Rifles

Rifles.
In 1800 Colonel Coote Manningham's experimental Rifle Corps was raised as the Riflemen and designated as the 95th Regiment on the General Army List. Meeting no difficulty in recruiting, this regiment had 3 battalions in 1809. Companies of these 3 battalions fought at Waterloo.
The riflemen's uniform was dark green and appeared black from a distance. Officers' trimmings and buttonholes were black. The shoulder belts of officers and non-commissioned officers were adorned with a silver lion's head; chain and whistle were also silver. Surprising detail, the buttons of the officers and non-commissioned officers were in white metal; privates were entitled to white piping on the collar and sleeves.

The sash for officers was crimson and trimmed with tassels; it was similar to that of the Light Infantry; the rest of the officer's dress was copied from that of the Light Cavalry (There was a tendency to give newly formed units the uniform of the Light Cavalry.).
Formerly, the Rifles wore the helmet of the light dragons, but they had adopted the truncated pyramid-topped shako. The officers carried the curved saber of the light dragoons, a very useless weapon for those who fight on foot; this saber was suspended from a bail. They also wore the sabretache and, in full dress, the pelisse. All this did not facilitate the fight in open country. Rifle battalions had no ensigns, the lowest rank among officers usually being second lieutenant, not ensign.
Sergeants and privates were issued the Baker rifle and the Saber-bayonet with bronze hilt, 65 cm long. Their pear contained a quality powder.
For the most part, the men of the 2 light battalions of the German Legion had rifled guns. The uniform was identical to that of the 95th, but the trousers were gray (slightly darker for the 2nd Battalion). A distinctive feature of the battalion, the 1st had only one row of twelve buttons, arranged vertically in the middle of the chest, while the 2nd had three rows. Battalion officers of the 1st were entitled to silver epaulettes (wings); officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers of the 2nd Battalion sported the Flügelmütze, a large headdress without a visor.