Shakos and Bayonets 1798 -The United Men

 

We had an earlier look at the United Irishmen and suggested some Shakos and Bayonets unit statistics. Today we can look at our units to date. 

For convenience I'm using a blanket set of statistics. In reality after the first few victories even those initially too timid to Rise turned up for duty. Such men would not be trained as the United Irishmen were. Something for later I think. 

Above, four units of pike men each with a scattering of muskets. I do wish I had bought another four cavalry men. Ah well.

Our first two units with their officers. The mounted fellows might be the Irish Republicans returned from France. They were ardent revolutionaries and mostly Protestant. The rank and file except in Ulster were mainly Catholic. The "People of No Property" as Wolfe Tone said. The combination of Catholic, Protestant and Dissenter accounts for their designation as the United Irishmen. This is the period when green becomes the Irish national colour. It had appeared earlier of course in the flags of the the Confederation of Kilkenny. This time it envisaged no foreign allegiance.  As the song has it " I joined the United Men to fight for the Green."

Our second two units. I had thought to provide one unit with a Father Murphy figure by way of period flavour. In keeping with the instruction of the Catholic Hierarchy Father Murphy evinced no sympathy for the Revolutionaries. That changed when the Yeomanry burned down his chapel. With the heather blazing he called his parish to arms. One to ponder.

I think I can manage to put together another 12 figure unit of Pike Men. A more singular unit is the men of Shelmalier with their long barrel guns. Their function is clear they operated as skirmishing marksmen. Obtaining suitable figures is beyond me. I'm substituting these musket armed lads from Chariot and Lancashire Games archive range. True 15mm and excellent.

Of course the above unit only vaguely resembles the actual men of Shelmalier. No long barrel guns. The Revolutionary Phrygian/Liberty caps are not attested in Ireland so far as I know. 

The French Revolutionaries seem to have adopted it as it was worn by by Roman Freedmen. A sartorial "Slave No More" if you like. British cartoonists of the period loved the image of a monkey faced man in a Liberty Cap as visual shorthand for the United Men. So that is a sort of period connection. Likewise the striped trousers could only have been obtained from French allies.

The figures themselves are very nice. Two from Chariot and three from Lancashire Games Archive Vendee range. 

That's it. I'm grateful to Ian Kay at Irregular Miniatures for making the '98 Range above.  I'm frustrated by John at Khurasan for not releasing his '98 Range below. 

John let us see the first 15mm samples. 

A species of cruelty really.

League of Augsburg - Huguenot Horse and Foot

Ian Kay of Irregular Miniatures who supplied nearly all of my League of Augsburg Collection has retired. A great lad all together who has done good service to the hobby. And, let us not forget, ran a very successful business. All in all one of life's good bloke's.

Today's offering comes in the form Huguenots and English Dragoon Guards. Fittingly all figures are from Irregular Miniatures. The flags are from David at Not By Appointment.

Schomberg's Horse above. I intend a second squadron. Note both variants of the flag.

The English Dragoon Guards. Both squadrons and the Flags are from David once more.

Top of the page and below Cambon's Huguenot Regiment of Foot. David freshly researched the flags.

I have modelled the regiment as Pike and Shot in Beneath the Lily Banners speak. Note the Grenadiers on the left of the formation.

A new French Army for Flanders - League of Augsburg 15mm

The news of Barry Hilton’s forthcoming “A Taste of Victory” must surely have stirred the Lily Banners everywhere.   

 

It is a collection of 18 scenarios for the late 17^th/early18th centuries.  It may also have carried a fiendish subliminal message because I bought a new French Army.  I watched Mad Men, I know how this stuff works.

Consequent of what was obviously a premonition, I’ve already got Rene Chartrand’s three fine volumes Armies of the Sun King from Helion.

Luckily, I also have three French battalions as part of my Jacobite Irish collection.  In addition, some of my red coated Jacobite Irish Regulars can be repurposed as the famous Irish Brigade.  I’ll go for 2 battalions, maybe 3. They will need new colours and that means new command stands. 

A word about flags here.  Most of mine for this project are coming from the excellent Not by Appointment blog.Feast your eyes.

https://nba-sywtemplates.blogspot.com/

Here is the old Regiment Navarre complete with Not by Appointment flags. Shortly they will get a stand of pikes.

 

The Kronoskaf SYW site is also worth a visit. Luckily many French flags didn’t change at all and so some 7YW flags can be used.  I've used the Royal cavalry regiment one below.

You will also be seeing flags from Flags of War and The League of Augsburg.  I’m checking against the Chartrand books to make sure I’m using the right ones.

All good, I also want to have roughly third of the Army to be comprised of cavalry.  For me that means 6 squadrons. Two of these will be from an elite formation. For the remainder I’ve fixed on the regiments Royal, Orleans and la Reine.  I’m still pondering the final one.  Here is a squadron of the Royal regiment.

 

I’ll also want a couple of Dragoon regiments. 

All this means new toys.  To start off I’ve ordered two, 100 pieces, armies from Irregular Miniatures. One French and one Dutch. They are excellent value.  I like Irregular’s LOA figures, they have loads of variety and a campaign look. Here is regiment Dauphin. 

 

I added shoulder ribbons for the Grenadiers.  Flags from Not by Appointment.

I don’t know exactly what I’ll be getting figure wise so I’ll do a blog on the armies when they arrive.  My working hypothesis is that the Dutch may have more Firelock and the French more Matchlock.  No matter, I’ll find a use for them all.  I also have plans for Monmouth’s short- lived and fatal adventure.

A list of my intended regiments with uniform details will follow.  They might be useful to others and will keep me on track with painting.