Draft Book on Ottoman Uniforms 1800 till 1918

[ukturkcollector]

new plate 42 looking at greatcoats. The basic Ottoman Army greatcoat, remained largely unchanged from the Janissary, and the same style - was used through the Crimean war (when Gen. Vanson first illustrated it), and was still seen in the period -1897 illustration (below)



The 1861-76 period saw the introduction of more European -styled greatcoats, as well as the French 'Zouave' model, that remained in service till 1908. Then in 1908/09 the introduction of the field brown uniform, also included the use of a large (Russian influenced), wool hood in red, or grey (possibly double sided in both colors), which was worn well into WW1.

[ukturkcollector]

This new Plate 44A is a continuation of Plate 44: Medical Officers

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New plate 48: Ottoman Admirals 1876-1918

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Revised Medical Groups Plates 44, and 44A

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Updated Plate 14: Engineers

[ukturkcollector]

This new Plate 7A, returns us to the gala court uniforms of the 1870s-1908 period. As well, including the most remarkable uniform ever created, the 'gold' admiral uniform of the 1839-44 period, that proceeded the 'modern' Ottoman Imperial Navy uniforms of the 1844-61, which changed very little, till the end of WW1.
As well, the special Musir (Marshal) shoulder-cords, which display the Sultan's Tugra (this feature changed again on 1909, where only the Sultan wore this distinction : See Plate 35 above).
Finally, the special uniform (from an 1895 French magazine illustration) of the Imperial Courts' Halberdiers (a feature of all the various European courts and the time), called the 'Baltadjis', these had been a Janissary regiment whose role (armed with axes) was to clear the Sultan's path, of trees etc on campaign, and to set up his tent.

[ukturkcollector]

Revised Plate 8, and new Plate 8A illustrating the ranks used between 1861, and 1876:

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Revised Plate 45:


New Plate 4: Crimean War

[maxnechitaylov]

Red coats - 2nd (Constantinople) Corps' cavalry (Crimean War). Guard Corps' cavalry - blue coats.
(3rd Corps Cavalry - Purple coats; 4th Corps' - brown; 5th - fawn coats; 6th - light blue.)

[ukturkcollector]

Red coats - 2nd (Constantinople) Corps' cavalry (Crimean War). Guard Corps' cavalry - blue coats.
(3rd Corps Cavalry - Purple coats; 4th Corps' - brown; 5th - fawn coats; 6th - light blue.)

This information is consistent with the Gen. Vanson notes, of what he saw in the Crimea:

"Plate 12: Figure 15: Form a partially-coloured drawing titled '3rd May, 1854, Cavalry Squadron Arriving at Gallipoli': Red fez with dark blue tassel held by a brass button, narrow black chinstrap. Red jacket or dolman with plain darkblue collar and round cuffs, yellow (or gold) braiding and buttons, black belts.
"Plate 12: Figure 16: Cavalryman, from an uncoloured group drawing titled Turkish Squadron Attached to the 1st Division at Mankolia de Baldchik, l7 August, 1854': The jackets or dolmans are pencil-shaded to indicate a dark colour (possibly dark blue?) with unshaded collar and cuffs and dark braiding on the breast. The trousers are un-shaded, possibly indicating white. In most cases the boots are shaded black, and most figures have unshaded (white?) pouchbelts and carry carbines. Shabracks are of much the same form as that of the last figure, shaded with pencil with a broad unshaded edge lace.

This is very interesting, because whereas the infantry and artillery were wearing identical uniforms, the cavalry had reverted back to older pre-1839 type uniforms of each regiment wearing its own distinctive jacket colour (see PLATES 1.3 & 1.2 below), as well with exactly the same colors being used, as had been for the early infantry (1808-1826).

This is a new Plate 3 covering the PASHAS in the Crimea:

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Sources on corps' colour jackets of cavalry (and artillery!) in early 1850s:
- Ubicini (Russian Translation 1854 from French original - Ubicini A. Lettres sur la Turquie. Paris, 1853), p. 113;
- Anonymous Russian officer's memoirs in Turkish captivity (1854-1855), 1857 (about brown coats of 4th Corps);
- Heuschling X. L’empire de Turquie. Bruxelles; Paris, 1860. P. 325-326;
- Porter J., Larpent G. Turkey: Its history and progress. Vol. II. L., 1854. P. 298-299;
- Skene J. H. The Three Eras of Ottoman History. L., 1851. P. 66.

