Reinforcements from the south

A marvellous package arrived today from John, aka Mt Barker John—he who has staged excellent games that I have played in: Lössnig in December last year being the most recent.

I was speaking with him last week and he mentioned that he'd received a wonderful mixed bag of figures, via his auntie who lives in a suburb of Perth. She had seen it in an op. shop and immediately thought of him. He mentioned that there were some early French in there and he had thought that I might like them, as he wouldn't use them. "If you are sure, that'd be great, thanks!"

He duly sent them off and today they arrived. There are heaps of them!

Seventy-four infantry in hats, all figures from Hät's '1805 French Line Infantry'. They are painted quite well, but could use a bit of a spruce-up. I think I'll make them look more of the revolutionary period, albeit some of the better dressed of those troops.

There are also 23 hussars, all beautifully painted. The figures are from Zvezda's 'Black Hussars of Frederick the Great', but clearly painted as French hussars of the revolutionary period. Which unit? This sent me off in a spin, checking through my books, consulting the inter-web and finally back to my books.

First I checked the regiments of the Napoleonic period, not the 1st hussars, what about the 9th? No, can't be them, they had yellow lace. Maybe the 12th? Looks to be a match, but, on checking, I found out that they were the hussards de la montagne in the revolutionary period and had brown dolman, pelisse and trousers. They became the 30th dragoons in 1803 before eventually becoming the 12th hussars in 1813 (with scarlet dolman, sky blue rest of the uniform and white lace). Perhaps the fella had painted them as the 12th, incorrectly represented in their later colours? Or, maybe it's another unit of the early revolutionary period?

I looked through my books and could not find a match. Off to the inter-web. Ah, the hussards de la liberté could be they. It seems that the first 'corps' had blue trousers, pelisse, red dolman and white lace. Yeah, they eventually became the 9th hussars. The lace must have changed to yellow then. Got it!

I was not quite happy though and suddenly remembered two of my books that I had forgotten to check. Tranie and Carmigniani's 'Les Guerres de l'Ouest (1793-1815)' and 'La Patrie en Danger 1792-1793: Les Campagnes de la Révolution'. Nothing in the first but then, 'bingo!'. There it was in the pages of plates in 'La Patrie en Danger 1792-1793: Les Campagnes de la Révolution': hussards de l'égalité. That'll do me, so that's what they will be.

Thanks so much again John. For the figures, but also for the fun of the 'chase'!