Project Waterloo: Netherlands Command

 

At left is Wilhelm (William), Prince of Orange and Nassau, accompanied by his ADC. The single figure is General Chasse, who commanded the 3rd Netherlands Division. His nickname was "General Bayonet", and had fought in the French Army in Spain and then in France in 1814. These are Perry Miniatures once again.

Prince William had to flee the Netherlands with his Father, when he was only 2 years old. He grew up thereafter in Berlin (Frederick Wilhelm II,. King of Prussia, was his maternal Grandfather). He received a military education, and joined the Prussian army. 

He later joined the British army, and, at age 19, became an Aide de Camp to Wellington in the Peninsula. In November 1813, with the liberation of the Netherlands from French control, he returned there, and in December was made a Major General in the British army; by the end of May 1814, he was a full General in the British army - at age 21!  His courage and good nature made him well liked by the British, who nicknamed him "Slender Billy"!

In 1815, he was the senior Allied commander in the Netherlands when Napoleon returned to France. He commanded the 1st Allied Corps at Quatre Bras and Waterloo. British accounts depict him as brave but tactically unskilled, although there may be more than a little bias in those accounts.  He was blackmailed at least once over alleged bisexuality. He became King of the Netherlands upon his father's abdication in 1840, and died suddenly in 1849.

Project Waterloo: Belgian Militia

 

OK, I made somewhat of a goof with these guys; they were really supposed to be *Dutch*militia, some of which had orange facings.

After reading through the Ospreys on The Dutch, Belgian, and Nassau forces, it seemed logical to me that the Belgians would have the more French appearing, Bell top style shakes, and the Duct the headgear more like the British. Indeed, the Belgian Chasseurs (light infantry) and cavalry did.

WRONG; they don't call it the "Belgic" shako for nothing (even if it really inspired by the earlier Portuguese shakos!). 

Anyway, not a big deal, especially as both armies were seriously short of everytghing, and the regulations were perhas more followed in the breech! 

So, these follows by rights should have had white collars and cuffs instead of orange. These are more Perry figures. Once again, I forgot to trim the flagstaffs (already done). 

Everything else is correct. I won't tell if you don't!  :-) 

Besides, I like the look of the orange facings!

Project Waterloo: Dutch Line Infantry, 1815

 

The Treaty of Paris, signed May 30. 1814 determined that the House of Orange would return to the rule of Holland, and that the Kingdom would be enlarged by adding the originally Austrian territories more or less corresponding to modern day Belgium.  

Initially the Dutch (North Netherlands") and Belgian ("South Netherlands") armies were separate, but the army was reorganized several times, and and April 15, 1815, the two armies were combined into a single force... less than 2 months before the French would attack! 

These troops wear the (very idealized compared to probable reality!) uniform of the Dutch line infantry of the time; single breasted dark blue coats with brass buttons, white collars and cuffs, and red turnbacks. A "double billed shako" of Austrian style had red or green short plumes plumes for the flank companies reminiscent of French line infantry, but blue and white shoulder rolls in a more British style!; quite a hodge-podge of schemes!

Orange cockades were worn on the shako, and commissioned officers had orange sashes. The drums  had a pattern or red, blue, and white triangles on the rims. 

Figures are from Perry Miniatures. I see I forgot to trim down and guild the tops of the flagpoles; that has already been corrected. 

Flags themselves were printed from the Napflag site; he notes they may not have actually been issued until as late as 1820, however.