I have been admiring these new figures, trying to decide how to fit some in with my Peninsular War units – most of which are in dress uniforms. In doing the I Corps, I find information very sketchy on the 54ieme de ligne. I recall seeing only a primitive illustration in the Otto Manuscfipts of the sapper, possibly colpak, "foreign" coat closed to the waste. I think the color of the lapels was a "burnt orange," but my stuff is packed away.
Digging through lots of data suggests that units where the sapper wore the colpak usually had their grenadiers in the shako – not bearskins.
One new Perry metal command group has a sapper in colpak. One might buy 6 grenadiers in shako; 6 voltigeurs in shako; command of officer, color or fanion bearer; sapper; 2 sergeants; and drummer. Buy 18 fusiliers to complete a battalion of 36, and deploy as below:
vv Nf ff ff fO gg
vv ff ff ff ff gg
vv cf fD ES fN gg
v – voltigeurs – 6
g – grenadiers – 6
f – fusiliers – 18, painting one as a caporal with two stripes on lower sleeve – did not get chance for short sword yet!
N for 2 NCO's – sergeants from command set
D for drummer
E for eagle, fanion carrier
S for sapper
O for officer, front rank on the left.
Comes out to a neat 36, with only one "stretch" for the caporal.
The 26ieme de ligne in II Corps has battalions 4, 5 and 6 in Spain – brigaded with the Legion du Midi and Hanoverial Legion. Attacked at Busaco. probably same mix, drummer and sapper with red lapels.
If anyone has any uniform information on the 54th; 94th or 95th – all in I Corps – PLEASE write in! I seem to recall seeing grenadiers in bearskins in the OTTO manuscripts, but don't remember any sappers. The OTTO manuscripts are generally lacking in drummer illustrations.
GdeP
