Ball Buttoned Gunners

Artillery support to 1^st Heavy Cavalry Division came in the way of 1^st and 3^rd companies of 5^th Horse Artillery Regiment (5eme régiment d’artillerie à cheval).

First up is 3^rd company, resplendent in their Hussar-type uniform of French blue with the red trim of an elite unit. These models by Alan Perry are dressed in the 1812 uniform. Although many units did not receive it until a year or two later, they will not be out of place in my c.1812 force.

French artillery regiments were administrative units comprising of six, later eight artillery companies. Each company consisted of between six and eight guns of which two would typically be howitzers. Companies were paired to form artillery squadrons and each regiment also had a depot company. By 1812, horse artillery companies were normally equipped with four six-pound guns and two 5.5” howitzers, and artillery pieces would normally operate in pairs. French officers used the term battery to describe the tactical grouping of artillery in battle and a battery could consist of gun pairs from several different companies. See this piece on the use of artillery at Auerstadt by Robert Burnham, for example, http://www.napoleon-series.org/military/organization/France/Artillery/c_3rdCorpsartillery1806.html

Black Powder traditionally calls for single models to represent batteries, but I’ve come to prefer two models for reasons both aesthetic and historical. Napoleonic artillery units, even horse artillery, took up a lot of space. Single gun batteries just seem too nimble in BP, especially when deployed without limbers. Moreover, two gun companies makes it easier for me to form batteries suitable for other gaming systems, such as General de Brigade.

As to the title, that harks back to the nickname for members of the Royal Horse Artillery, who to this day wear ball buttons on their dress uniforms.

Big Brothers V - End of Phase 1

The completion of the Brigade commander and his staff officer brings the first part of my 2015 Heavy Cavalry Division challenge to a close.

2e Regiment de Cuirassiers

To recap, 23 Cuirassiers were created in 1635 from an Ordnance company of Cardinal Richelieu and were initially called Cardinal-Duc. However, in 1643 they were renamed the Royale-Cavalerie and in 1791 the 2e Regiment de Cavalerie. Their name changed once again in 1802 when the Regiment became the 2e Regiment de Cavalerie-Cuirassiers and, finally, in 1803 they take on 2e Regiment de Cuirassiers.

In 1812, 2e Cuirassiers were led by Colonel Pierre Rolland, but came under the command of Général de Brigade Bruno. Despite being wounded in October 1813 Rolland went on to command his own brigade a month later, having been made Commander of the Legion d'Honneur earlier the same year. A former Hussar officer, Adrien François Bruno also survived the invasion of Russia. He took command of the 1st Heavy Cavalry Division after Borodino, but his career was curtailed when he was captured in 1813 after the battle of Dresden.

Here, Bruno is represented by Alan Perry's 28mm L'Heritier model.

As you can see, I've made a start on their commander and the 3e Cuirassiers and 1e Chevau Légers are all prepped for painting. The box to their rear contains two batteries of horse artillery, 9e Cuirassiers, and associated commanders.

Finally a plea to anyone going to Salute who might be willing to part with the event special sculpted by the Twins...

Big Brothers IV

With the final squadron of the 2e Cuirassiers I decided to try out some different tones on the horses.

The officer is mounted on a black. Many blacks are a very dark brown. So I've used that as the highlight with an even lighter brown around the mouth and sheath.

As always, the trumpeter is on a grey. However, rather than the near white of the others, this one is on a dappled grey. All grey horses are born chestnut, bay, or black and fade over time to grey. They can retain their dappling for many years, sometimes not completely greying out until their teens.

As we have not yet accomplished my dream of living next to the stables, overlooking the horses as they graze. I use photos of t'internet as a handy reference. In the case of the trumpeter's mount, I used the one below, but allowed the light grey/white dapples to accentuate the highlights somewhat more than one the real horse. If enough people are interested and like my results, I'd do a specific post on how I paint horses sometime.

You'll note that I've also gone for darker tones than my norm on two of the troopers, based on this example of a faded black:

Once I've completed the brigade command stand, I'll post up a picture of the full regiment.

Imperial German VII

Having cracked half of 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, I Corps of the German 8th Army c.1914 last year, it was time to move onto the second regiment - 41st Infantry Regiment 'von Boyen' (5th East Prussian) (Infanterie-Regiment von Boyen (5. Ostpreuß) Nr.41).

The acquisition of Kraus's excellent work on the uniforms and personal equipment of the Imperial German army sees this battalion enjoy a few refinements.

Firstly and most simply, the canteens went from being painted as all leather to my giving the canteen a dull brown to represent felt.

The main difference is the painting of sword knots in company/battalion colours - in this case with a white background to denote 1st battalion.

Here we have the second company, leading the fourth company:

As always, officers - both commissioned and non-commisssioned - followed their own rules:

For completeness, here are the rules of cap buttons.

 These plates all come from Ruhl, M., Die Uniformen der Deutschen Armee, Volume 2, (Leipzig, 1899).

Big Brothers III

Onto the next squadron of the 2nd Cuirassiers:

I think more detail survived this time due to a lighter (in thickness) undercoat. As usual, I dry brushed dark brown over the undercoat to help lift the detail for later painting, as well as provide another level of shading.

As I messed up last time and had to convert two figures to the 3rd Cuirassiers, I took the chance to squeeze in the replacements this month.

