French Hussar Rgt #8 - 1859 (or 1870?)

Having painted a dozen Lancashire Games' Chasseurs d'Afrique mistakenly labeled as hussars recently (see: French Hussar Rgt #2), I turned to fielding a regiment of proper French hussars.  

For these hussars, a pack of Old Glory hussars were called up for mobilization.  Old Glory's (now 19th Century Miniatures') FPW/FAW range has one pack of French hussars.  Figures are wearing tunic and kepi.  After doing a bit of research and fact checking, it appears that this uniform was only issued to the 1st and 8th Hussars in 1870.  That suggests hussars in this uniform did not appear on the 1859 field of battle.  Well, in case I expand to the 1870 conflict, these troopers will become the 8th Hussars in their light blue tunic.

This revelation suggests that the Lancashire Games' Chasseurs d'Afrique in shako may very well be a closer match to the uniform of the French hussar during the Franco-Austrian War.  I still need to pick up a few packs of Lancashire hussars to see differences between their Cd'A and their hussars. 

Despite the possible anachronistic mustering of the 8th Hussars in 1870 dress, four squadrons are ready for the tabletop.  While the sculpts are good overall, the one shortcoming is the thin and fragile swords.  Is the wispy sword a function of bad molding or simply bad casting?  Whatever the cause, the extended swords will likely not stand up to the rigors of gaming.  Time will tell how long the swords remain in place.

Speaking of getting the collection to the gaming table, I have been reading about the Battle of Montebello in 1859.  At first glance, Montebello appears a small affair that could easily be whipped together for an evening game.  With small numbers of troops on the table to begin and limited reinforcements, Montebello might prove a good way to get the project into an upcoming game slot.  Of course, more study is required and a map and OB must be drafted but Montebello could definitely fit the bill.

As an added bonus, Montebello was the site of two battles: one in 1859 and another in 1800.  If the map is created with care, both battles could be fought out over the same ground.  I need to verify if that statement is true!  Two battles on one table would allow the 1799 project to see action too.  That would be very handy!