"Shoulder wings on 23 foot center companies ?" Topic

Hey, need some help.. As many people I tend to use Mt St Jean as a useful resource for 100 days uniforms..

The other day I found something strange.. the british 23 foot line infantry appears with shoulder wings on the center companies !!! The image showing he jacket from the side contradicts that, could this be a mistake that slipped through..

Does anyone have info that supports this particular version of the uniform…

I'm just very curious about this..

cheers
Francisco

Wings on centre companies is correct – it was a distinction of fusilier regiments at the time.

thanks !

Interesting.. so is it the only unit that had that at waterloo, and what would be the difference "technically" between fusiliers and regular foot units ?

Sod all difference in real terms; purely an honorary distinction by Napoleonic times. The original fusilier distinction goes back to the late 17th century; the fusilier regiments had flintlocks (fusils) and were often assigned as artillery guards, whereas most regiments still had matchlocks. As the matchlock disappeared the "fusilier" became meaningless, but British regiments have never been known to abandon an honorific or a tradition just because it's useless…. ;-)

I find it even more peculiar that the centre companies of the 23rd had hackles of white over red, as did the other line regiments. I understand that The 7th (Royal Fusiliers) all had white hackles, except the light company with green, and always the shako.

I do not know what distinctions The 21st Royal North British Fusiliers had, but they were faced in dark blue as a Royal regiment.

Does anyone know how the 23rd would have appeared on parade in England, with bearskins? Would thay have had this white over red hackle?

Is is also correct that Fusilier regiment light companies always wore the shako – cylindrical first, then the Belgic -even on parade when the rest of the regiment wore bearskins?

Confused (as usual) in Texas!

GdeP

o is it the only unit that had that at waterloo

The Light Infantry Regiments (51st, 52nd & 71st) also wore wings in all companies.

Thanks for the info guys.. yes.. the light infantry regiments I had them on the radar with wings, but the 23rd caught me off guard due to having the wings and the begic shako…
cheers
Francisco

One more question… do we know what were "headgear" were they wearing at Waterloo… or if conflicting views what are those views ?

cheers
Francisco

As you noted in your first post, The Mont Saint Jean site shows them with Belgic shakos for the hundred days:

link

I don't have any other information, but seem to remember others here noting they wore the stovepipe in the Peninsular War with the same white over red hackle, and wings there as well. They were brigaded with the 7the Royal Fuzileers (2 battalions at Aluera).

I seem to remember seeing a modern pen-and-ink plate hand colored of the 7th Royal Fuzileers in bearskins, but grey overalls, allegedly in the field (the New World?) in 1815. They were not at Waterloo. Alledly, the Fuzileers only wore the bearskins on home service, dress occasions.

As a US citizen, I am surly no expert!

GdeP

There are quite a lot of 19th century prints showing fusiliers wearing bearskins (eg prints of the 23rd Royal Welch Fusiliers at Corunna in 1809, 7th Royal Fusiliers at Albuera in 1811, Hamilton-Smith's plates of 23rd Foot in 1812) but they are probably all poetic licence.

It has not stopped me modelling both 7th and 23rd Fusiliers with bearskins however, on the grounds that figures like my French Old Guard are in full dress, so why not my British fusiliers. It makes them different to the rest of the British line infantry.

Rod

Ok… great answers.. that is what I was trying to understand… I'm also always stretching to get the units looking as interesting as possible… Just like Rod, full dress is always an appealing target for unit :)

thanks to you both for the inputs…

GdeP. since I'm an Argentine hoping to become a US citizen and building a British army all insights are valuable and not discarded :)

cheers
Francisco

I have worked, with what minimal time I have had over they years, to do units that appeal. When I started in the 1960's, using Stadden 30mm, I did 38 figures of the 33rd de Ligne in white with violet (purple?) facings; 38 of the Paris Guard in green (these were 9-company battalions – 6 volt; 4 gren; the rest fusiliers of 4 each); the 7th Royal Fuzileers (in bearskins and white breeches with black gaiters; and others. I eventually decided to focus on the Peninsular War, and the 7th "as-is" serves on! I am tempted to do the 23rd as for Waterloo to go with them!

I have added the 33rd de ligne to a "brigade" of the 2nd corps – 2nd leger; 15th de ligne (white faced black); and 36th (Victrix plastic 28's in bicorns, with an "invented" drummer in buff faced purple, edged aurora! The 36th was in the purple facings series of regiments to receive the white uniforms) – even though the 33rd never served in Spain. They soldier on.

I use the 45th Ligne in Waterloo era uniforms with the 16th leger in long-tailed dress uniform coats for Spain – but with brown "balloon overalls)in the same brigade. Eventually will do the 8th and 54th line to complete that 4-battalion brigade. I use any good source I can find from the bicorn through Waterloo, as long as they had voltigeur companies!

Have not yet added French Revolutionary line infantry in blue or white, with "volunteer" light infantry company in dark green – wearing the "Tarleton-like" helmet, but tempted!

I like to be "deadly accurate" only when I can, but may still go with variety!

GdeP