Mid War Spanish Additions (cont. 12) - More artillery

These pieces bring posts and painted units up to date: I have no more newly painted units on the shelf to show you. However, the 2nd de Voluntarios de Vizcaya are on my painting desk and they will be here sooner rather than later.

That was quite a productive spell: From four units of infantry, three guns, two limbers and a command stand, the Spanish force now has sixteen units of infantry (including two Guerrillas), three cavalry units, five guns, three limbers and six command stands (including a C-in-C stand). There are only nine units (including the Vizcaya) and two command stands left in the lead pile - I can see the pub from 'ere!

These are gun crews of the Royal Corps of Artillery c.1809-1811.

Figures are Front Rank, straight out of the box, painted by yours truly using enamels. 

Without the guns you can see that, when basing, I first do flat patches where the wheels and trail will rest with fine (sandpit) sand before I do the rest of the groundwork with sand and grit around them. 

These days, I always do my guns as separate removable pieces - for limbering.

The grey trousers follow the print after Goddard and Booth in Osprey's Spanish Army of the Napoleonic Wars (Vol. 2). Unusually, although the gunners have pewter buttons, the officer has gold buttons and epaulettes; he also sports white breeches. From another print after Goddard and Booth (same Osprey).

Confession: When I ordered my Spanish army I cocked up my artillery crew numbers and now have a gun without crew in my lead pile. I'm fairly sure that this happened because of the maximum order value Front Rank imposed during the second Covid lock down: I used artillery crew and guns to get my six orders as close to the £250 limit as I could and somewhere along the line I lost track. Not to worry, I'll probably buy a few more Spanish units at some point.

Spanish Gribeauval (French) limber by Front Rank.

The driver is French with a British HA head swap. 

This uniform is for 1813 and a bit later than I would have liked but, at least it's a nice one. I have no idea what they wore immediately prior to this uniform but suspect they wore the artillery uniform of the battery.

The Spanish licensed the Gribeauval gun system from the French prior to the war and used it throughout. 

Probably due to familiarity, the Spanish always preferred Gribeauval guns to British guns and guns seem to be the one commodity the British were not called upon to supply in great numbers. If I had known this at the time of ordering my collection I would probably have stuck to French guns only - Ho-Hum.

In 1811 the British did supply howitzers to some Spanish horse artillery and more guns to other [unspecified] Spanish artillery units in 1812 - they were definitely in the minority of pieces. 

Although I'll use previously painted Gribeauval guns for the newly painted crews of the RCA, this picture shows the two newly painted British guns with previously painted crew.

Note: The Spanish horse artillery in red trousers are heavily converted (trousers and Nassau grenadier head swaps) early war Spanish figures by Front Rank. They represent the gunners of an unidentified HA unit c.1812. From a print after Giscard in Osprey's Spanish Army of....Vol.3.

That's it, up to speed!