Divisional Command and Those Yet to Come

 While getting the Spanish artillery prepped and ready for painting, to my shame, I noticed the command figures languishing on my desk, that have been there far too long.  In between base coats of paint for the artillery, or maybe instead of, as I am not fond of the initial color blocking phase, I hope to sneak in some long overdue command figures.  I started off well, by finishing up the Spanish command and a brigade commander for the French.

I also managed to get these chasseurs mounted up in skirmish order.  They were no longer required as I found some Alberken light infantry figures that were a perfect match for the battalion that these used to be a part of.

These are Der Kriegspielers, and as much as I like to poopoo DKs, sometimes they paint up right nice.  They are actually a better 1/72 scale match for most plastic ranges than the Hinton Hunt figures.

All of these had broken bayonets, so what better use than a skirmish unit.

This gentleman was sitting around unloved on my desk, which was a shame given his pedigree as a genuine Hinton Hunt casting.  He was prepainted, though poorly, so this was actually a major repaint.  He wasn't so bad that I felt like he need to be stripped of the old paint, but almost all of the paintwork is new with the exception of the horse.

He is representing GdB Balthazard Grandjean, who will actually be commanding three German state battalions (2 of which are yet to be painted - Wurtemberg and Hesse-Darmstadt)

The blue and gold sash really helps to set off the distinguished look of this figure.

These were the gentlemen who really got me heading down the path of finishing up the command staff.

The central figure commands the 4th Army's Galacian Division, and is flanked by his two brigade commanders.

Mariscal de Campo Pedro de la Bárcena

Bárcena is a Minifig s-series casting that was a gift from my dear friend Terry Webb.  I am very pleased to have finally given him the respect he deserved and finished his paint job.

He reminds me of Wellington in a way in the simplicity of his long blue overcoat.

I have no doubt this figure was modelled on a painting by Denis Dighton, used as an illustration in this article: https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/battle-of-barrosa-siege-of-cadiz-savage-encounter-spain/ 

This fancy gentleman is a new addition to the command and is made from a Der Kriegspieler casting, that frankly, has seen better days.  He ended up quite dashing however, especially with his red and gold saddle trim and colonel's stripes above his brigadier cuff lace. 

The obligatory Spanish moustache

The Brigadier of the 2nd Spanish brigade was one of Dick Tennant's original HH figures.

Dick left the epaulets on this figure and gave him silver trim, but I have only seen silver used for staff officers, but even now, Spanish uniforms are tough to really understand and Dick may have had a good source.  I have not seen epaulets on a general however, as typically the rank was designated by a wide strip of lace on the cuffs, and collar.

In the end I decided to just leave him as is in a gesture of respect for the work DT did.

Artillery has been primed and given a thinned brown coat to bring out the raised detail.

Polish commanders, Jan Kanopka of the Vistula Lancers and Pierre d'Autancourt, who was the defacto Colonel of the 1st Polish Lancers of the Imperial Guard. These two figures are Art Miniaturen sculpts.

Lastly some lovely Franznap sculpts of Marshal Bessiers and his Aides.

Till next time,

Happy Holidays and take care of each other.

Frankensteining an Old School Spanish Artillery Battery

In preparing a Spanish army to recreate the battle of Mesas de Ibor, during which a small Spanish division fought the German division of the French army, I decided it was time to add some artillery.  The German's are ready, so it is the turn for the Spanish.  The Spanish I have are late war figures around 1812-13, in British style uniforms, so I will be using those to represent the Spanish at Mesas de Ibor, even though that battle took place in 1809.  I have just finish two infantry regiments, but they need some artillery support.  Hinton Hunt did not make Spanish artillery, but fortunately the late war Spanish artillerymen wore French style uniforms, so some simple conversions are possible.  The battery below is made from a mish mash of parts from different manufacturers, but all together they appear to make a coherent whole.

I believe the battery above consists of parts from five different manufacturers; Dave Clayton recasts of Hinton Hunt figures, Der Kriegspieler, Hagen, Franznap, and SHQ!

The draft horses are Der Kriegspieler castings.  I have added some twisted wire "traces" which will be cut to size and attached to the limber. 

