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White uniforms were reintroduced on April 25th 1806 and the 3rd line regiment received them.

"Imperial green" facing colours on lapels, collar and cuff flaps was distinctive for this regiment. They also wore on the turnbacks the badges they have been wearing before which consisted in a red cloth number three on the outer turnbacks and a red cloth five point star on the inner ones.

The contemporaty letterhed shown on the right confirms the dark green colour used as per the regulations but the plates of the Marbot series and  the "Otto Manuscript" show a different shade of green used, perhaps was the "grass green" cloth intended for the regiments 81st to 88th.The illustrations on the Manuscript does not show the dispositions of the pockets, thus we have represented them horizontal , but if they were vertical it would have been the uniform described in the regulations for the 85th regiment.

Contemporary letterhead depicting a fusilier of the 3rd line regiment in "tenue de sortie"

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Other major deviations from the regulation decree is observed in the "Otto Manuscript" such as the colour of the buttons, yellow buttons as per the regulations but the images of the grenadier and the voltigeur done by the artist show white ones. The cuffs are shown also in the regimental facing colour. May be some companies were provisioned the coats intended to the 85th regiment which in fact never received the new uniforms.

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Voltigeur of the 3rd regiment depicted in the "Otto Manmuscript"

(Anne Brown Military Collection)

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Source: Charmy: Splendeur des Uniformes de Napoléon. Éditions Charles Hérissey. Évreux 2004