Cossacks fought in whatever they stood up in. The results looked frightening and were.
Quick answer. Napoleonic era Cossack dress varied by host (Don, Kuban, Terek, Ural, Siberian and others) but shared common features: a long dark blue or black coat called a cherkeska, often with gazyr cartridge pouches sewn across the chest, dark trousers tucked into high boots, and a tall sheepskin or papakha hat. Weapons were a long lance (pika), a curved sabre (shashka), a pistol and a dagger. The whole look was unlike anything else on the European battlefield and became famous after 1812.
The Don Cossacks
The Don Host was the largest and most famous Cossack formation. In 1812 the Don provided 25 regiments to the Russian army. Dress: a dark blue cherkeska (a long single breasted coat without lapels), fastened with hooks rather than buttons, with crimson shoulder straps and a crimson sash around the waist. Trousers were dark blue with crimson stripe. Headdress was a tall sheepskin hat (papakha) with a crimson cloth top. Boots were soft leather, reaching to the knee.
The Don Cossacks of Ataman Platov pursued the French retreat from Moscow in October to December 1812 and destroyed what remained of the French cavalry. Their uniform became iconic after the campaign.
The Kuban and Terek Cossacks
The Kuban and Terek hosts were based in the Caucasus. Their dress showed Caucasian influence more than Russian. Dark grey or black cherkeska with silver gazyr cartridge tubes sewn in neat rows across the chest. Baggy dark trousers tucked into soft boots. The famous conical papakha of lambskin, often white. Weapons included a shashka (sabre) worn edge down from a cross belt, a kinjal dagger at the waist, and a long musket slung across the back.
The Kuban and Terek Cossacks served in smaller numbers in 1812, but their frontier experience made them valuable scouts and raiders.
The Ural and Siberian hosts
The Ural Host contributed four regiments in 1812, in dark blue cherkeska with crimson facings. The Siberian Host was less present on the European front but kept the frontier role in central Asia. Both wore uniforms influenced by their regions: more Mongol influence for Siberian, more Russian for Ural. All used the gazyr cartridge pouches that became the signature of the entire Cossack arm.
Weapons and horse furniture
The Cossack lance (pika) was around nine to twelve feet long with a narrow steel head and no pennon. The shashka was a curved sabre without a guard, worn edge down and drawn with a reverse grip. Pistols were old flintlock types, often more decorative than reliable. The horse furniture was simple: a wooden saddle with sheepskin cover, no shabraque, no decoration beyond the rider's own kit. The Cossack horse was small, hardy and tough, descended from the Mongolian pony. Range on a day's march could reach 60 miles, double that of regular cavalry.
Cossacks in the campaign
Cossacks did the work that regular cavalry could not: raiding, scouting, picking off stragglers, cutting supply lines. In the 1812 retreat they rode almost continuously, destroying French formations in detail. Napoleon's cavalry was effectively annihilated during the retreat, with most of the losses from Cossack action rather than from the direct cold. Memoirs from French survivors describe nothing more terrifying than being spotted by a Cossack patrol in open country. By 1813 and 1814 the Cossacks were a major part of the Allied armies that invaded France, and they rode through Paris in March 1814. Their dress became briefly fashionable in Paris and London in the aftermath.
Common questions
What is a cherkeska?
A long single breasted coat worn by Cossacks and Caucasian peoples. Often dark blue, black or grey, fastened with hooks and featuring the gazyr cartridge pouches across the chest.
What is a gazyr?
A small cylindrical cartridge pouch, originally for a pre measured powder charge, sewn in rows across the chest of the cherkeska. By 1812 the gazyrs were mostly decorative but had been functional in earlier flintlock days.
How many Cossacks served in 1812?
Around 20,000 to 30,000 regular Cossack cavalry served in 1812. Many more were raised in militia units during the campaign.
Did Cossacks use lances?
Yes. The Cossack lance was around nine to twelve feet with a narrow steel head and no pennon. It was the primary weapon of most Cossack regiments.
Can I buy a replica Cossack uniform?
Yes. Specialist tailors build full Cossack impressions in wool cherkeska with hand sewn gazyrs. The silhouette is dramatic and lends itself to theatrical and reenactor use.