maandag 15 mei 2017

French infantry standard 1793

In the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam they have a French Standard of 1793. Unknown is the unit as the number position is not filled in., So if this is a genuine flag I don't know. But he's pretty.

The flag is 2.16m * 1.80 meter.

vrijdag 5 mei 2017

Dutch Army of 1794 (2)

For the campaign of 1794 a field army was organised in which only a part of the total armystrenth was available. This was partly because of the losses in earlier campaigns but also because the Dutch army needed numerous garrisons for the cities of the Netherlands.
The line infantry was composed of battalions of 6 companies (out of 12 companies of each regiment) plus converged grenadiers of the various regiments (2 grenadiercompanies of 3 regiments formed a grenadier battalion).
The line field battalions had a strength of 504 men (guard battalions), 510 men (Swiss) or 432 men (other battlions. The grenadier battalions had a strength of 384 men.
Mind you, this was the official strength at the start of the 1794 campaign and quickly these numbers became less through losses, sickness and desertion.
The field battalions were as follows:

LINIE INFANTERIE Infanterie veldbataljons
regiment veld bataljon Gardes veld        bataljon Zwitsers veld        bataljon linie
Naam
Hollandse Gardes 6
Oranje Gelderland 6
Oranje Stad en Lande en Drenthe 6
Oranje Nassau 2 6
Van Maneil 6
Van Dopff 6
Von Wilcke (vh d'Envie) 6
Van Welderen 6
Bosc de la Calmette 6
Bedaulx 6
Hessen-Darmstadt 6
De Petit 6
van Plettenberg 6
van Wartensleben (vh van Pabst) 6
Waldeck 1e regiment 6
Zwitserse Gardes 6
Hirzel 6
Stockar de Neuforn 6
De Gumoëns 6
Schmid 6
May 6
VELDLEGER
compagnieën 12 30 84
bataljons 2 10 14
officieren en manschappen  504 510 432
1.008 5.100 6.048 12.156


GRENADIERS Each 2 companies of the following 3 regiments (a total of 384 men or a grand total of 3.456 grenadiers)
grenadierbattalion:
van Raesfeldt Van Maneil Douglas (mariniers) Bentinck
Von Buseck Van Dopff Van Brakell De Thouars (vh van Quadt)
Van Dongen Oranje Gelderland Oranje Vriesland Oranje Stad en Lande en Drenthe
Mollenbruyn van Plettenberg van Baden Nassau-Usingen
Van Plettenberg De Schepper Bedaulx van Nijvenheim
Prinz von Reusz van Wartensleben (vh van Pabst) von Geusau (vh Wiguer, vh Baden) Westerlo (mariniers)
Prins von Hessen-Philipsthal Des Villates Van Welderen Bosc de la Calmette
Van Panhuijs De Bons van Mönster Stuart
Van Solms Oranje Nassau 1 Oranje Nassau 2 W.F. Erfprince van Orange en Nassau


LICHTE INFANTERIE
5e bataljon Waldeck 280
Bataljon Walen van Perez 280
Bataljon Jagers van Bylandt 198
Korps van Damas 250
Korps van Béon  494
Korps van Mathieu 277
VELDLEGER 1779

Dutch Army of 1794 (1)

The Dutch army in the 1794 campaign is described in the book by FHA Sabron: "De oorlog van 1794-1795 op het grondgebied van de Republiek der Vereenigde Nederlanden" (2 volumes).
Together with information from some other Dutch books, the following information can be given.

The total infantry (line and light) of the Dutch States in 1794 were as underneath.
The first column gives the identification of the regiment which was on various items of equipment as wagons etc.
The 3rd column gives the name of the province which paid for the regiment or it was paid by the States General (Staten).
The fouth column gives the nationality as: nothing mentioned: Dutch, D = Duits (German), ZW=Zwitsers (Swiss), W=Waals (Wallon), I=Immigranten (French immigrants).
Each regiment had 14 companies in 2 battalions or per battalion a company of grenadiers and 6 of musketeers.
An exception was the Swiss Guard which had 8 big companies in one battalion although in the field they probably use a 2 battalions formation, each of 4 companies


