After a gap of about five months from the last time any painting activity was seen for the 1859 project, I recently tackled a regiment of Algerian Tirailleurs. One regiment of Turcos saw action in the 1859 campaign so that singular regiment finally joins the collection.
Mustering out in three battalions of a dozen figures each, this 36-figure regiment is composed of Old Glory 15mm figures from 19th Century Miniatures. As an aside, 19th Century Miniatures is holding their annual Christmas sale for one more day. Get your orders in soon to take advantage of the sale!
Although only one regiment of these light blue-clad Turcos participated in the 1859 campaign, they offer a good choice to field for adding some diversity and color to the French Army. Present in MacMahon's II Corps, the Turcos saw action at Solferino.
Magnificent! Didn't they get sent to China for the 1860 campaign as well?
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteThis regiment saw action in a number of the French Colonial campaigns so China could be on their palmares as well. I know they served in Mexico during the French Intervention and in the Crimean War and FPW. These guys got around!
A fearsome bunch!
ReplyDeleteIndeed!
DeleteNice looking Turcos. They definitely add colour to the mix.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Peter! The Turcos do add some color to the table.
DeleteGreat to see. I've been slowly chipping away at an OG 15mm FPW French Army myself. Lovely job. Looking forward to some Batreps from you with them in the future.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I continue chipping away at my own French Army for this period. I began by concentrating on the Sardinian and Austrian half of Solferino and am slowing building up the French to game the southern half of the battle.
DeleteSome day, I will begin work on the Prussians for the FPW.
For French and Prussians, do not overlook Lancashire Games' infantry. I think they are great and fit well with Old Glory.
Lovely unit! Weren't there turcos in The Crimea too, or is this a fevered toy solider dream of mine?
ReplyDeleteBest Regards and Happy New Year,
Stokes
Thank you! No dream! The Tirailleurs saw action in the Crimea. There presence there is how thy got the nickname "Turcos."
DeleteHappy New Year to you!
Ooh, those are nifty. I love seeing this kind of "fringe" unit. Always a labour of love, and they turned out great!
ReplyDeleteMuch appreciated, Markus! These singular units provide interest and a visual diversion from the army in the main.
DeleteGreat stuff Jonathan. The Tirailleurs are my favourite units from this period. The were sadly butchered in 1870 - at Froeschweiller all three regiments suffered horrendous casualties with one regiment losing 1900 from 2000 engaged.
ReplyDeleteThanks! If I move onto the FPW at some point, I will need to add more Turcos to the collection. Losing 1,900 out of 2,000 engaged? That is a staggering number.
DeleteYes it was the 2nd Regiment in that instance and only a small percentage were unwounded prisoners.
DeleteThanks for the unit history. I need to read about Froeschweiller.
DeleteOne day I may even publish the book I have written on the subject!
DeleteYou should!
DeleteAnother wonderful unit Jonathan and in a nice subtle uniform colour. I think I have some 10mm ones from Pendraken, but will NOT go digging for them until I'm ready for my ImagiNations forces...
ReplyDeleteThanks, Steve! The light blue is handsome, for sure, and will stand out in the heat of battle. When under my command, I hope they don't draw too much attention to themselves from enemy fire.
DeleteI would enjoy seeing your Pendraken 10s when they are unearthed in your Lead Pile.
They had very attractive headgear didn't they? It certainly makes for a unique-looking unit.
ReplyDeleteRed Fez with white turban is distinctive and attractive, for sure. Add in the light blue uniform and the Turcos were eye-catching on the parade ground and in battle.
DeleteThe mix of figures give the unit a great sense of movement.
ReplyDeleteOne thing consistent about Old Glory figures is their inconsistency and animation. They do show a good sense of motion.
DeleteThat blue remains nice and subtle - did you use a black or a brown based Miniwax?
ReplyDeleteGlad you like them , Norm! The figures were given the standard treatment of Minwax Tudor which almost black.
DeleteFab Jonathan. Good models but the painting is brilliant. The faces particularly. Very characterful.
ReplyDeleteThank you! You are very kind in your encouragement of my brushwork. The facial work is primarily accomplished by the Minwax stain application.
DeleteIt's always nice to have some units that add variety to 18th or 19th century armies, as the mass battalions in same uniforms can become a bit of a chore to paint! Colonial troops are particularly helpful in this regard...Gurkha's,Spahis, Chasseurs d'Afrique, etc are all good examples. I would like to add a battalion of freed black Royal Marines to my War of 1812 collection at some point!
ReplyDeleteYour nailed it, Keith! Painting many of the same uniform can become monotonous. Having a few "different" units to mix it up help keep one from becoming very bored. I have yet to tire of painting either the French or Austrian uniform of this period.
DeleteI will have an eye out for the mustering of your Royal Marines unit.
A nice looking addition to the group. Easy to see why Zouaves became so popular for the ACW (a nice contrast to an otherwise uniform collection).
ReplyDeleteThank you! Throughout history, fashions of the victorious rippled down to those hoping to capture some of that effect. With the French victories in 1859, many tried copying the French style of dress for their armies. These were a fun change from the standard blue and grey. I have a batch of Federals in dull regulation blue coming off the painting desk soon.
DeleteBeautiful work as always Jonathan!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteA fine job on a famous unit!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Phil!
DeleteLovely looking French colonial troops, excellently realised!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Much appreciated, Iain!
DeleteGreat job on these guys. Though having a different uniform fro every one else just makes you a target. 😀
ReplyDeleteThanks, Stew! In battle, you don't want to draw attention to yourself, for sure!
DeleteLovely job Jonathan, well done.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, Robbie!
DeleteAs others have said a nice contrast to dark blue 👍
ReplyDeleteGlad you like the change up from the regular French uniform!
DeleteNice unit, very colorful, and a good variant from the (more) usual zouaves.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteAmazing!
ReplyDeleteGlad you like them!
DeleteAn interesting uniform! Looks great with that number of figures too, nice work Jonathan!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, Mark!
DeleteVery nice unit Jonathan, you turn out some nice stuff.
ReplyDeleteMuch appreciated, George!
DeleteWonderful looking Turcos, Jonathan. Unlike me, I see you've not slowed down one bit. I've been a bit out of sorts of recent. Pinched a nerve in my back and then followed with bout of the common cold.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dean! I hope you are feeling better soon!
DeleteI took a bad fall in December and still the feeling the effects of that spill a month later. My face healed but my knee is remains banged up. With luck, time will heal all wounds.
A lovely and very different unit, Jon!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Diversity is good!
DeleteI appreciate, I was from the 170th R.I (the old 7e R.T.A (régiment de Tirailleurs Algériens), WW1, Gabrielle at Dien Bien Phu, Monte-Cassino, libération de Marseille, campaign of the Vosges, Algeria etc....
ReplyDeleteFrench movie "Indigènes 2006".
Tell me more!
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteDien-Bien-Phu, Gabrielle hill : As of March 13 1954, 5/7 R.T.A. has 877 fighters. Only 221 remain, all wounded, some several times. There are 501 killed and 41 missing. Only 65 will return from the camps. There are about fifteen survivors to date. Viet-minh losses 2,000 dead and 5,000 injured.
Fascinating story. I need to find a description of this action to learn more. Thank you for your comments!
Delete