"French Napoleonic Battalion Fanions and Company-level flags" Topic

I think I get the distinction between the Tricoloure Flag carried with the Regimental Eagle and the Battalion Fanions carried by the 2nd and subsequent Battalions.

My question is: what are the very small flags that seem to be carried by grenadier and voltiguer NCO's? Perry has a figure with such a flag attached to his musket. I have a Knotel image of a senior voltiguer NCO with a flag attached in the same way to his musket. I assume they are Company marker flags. Should they be referred to as fanions also or are they guidons, or something else? Apart from red/blue diagonal colours on a small square flag, did they come in other varieties? Was there any lettering? Did fusilier companies also carry them?

Is there a source that shows more illustrations?

They are company fanions. They were attached to a small 'staff' that fit inside the musket barrel. Charles Stadden made some of his 54mm figures with them.

You have to look for examples of them-JOB has some in his repertoire, for example, as does Knotel.

The designs would differ between regiments and were usually up to the unit's commander. Any decrees or directives from the War Ministry or Napoleon as to their design were usually ignored as they were for the battalion fanions.

Sincerely,
K

They were fanions used for alignment during manoevre and came into service in 1805.

There was no official pattern.

I've been wondering did other armys carry fanions? I know American Revolutionary armys did. And since Gen v. Steuben w/ Prussian did battalions or companys not authorized to carry flags have them?

I've been wondering did other armys carry fanions? I know American Revolutionary armys did. And since Gen v. Steuben w/ Prussian did battalions or companys not authorized to carry flags have them?
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Well,AWI regiments didn't carry fanions per se,they were described as Grand Division colors. To what extent they were used,is anybodys guess. We know some units did have them,as we have the surviving example from Webbs Additional Regt.

Bob C.

They were called Jaloneurs and marking the left respectivly right flank of a battalion, you can read about them in the regulations of 1791 – there those men had no fanions but did carry their musket with the butt end up so that the chef de battalion could recongnize them.

Bavarians, Saxons, Italians did carry such fanions as well.

During the American Civil War they were used and were called "Flank Markers". They measured 18 inches square. There was a general issued pattern – being the stars and stripes with the regiment identified in the center of the stripes (IE 14 NYSM – with the 14 over the NYSM). There was also ones purchased by the regiments of their own design. Some of these were fancy with art work and some were just a solid color with the regiment denoted.
The were used to mark the flank of the regiment and in some maneuvers used as the "marker" point for the maneuver.
In camp these would be posted on each end of the color line.