French 1st Empire, Napoleon's Grande Armee Battlefield Relics, Campaign in Russia 1812

Original period manufacture. Collection of 22 pieces of assorted brass insignia, each recovered along the route of Napoleon's Grand Armee's invasion of Russia in 1812. The lot includes, 6 pattern 1810 shako plates, 5 coat buttons with regimental numbers, 3 eagle emblems, 2 grenadier bursting bomb insignia, 1 light infantry bugle emblem (likely from a cartridge box flap), tip of a cavalry baldric, bridle rosette, one half of an artillery officer buckle, and a crowned shield with eagle. Included is a file history I prepared on each of the six shako plates, providing details on their service during the Napoleonic Wars. Some of these artifacts were recovered from the Berezina river crossing point, where in November of 1812, the Grande Armee was compressed into a bottleneck on the banks of the river. Thousands of the panicked Grande Armee survivors lost their lives as they attempted the crossing of the freezing river, while under Russian fire. I began collecting these artifacts about 15 years ago, finding them to be poignant, fascinating relics from one of the most famous military campaigns in history. Their state of condition is quite remarkable, with the quality of the insignia being quite sound and sturdy.