LINIE INFANTERIE
regiment compagnie(en) per regiment in 2 bataljons
afkorting Naam Repartitie van afkomst musketeers grenadiers
R.H.G. Hollandse Gardes Staten 12 2
R.O.G. Oranje Gelderland Gelderland 12 2
R.O.F. Oranje Vriesland Vriesland 12 2
R.O.St. en L. Oranje Stad en Lande en Drenthe Stad en Lande 12 2
R.O.N. no 1. Oranje Nassau 1 Holland D 12 2
R.O.N. no 2. Oranje Nassau 2 Holland D 12 2
R.O.N. no 3. W.F. Erfprince van Orange en Nassau Holland D 12 2
R.No.1 De Schepper Vriesland 12 2
R.No.2 Van Maneil Stad en Lande 12 2
R.No.3 Van Dopff Holland 12 2
R.No.4 Von Wilcke (vh d'Envie) Holland 12 2
R.No.5 Des Villates Holland 12 2
R.No.6 Van Welderen Gelderland 12 2
R.No.7 De Bons Holland 12 2
R.No.8 Bosc de la Calmette Holland 12 2
R.No.9 Van Randwyck Holland 12 2
R.No.10 Van Brakell Zeeland 12 2
R.No.11 opgeheven (vh van Dam)
R.No.12 Bedaulx Holland 12 2
R.No.13 De Thouars (vh van Quadt) Holland 12 2
R.No.14 Hessen-Darmstadt Holland D 12 2
R.No.15 De Petit Holland 12 2
R.No.16 van Mönster Utrecht 12 2
R.No.17 van Plettenberg Vriesland 12 2
R.No.18 van Wartensleben (vh van Pabst) Holland 12 2
R.No.19 Douglas (mariniers) Zeeland 12 2
R.No.20 von Geusau (vh Wiguer, vh Baden) Overijssel 12 2
R.No.21 Westerlo (mariniers) Holland 12 2
R.No.22 van Nijvenheim Holland 12 2
R.No.23 Stuart Holland 12 2
R.No.24 Bentinck Holland 12 2
R.F.V.W. no 1. Waldeck 1e regiment Holland D 12 2
R.F.V.W. no 2. Waldeck 2e regiment Holland D 12 2
van Baden Holland D 12 2
R.S.G. Saxen-Gotha Holland D 12 2
R.W. Nassau-Usingen Holland W 12 2
Zwitserse Gardes Staten ZW 8
R.Z. no 1. Hirzel ZW 12
R.Z. no 2. Stockar de Neuforn ZW 12
R.Z. no 3. De Gumoëns ZW 12
R.Z. no 4. Schmid ZW 12
R.Z. no 5. May ZW 12
LICHTE INFANTERIE
5e bataljon Waldeck Holland D
G.W. Bataljon Walen van Perez Holland W
Bataljon Jagers van Bylandt
Korps van Damas I
Korps van Béon  I
Korps van Mathieu I

dinsdag 25 april 2017

Dutch infantry flags (2)

In 1752 the Dutch army was reorganised so that all infantry regiments, be it National, German, Scottish or Swiss, would have two battalions (exept the Wallooon regiment who kept its 3 battalions for some years). The Scotisch regiments became national regiments in 1783 but no there was no change in their organisation of 7 companies per battalion.
The Walloon regiment lost its third battalion around 1790 (as guard Walloon battalion which used as a light unit) and the Walloon regiment consists of two battalions as other regiments.

Every line battalion had 7 companies: 1 grenadier and 6 fusilier.
An exception to this rule were the Swiss regiments:
- the guard Swiss had 4 companies per battalion
- the Swiss line had 6 companies
Guard and Swiss line had the grenadiers included in the line companies so had no seperate  grenadier companies although it is possible that in the field they combined their grenadiers into a company per battalion.
Existing regiments in 1752 were combined into this new structure or disbanded.

Although I have found no definitive proof, I think that this reorganisation led to new flags for the regiments but it is possible that at first the regiment which existed and into another regiment were amalgamated kept its old flag.

The new regiment now had two flags per battalion and mostly had:
- the colonels flag in white. The flags we know are ecru or an off white colour and bore:
      x mostly the coat of arms of the province who paid for the regiment (see underneath),
      x sometimes the coat of arms of  the States General of the Republic itself (as these were sometimes also the paymaster of a regiment),
      x the Nassau and/or Orange regiments and the Hollandse garde probably had the Prince of Oranges heraldric weapon and     
      x maybe sometimes the coat of arms of the proprietor (a lot of flags are not known so who knows).
- the regimental flag(s) which was coloured and bore probably the colonel/proprietor coat of arms. In the case that the Stadholder was proprietor, these flags were probably orange.

The Swiss guard regiment was again an exception as they had a flag for each company so four flags per battalion of which one was the colonels and three the companie flag. (it is not known if all these colours were carried in the field).
The Swiss line regiments had according to the reglement of 1791 still 6 flags per battalion (it is not known if all these colours were carried in the field).

