Dragoons were the heavy middle of Napoleonic cavalry: not the dashing hussars, not the shock cuirassiers, but the versatile greencoats that did the serious work.
Quick answer. A Napoleonic dragoon wore a long tailed dark green habit, a brass crested helmet with a horsehair mane, white breeches and heavy black boots, carried a straight bladed broadsword, a 1777 pattern dragoon musket and a pair of pistols. French dragoons were green, Austrian were white, Russian were green, Prussian were a mix of blue and green, and British dragoons wore scarlet.
Who were the dragoons
Dragoons began in the 17th century as mounted infantry: men who rode to the fight and dismounted to shoot. By 1800 they had become true cavalry, but they kept the versatility. In the French army, dragoons were classed as medium cavalry (cavalerie de ligne), lighter than cuirassiers but heavier than chasseurs or hussars. They numbered 30 regiments at the peak of 1811.
A dragoon regiment on paper was four squadrons of 240 men each, around 960 troopers plus officers and staff. In practice regiments ran at 60 to 80 percent strength in the Peninsula and the Russian campaign. For a wider look at how dragoons fitted alongside hussars and lancers, see our Napoleonic cavalry comparison.
The French dragoon uniform
The French dragoon habit was dark imperial green, cut long with white turnbacks, pink or scarlet facings depending on regimental colour. Twelve brass buttons went down the breast. The brass crested helmet with a leopard skin turban and black horsehair mane was the most recognisable item of dragoon kit. Officers wore a mane of white horsehair and a chenille crest in the regimental colour.
Breeches were white kerseymere, worn with high black riding boots (jackboots) to the knee. For walking out in barracks dress, dragoons wore grey or green overalls with a red seam stripe. A buff leather crossbelt supported the sword and carbine; a second belt took the cartridge pouch.
Weapons and horse furniture
Each dragoon carried the 1796 model straight bladed sword, 97 cm long, built for the thrust rather than the cut. He also carried the 1777 pattern dragoon musket, shorter than the infantry musket, slung on a leather belt. Two pistols sat in holsters forward of the saddle under covers trimmed in regimental colour.
The saddle was the hussar type Hungarian saddle covered in a dark green shabraque trimmed in white or regimental lace. Officers had a leopard skin saddle cover. The headstall included a brass boss with the regimental number. Full field weight on a dragoon horse was around 125 kilos, which is why dragoons needed heavier horses than hussars.
British, Austrian, Russian and Prussian dragoons
British dragoons wore scarlet, cut long, with facings in regimental colour, and a tall brass helmet with a bear fur crest. The Household Cavalry dragoons wore steel cuirasses by 1821, but in the Napoleonic Wars British dragoons were uncuirassed heavy cavalry. See our British Napoleonic uniforms piece for a longer look.
Austrian dragoons wore white coats with coloured facings and a brass crested helmet similar to the French. Russian dragoons wore dark green coats with regimental facings. Prussian dragoons wore cornflower blue after 1808, having previously worn white. All four nations shared the same tactical doctrine: medium cavalry capable of shock action and dismounted fire.
Dragoons in action
French dragoons fought in every major Napoleonic campaign. At Austerlitz in 1805, Beaumont's dragoon division helped break the Austro-Russian centre. At Jena in 1806, dragoons pursued the Prussian army 400 kilometres and captured 20,000 prisoners. In Spain, dragoons spent six years garrisoning towns and hunting guerrillas. At Waterloo, French dragoons of the 2nd, 7th and 12th regiments charged the British squares and broke on them.
The dragoons of the Imperial Guard, the Dragons de l'Imperatrice, were formed in 1806 and ranked just below the Chasseurs a Cheval of the Guard. They wore the full green dragoon habit with the aiguillette, orange plume and status of middle guard.
The decline and legacy
By 1815 the dragoon idea was already obsolete. Rifled artillery, longer ranged infantry weapons and the growth of specialised light cavalry squeezed the dragoon role from both sides. The French retained dragoon regiments throughout the 19th century, but their function drifted toward ceremonial duty by the 1880s. By the First World War, dragoons were cavalry in name only; most dismounted into the trenches.
Today the name survives in a handful of ceremonial units: the French 4e Régiment de Dragons was a modern successor until 2009. For a sense of how dragoons fitted into the wider cavalry family, our types of cavalry uniforms piece gives the full breakdown.
Common questions
Why were dragoons called dragoons?
From the 'dragon' muskets they first carried in the 17th century: short, flared barrelled weapons. The name stuck even after the kit changed.
Were dragoons heavy or light cavalry?
Medium. Heavier than hussars and chasseurs, lighter than cuirassiers. They were classed as 'cavalerie de ligne' in the French order of battle.
What colour was the French dragoon uniform?
Dark imperial green with facings in pink, red, yellow or purple depending on regiment. Twelve brass buttons down the breast.
Did British dragoons wear green?
No. British dragoons wore scarlet, cut long, with regimental facings. Only the Light Dragoons wore blue after 1811.
What was the dragoon helmet made of?
Brass crown with a leopard skin turban and black horsehair mane. Officers substituted white horsehair and sometimes a chenille crest.