You are using an outdated browser. For a faster, safer browsing experience, upgrade for free today.
  • Your shopping cart is empty!

French and Allied Army - Infantry officer with sword

  • Product Code: FA1
  • Availability: In Stock

£0.59

This product is sold as a single unpainted figure.

Additional Images.

The whole French Intervention in Mexico French and Allied Army range.


THE UNIFORMITY OF OFFICER DRESS

  • Officers of all sides largely dressed alike and despite uniform regulations they were generally ignored. A fertile cross-mixing of French, North African, Mexican and US styles provided the inspiration and gave an appearance of romance.
  • For both sides, basic officers’ dress was a dark blue frock coat or occasionally a hip length coat or waist length shell jacket, often in varying shades of blue. Some Imperial Mexican officers wore green frock coats. In the Mexican army superior officers often wore the coat turned back, showing the red lining covered in gold lace. Rank markings were sometimes of the US pattern of shoulder tabs bearing stars in varying numbers according to rank. Cuffs of all officers usually had double lines of gold lace.
  • Officers also wore civilian clothes of varying cut including more elaborate versions of rancheros’ dress.
  • Headgear could be sombrero, kepi or flat-topped pillbox cap with a peak.
  • Trousers were dark blue, white or sometimes red.
  • Sashes of red or blue worn over or under the coat were also widely used.
  • Officers of both sides wore a variety of boots, ankle boots, lace-up shoes, knee length riding boots, over the knee type and in the French Army in particular, thigh high soft leather in black or light tan, often held up by a band at the knee.
  • As a general rule sword knots of both officers and men were tan if they had tan leather equipment and white or silver if the equipment was white or black. Senior officers sometimes had gold sword knots.’   

 Source.  Campaign Booklet 2, The Maximlian War 1861-1867, David Allsop & Antony G Canavan, 2007.