Some facts:
1) Green soft cap - headgear of (some) Turkish Chasseur Btns (raised 1853) and, possibly, Chasseurs a cheval Rgts; another Chasseur btns wore fez. But coat facings - red (not green!). See: Pallu de La Barrière L.-C. Six mois à Eupatoria (souvenirs d’un marin). Paris, [1858]. P. 7-9.

2) 4th Anatolian Corps, Infantry: yellow (instead of the red) cuffs on coats (order of 1854; in theory!).

[maxnechitaylov]

Fenton's Ismail Pasha certainly is Egyptian (Circassian Origin) Ismail Pasha Hakki, Chief of 1st Brigade of 1st Egyptian Division.

[ukturkcollector]

Sources on corps' colour jackets of cavalry (and artillery!) in early 1850s:
- Ubicini (Russian Translation 1854 from French original - Ubicini A. Lettres sur la Turquie. Paris, 1853), p. 113;
- Anonymous Russian officer's memoirs in Turkish captivity (1854-1855), 1857 (about brown coats of 4th Corps);
- Heuschling X. L’empire de Turquie. Bruxelles; Paris, 1860. P. 325-326;
- Porter J., Larpent G. Turkey: Its history and progress. Vol. II. L., 1854. P. 298-299;
- Skene J. H. The Three Eras of Ottoman History. L., 1851. P. 66.

Some facts:
1) Green soft cap - headgear of (some) Turkish Chasseur Btns (raised 1853) and, possibly, Chasseurs a cheval Rgts; another Chasseur btns wore fez. But coat facings - red (not green!). See: Pallu de La Barrière L.-C. Six mois à Eupatoria (souvenirs d’un marin). Paris, [1858]. P. 7-9.

2) 4th Anatolian Corps, Infantry: yellow (instead of the red) cuffs on coats (order of 1854; in theory!).

Ottoman Uniforms in the 1850s go through a period of rapid change. General Vanson in the Crimea illustrates these. Broadly, the Ottoman Army in 1854-55 wore three different series of uniforms, older shell-jackets, including Hussar 'Dolmans', in various regimental colors, two versions of long skirted tunics (universal pattern - everyone wore the same garment - there is a version from the 1850s that is identical to the Napoleonic period Prussian Landwher 'Litewka'. And in 1856 a 'smart' looking new pattern tunic. So the reference to Green soft cap - headgear is Vanson's illustration of the fleece cap, illustrated below (new PLATE 4A), with the Chasseur wearing a 'standard' universal pattern 'Litewka'.

REVISED PLATE 3, I still think Fenton's photograph is the Hungarian 'Ismail Pasha' (that is what appears to be recorded in verious catelogues http://www.allworldwars.com/Crimean-War ... 855.html#5 " the smail Pacha (Hungarian general Kmety) ordering his chibouque. LC-USZC4-9146"). I have also added the Polish 'Cossack' General, to this group:

[maxnechitaylov]

Sorry! But not Hungarian… Egyptian!
Letter of Roger Fenton, April 29th 1855. “Two days since, Ismael Pasha, commander of the Egyptian Troops [NB: 9000 troops – division, arrived April 14th], came to me. I made some good groups of him and his suite. There was a Nubian slave and a Copt pipe-bearer” (Gernsheim, p. 72).
Concerning Ismail Pasha (Khedive of Egypt, 1863-1879) see Encyclopaedia of Islam, iv (1997), p. 192-193.

Real “dear old” Kmety was at Kars (as commander of irregular cavalry) from the autumn of 1854 till the surrender of fortress in November 1855 (see Badem, 147, 214; Lake – Kars, p. 6, 22, 118, 122; Akty Kavkazskoy archeographicheskoy komissii, xi, 478; and his personal “A Narrative of the Defence of Kars, on the 29th September, 1855” London, 1856). In February and March 1855 he certainly was at Kars (exactly, at advanced posts) – see: Papers relative to military affairs in Asiatic Turkey, and the defence and capitulation of Kars. L., 1856, p. 149-150, 166-167 – “General Kmety (Ismail Pasha)… of the Kars army”.
Third Ismail Pasha was a “Governor-General” of province Erzerum in 1855.
Fourth Ismail Pasha was a chief of staff of Rumelian army and vizier in 1854.
Etc…

[maxnechitaylov]

Parade uniform of Turkish General - Kerim Pasha, "Baba-Kerim", Kars, 1855. (Fez with fur - his own singularity.)