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| Napoleon never employed his
battle cavalry frivolously. In battle, the
cuirassiers were often the deciding factor, launched at the time and point
of decision. Napoleon understood that to be effective, the
cuirassiers needed to be maintained in effective numbers. As the consummate
staff officer, Napoleon understood another
reason to avoid needless loss on the battlefield was the high cost of
equipping a cuirassier.
The kit for the 3eme Cuirassiers, our Tenue des Cuirassiers, depicts our regiment in the months preceding the Russian Campaign of 1812. Over the preceding dozen years there were numerous uniform and equipment changes; many cuirassiers of the period preferred to retain earlier items, such as their original casque. For our impressions, we use a basic kit consisting of a number of essential uniform, tack, arms and equipment items. These kit items can be assembled to portray every type of uniform historically used by the Cuirassiers. We have a variety of sutlers provide the kit items that make our impressions possible - clothing, leather, firearms, armor, edged weapons, and various equipment items. While Regiment members can buy kit items from any sutler, maintaining our high standards of quality and historical authenticity is most important. Members should phone or email Nick Serafino for guidance about selecting a sutler. Clothing items in particular may seem a substantial investment, yet you should remember that these are not mass production items. These, like individually tailored suits, display a quality of craftsmanship required to create a clothing item accurate to the period. Remember the tried and true rule "For a quality impression, buy quality products and then take care of them." |
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Click on the following items, from the list or photo, to get a detailed description. Contact Nick Serafino for item source and approximate cost. |
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The basic kit provides the essential items needed to construct the essential impressions and consists of:
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Grande Tenue or Parade Dress |
Tenue de Campaign |
Harnachement (tack) are required for our impression. While the uniform, arms and armor present a striking appearance, we are a mounted unit - your horse and tack are essential kit items.
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We are cavalry - a good horse is an essential kit item! |
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Photos © 2000 Nick Serafino. |
| To round out our impression, a variety of additional items are appropriate and will be essential to our historically authentic impression. |
Additional Uniform Items:
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Additional Tack Items:
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| Acquiring the clothing, tack, arms and equipment is no more expensive than any other up-scale avocation. Cost of the kit approximates what an equestrian enthusiast typically spends annually on stable board and maintenance for one horse in mid-Atlantic USA. |
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3eme Cuirassiers Webpages, photos and content Copyright © 2001-2005 by Mark Diehl. All rights reserved. |
