Michael's 1809 Blog

The coast tiles with the two islands completed my first three tiles. Now – in line with my Grand Plan (see Post 145) – I needed to organise the figures that would stand on them before sorting out any more terrain. On the first day of the Battle of Aspern-Essling, Bruyère’s light cavalry brigade was positioned in the open ground between the Long Garden and the Danube. The whole brigade would fill the full width between the river and the garden. I only had space for one unit on my completed tiles. I decided that the 24^th Chasseurs à Cheval would be positioned on the far right of the French front line. So this was the unit I had to paint. At 1:50, I only needed seven figures for the regiment. However the 24^th was brigaded with the 13^th

On the Tiles

Chasseurs à Cheval, a unit that at 1:50 worked out as 13 figures. It was a simple decision to transfer one miniature from the 13^th to the 24^th, keeping the brigade at the correct strength while also maintaining my basing system of basing light cavalry figures in pairs. Rather uniquely, uniforms of the 24^th Chasseurs à Cheval are represented comprehensively in the Otto Manuscript with illustrations of four different ranks: trooper, elite trooper, trumpeter, and officer. Although the uniforms represented in the manuscript are pre-1809, the wealth of reference was too good not to make the most of. It meant, however, getting out the modelling putty and adding bearskin colpacks and epaulettes to match the Otto paintings. Unfortunately this also meant that my first painted chasseurs à cheval officer that began with blue facings and was repainted to lead the 24^th (that I mentioned back in Post 45) had to be retired from the tabletop yet again!

ABOVE RIGHT Chasseurs of the 24^th from the Otto Manuscript. ABOVE Pendraken Chasseur officer with putty additions. LEFT Eight Pendraken miniatures ready to be painted as the 24^th before I decided to replace the officer.

POST 149

149