The Hussars are light cavalry intended for scouting, and use much
smaller horses than the cuirassiers. Many French race-horses were seized
by the government for the use of these troops, and a maximum price of
$200 was paid, though some of the thoroughbreds were valued at $10,000
by their owners.
In the background are seen the towers of the cathedral at Rouen, which
is a quaint, old Norman town, the capital of William the Conqueror,
before he crossed the Channel.
[Illustration: FRENCH HUSSARS AT ROUEN
PHOTO (C) UNDERWOOD & UNDERWOOD, N.Y.]
French Line Infantry Passing
Monument of Napoleon
The monument is near the village of Vauchamps, where the French defeated
Blucher and the Prussians on February 14, 1814. It is in the Department
of the Marne: scene of the first victory of the allies in the present
war.
Red caps and trousers have been the uniform of French soldiers since
Napoleon's day, but they provide the enemy with a good target, and are
poorly suited to modern campaigning. The Germans, however, gave France
no time to equip her army with khaki, and the French soldiers took the
field in their historic garb.
[Illustration: FRENCH LINE INFANTRY PASSING MONUMENT OF NAPOLEON
PHOTO (C) BROWN BROS., N.Y.]