Comfort or attractive appearance
– uniforms

At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries soldiers’ uniforms rarely served camouflage purposes. On the contrary, colours of the particular regiments, sometimes very bright, were the soldiers’ pride and often resulted from heraldic colours of the sovereign or the so-called “honorary regiment owners”. Uniforms were made from thick cloth; as a rule, they were too warm in summer and tended to soak up water quickly in autumn and winter. From the contemporary point of view, they were extremely uncomfortable. Headdress was often very high and gave the soldier a monumental look; at the same time such headdress overloaded his head and neck. By comparison, the uniform of lancers of the Duchy of Warsaw can be called very a modern, comfortable and ergonomic “battle overalls”. According to members of historical re-enactment groups the uniform and kit of a soldier of Napoleonic era was relatively comfortable. It is the heavy, stiff, hobnailed bootees that would be a living nightmare for contemporary people. The left and right one were almost identical and they were supposed to adapt to the feet of the unfortunate infantrymen.