The front pair of horses have been fitted with Franznap traces which are cast with the wooden single tree already attached.

The riders are French line artillery train riders with a British artillery train rider's head.

The French artillerymen are the closest I come to genuine Hinton Hunt miniatures.  These were cast and sold by Dave Clayton.  The Hagen gun is a bit oversize, but still not totally out of the realm of reality.

Dick Tennant always modelled the artillerymen march as well as deployed for action so I will do the same.  Here is a mix of two Der Kriegspieler miniatures and two Dave Claytons.

Here is how the draft horses will be arranged around the central yoke of the limber.

The limber itself is an SHQ casting with a few modifications, including a suggestion of a yoke pole (I really don't know the proper name for all of the horse harness and limber parts) at the front to which the Franznap singletrees will be attached.

All of the parts above are cleaned of mold lines and ready for priming.  This should keep me out of trouble for a couple of months at least!

6.º Regimiento de Infantería de Marina

Richard Tennant's Last Regiment - 6.º Regimiento de Infantería de Marina

Dick's health was failing, but he managed to complete his planned forces shortly before he passed away (some 2800+ miniatures).  I can only hope that working on these provided some joy as he battled cancer.  Even while sick, his meticulous attention to detail was manifested on these figures in hand painted anchors on every ammunition pouch, and hand lined their water casks!  His one concession, was that he left the flag for me to do, and I believe, simply forgot to paint the reinforcing bands on the muskets, as he had done in all of his other Spanish units.  It was my absolute pleasure to add the finishing touches as well as some shading and highlighting, and bring his final regiment to completion.

https://miniatureminions.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-richard-tennant-collection.html

https://miniatureminions.blogspot.com/2020/12/55-years-from-start-to-finish-tennant.html

Below is the description Dick provided of the uniform he chose for the 6th Marines:

I had managed to find a website about Spanish Marine battalions, but I was not sure

of the authenticity of the illustrations. I wanted them to stand out from the other

Line battalions so decided to give them black cross-belts; the pack, including straps

and the musket sling are in a buff/light tan colour. Whereas the Line battalions had

coloured tapes on their shakoes, the marines have black leather; there was no

distinction (grenadier, centre & light) between companies which have red plumes.

The rest of the uniform is totally blue with brass buttons.

The 6th Marines with their new Colonel, converted from the Division General, a staff officer and Aide de Camp.  A new divisional commander is on my painting desk currently.  I was extremely pleased with the new hand painted paper flag.

Here you can see Dicks work on the ammunition pouches and water casks.  So much attention to detail!

The big 36 figure battalions have just enough room for the Colonel to shelter inside when formed in square.

The Colonel gets a visit from the divisional staff officer and General Bárcena's Aide de Camp. 

Unfortunately I have not been able to find a list of the Colonels actually leading the regiments of the Galician Division of the 4th Army.

The French Marshal's baton has been converted to a telescope and his epaulets removed, otherwise the figure was a great fit for a Spanish Colonel.

The two will accompany General Bárcena once he is completed.

Four more Spanish regiments to go before I start painting some more Spanish additions to Dicks original 6 regiments.

Regimiento de Santiago (provincial militia) - Updated to Shiny!

The Regimiento de Santiago, originally painted by Richard "Dick" Tennant, as part of his Spanish contingent, are now finished and have a new Colonel, complete with the obligatory Spanish cigar, to lead them into battle.

I was despairing of trying to figure out the why's and wherefores of the 6 Spanish regiments Dick painted, but a quick search through my email led me to this statement about them.  Dick was just as meticulous with his notes as he was with his painting!

More pictures below!

***********

Spanish Troops

In 1812 the troops depicted had been part of the 6 th (Galician) Army of General

Castanos. For the campaigns of 1813 Wellington combined the armies of Galicia,

Castile and Estremadura into the 4 th Army under General Giron. These troops

formed the 4th (Galician) Division, General Baracena, later Espelata.

10th Regt of Guadalajara

2nd Regt of Asturias [56th of the Line]

Voluntarios de Asturias (Line)

6th Regimiento de Marine

Regt de Santiago (provincial militia)

[Cazadores] Voluntarios de la Coruna

There is no data as to how they were brigaded.

