French Heavy Dragoon Cavalry Command

 For Vimiero the French need to have some dragoons, so I set about getting a regiment updated which was featured in my last post.  Today I belatedly bring you the command figures, all painted originally by Richard Tennant with a little additional work by me.

Divisional and brigade level commanders with their aide de camps.

General de Division Louis-Pierre Montbrun with a Colonel of Dragoons

Aide de Camp to General de Brigade Cavrois

General de Brigade Cavrois

Aide de Camp to General de Division Montbrun

Up next: The legion du Midi.

And the painting begins.  Der Kriegspieler miniatures customized to more closely resemble the uniform worn by the Legion du Midi.

While preparing the French Cavalry Command and Legion du Midi, I had the chance to meet with a small group of gaming buddies this Saturday and get in a couple of nice games of DBN (De Bellis Napoleonicis - a DBA variant).

1806 Prussians vs the French

Note the splendid killing field in which the French cavalry are about to enter...

Prussian baggage train element

The octogenarians leading the Prussian army

Brave Carabiniers dashing into the mouth of the Prussian guns!

The French artillery tried in vain to position.

If only the French can reach the hill - they outnumber the Prussian cavalrymen 3-2.

Meanwhile Prussian jagers and light infantry fight to delay the deadly French Legere on the opposite flank from the cavalry attack.

The weight of the Prussian guns is too much for the French Dragoons, who flee the field.

The French heavies charge up the hill to confront Blucher's Red Hussars and the Von Beeren Kuirassiers, but they were to spent by the time they reached their foe.

This scene is actually from our second battle, which followed a more traditional firefight followed by an infantry attack.

The French infantry performed admirably, but on the flanks their forces were soundly defeated, leaving the infantry attack isolated and stalled.

Across the way was a beautiful 28mm ECW game.

Convention Gaming and Works in Progress

Last weekend we had our local miniature wargaming convention, Nashcon, after a year's hiatus due to Covid. It was great to be back with friends I had not seen in a long time!  The convention was in a new location that worked well and the organizers of the event did a masterful job.  Due to Delta, many of us were still in masks just as an extra precaution on top of vaccinations.  While most folks felt safe enough to game without the masks, there were a number of folks wearing them and everyone was very considerate of each others choices.  

Getting a a game of Triumph in with Carson Greene under the helpful gaze of Brian Caskey, who helped walk us through some of the nuances of Triumph

Here my Romano-British tried to hold the hill against Carson's horse archers, while on the opposite flank, I had lured his elephants into some bad going.

 

https://www.wgcwar.com/

Triumph is a DBA variant with the addition of a point based army system, that adds a nice layer of complexity to the 12 on 12 model of DBA.  The combat tables are a bit more easily navigated than DBA 3.0, with situational modifiers being more readily assessed.

Rod Cain with the help of William Hupp and Brian Caskey, hosted a wonderful Grand Triumph battle of Hydaspes.  I played Poros and my elephants were roundly spanked.  Clearly I still have a lot to learn!

Here you can see Poros on his elephant all alone, his elephant riding compadres having all been dispatched by the Macedonians or by a confused retreat into more elephants.  It really was ugly for the Indians!

Beautifully painted armies!

In addition to playing Triumph I have been enjoying L'art de la Guerre.  This game ramps up the complexity level by the addition of more troop types and variations among troop classes, as well as the addition of shooting and evasion on horseback.  A great set of rules once you get the hang of it, but more complex to set up and build armies for.

http://www.artdelaguerre.fr/adlg/v3/?/en/overview

My game with Chris Greene convinced me it was time to invest in the latest edition of the rulebook.

After Nashcon it was time to clear my desk of some projects that have been hanging on and to get started on the next addition to my shiny Napoleonic armies. 

The units on deck and ready to be painted are already piling up.  Chomping at the bit are the French Imperial Guard Grenadiers and Marines, a Spanish artillery battery, a Bavarian artillery battery, additional figures for the French 13th Cuirassiers, and a skirmish unit of Bavarian jagers.

