RUSSIAN EMPIRE

COLORS OF INFANTRY REGIMENTS  •  REGULATIONS OF 1800

In 1800, Tsar Paul I decreed a reorganization of the Russian Army. The old practice of grouping the line infantry regiments into divisions was abolished, and they were assigned instead to territorial military districts called "inspections." At the same time, new Prussian-style colors were introduced. They still bore the crowned imperial eagle within a wreath, but with the addition of a blue scroll bearing the inscription "God with Us" on the obverse of the color and "God's Blessing" on the reverse. In the corners was the crowned imperial cypher within a wreath. In each of the five inspections, all regiments were to have identical colors, and each regiment was to receive one white flag and nine colored flags as before. Their size remained unchanged. The staffs were colored brown, yellow, black or white to identify individual regiments within the inspections. When Alexander I came to the throne in 1801, he at first left this system in place, only reducing the number of colors per regiment to one white flag and five colored flags. The first battalion carried the white flag and one colored flag; the second and third battalions carried two colored flags each. In practice, few colors of the 1800 pattern were issued, and most line infantry regiments continued to carry their 1797 pattern colors. The three Guards regiments, however, all received 1800 pattern colors and carried them up to 1813. New pattern flags were introduced in 1803, but again there was no policy  of wholesale replacement, so that for a number of years colors of the 1797, 1800 and 1803 patterns were all in use. Note on the Illustrations: For each Inspection, the white flag is shown on the left and the colored flag is shown on the right. Credit: These drawings are based on images and information from Napflags, the outstanding Napoleonic flags site of Alan Pendlebury, and from Ian Croxall's excellent Warflag site.