My original French Napoleonic Wargames army, mostly painted back when I was in High School, contained a unit of Dismounted Dragoons that I was quite fond of. Those figures were by Hinton Hunt.
As my current French Army has grown to epic proportions, I can allow myself the indulgence of including some Dismounted Dragoons once again.
These fine figures are from Brigade Games, and were purchased a number of years ago at the same time as my French Gendarmes a Pied.
The scarlet facings mark them as belonging to one of the first 6 Dragoon regiments.
The vertical pockets on the back of the coat further narrow the possibilities down to the 4e, 5e, or 6e regiments. The solid scarlet collars further narrow the possible units to the 4e or 6e. As is often the case for heavier cavalry, the gloves obscure the cuffs so no further refinement is possible. So, let's call it the 4e Dragoon regiment... a pied!
Due to alack of mounts, several regiments fought dismounted during the 1805 campaign. The Dragoons formed the bulk of the French cavalry in Spain, where their capacity to fount dismou8nted was often useful. As a result, the Dragoons were not destroyed in the 1812 Retreat from Moscow debacle, and were thus arguably the best of the French cavalry in 1813 - 1814.
Outstanding work, Peter! Units are flying out from your workbench
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jon. Some more Austrians and some new Egyptians are in the pipeline...
DeleteMagnifique!
ReplyDeleteMerci, Monsieur! :-)
DeleteNicely done Peter, gorgeous dismounted dragoons!
ReplyDeleteGreat work!
ReplyDeleteThanks, michal!
DeleteExcellent and a unit type not often seen on table.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Gary. I could see them in a small scenario in Spain especially!
DeleteThese look very nice - strangely I have in the lead pile a unit of dismounted Hinton Hunt dragoons!
ReplyDeleteThanks - the Hinton Hunt sculpts were very nice; I still recall my unit then had Rose Pink facings. These Paul Hicks sculpts are outstanding!
DeleteGreat unit! Nice walk through of 'who could they behind the narrative.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Joe! Definitely an action in the Peninsula for them at some point!
DeleteThey look great, and the nice thing about modern sculpts is the variety of poses in a unit. I am a big fan of Paul Hicks's work.
ReplyDeletePaul Hicks sculpts are much more anatomically proportioned than the bulk of 28 mm figures! The varied poses work especially well with this kind of unit.
DeleteSplendid looking dismounted dragoons! I'm concentrating on the mounted ones at the moment!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
The mounted versions are where the painting belongs until such time as y6ou have enough of the troopers on horseback.
DeleteUnless you're Barry painting Russian Dragoons; then you should paint the dismounted troops first and skip the horses altogether! :-)
These are top figures and beautifully painted Peter.
ReplyDeleteThere is loads of scope for dismounted dragoons as the regts differed in 1805 and 1807, as well as those is Spain, as you mentioned.
Regards, James
p.s. There is a third alternative. Have both types on the go at the same time!
Thanks for the generous words, James. Yes, there is plenty of scope for them. They can just substitute for a regular infantry unit to make your oppo0nent do a double take as well! :-)
DeleteGreat job painting them. It is always great to see our miniatures painted and ready for gaming.
ReplyDeleteGlad you like them, Lon!
DeleteVery nice! Maybe I should have done a full unit like this rather than just a few skirmishers! :)
ReplyDeleteThankyou, Mark! There's always tomorrow for a full unit! Honestly, though, it has been 45 years from the time I painted those Hinton Hunts!
Delete