-shaded stockings, with short boots laced up
the inner side of the shaft. |
FIGURE 9: Drummer, from a colour drawing titled 'Turkish Infantry
of the Army of Omer Pasha; Crimea, April 1855'.
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Red fez with dark blue tassel. Dark blue tunic, including
all facings, a white tape or piping edging the bottom of the
collar, front opening, shoulderstraps, top of the cuffs and
only 3 sides of the cuff flaps (the top and front of the collar
being piped dark blue), brass buttons. Dark blue trousers tucked
into medium brown high gaiters with brown shoes. Black belts
with brass plate, the drum bandolier having black drumstick
loops. Brass drum with plain brown hoops, white tightener cords
and carrying strap. White cravat or neck scarf. An off-white
roll strapped to the pack. |
This drawing presumably depicts a regimental band, though most of the
musicians depicted are drummers. The Drum Major, depicted in 3/4 rear
view in the left foreground, has the same white trim on the tunic, including
2 white pipings running vertically from the buttons at the back of the
waist to the bottom of the skirts, but has a red piping down the outer
seam of the trousers. He is armed with a straight-bladed officer's type
sword carried on a frog on a white waistbelt, and carries a leading
staff (little of which is visible). This is the only Vanson drawing
depicting the 'new' uniform being worn in conjunction with the gaiters;
it is also one of the rare instances where the gaiters are depicted
with straps under the instep.
Material on musicians is rather limited, but suggests they generally
wore much the same uniform as the other ranks, but with some variation
in the trim on the jacket or tunic. For example, a rather extended description
of a unit wearing the 'old' uniform, with jackets fastened with hooks
and eyes, describes their drummers as wearing buttoned jackets with
piping down the front opening, a rather broad red tape edging the bottom
of the collar and top of the cuffs, with a narrow tape on the remaining
edges of both. Drum belts are usually described as white; drum hoops
are described as 'normally brown', but occasionally painted in a sawtooth
pattern, with the inner triangles blue, the outer ones alternating yellow
and red.
Figure 10: Foot Artilleryman, from a black and white sketch titled
'Campaign Artillery'.
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This figure wears the rather uncommon buttoned jacket, which
appears to be without facings or trim of any kind (since the
sketch is unshaded it's difficult to tell for certain). I would
assume the jacket to be dark blue, while the Western-style trousers
might be either dark blue or white. His only armament is a short
straight-bladed sword of unknown Western type, which seems to
have generally been the norm among dismounted men of the field
artillery. |
Figure 11: Mounted Artilleryman; a composite from another sketch titled
'Campaign Artillery', and a detailed description of a horse artilleryman
on guard duty'.
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The horse artilleryman is described as wearing a dark blue
jacket with red collar and cuffs (though the sketch appears
to show dark blue cuffs edged with red tape the 'rosettes' on
the breast are described as being formed of red cord with red
pendant tassels. Shoulderstraps are described as dark blue piped
red with a button (the sketch figure has unpiped straps apparently
sewn down at the collar end). Just below the collar are two
brass plates attached to the jacket front; these items appear
from time to time in a variety of sources, but their significance
is unclear (they seem to occur most commonly on artillery uniforms).
Dark blue trousers with a broad red stripe, white belts.
The horse artilleryman is described as carrying a (Western)
cavalry sabre and no pouch on guard duty while the sketch shows
a pouchbelt and scimitar with steel scabbard. An NCO is mentioned
in the horse artillery description as wearing the same uniform
as the men with a black waistbelt, new sabre, and no other insignia.
Another description of horse artillery mentions brown pointed
shabracks edged with blue tape. |
Figure 12: From a drawing titled 'Garrison Artillery, Varna'
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(no colour notes)
This figure wears the 'new' uniform with native shoes. The uniform
appears identical to that of the infantry, and would presumably
have been of the same colours. Curiously, the only part of the
drawing to be shaded is the shoulder-straps, which are without
piping. Just what this signifies is unclear; might the 'new'
artillery uniform have differed from that of the infantry by
having differently-coloured shoulderstraps, or could this be
simply a peculiarity of Garrison Artillery? He is armed with
what appears to be a carbine with bayonet (possibly a French
Gendarmerie musketoon?). |
A description of a horse artilleryman wear-ing what is presumably the
'new' uniform quotes a dark blue tunic with (dark) blue collar and cuffs,
trimmed with red braiding (described as 'less bright than scarlet')
and 3 rows of small brass buttons on the breast, dark blue trousers
with a broad scarlet stripe, white waistbelt with a square plate, and
cavalry sabre without knot.
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