More Brazilians

More stuff off the painting desk in the shape of the 16th Volunteers of the Fatherland (later the 48th). Raised in Uruguay largely from Italian immigrants and known as the Garibaldi battalion I believe. I doubt very much whether the Garibaldi type uniform lasted very long but I think they’ve come out better than I thought they would. The figures are almost all old Foundry FPW Francs Tireurs plus a couple of spare Argentine officers. 

Paraguayan Infantry

 I didn’t get to Partizan today sadly but at least I used the time to finish basing eight battalions of Paraguay’s finest for the Triple Alliance collection. Cavalry and artillery to follow in a day or so. These are all Perry miniatures. 

Argentinians

 Here we have the first of my Argentinian contingent for the Triple Alliance project. With the excerpt some of the officers they are all repurposed Franco-Prussian War Garde Mobile and Francs Tirreurs. I’d had them laying about for years and decided I am happy sticking to the Imperial phase of the FPW so these guys were redundant and have been shipped across the Atlantic to sunny South America.

The battalions in front and at the rear represent regular troops in campaign dress while the middle battalion in green are the Legion Militar. One contemporary source (from a guy who served with the unit) has them in green although others show them in a Zouave-like uniform. I shall have one of each.

Russia's Fighting Men 1880–1914

Russia’s Fighting Men 1880-1914 by Wendell Schollander is an examination of the officers and men who served in the latter part of the nineteenth century up to the commencement of hostilities with the Central Powers in 1914.

This is a unique piece of research, drawn from a wide variety of contemporary sources such as private correspondence and accounts and government records, but also used are social history records. The Russian Empire was huge, as was the army, and was the largest in the world. The author examines the backgrounds and roles of the officer class, the other ranks and the vast numbers of Cossacks of every kind. Indeed I do not think I had previously been aware of just how many Cossack ‘Hosts’ there were, and how ethnically varied they were so I found this section particularly interesting.

Discipline, training schools and education (of officer cadets), the daily duties and lives of officers and men are all covered. The brutality of life for a Russian soldier meant that officers and NCOs were free to ignore the rules about beating or striking their men, who in any event accepted this treatment stoically. I was also surprised to learn that soldiers were employed on civilian tasks in order to help ends meet, and also relied on monies sent from home (assuming their officers passed the money on) but less surprised about the levels of corruption found among the officer class.

Some fascinating statistics regarding the shifting social background of students between 1886 and 1902 reveal a surprising decrease in those from the nobility and a corresponding increase in those from the petty bourgeoise and peasants. The legendary fighting qualities of Russian soldiers are also discussed, and of particular interest to me is the varied ethnic composition of the army.

As in the author’s previous book on the French army of the same period, the treatment of Jewish soldiers is covered in some detail. Discrimination was the norm as this was the era of the various pogroms; it was enough just to be Jewish. While they could serve, they were not trusted, rarely promoted from private, and restrictions were placed on where and in what unit they could serve. Although there were a very small number of exceptions, Jewish officers were not permitted.

For me the sixty or so black and white photographs steal the show. They are evocative of a world long past and if the subjects, all of whom are staring off somewhere into the distance, had been aware of the horrors that would befall many of them in the first quarter of the twentieth century I wonder if they would have stood so proudly in all their splendour?

As a history of the Russian army this is a well put together and very readable account, being part military history and part social history. If the Russian army of the period leading up to the First World War interests you then you will enjoy this book.

ISBN: 978-8-88-842357-7 Paperback 125 pages

Brazilians

Here we go with the first Brazilian infantry for the War of the Triple Alliance. I’ve really enjoyed doing these minis although my painting skills have declined with age. These Brazilians were great to paint. The castings are wonderful and the uniforms quite striking. I chose to do the cacadores in a mixture of uniform styles just because, well why not? 

A battalion of Cacadores 

The 28th Battalion of the Voluntarios de Patria.

Next will be some Argentinians and the Brazilian artillery I forgot to photograph, and eventually more Brazilians and of course Paraguayans. The latter are done but need basing. 

Uruguayans and Paraguayans - Just to show I’ve not been totally idle!

I vowed to myself that despite the wonderful range available from the Perry twins I would never get drawn into gaming the War of the Triple Alliance (Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina vs Paraguay).  When Freikorps first launched their 15mm range in the late 70’s or thereabouts I resisted but…….

Then I got momentarily distracted and all of a sudden during our last India trip but one I ordered a bunch of minis from them. Well, lots actually. One good thing (?) is that the Perry plastic ACW boxes are quite simple to convert (mainly through a paint job) into  Brazilians. 

The Uruguayan army, one more battalion to do. Of course I also need to do the bases but I like to have a basing blitz and do as many as I can, ideally in the garden with a beer.

I had these 3d printed fortress guns laying about so they now have Paraguayan crews.

I am currently in the midst of painting a load of Brazilians. They’re nothing if not colourful. As indeed are all the armies in this bloody war. 

Another Book Review - The Piedmontese Fight against Revolutionary France.

When I first saw this book on the horizon I was very excited at the prospect of reading it. The French Revolutionary Wars is a period that I find incredibly fascinating. Forty-Four Months in the Alps: The Resistance of the Piedmontese Army Against Revolutionary France, 1792–1796 by Enrico Ricchiardi is a well-researched and richly illustrated account of a lesser-known and often overlooked chapter in European military history. Set against the backdrop of the French Revolutionary Wars, the book delves into the challenges faced by the Piedmontese army as it resisted the expansionist ambitions of revolutionary France..

 

The book is nicely structured, firstly examining the political and military situation found within the Kingdom of Sardinia under Victor Amadeus III. The initial lack of preparedness was an issue, as were the intricacies of their alliance with Austria. The author moves on to examine the organisation of the army, drawing extensively from national archives to provide detailed information on a wide variety of units, uniforms, flags, and weaponry. Not only are the line troops covered in great detail, but also the militia, volunteers, the elite troops, and the navy.  

 

The author provides a very useful and detailed chronological account of the war between 1792 and 1796, guiding readers (and me) through the strategic and tactical developments of the Piedmontese army, their performance in the field and their final acts of resistance.

 

Ricchiardi's expertise is evident throughout the book. His background and deep understanding of the history of the Piedmontese army, particularly its uniforms and flags, lends authenticity to the detailed descriptions and illustrations. The inclusion of 29 full-colour pages of contemporary artwork and some lovely original illustrations by Emanuele Manfredi which collectively add significantly to the visual appeal.

 

Published by Helion & Company as number 144 of their From Reason to Revolution series, this volume is a valuable resource for historians, military enthusiasts, and anyone interested in the intricacies of eighteenth century European warfare. The author’s thorough research, combined with visual richness, makes it a standout contribution to the field. It is a fascinating period, a colourful army and an enjoyable and enlightening read. I certainly learnt a great deal about the campaign and the army and can highly recommend it.

 

ISBN: 978-1-804515-77-5   179 pages; Paperback