Napoleonic Project: In for a penny........

Well, I've finally gone and done it. My Peninsular War project has officially begun. I have just placed a bulk order with Front Rank to tie me in.

Being something of a novice when it comes to Napoleonics I found the whole process of deciding what to buy quite arduous. In the end, I decided to start the collection by doing some units for a couple of divisions at Salamanca. I'm sure the units will get used to represent others, in other divisions, as needs must, but you have to start somewhere.

I have organised my divisions using the army builder method in Lasalle rules by Sam Mustapha. He uses four stand battalions each representing 500 - 700 infantry, or 300 - 500 cavalry. Where brigades have much weaker battalions they are amalgamated (representing two units with one) to bring them up to this strength. I liked this idea; I probably liked it because it keeps things very simple. Exceptionally strong battalions (like British Guards) have six stands. All of my infantry will be based with six figures per stand / in units of 24 (or 36 if large). All of my cavalry will have three figures per stand / in units of 12. Each infantry battalion will have an additional skirmish element (Light Companies / Voltigeurs) represented by two stands each of two figures, plus additional stands of skirmishers held at brigade level (rifle companies). I will be basing and collecting these armies as a 'stand alone collection' so I'll decide on stand dimensions later and not worry too much about basing for any particular rule set - in short, I'll base to please myself.

Now, even though this order was going to be quite a big one (it actually crashed Front Ranks system and had to be part submitted over the phone) I did have a strict budget (which I overspent by £1.88). Consequently the sides are not quite as balanced as I would like. Balancing it would have cost a good few hundred pounds more and I couldn't afford it. So what did I buy? Well, this is what the initial forces should look like.

BRITISH

First Division (H. Campbell)

Fermors Brigade: Coldstream Guards (large unit); 3rd Guards (large unit); a rifle skirmish stand.

Wheatley's Brigade: 2/24th; 1/42nd (large unit); 1/79th; 2/58th (not represented, mixed with 2/24th); a rifle skirmish stand.

Lowe's Brigade: 1st KGL; 2nd KGL; 5th KGL.

3rd Division (Packenham)

Wallace's Brigade: 1/45th; 74th; 88th; three rifle skirmish stands.

Campbell's Brigade: 1/5th; 2/5th; 2/83rd; 94th (not represented, mixed with 2/83rd).

Independant Portugese Brigade (identity not decided)

I have given this brigade a strength of three battalions of line and a battalion of cacadores representing about 2,500 men.

Artillery

I have purchased three two gun batteries at present. These will be upgraded to three gun batteries later. There is one British foot battery, one Portugese foot battery, and a British horse battery. There are also limbers, of course, which will have to do to make up third guns initially.

Cavalry

Van Alten's Brigade: 14th Light Dragoons; 1st Hussars KGL.

Bock's Brigade: 1st Dragoons KGL; 2nd Dragoons KGL.

I know there are too many cavalry, but I'll usually only field a single brigade and it's nice to have a mix of types to play with.

FRENCH

1st Division (Foy)

Brigade Chemineau: 6th Leger (2 battalions); 69th Ligne (2 battalions)

Brigade Desgraviers-Berthelot: 39th Ligne (2 Battalions); 76th Ligne (2 battalions)

2nd Division (Clausel)

Brigade Berlier: 25th Leger (3 battalions); 27th Ligne (2 battalions).

Brigade Barbot: 50th Ligne (2 battalions); 59th Ligne (2 battalions).

Artillery

Two foot batteries and one horse battery. (see notes on British guns)

Cavalry

Brigade ?: 3rd Hussars; 26th Chasseurs; 22nd and 28th Chasseurs not represented, they are mixed with the other cavalry.

Brigade Carrie: 13th Dragoons; 14th Dragoons.

See note on British cavalry.

WHAT ELSE

So what else did I buy. Well of course you can't start one project without finishing the last, so I decided to purchase the last of my Seven years War stuff, bringing the whole collection (Prussian, Russian and Austrian) up to 163 units (or just shy of 2,500 figures). 

3 Regiments of Austrian Hussars; 2 Regiments of Austrian Cuirassier; 1 Regiment of Austrian Dragoons; 1 Regiment of Austrian Horse Grenadiers (elite coys); 1 Regiment of Austrian Grenadiers (combined grenadiers); 2 Regiments of Austrian infantry; 2 units of Austrian Grenzers; 2 batteries of Austrian guns; 2 Regiments of Prussian Cuirassier.