So, I'm two figures ahead, which is always useful in a larger project. 

As an aside, a grey gelding has just moved into our corridor at the stables, which has prompted me to consider a more dappled mount for the next trumpeter.

Some Archers

.. to whet the appetite whilst I sort out a post on the next batch of cuirassiers.

These form part of my project to convert two HYW armies to Hail Caesar rules, which requires the sixteen figure archer units to be bolstered by a further four figures.

Onwards and upwards ...

Big Brothers II

Despite finishing these off last month, the real world intervened. So My apologies for the time taken to put words to the pictures.

My aim was to complete the second squadron of the 2nd Cuirassiers, but as the more observant will note, plans changed.

Yes, I managed to mount three figures on identically posed horses! So two have rebadged 3rd Cuirassiers, i.e. rather than sporting red lined collars of blue, they have blue lined collars of red.

So onto the next six,  two of whom will now join this squadron...

Honda Redux

Those who follow the Lead Painters League may be aware that I signed up for 'It's Alive!' - a collaborative task in which we try to finish off abandoned projects. In my case, a late sixteenth century Samurai army.

So first up were the last of the dismounted samurai, as well as refreshing those already completed.

The Big Brothers I

Every year I set myself a (generally overly) large project. As regular followers of my scribblings will know, this year sees a French Heavy Cavalry Division of two Cuirassier Brigades. Of course, the sensible start would have been the Perry plastic box set, but I do have a soft spot for their metals.

First up is six figures representing the first squadron of 2nd Cuirassiers c.1812.

2e Regiment de Cuirassiers

Created in 1635 from an Ordnance company of Cardinal Richelieu and named Cardinal-Duc, in 1643 they were renamed the Royale-Cavalerie and in 1791 the 2eme Regiment de Cavalerie. Their name changed once again in 1802 when the Regiment became the 2eme Regiment de Cavalerie-Cuirassiers and finally in 1803 they were renamed the 2eme Regiment de Cuirassiers.

In 1812 their colours carried battle honours for Austerlitz, Jéna, Eylau, Friedland, Eckmühl, and Wagram, and for the invasion of Russia they served under GdB Bessières as part of Saint. Germain's 1st Heavy Cavalry Division.

Sergeant-Major Thirion described the cuirassiers participating in the Invasion of Russia, ‘Never had more beautiful cavalry been seen! Never had the regiments [of cuirassiers] reached such high effectives’. In 1812, the mounts of the Cuirassiers and Carabiniers were set at between 155 and 160cms to the withers. Although originally mounted solely on black horses, many of the mounts purchased in Germany were Bay. So my cuirassiers ride a spread of black, bay, and copper bays with cornets on their traditional grey mounts.

The moustached French cuirassiers of the Napoleonic wars wore dark blue coat, faced in regimental colours, had a flaming grenade on their coat tails and saddlecloth, wore red epaulettes, and had a red plume attached to their headwear. The cuirassiers wore heavy cloth surculottes over their white breeches for field service. The over-breeches were buttoned down the sides and tucked into boots. These were made of wool or linen and were off-white, brown, brown-grey, light grey or dark grey. The tall black boots were considered necessary to protect the legs when the files of cavalry were pressed together. Before a campaign every cuirassier also received a white sheepskin to the regulation shabraque.

The Cuirassier helmet was made of steel with brass comb, a black horse mane (for trumpeters a red or, in this case, white mane), a black cow-hide turban, black visor edged with brass, a tall red plume on the left side, and brass chin scales, but the plume was often left off whilst on campaign.. The cuirass had front and back plates made of steel. It had leather straps with brass scales, and the red lining was edged with white in all regiments.

Lion Rampant Group Shot

Well,  pretty much as described:

Two, twenty-four point retinues with civpop for gaming the War of the Roses!

New Year's Resolution

My resolution for 2015 is to paint a French Heavy Cavalry Division for Black Powder c.1812!

Two brigades, each of two medium size units of Cuirassiers with the second brigade enjoying a supporting light horse lancer squadron (small unit). Plus a medium sized light horse lancer unit (which will eventually be joined by some Hussars to form a light brigade).

All are Perry Miniatures, but two Horse Artillery batteries are missing from the photo.

By the way...

Happy New Year!

Imperial Germans VI

1st Grenadier Regiment is now good to go, with supporting artillery battery and uhlans from both the Bde Cavalry Squadron and 2nd Cavalry Bde:

These were the last of 2014's Germans to roll off the painting conveyor belt:

So time to move onto 41st Infantry Regiment...

Valois light horse

A small unit (in Hail Caesar terms) of Valois light horse.

I might add the odd crossbow in time to allow them to be used as mounted crossbowmen.

Perry Minis painted as part of the Constable of France's retinue c.1415 (flag to follow).

Imperial Germans V

The Field Artillery are finally ready:

Working as a single battery under the rules, but tassels painted to represent the first and second batteries of a Prussian first field artillery battalion.

Imperial Germans IV

The third and final Grenadier battalion rolls off the painting tray, which just leaves the artillery battery to do to complete the first half of the brigade:

Onwards to Agincourt

Some more pieces for my 1415 armies - 28mm Perry metals as usual.

Plantagenet archers:

 Valois MAA:

And a disordered marker:

Twenty First Velites - Heklion Faustus revisited

White hair - how did I miss that he had white hair!