The Russian grenadier of 1812 fought in a dark green kaftan coat and a tall mitre cap, and the pattern survived in parade form until the fall of the Romanovs.
Quick answer. Russian grenadiers of the 19th century wore a dark green single breasted tailcoat with red facings and brass buttons, white kerseymere breeches, black knee high boots, and the distinctive grenadier mitre cap (shako after 1812). The Russian Imperial Guard grenadiers (Pavlovsky, Preobrazhensky, Semyonovsky) wore more elaborate versions with regimental lace and gold embroidery.
The Napoleonic grenadier
Russian line infantry grenadiers in 1812 wore the kiver shako or the mitre cap (depending on regiment), the dark green 1808 pattern double breasted kaftan coat with red facings on collar, cuff and turnback, white kerseymere breeches, long black gaiters, and black buckled shoes. The grenadier was marked by a brass flaming grenade on the cap and the cross belt.
The 1812 pattern tightened the cut and introduced a shorter tailed version. By the Russian campaign the standard regiment was the Jaeger (light infantry) in dark green, the Line in dark green, and the Grenadiers in dark green but with distinctive cap and musket. For the context of Napoleon's invasion, see our Napoleonic Cossack uniforms piece.
The Pavlovsky Grenadiers and the mitre cap
The Pavlovsky Grenadiers were awarded the right to wear the old grenadier mitre cap in perpetuity by Tsar Alexander I after their heroism at Friedland in 1807. The mitre was a tall, pointed cloth cap with a brass front plate bearing the double headed eagle and a tuft at the point. By 1812 every other Russian regiment had replaced the mitre with the kiver shako; the Pavlovsky kept the mitre as a regimental distinction.
The regiment carried this cap through the 19th century and into 1917. It became the symbol of Russian grenadier tradition, visible in Repin's and Vereshchagin's paintings. For a wider view of Russian line infantry, our Napoleonic uniforms complete guide gives the full palette.
Guard regiments: Preobrazhensky and Semyonovsky
The Preobrazhensky Guard (founded 1683) and the Semyonovsky Guard (founded 1683) were the senior infantry regiments of the Russian Imperial Guard. Both wore dark green kaftans with red facings; officers added gold embroidered loops across the chest and cuff. The collar was faced in red with a horizontal gold lace loop.
The Preobrazhensky distinction was a yellow waistband; the Semyonovsky wore a light blue waistband. Both regiments wore the Imperial Guard mitre cap in full dress and the shako in service dress. See our Napoleonic uniforms by rank piece for the structural comparison.
Trousers, boots, muskets
Trousers were white kerseymere wool, tight at the knee, worn with long black cloth gaiters to above the knee for the march, or white gaiters for parade. The boot was a plain black ankle shoe with a buckle, sometimes a short boot for guards. The musket was the 1808 pattern 7 line Russian musket, 1.42 metres long, bayonet 500 mm.
The grenadier distinguishing weapon was a brass hilted grenadier sword, 70 cm long, straight bladed, worn in a wooden scabbard with brass mounts. Officers wore an infantry sword with a gilt hilt. See our historical trousers and breeches piece for the leg wear context.
Through the century
From 1830 the Russian army replaced the dark green of the kaftan with a shorter frock coat of similar colour. By 1850 the grenadier mitre survived only in the Pavlovsky Regiment and the Imperial Guard parade dress. The Crimean War (1853 to 1856) saw grenadiers in a long dark grey greatcoat with the kiver cap, visible in Simpson's lithographs.
The 1872 reforms modernised the Russian uniform further, with the move to a dark green tunic and the end of the kerseymere breech. The grenadier distinction became cap and badge only. For an idea of the parallel British development, see our British Victorian military uniforms piece.
The last grenadier
The Russian Imperial Guard grenadiers survived the 19th century and fought in the First World War. The Preobrazhensky Guard regiment was disbanded on 11 December 1917 by the Bolshevik Revolution; the Pavlovsky Grenadiers were disbanded the same month. The last Russian grenadier mitre cap, worn by Lieutenant Boris Vasilievich Semyonov of the Pavlovsky, was burnt in Petrograd in January 1918.
Reproductions of the Russian grenadier mitre and kaftan are made in Moscow and Saint Petersburg today for reenactment and film. The 1812 pattern is the single most frequently reproduced Russian military uniform. For a wider look at the Napoleonic set, see our Imperial Guard uniforms piece.
Common questions
What colour was the Russian grenadier uniform?
Dark green kaftan with red facings on collar, cuff and turnback. White kerseymere breeches. Brass buttons. Grenadier mitre cap or shako depending on regiment.
What was special about the Pavlovsky Grenadiers?
They were awarded the right to wear the old grenadier mitre cap in perpetuity after Friedland in 1807, when every other Russian regiment moved to the kiver shako.
Who were the Preobrazhensky Guards?
The senior infantry regiment of the Russian Imperial Guard, founded 1683 by Peter the Great. Dark green kaftan, red facings, yellow waistband. Disbanded 1917.
What musket did Russian grenadiers carry?
The 1808 pattern 7 line Russian musket, 1.42 metres long, bayonet 500 mm. Plus a grenadier sword with brass hilt.
When did Russia abandon the kerseymere breech?
By 1872 for line infantry, as part of the modernisation reforms. The Imperial Guard retained parade kerseymere until 1917.