Dismounted Driver 1816

The details of the driver’s blue, faced red, jacket are clearer in this monochrome reproduction of a painting by either Sauerweid or Vernet. The bastion loops are to be seen on his collar and cuffs as well as across the front of the jacket.The shoulder strap is also bastion shaped. The detail on the tails is obscured but the fact that the coat has tails raises the question of whether this man was a driver for the foot or the horse artillery. Horse artillery jackets are all without tails whereas the foot artillery jackets follow the infantry style of short-tailed jackets. The single red stripe down the leathered grey trousers agrees with Vernet’s Mounted Driver 1816.
There are a few odd things about this painting. The helmet has a thin leather strap instead of a brass chin-scale. His sword does not appear to have a hand guard on the hilt; it has more the look of a bandsman’s sword. The shoulder belt seems to have another belt underneath but this is probably a haversack strap below his sword belt.

Regimental Details | Uniforms