Caçadores is the plural of caçador, the Portuguese word for "hunter". It has also

been used to designate each one of the elite light infantry soldiers of the Portuguese

Army. Galician is a Romance language (i.e., from Latin) spoken by about 3 million

people in Spain's north-western region of Galicia. Although it's most closely related

to Portuguese—which is spoken south of the border—it shares many similarities

with Castilian Spanish, including sounds and spelling.

The Galicians were the only Spanish Troops permitted by Wellington to remain after

1813 with his army in France; the rest were sent back over the border to Spain.

The drill manuals of the Spanish infantry were basically a translation and

modification of those of the French. There were six companies to a battalion and

they fought in three ranks.

The uniforms are of the sort provided by Britain. For the units I painted earlier I

based the colouring on Spanish Armies of the Napoleonic Wars (3) by Rene

Chartrand with illustrations by Bill Younghusband. With image C3 he described the

(Trotter) pack as being yellow, with white straps; I believe that rather than the basic

leather being dyed black, it was left in the plain un-treated tan colour. My earlier

units simply had the Trotter pack in black with white straps.

6th Regimiento de Marine

I had managed to find a website about Spanish Marine battalions, but I was not sure

of the authenticity of the illustrations. I wanted them to stand out from the other

Line battalions so decided to give them black cross-belts; the pack, including straps

and the musket sling are in a buff/light tan colour. Whereas the Line battalions had

coloured tapes on their shakoes, the marines have black leather; there was no

distinction (grenadier, centre & light) between companies which have red plumes.

The rest of the uniform is totally blue with brass buttons.

[Cazadores] Voluntarios de la Coruna

This battalion has the blue uniform with scarlet collar, cuffs and turn-backs; the

lacing down the front of the jacket and on the shoulder-straps is white. All the

leather fittings are buff/light tan, with pewter buttons: all the plumes and shako

tapes should be green. Being cazadores they have a bugler, rather than a drummer,

and are not carrying a standard into the field.

I found that I have two tins of Humbrol 74 Linen in my stock. One is darker than the

other and closer to the buff/light tan I wanted for the leather; I used the lighter one

for the linen haversacks.

Painting sequences

I have found that when painting belts, straps and shako embellishments after the

background colours it is difficult to ensure that the vertical edges are properly

covered. Therefore it is better to paint these first and then paint the background

colours up to the horizontal edges.

Collar, cuffs & turn-backs – 60 Scarlet

Belts, straps & backpack (excluding 2 belts below the backpack) – 74 Linen/darker

Haversack – 74 Linen/lighter this can also be white

Water-keg – 71 Oak

Coat & trousers – 104 Blue

2 belts below the backpack & repair edges – 74 Linen

Blanket-roll and spats – Light Grey

Faces & hands – Flesh 61

Moustache, sideburns & musket – Brown 10

Shako tapes & plume – Mid-Green 101

Shako – Black 33

Shako peak, cartridge box & boots – Black 21

Musket butt & sling buckle – Brass 54

Shako & cartridge box badges & musket – Aluminium 56

Edging – Mid-Grey

Base – Green 80

And here they are:

As usual, the figures have all been repaired and any chipped paint (there was a lot) matched and filled in.  The figures are highlighted and then received a light brown dilute ink wash, and then a final highlight where needed. As a last step they get a Windsor and Newton oil based clear gloss protective coat and shiny new bases.

Dick Tennant's line work is second to none!

I was pleased this toothpaste tube flag survived the journey!

Dick mentions the untanned backpacks in his notes, but the brown ink wash really helped to give them a more realistic tone of weathered leather.

The yellow gloves and cigar are right out of the illustrations in Phillip Haythornthwaites book on the Peninsular war.

Unfortunately the all too often seen backside of the Spanish leadership.  Well led troops in the Spanish army had some amazing staying power, but the quality of leadership appears to have been highly variable.

I'm much more fond of the later Spanish uniform than I thought I would be.  They make for a formidable looking regiment!

Couldn't resist picking up a copy for myself to see what Dick was basing his uniforms on.

Next up, 6th Regimiento de Marine