So, two more cavalry units. Half of the cavalry (3 of 6) are now done!
The picture (of a trooper in bicorn) I used as a guide for this unit describes this uniform as that worn by the Numancia between 1808 - 1814.
Note: During the war, many (all?) dragoon regiments replaced the long coat with a shorter coatee and some (most?) adopted a Tarleton style helmet.
1. They all had red turnbacks regardless of facing colour.
2. The uniform for musicians was invariably a red coat with yellow facings and turnbacks regardless of regimental facing colour; their shabraques were red rather than yellow.
The flag is by Adolfo Ramos. This flag is not actually the one for this regiment (unavailable) but, the differences in the designs is very small and generally indistinguishable - I have both of his dragoon flags and I can hardly tell them apart even at reading distance.
Another cavalry unit. I have named it Regimiento de Alcantara. Note that Alcantara raised two regiments of line / heavy cavalry and I have no info on the second. I hope the French are wearing sun glasses when they come across these boys!
These figures are Front Rank with some conversion. They started life as Belgian light dragoons.
The trooper's plumes have been replaced with Milliput pompoms.
The Belgian officers both came wearing distinctly weird stovepipe shakos and required complete head swaps (the officer now sports bicorn; the standard bearer now sports a French officer's bell top shako).
Caveat emptor: This uniform is speculative at best or, at worst, completely made up: The descriptions I have of this unit say that the coat alternated, at various times, between white and blue. Invariably my descriptions say that the coat had green collar, cuffs and lapels; buttons were brass; waistcoats and pantaloons were buff. Early in the war they wore bicorns but many regiments of line cavalry changed over to shakos at some point. Shabraques were blue.
The Perry version (on their website) does not have lapels, shows them wearing grey pants with a yellow stripe, and their shako has a yellow pompom.
I followed the yellow theme through to the shako cords and top band but, fearing too much yellow went with a, more traditionally Spanish, red pompom. I might repaint the top band black at some point.
I went with Adolfo Ramos for my flags because he does several cavalry flags (GMB Designs doesn't make any), and has a selection of less well known infantry flag designs.
Note: AR shipping is very reasonable but, AR has a minimum order value requirement of around 10 euros - so don't get caught out at the end of your project (I changed my mind about the identity of a couple of units) facing that particular checkout pop-up! I had to bite my tongue, then the bullet.
Next up, two units of Guerrillas and another command stand - and still more (already painted) to come after that.
5 comments:
I really like the Spanish cavalry of this period [and have had some success with them on the wargame field]. I guess my online identity is a clue I was especially interested in your Alcantara Regiment because it's the first time I've seen them done by someone else. Yours are far more elegant than mine which were painted long ago using Hinchcliffe one piece castings of a Prussian figure. Mine have a shako cover so I didn't face the detailed questions about the shako.
Wonderful, thanks for sharing,
Stephen [Duke of Baylen]
The Alcántara Regiment was an old line cavalry regiment raised in 1656 as a tercio. During the Napoleonic Wars it was split in two because part of the regiment began the war in Andalucía and the other in Portugal.
The 1º de Alcántara (the Andalucía part) was in Cádiz in June 1808 but had given up its horses to other regiments and so did not participate in the Bailén campaign. It fought at Sepúlveda in November 1808 and at Almonacid and Ocaña in 1809, where it was effectively destroyed. The 57 remaining men were in Cádiz in 1810 but in April 1811 were transferred to the Regimento de España.
The 2º de Alcántara was captured by the French in Portugal, released by the British and transported to Cataluña. It served in Cataluña and Valencia between 1808 and 1812 and fought at Vich (with distinction), Figueres and Sagunto, commanded by Jacques Pierrad Semes a French emigré. In 1811 after the disappearence of the 1º de Alcántara it became the Regimento de Alcántara. Most of the regiment was captured when Valencia fell but a small part fought at First Castalla in 1812. It ended the war in Andalucía on depot status again with no horses.
Regarding the uniform I don't have any info (yet) about what it was wearing mid-war but from 1813 on it was probably wearing the uniform given in the Estado Militar of 1815 so
a white jacket and cape / buff waistcoat and breeches / green facings turnbacks, lapels and collar / gold buttons.
So many great units, I'm running out of things to say. At least I've actually got the dragoon unit ticked off my list: http://miniatureminions.blogspot.com/2023/01/robs-regimiento-de-dragones-de-almansa.html
The uniforms of the Spanish cavalry of this era were quite striking, and you're doing them full justice, James!
The uniforms of the Spanish cavalry of this era were quite striking, and you're doing them full justice, James!
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