“I have personally spoken to the Emperor and informed him of my
complete satisfaction with the Hessian Garde-Chevauxlegers.”
General of Brigade Jacob François Marulaz, 1809
I hadn’t forgotten my Essling Grand Plan (see Post 145) but
after the break in hostilities (see Post 154) I had, as I mentioned
in the last post, virtually leapt on the first Napoleonic figures
that presented themselves. Inspired by the pleasure of
painting the Badeners I couldn’t stop myself wanting to paint
some more of Napoleon’s German allies.
Hessian Garde-Chevaulegers
Hessian Conversions
I needed four Hessian chevauleger
figures for Aspern-Essling (see OOB).
With no 10mm Hessians available, I
would need to improvise and have to
convert the same Pendraken Bavarian
chevauleger figures (NBV8) I’d used for
my Baden Light Dragoons (see the last
post). As the four miniatures would most
likely be brigaded with other regiments
on the tabletop, I chose not to use any
command figures. In any case, the
Hessian Garde-Chevauxlegers didn’t
carry any standards.
NEXT
POST 156
156
This time, I removed the troopers’ cuff
flaps before doing anything else! I then
snipped off the tips of the caterpillar
helmet crests and remade the Hessian less-
curved ends with modelling putty. I filed
away the small Bavarian helmet plates and
modelled new tall Hessian ones – straight
on one side and with an ‘s’-shape cut-out
on the other – at the same time as trying
not to spoil the existing helmet peaks.
NEXT
Bavarian Light Dragoon
and Hessian Garde-
Chevauxleger from
André Jouineau’s
Histoire et Collections.
PREVIOUS
When it came to painting the Hessians, I found a
good number of references but – as was quite
usual – each slightly different from the rest. I
gave André Jouineau’s Histoire et Collections the
benefit of the doubt: for example, for green
breaches in 1809 as opposed to the almost certain
white of later examples – John Gill quoting first
white then dark-green (With Eagles to Glory p218
and p220) only helping to confuse! The red-
within-white cockade came from Otto von
Pivka’s Osprey Napoleon’s German Allies: Hesse
that states it dates from 1806 although Jouineau
does not include it. In the end, it made sense to
paint it as the original Bavarian detail included a
cockade.
NEXT
RIGHT Bryan Fosten’s
superb illustration of a
later Hessian Garde-
Chevauleger from Otto
von Pivka’s Osprey
Napoleon’s German Allies:
Hesse. Copyright ©
Osprey Publishing.
I first supposed the troopers might be a bother to
paint, what with their metal helmet fittings, many
chevrons, black collar and cuff tabs and white lace.
PREVIOUS
I had to go with what I thought suited the 10mm
minis, painting, for example, just two chevrons on
the cuffs instead of three.
NEXT
In the end, I reckoned the converted Bavarians
looked convincing enough as Hessian Garde-
Chevaulegers. However, I was aware I was in
pretty much unchartered wargames waters as
PREVIOUS
examples of Napoleonic Hessian tabletop
miniatures were hard to find, which seemed a
shame as the figures were such fun to paint.
NEXT
ABOVE My Pendraken conversions with added putty
helmet front plates and painted ‘L’ cyphers (standing for
Grand Duke Ludwig). The Hessian Garde-Chevaulegers of
PREVIOUS
this period had distinctive brown leather shoulder belts.
Unlike Bavarian Light Dragoons, they should have had the
shorter Hungarian boot. And, unfortunately, the Pendraken
horses lacked the light cavalry bridle.
NEXT
PREVIOUS
Officers of the Regiment
I had decided not to include
command figures as part of what
was only a four-figure light cavalry
unit. This wasn’t because the
Garde-Chevaulegers didn’t carry
standards. Nor was it because of
the bad luck of the officers in
charge of the regiment during the
1809 hostilities. Their Oberst,
Chamot, was their first casualty of
the campaign when he dropped
out due to illness and returned to
Hesse. Only a few days later, Major
von Münchingen who took over
from him suffered a lance wound
and was only just saved from
capture by Habsburg Uhlans.
However, he must of been of stern
stuff as he was back in the saddle
leading the regiment five days later
and received a coveted Legion of
Honour on the recommendation of
his commanding officer, General
Marulaz.
ABOVE Knőtel’s illustration of Hessian Garde-Chevaulegers dated 1812 showing white breeches for parade dress.
