THE FRENCH INFANTRY 1740-1764 - From the beginning of the eighteenth century to the Revolution, the French army represented one of the largest military forces in the world. It was involved in nearly every conflict from the War of Spanish Succession to the American War of Independence and its troops were garrisoned not only in France but India , Canada and the West Indies . For the entire period of this book, Louis XV reigned (1715-1774) and when he came of age in 1723, he took a great interest in his army and especially in matters of dress. Like every other 18th century army, the infantry constituted by far the largest component and the study of its uniforms during the period offers quite a challenge. There were numerous changes, in both substance and small details, especially from about 1725, and like every army of the time the regulations often not only overlapped, but colonels were not inclined to replace clothing until the old articles had worn out. Records of the uniforms were meticulously kept but it fell to two 19th century artists to present them in some order. These were Lucien Mouillard and Alfred de Marbot and later historians and artists such as Leinhert & Humbert were to rely heavily on their work. This volume documents the work of Marbot, including his schematics of which reproduction has been rare. The 18 full color plates of uniforms and 121 schematics, with a very informative text, give a very complete representation of French Infantry uniforms during the War of Austrian Succession and the Seven Years War. - Uniformology Uniform Books