Colonels'/Provincial flags
Afaik up to this moment the flag of the province was white (or "ecru" coloured, an off-white colour) with the coat of arms of the province mostly on a field of throphies like flags, cannons etc with the banner of the provincial motto and various small extras as grenades in the corners of the flag or arms with swords coming out of a cloud.
Sometimes both sides of the flags are the same but a flag is known with on one side the provincial coat of arms and on the other side the Republic coat of arms.

Of some provinces, flags of the revolutionary period are known and I will shown them here in the near future.
The colonels flags of the swiss regimetns are partly known and are described in a book of the 1780 period.

In the regiments of which the Stadholder, the Prince of Orange was proprietor, the colonels flag was afaik also white/off-white and bore the heralcic coat of arms of the prince of Orange.

Regimental flags
The regimental flags of the colonel/propretor, probably coloured, are very rare (better-none exists anymore) as these flags were taken by the colonel as the regiment was disbanded or the regiment received a new propietor. Also almost no prints exists of Dutch flags (at least I don't know) of this period.
Colours and coat of arms of these flags are mostly not known and no pictures/prints exists. Only guessing and deducting can be done.
For the swiss flags some pictures exits; I will show them in the near future.

Foreign troops
Foreign troops had their own flags, if I have them, I will show them in the future.

maandag 24 april 2017

Dutch infantry flags (1) Flag Dutch Guard (Hollandse Garde) 1792-1795

The Hollandse Garde received in 1788 their new flags.
The Rijksmuseum has some other flags of earlier periods but it is known that in 1788 new flags were given to the Hollandse Garde.
These new flags were needed because the patriots in 1786 insisted that the heraldric signs of the Prince of Orange on the flag needed te be removed.

As is known, the Prince of Orange was in 1787 helped by the Prussian king (brother of Williams' wife) to reclaim his position and so in 1788 the Hollandse garde received new flags again.
The 1786-1788 flag (now in the Rijksmuseum) looked as this).


Of the 1788 new flag, in the Rijksmuseum there is only the white (ecru) colonels flag (underneath). From the description of the Rijksmuseum, both sides are the same. The Rijksmuseum has two examples of this flag so probably both battalions wore the same colonels flag. The flag is appr 1 meter x 1 meter which is according to the measurement in the reglement.



A drawing of Hoynck van Papendrecht shows the same flag but probably the backside. Notice the golden tassels on the flag which are also on the painting of 1770.


The other (regimental) flag was Orange.
In the painting underneath of 1770, an orange flag is shown and also, because this is the second battallion, it can be concluded that both battalions had an colonels flag.
But, as this picture is of appr 1770 both flags are of the older design so without the change of 1788. It is not very clear in the picture but probably the orange flag shows an arm with sword coming out of a cloud within a green laurel. It is not known if this same pattern is in 1788 on the new orange flag.

(remark: for my wargaming army I will use the known white flag with the same design but then in orange as regimental flag until better information comes to hand).

In the painting, the grenadiers of the Hollandse Garde are still shown in the bearskin with frontplate;  a bearskin without plate was officially ordered and mentioned in the reglement of 1773.

As we are on the topic of the Hollandse garde; some plates of their uniform in the FR period are:
top row: officer grenadiers and NCO
other pictures various soldiers
Notice the yellow metal drum (also in the painting), the red and white hanging bag of the grenadiers but also the lacking of the lapels on the coats in the paining which appears first appr 1772 (according to the "Jassenboekje")
Of course it is strange that the officer underneath (although dated at 1790) is still wearing a frontplate but maybe this is artistic impression. The otehr plates alle show the bearskin without plate.







Trent additions


Trent has three additions to their Irish range; two characters (Josef Holt and Martin Dwyer) plus a set of cavalry with seperate heads and arms to make various poses.





New additions to Great War Miniatures Russians and Swedish

Although no pictures appeared on the North Star site yet, there are some more packs of Russians and Swedes of the Potemkin War range.
Line infantry in attacking poses for both countries are available together with command, for the Russians followed by Leib grenadiers and infantry in summer uniform.

Reiver castings new french revolutionary figures

Very quietly Reiver Castings brought out some new packs for the French Revolution.
There are four additions to the British 1792-1800 range and 2 packs of Vendean troops.
Pictures are on the Reiver Casting website and underneath starting with 2 packs of British artillery (foot and horse)


followed by the cavalry which has the troopers plus a pack of horse command


and at last two packs of Vendean troops; the first with muskets, the second with pitchforcks

All these figures looks nice and are welcome editions to the  Revolutionary range. Haven't seen them in the flesh yet but at leat the British will appear on the table someday.
Hopefully more additions will follow.
Suggestions (hint, hint) are of course artillery in round hats, licht cavalry, more active poses for the ligth infantry etc etc