Sword of Davout, Marshal of France

Iliad · 7th August 2009, 11:43 PM

Hi Jim, the reason I used Davout as subject was that his was the only pic in the book that showed a sword in reasonable detail!
Here are some questions:
1.Did cavalry at that time wear any sort of armour? Helmets I suppose, maybe cuirasses?
2.Did cavalry at that time carry muskets/rifles/pistols as well as swords? Or were they armed with swords only? Lances? 3.Infantry were certainly armed with muskets/rifles and bayonets, but did they carry swords as well or did only infantry officers carry swords?
4.If cavalry wore armour, was this all cavalry or only some units?
5.If cavalry carried rifles/muskets, were these carried slung over the shoulders or perhaps in a scabbard attached to the saddle?
6.Were pistols carried as a matter of course by all combatants or only officers?
7.Please define "dragoon".....is this a branch of cavalry?

Best regards,
Brian

7th August 2009, 11:43 PM	#4
Iliad Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 187	Hi Jim, the reason I used Davout as subject was that his was the only pic in the book that showed a sword in reasonable detail! Here are some questions: 1.Did cavalry at that time wear any sort of armour? Helmets I suppose, maybe cuirasses? 2.Did cavalry at that time carry muskets/rifles/pistols as well as swords? Or were they armed with swords only? Lances? 3.Infantry were certainly armed with muskets/rifles and bayonets, but did they carry swords as well or did only infantry officers carry swords? 4.If cavalry wore armour, was this all cavalry or only some units? 5.If cavalry carried rifles/muskets, were these carried slung over the shoulders or perhaps in a scabbard attached to the saddle? 6.Were pistols carried as a matter of course by all combatants or only officers? 7.Please define "dragoon".....is this a branch of cavalry? Best regards, Brian