Portuguese Army - in The 1800
Portuguese Army - in The 1800
Cockade: Blue with a red ring. I. INFANTRY Information on the dress of the Portuguese army in the eighteenth century is sparse. The uniforms tended, however, to be rather out of date in style. Thus in 1740 the infantry wore long coats with very large cuffs and a row of buttons right down the front, and a very large broad-brimmed tricorne hat. The grenadiers had tall fur caps with no plate. From an early date the coat was dark blue for the whole army, with predominantly white or yellow undergarments. Officers were denoted by a crimson silk sash, a distinction of rank they retained in full dress up to the 1930s. By about 1800 the infantry uniform fairly closely resembled the prevailing continental fashions. The distinctions were as follows.
REGIMENT COLLAR LAPELS BUTTONS AND EPAULETTES white yellow white yellow white yellow white yellow yellow white white white white white white yellow white white yellow white white yellow white white white yellow yellow white SKIRTS WAISTCOATS PLUME
Lippe Albuquerque Minas 1st Armada 2nd Armada Cascaes de Setubal Peniche 1st Elvas 2nd Elvas Colonial, Rio de Janeiro Serpa 1st Olivenca 2nd Olivenca Campo Major Castello de Vide Colonial Moira, Rio de Janeiro Lagos Faro 1st Porto 2nd Porto Vianna Valena Almeida Gena Major Chares Bragana Colonial Bragana
1 2
red blue; white cuffs red2 red2 red2 blue yellow white2 red red2 red red orange orange; white cuffs blue2 blue; white cuffs yellow white red red blue yellow; white cuffs yellow red yellow white red light yellow
blue1 white red1 red red blue blue1 blue1; white lace red red1; white loops none; white loops yellow orange; white lace orange; white lace blue1; white loops blue none white blue red yellow yellow yellow red yellow red white light yellow
white white white red red blue yellow white blue red white red red red red red yellow white blue yellow red red red red yellow white red white
white white white red red white white white blue white white yellow white white red white yellow blue white yellow red white blue yellow yellow red white white
white red white red white carmine red red white white shakos red light blue red black -----white Kaskett red ---------------------------------------------------
lapels edged with lace of button colour; with two or three loop below cuffs edged with lace, and with lace loops, of the button colour
All wore blue coats, with the exception of the two Armada regiments, which had green coats and breeches. The breeches were blue for the other regiments, with the following exceptions: Colonial Moira, 2nd Porto, and Almeida, yellow; 1st Porto, red; Valena, white. The small bicorne hat was worn across the head, sloping forward. The binding, and the tassels depending from the corners, were of button colour. In 1809 the infantry adopted short single-breasted blue jackets with nine yellow metal buttons, blue or white breeches, and black half gaiters, and British-type shakos with cockade and white plume at the front, with the regimental number on it. The leather equipment, which was worn crossed, was white. Piping ran around the top and front of the collar, down the front and around the bottom of the jacket, and along the skirt edges, and also around the shoulder straps (which were blue for all) and the round cuffs. A hunting horn was worn on the shako and green fringes on the shoulders. The rifles wore a brown uniform and had a small horn badge above the shako plate, and a green plume. The first three battalions had brown collars, the 4th through 6th had theirs of the distinctive colour. These were: 1st and 4th Battalions, blue; 2nd and 5th, red; and 3rd and 6th, yellow. Leather equipment was black. The National Regiments (auxiliary troops) were not uniformly dressed. They, like the other units, wore many items of British provenance. In 1814 a double-breasted jacket with epaulettes was introduced. The latter were white for fusiliers, red for grenadiers, and green for light infantry. As time passed, the British influence became more marked. The shakos had larger tops and a more pronounced curve at the sides. The cuffs were changed to blue, with coloured French-type slashes. Grey trousers were worn.
II. CAVALRY In 1800 the uniform of the cavalry consisted of a blue jacket, yellow leather breeches, long boots, and a white metal cuirass. The leather equipment was black in some regiments, red in others. The Cas and Moira regiments wore sabretaches. The several distinctions are given in the following table.
REGIMENT Cas Alcantara COLLAR, CUFFS AND SKIRTS carmine; -white loops pink; white loops on collar light blue red SASH crimson with white edges pink with white edges and vandyk red with two narrow stripes red, blue edges and center stripe yellow-blue-yellow as for Mecklenburg white-crimson-black black, white edges piped light blue as for Mecklenburg HEADDRESS bicorne; white lace; red plume crested helmet with white metal mounts black helmet with red crest extending down at rear bicorne; yellow lace; white plume black peakless helmet with yellow comb and red crest bicorne shako with white lines and crimson feather white metal helmet with red crest black helmet with white comb and crimson crest black Kaskett with red feather rising from rear bicorne with red feather black helmet with red feather rising from rear LACE LOOPS ABOVE CUFFS -----three white chevron-shaped loops three white V loops four yellow chevron-shaped loops --------------------three white chevron-shaped loops ----------------
Mecklenburg Elvas
The Legion Of Light Troops was dressed differently. Its uniform consisted of a short blue coatee with black collar and black pointed cuffs, with loops of yellow lace on the collar and on the breast. The collar and cuffs were edged with yellow and had yellow chevron-shaped loops. They also had cylindrical shakos with yellow cords, white breeches, and hussar boots. In 1809 the uniforms, which were supplied from Britain, were simplified. The twelve regiments wore blue uniforms with the following distinctions: 1-3, white; 4-6 red; 7-9, yellow; and 10-12, blue. They wore helmets with combs and a crest; and yellow metal shoulder scales.
III. ARTILLERY AND ENGINEERS In the eighteenth century the uniforms were usually blue with black distinctions. About 1800 the coats and waistcoats were blue, with red skirt turnbacks.
REGIMENT Lissabon1 Estremoz Algarve Porto COLLAR, CUFFS AND LAPELS black with white edges black; blue cuffs blue2 black3 BUTTONS AND EPAULETTES white white white white BREECHES blue blue with white stripes blue black
1 red hat plume. 2 white lace loops on front 3 two white lace loops below lapels In 1808 an all-blue uniform with yellow metal buttons was introduced.