I am also working on the Legion du Midi who were brigaded with the Legion Hanovrienne.  More on this unit later, but here is a quick teaser.  These illustrations were sent to me by none other than Phillip Haythornthwaite in answer to a question I had posed to him regarding the shakos worn by the legion.

When phillip Haythornthwaite tells you there is no evidence of shako cords having been worn by the rank and file, it behooves you to get out the clippers and files.  Also note the addition of epaulets, shako plates and carrot shapped pompoms.

Just a few more little tweeks and this battalion will be ready for priming and painting.

As you can see, lots of painting is in my future.  Thanks to everyone who helped with and attended Nashcon, with a special thank you to all those who ran games.  Was great to see everyone again!

A Miscellany of Colonels, a New Mom, and the 6th Cacadores

 Anticipating a need for some more Colonels to lead the Portuguese Brigade, and another battalion of Dutch Grenadiers, I decided to knock out their Colonels so they could busy themselves recruiting the rank and file while I work on other projects.

 

From left to right are:  Colonel Ralph Dundas Tindall of the 3rd Dutch Grenadiers of the Imperial Old Guard, a Vivandiere who follows him to battle, Lieutenant Colonel Manuel Pamplona and his subordinate, a British Lt. Colonel for the 18th Portuguese 2nd battalion.

Colonel Pampolona - possibly to be renamed as Lt. Col. Sebastião Pinto de Araújo Correia (both commanded the 18th so it is just a matter of who commanded at the most appropriate time), started life as an SHQ British Colonel.  A head swap and a little tinkering with the position of the arm and viola - a Portuguese Lieutenant Colonel.  I'm hoping the head came from a Dave Clayton recast, otherwise the gods of all thing Hinton Hunt may never forgive me.

Colonel Tindal started life as a Franznap Old Guard Colonel in campaign uniform.  Another head swap with an SHQ Old Guard Grenadier gave him some more formal attire for his sandy locks, and some judicious trimming with an x-acto knife got rid of the greatcoat over his shoulder.

He turned out to be a suitably haughty regal fellow.

Another Franznap sculpt to keep Colonol Tindal Company is this rather lovely Vivandiere with a newborn.

And here we have a rather heretical addition for a supposedly Old School collection.  This rather smashing looking chap is actually a soft plastic command figure from the Waterloo 1815 toy soldier company.  I wanted to add a little variety to the British Lieutenant Colonels so I decided to branch out a bit.

I quite like the figure and once all glossed up he still could pass muster as a good old school toy soldier.

Here we have the 6th Cacadores painted by Richard Tennant.   I have done minimal work to these, just a little highlighting on the browns, yellows and greens to brighten them up a wee bit, as well as a bit of shading for the faces and hands.  These were still in great condition, so other than one replacement plume, they required very little work to touch up.

The battalion is lead by Major Tiago Pedro Martins.  The figures are Hinton Hunt PTN 14 Portuguese Cacadore charging, PTN 6 Portuguese officer marching, BN 96 British light infantry at trail, and BN 20 Rifleman Bugler.

I decided to base these with the reserve and headquarter companies on one 6 figure base, which leaves two 9 figure skirmish companies to throw out in front of the Portuguese Brigade.  As the British army in the Tennant Collection is a bit light infantry heavy, I will not mourn the loss of a few potential skirmishers, besides, I just received a few more riflemen so I can now model a few companies of the 2nd/95th.

As a teaser here is what is on deck:  an absolutely stunning Franznap 6 horse Bavarian limber and 6 lb gun with all of the associated gunners and command, a battalion of Les Higgins Old Guard Grenadiers with command all primed and ready, and finally a battalion of French Marines of the Old Guard, the last twelve of which are on the painting table getting a final trim before priming.  The Bavarian Chevau-Leger are on the painting table, and now that all of these figures are almost prepped, I can forge ahead getting some paint on them!