I'd like to say job done, but apart from having to paint them all, starting the Peninsular War Project is still some way off. I'm also dead broke again. 

As one pile disappears, another lifts its shiny head

So, with the Russians finished and the last four units of Prussian infantry and two units of Prussian cavalry on hold, I've been working on getting my Austrians back into the fight. 

At the moment this is largely a case of upgrading my 16 man infantry units to 24 man units and re-basing the army on 45mm wide bases to match the Prussians and Russians. It's an awful job; trying to match painting I did fifteen (?) years ago is quite difficult; painting figures and not having 'new' units to show for the effort is a bit dispiriting. On the up side, I only have two units of Hungarian infantry to go.

When the Hungarians are done, there will be a small 'game-able' army all ready to go. It comprises:

5 regiments of cuirassier
3 regiments of dragoons
1 regiments of hussars

8 regiments of German infantry
2 regiments of Hungarian infantry
1 unit of combined German grenadiers
3 battalions of Grenzers

3 batteries of guns

9 command stands

Then I can start increasing the size of the army by adding a few new units. Here are the plans for that expansion - the number in brackets is the number of units already in the shiny pile. I expect to have this lot done by the end of the year.

3 regiments of cuirassier (1)
2 regiments of dragoons (1)
2 units of combined elite companies (1)
4 regiments of hussars (1)

8 regiments of German infantry (6)
1 regiment of Hungarians (1)
2 unit of combined grenadiers (1)
3 battalions of Grenzers (3)

3 batteries of guns (1)

This will give a nicely balanced army of 54 units comprising: 28 units of infantry, 20 units of cavalry and 6 batteries of guns that will able to take the field in war game campaigns with the Prussians (50 units) and Russians (54 units).  Except for a 'universal' pontoon train and some 'universal' limbers that I plan to add for completeness, this is where my Seven Years War project will end for the foreseeable future.

Then, I can start my Peninsular War collection. 

What next?

Well, I'm feeling a little like I've been fighting the Seven Years War rather than painting figures for it. Although I still have seven units left to paint up for the Prussians and Russians, not to mention a couple of dozen Austrian units to bolster up to 'full strength' (increase from 16 to 24 man units), I'm going to take a break from the 18C for a while. That little pile of metal can wait. I think the guys want a break from playing it too.

Gaming wise the decision is easy. Next week, Peter, Graham and I will take our swords in hand and rub our scutums to a high gloss, and dig into the remainder of our Punic Wars Campaign. It still has five full campaign turns to run (using Hannibal: Rome Vs Carthage). Carthage is in the ascendant following the total defeat of the Romans in Africa, and Hannibal might well be able to bring things to a head in Italy where only one consular army remains. It might not even go the distance. 

The campaign might even inspire me to base up the last unit - a unit of Roman trained Numidian infantry - that was painted back in March 2012 and somehow got missed out of the last basing run. I see them from time to time, beseeching me to finish what I've started. That will teach me to put things at the back of the cupboard.

But what to paint? With no deadlines to make I could mix and match and potter around for a bit. But, I'm rather drawn to trying to get some of the renaissance lead pile in order. Except for the WW2 stuff it is the last of the big shiny piles I have to tackle. I would have no uniforms to paint. I could let my imagination run riot. I could use up lots of half pots of Humbrol before they dry out! It does look splendid and I should do more of it.

Next year it is the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Marignano. I have a copy of this little booklet by the Lance and Lonbow Society which along with Oman would provide the historical details. The deployment map in the booklet is excellent - worth the cover price on its own. The terrain it shows will offer some interesting challenges to both sides and make the table look very pretty to boot. Using this booklet the battle is a frontal assault by outnumbered elite troops on a well set enemy of dubious quality with better reserves held in depth. The battle would be played up the table not across it. 

I've checked out the goodie cupboard, and would you believe it, I have enough stuff to do it providing I scale everything to the Swiss: I have 350 Swiss pike. It might also serve as the impetus to do the bags of Italian pike by TAG, though they will be used to represent the French pike in this battle. 

But, I'm forgetting, there is no rush. I undercoated a few crossbowmen last year with another battle in mind (Battle of the Garigliano?, possibly). I will do the black stuff first.

So, decisions made. No purchases required - I even have 40 metres of 0.047 piano wire kicking about the place to do the pikes. I can kick back, relax, and paint at a lazy pace (maybe 50 figs a month); but I'll start that next month. For the moment I'm going to watch the goggle box, play Rome 2 Total War, and read a couple of books.

I'll report on the campaign next week.