Tricorn and Bicorn - useless as headwear?

[Destraex]

ETW units will feature the Tricorn and then Bicorn hat.
These seem rather silly to me, was their primary function to keep the wearer warm. Because they do not look like they would keep the sun off the wearer.

And was it just fashion that made the tricorn dissappear....

[Von Reichgraf]

the tricorne i believe was purposely made to lead water away from the wearer, keeping water from pouring down the collar..

[Frédéric Chopin]

the tricorne i believe was purposely made to lead water away from the wearer, keeping water from pouring down the collar..

I remember reading this somewhere. As for the bicorne, it's just sexy.

[Von Reichgraf]

I remember reading this somewhere. As for the bicorne, it's just sexy.

exactly. as with everything else in the military, it's all about looking cool and shagable.

[IronBrig4]

The tricorn and bicorn served some practical function, but what about the shako? That piece of headgear was completely useless.

[Strattios]

Bicorn

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Tricorn

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I'm sorry.

I think it's just to add to the feel of the game as well as giving them the ability to claim that uniforms change over time.

[Destraex]

Well I just cannot see how a Tricorn or Bicorn would be of too much use funnelling water. I mean the the water would be channeled onto the shoulders! What use is that?

How does the bicorn stop the rain in your face?
Can you imagine trying to see through the funnel of water in front of your face that the Tricorn creates?

Oh and as for the Shako, yeah, what was it for....... I will tell you! They all wanted to look like Grenadiers!! The fakers.

[Ghillie]

Well I just cannot see how a Tricorn or Bicorn would be of too much use funnelling water. I mean the the water would be channeled onto the shoulders! What use is that?

It all depends on what angle you put the hat?

[ASL Veteran]

From what I understand, the Tricorn and Bicorn are just a broad brimmed hat with either two or three sides folded up. Apparently some fashion forward fellow decided to fancy up the broad brimmed hat by folding up the sides and it became the fashion rage. I guess American cowboy hats are similar in idea in that they usually have either side folded up. The broad brimmed hat that formed the tricorn though was apparently very shallow on the head and so they were prone to blowing off a wearer's head. Grenadiers couldn't wear the tricorn apparently because the hat would get in the way when throwing grenades.

The shako is supposed to make the soldier look a lot taller and so make them more intimidating on the battlefield. The Grenadier's mitre and the bear skin hat both served that function as well, although the original purpose was a more practical function. I'm not a uniform grog though so I may be missing a few details there.

[Marszałek Poniatowski]

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In early 18th century soldiers used tricorne and round hats;
in mid 18th century used tricorne;
in late 18th century soldiers used tricorne and bicorne.

ROUND HAT (early 18th century):
http://jas-townsend.com/images/large/h-2430.jpg
http://www.jarnaginco.com/artwork/ca...v_war/5003.jpg

TRICORNE (early, mid and late):
http://www.lynchs.com/images/2606.jpg (Officers)
http://www.halloweenscene.com/mm5/gr...orne%20Dlx.jpg (Soldiers)

BICORNE (late 18th century):
http://pagespro-orange.fr/fngc/bicorneGC.GIF



Soldiers hats are only black, but in really most of regiments used hats with white or yellow, sometimes red. whole black hats used very seldom, by some units: Prussian and Austrian Cuirassiers, Dragoons, some regiments of infantry in other countries etc. I see that officers in screens have correctly hats.

In game:


Should look as:




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[ChaosLondon]

I bought myself a tricorn for a pirate party, and think it's rather spiffy actually.
I've not gone as far as to wear it out about town, but it's rather nice to wear about the house and garden, and keeps the rain off a treat.

I think shakos are cool looking - it's basically like a tall cap, really. I think when it comes down to it, the shako is all about identification - something to display your regimental badge on, and your identifying feathers/tufts. I suppose something tall is more likely to be seen in all that smoke and confusion. Shakos & bicorns make you look more like a soldier - if you see pictures of Blucher in his silly little hat, you can't help but thing inwardly "Doesn't look much like a general - he should be wearing a bicorn or something".
For me, tricorns have always looked more naval... Although I'm sure they were de rigeur amongst all rakish types of the period.

[Marszałek Poniatowski]

For me, tricorns have always looked more naval... Although I'm sure they were de rigeur amongst all rakish types of the period.

Tricon was the most popular hat from early to late 18th century (wore by Infantry and Cavalry). Bicorn is popular from late 18th century to mid-Napoleonic Era. Shako was the most popular from early 19th century. In late 18th century shako wore only few regiments in European Armies.

[clibinarium]

I reckon the tricorn is one of the coolest ever hats. Bear in mind that its not a military hat per se, most civilian men wore them too.

[Empress Meg]

"...[A] solider thrives when he is uniformed to look like is idea of a soldier, and not like that of a day laborer or a chorus boy." Swords Around a Throne, 439.

Before the French Rev. many armies chose uniforms (or the COs did) that made a soldier look daring and dashing, but a time wore on uniforms were better made. The man inside the uniform was taken into consideration, thus the headgear followed. While some headgear was considered "stylish" nearly all of them were at one time considered effective clothing for a fighting man.

