Italian artillery and Italian Guard artillery train 1808

The “Corps d’Observation des Pyrennés Orientales” under Duhesme which entered Catalonia on February 1808, included several Italian troops. De 11^th company of foot artillery (3 officers and 73 men) and a company of the Italian Guard artillery train (2 officers and 59 men) composed the Italian artillery, included in this corps within division Lechi. More artillery would follow under Saint-Cyr corps in 1809: 9^th company artillery on foot, 1^st company horse artillery, and 3^rd and 5^th artillery train companies. The Italian foot artillery fought in all the sieges that occurred in Catalonia: the three of Girona (1808-1809), Rosas (1808), Hostalric (1810), and Tarragona (1811) and in some battles as Molins de Rei (1808) or at the ambush of el Bruc (6/6/1808) were the 11^th company was present with a section of 2 4pdrs. During the withdrawal to Barcelona from El Bruc one of the 4pdr was lost in the Llobregat while crossing the river.

THE MINIATURES

There are eyewitness accounts of the Neapolitan troops in Catalonia wearing its 1807 uniforms so I think that the Italian artillery were, at the time of their arrival in Catalonia, still wearing the old uniforms. In addition, the line artillery train was not created until 1809 so at the time when Duhesme’s troops entered Catalonia the only artillery train available was that of the Royal Guard.

For the artillerymen, I used Eureka miniatures French revolutionary artillery in regulation uniforms (superb miniatures) and for the mounted soldier of the train; I made a conversion between a polish lancer and a British artillery train driver (Front Rank miniatures). I know that the troopers wore high boots but I am not so good making conversions and using green stuff.

The gun (a 12 pdr) and equipment are from Front Rank and as the Italian artillery were painted dark grey, they will be used for my Spanish army as well (the driver is not glued).

As allways, miniatures painted with Acrílicos Vallejo.

REFERENCES

-          Ilari, Virgilio; Le truppe Italiane in Sagna. I do not have more information about this paper that I found as a pdf in Internet.

-          Martinien A. Tableaux par Corps et par Batailles des Officiers Tués et Blessés pendant les Guerres de l'Empire 1805-1815 , Paris 1899.

-      A lot of information about the Italian troops in Napoleon’s service can be found in at Jean-Pierre Perconte web HISTUNIF: http://www.histunif.com/

 

 

 

29th regiment Worcestershire

The unit was founded in 1694 and fought at Ramillies, Saratoga, The Glourious First of June acting as marines on the HMS Brunswick and were among the responsibles of the Boston “massacre” earning the nickname “Vein Openers” for causing the first deaths of a war. The regimental hymn during the Napoleonic wars was “The Royal Windsor” (1791).

During the Peninsula War:

1808

August: Fights at Roliça (17/08) within Nightingale Brigade with 806-863 men. Its lieutenant Coronel, Lake dies in the battle. Then at Vimeiro (21/08) with 616 men.
October: Arrives at Badajoz (27/10).

1809

March: Marches from Cadiz to Lisboa (11/03).
April-May: At the river Tagus (22/04); the light company fights at Grijó (11/05) and the whole battalion (622 men) fights at Oporto, Div. Paget, Bg. Stewart forming the right wing of the army.
July: Force present: 598 men. Fights at Cerro Medellín (Talavera) in 2n Div. Hill, Stewart Bg. and taking 187 casualties.

1810

September-November: Present at Bussaco (27/09) with 461 men where suffers no casualties (Hill Dv. Inglis Bg.) and at Torres Vedras (01/11) within Houghton Bg.

1811

May: Battle of Albuera (16/05) Stewart Dv. Houghton Bg. were it fights with 507 men taking 336 casualties (66%). The remnants of the regiment sent back to England (25/05).

1812

Garrison duties in North America

1813

Sent back to Spain. Disembarks at Cadiz (21/03) remaining there until 1814.

CREDITS

24 Perry miniatures painted with Acrílicos Vallejo. Flags by GMB Designs.

New miniature period on the horizon!

A couple of days ago I got very excited after my regular visit to Lead Adventure Forum.
Aly Morrison, of Warhammer and Rogue Trader fame is preparin a new line of historical miniatures that will be manufactured by Great War miniatures.

The new range maybe will be called Potemkin Wars and of course will depict Russian troops from 1786 to 1796. Here, I post three greens: Two russian and one swede.



Well, that's a dream come true. One of my favourite periods is the French Revolutionary wars and the years after the Old Regime and the Napoleonic wars, with all the differences in uniforms and múltiple campaigs. Just think on the interesting campaigns where they fought:

Russo-Swedish war (1788-1790).
Russo-Turkish war (1787-1792). With Suvorov, the siege of Izmail and the Black sea cossack fleet.
Russo-Persian war (1796), now I have an excuse to buy the superb Westfalià miniatures Persians.
The Kosciuszko uprising (1794). This is my favourite with the poles fighting for their liberty (again).

Anyway, I don't know from were I'll get time or Money to collect them but I feel that I need them.

Simple and cheap village

This month of August I have been Building a village (well only 4 houses) from my peninsular/italian/mediterranian buildings. You can find them at warbases and come as small lasercut modules that you can combine to form bigger structures. The idea is good because each module cost between 2 and 4 pounds and come with doors and Windows. I also bought arched doors (I think are more typical) and a couple of balconies. So for two single storey squared modules, 3 single storey rectangular, 2 two storey rectangular and one three storey squared module you get:



Well, not a lot of houses, just 4 but shown from diferent points of view. After some fast and simple painting, I added plastic roof from plasticard and railroad modelling materials and... I'm quite happy with the results obtained:

Fortresses of Pisa

When I got married in 2009 I went to Pisa (apart from other places).
Pisa is a beautifull place with the well known inclinated tower. But from a wargaming/militar history point of view, Pisa has some defensive constructions of interest like The Citadella Nuova that was started in 1440 and suffered heavy changes in 1798 when it was converted into a residencial palazzo.



Even more interesting is the Torre Guelfa and the Citadella. The tower was built in 1406 during the first Florentine domination, almost destroyed in 1944 and reconstructed in 1956.



By the way, the beautiful lady that appears in one photo is my wife who still loves me after 6 years of taking pictures of forts, castles, walls and baluards.

2nd Battalions of the 1st and 2nd regiments of the Garde de Paris

1808

The second battalion of both 1st and 2nd regiments of the Garde de Paris formed within Dupond’s Corps, Barbou Division. The II/1st with 707men and the II/2nd with 747 men. They depart to Cadiz in May 25. The first battalions fought in northern Spain

June: the two battalions fight at Alcolea (18/6) taking the bridge and suffering heavy casualties with 14 officers dead and wounded. The 21 of June at Andújar with 893 men.

July: Battle of Bailen (19/7) with 10 officers dead and wounded and both battalions as prisoners. They ended as prisoners in Cabrera Island in very bad condition with low supply of food and water committing in some cases cannibalism.

Note about the uniforms. There is some debate as if the uniforms where red and green (the old ones) or they had the new white uniforms (with green turnbacks for the 1st regiment and red turnbacks for the 2nd). As Francisco Vela points in his book “Bailen 1808” ed. Almena, We know for sure that they were dressed in white because Pedro Agustín Girón, Marques de las Amarillas, who fought them at Alcolea, tells in his memoirs “the French were dressed as my grenadiers” he was the coronel of the Provincial Grenadiers (whose uniform was white faced red)

CREDITS: 28mm Victrix miniatures painted with Vallejo paints and The Army Painter products. Flags from Maverick Model Flags.