The superb reference for the French 3rd Light Infantry
regiment I mentioned in Post 81 (alongside the regiment’s
drummer) illustrates an elite company carabinier of the
regiment in a brown rather than the normal black
bearskin – possibly the first example of a French
Napoleonic brown bearskin.
I had decided to use Pendraken line elite company
figures for this regiment in an endeavour to have the light
infantry unit match the square cuff flaps of the reference –
this meant, unfortunately, that they would be dressed in
trousers not the characteristic boot-shaped gaiters of the light
infantry. It would have been simpler to use elite company figures
with shakos for carabiniers but I wanted to follow the Rousselot
reference as much as possible.
To get bearskin carabiniers with square cuff flaps on their coats, I
had to use line grenadier figures but I had to putty over the front
plates of the bearskins (see Post 72 for grenadier figures) as French
carabiniers didn’t have plates on their bearskins. I wanted this
regiment to have a front rank of firing figures so I had to use a
couple of Imperial Guard grenadier firing figures, puttying over
their bearskin plates as well. I also added a cooking pot to the
backpack of one with left over green stuff.
Carabiniers of the French 3rd Light Infantry Regiment
POST 83
83