Cost, comfort and wear were all considerations for headgear. Elting tells us that the original French chapeau, the tricorne and later the bicorne hat, was changed in 1806 due to its poor wear. The hat sagged with any kind of rain, there was no hold whatsoever (445). Keep in mind this was in the days before modern laundry, cleaning, and pressing so any kind of poor weather destroyed these cloth hats making them worthless for anything but a sunny parade day.

The shako was instated as the headgear of choice for the Napoleonic soldier because it was far more comfortable, wore longer, and protected from a variety of attacks. "Its visor shaded his eyes, and its inside was furnished with loops to hold the soldier's mirror and brushes for his coat, shoes, and hair" (445). There's also mention of the shako being a great improvised sandbag and bunker, a lancer regiment filled them with dirt and used them to bolster their barracks when attacked (446).

Moving to the Historical section.

Devoirs The Empress

[Notker]

As supplement:
Important to know the tricorne was invented for military use, and civilians adapted that shape as fashion. Also turnbacks were invented for better performance of actions and then later adapted also sometimes by civilian fashion. Why the tricorne was invented? Because the really widebrimmed hats about end of 17ct were hindering the performance with shouldered muskets.
You see also in 17ct often one side of hats folded (for inf it means the side the musket or pole will be shouldered), end of 17ct also four-corns and bicorns, but founded on a wide brimmed sledgehat. The result was the tricorne as order for an uniformed appearance. So first those hats were only wide brimmed sledgehats folded in the wanted way by the hat-owner. But sure then you get very different results and about 1700 armies wanted more and more to be not only in colour also in all shapes of equipment uniformed. (so not only at least regimental unicoloured )

Also there were steelreinforcments for tricornes like bend crossed over metal straps, with different shapes factly a kind of steel-cap-cover. Mainly used by cavalry equipped with hats. But thats also a kind of protection even used in similar way in the Landsknechtsperiod, under the barret the merceneries were equipped with a metalcap-helmet. Often nearly not visible.

Any headgear has a protection and if its only for a bad-blown slash of a sabre.
A tchako is more 'hard' not soft so its for any blow from up to down a protection, also the height not unimportant. Sure for shots you would need a total body covering 'armour' its clear why such equipment was not used. The cylindrical shape of the tchako was also invented for good handling of the weapons, not only reasoned by fashion.
Why in US civil war also first some tchakos used and then fewer and fewer. Sure cépies are cheaper but also cavalry attacks with sabres against infantry were fewer. There was no absolute need for a harder cap/hat.
The helmets in ww1 were invented because the head was the most vulnerable part of the soldier in the trenches. If you are standing in a battle line nearly only equipped with fireweapons its not as important. Then a hat is enough if you have anyway no total body protection.

The bicorne equipped in a way the corns pointing to the shoulders was never a good idea for soldiers equipped with flints and bajonetts and must charge with shouldered weapons. So you see soon the french bicorn soldiers wearing their hats the corns pointing at least skewed or to the front and back. Its better for practical use. Tricorns were normally shaped in a way the corns were not wide, the first bicorne of the prussians in late 18ct was so small it looks absolute really ugly, so soon a fashioned nearly tricorne, a larger hat was again invented. But you see soon that hat dismissed, only officers had still the wide bicornes. And later only high officers.

[justeve]

Why is the tricorn hat worn by the guardia civil in Spain so completely different from any other ever worn anywear? Patent leather, no sides at all, just a very flat, vertical, triangular back.

[43rdFoot]

The line battalion soldiers in game are basically modeled after Revolutionary War era Brits, following (basically) 1768 regulations. At this point they were using what are commonly called "cocked hats". These were the mid point between tricornes and bicornes. They were tricornes with large rear corners, and a small front corner. They were worn with the front corner cocked over the left eye, and with a tilt to the right.

Here's a friend of mine wearing what I'm talking about:

[Blarni]

God that whole outfit above looks uncomfortable - any re-enactors here tried it out and can comment?

And good luck keeping that hat on in a mad firefight/melee - I know grenadiers and dragoons had a cord they tied beneath their queues to keep their hats on, but I've never heard it mentioned for tricornes. Would replacement hats have come out of their pay?

[43rdFoot]

The hats would be tied on underneath the queue too. The ties were important to keeping the right angle on the hats. Hand to hand brawls weren't very common in warfare of this period. Generally there would be an immediate retreat at the sight of bayonets.


The outfit is not that bad actually. It's warm in the winter, and not as hot as it looks in the summer. The weight of the equipment is pretty well distributed over the body too. The only thing that really aches after a while is your left arm, from shouldering the musket.

[Blarni]

The hats would be tied on underneath the queue too. The ties were important to keeping the right angle on the hats. Hand to hand brawls weren't very common in warfare of this period. Generally there would be an immediate retreat at the sight of bayonets.


The outfit is not that bad actually. It's warm in the winter, and not as hot as it looks in the summer. The weight of the equipment is pretty well distributed over the body too. The only thing that really aches after a while is your left arm, from shouldering the musket.

Makes sense - I spoke to a guy once who had re-enacted as both an 1860s era British soldier and a WW2 American soldier, and he said the 1860s kit was the far more comfortable. I guess this is similar - and I read once the stock in this period wasn't as torturous as it would become in the Napoleonic period.

What about hair powdering - was that purely for parade?