"Black Brunswickers - 100 Days Campaign" Topic

Apologies for what some consider naive questions.

Using web based sources, I am struggling to find the following info. (Obviously the Mont St Jean site is excellent but info not available there)

* back packs for light and line – what colour(s)?
* artillery drivers – had they adopted the all black or were they wearing grey/brown ?

Web based pics are good, book references and link less so as I'd like to paint them this weekend.

The Mont St Jean website – I really like the site, excellent resource on the whole but he doesn't show backpacks at all. Only real weakness I can see.

Thanks for any info, in advance

I painted my guys with black backpacks. No source other than other people's minis.

Charles Hamilton Smith shows the line infantry with black (or at least dark grey) packs.

I couldn't find anything for the artillery drivers but the Mont St Jean site does include them and shows the foot artillery drivers in grey and the horse artillery drivers in black.

Thanks gents. I suppose grey backpacks would break up the blackness. ..
Drivers – my French is not my strongest point, shoulf have got the driver title under the drivers

Osprey plates for 1815 show as black. Found this reenactor photo with black backpacks as well.

This contemporary print shows it in brown, Elberfelder mauscript, dated 1814

I believe the old Blandford book on the Peninsular War mentions them as brown/tan; hence mine are in that colour with the white horse and " Nunquam Retrosam" as a motto.

Ashenduke, they are 95th Rifles and so "English" not Brunswickers….nice pic tho'

Just shows how black Rifles green can look though!

Deadhead,

Look again, there are Brunswickers just in front of the 95th, but as re-enactors I would not take this as an authoritive source.

Rod

I agree Rod on reenactors not necessarily being an accurate source. Thats why I also went to Osprey plates and the Hamilton Smith plate SJDonovan posted.

All this assuming the op is looking for 1815 information since he is using the Mont St Jean site.

Pre 1815 I would use calfskin brown packs. 1815 black leather.

I see 4 rifles and 4 brunswickers in the pic.

The painting is interesting but if I'm not mistaken Brunswickers had British style chevrons pointing down? This guys chevrons point up suggesting the artist made an error. Whose to say if he was drawing from memory and tried to guess a few details. His jacket has no tails aswell.

Or possibly he chose brown to stand out from the rest of his sketch.

I'm inclined to go with black still. Brunswickers carried British kit I think so if that extends to back packs they'd probably be black too.

Might even be a Brunswick drummer in the front aswell.

Sorry folks! Slightly colour blind and thought they were all in dark green. Better than my two lads though, they used to paint LOTR figures in some really weird colours….and they inherit that problem from their mother (females cannot get it) but maternal granddad was a painter and decorator in Da Burra………he had no idea what he was applying but read the tin.

Re-enactors? They are on the rotund side are they not? At least those highlanders in the pic above have a raised BMI or two between them

artillery drivers – had they adopted the all black or were they wearing grey/brown ?

I'm not familiar with the Brunswick uniform regulations for this period, but one of the problems with producing black cloth at this time (other than the premium quality stuff for the clergy) was that the dyes used often faded quite quickly to a greyish brown. Unless the uniform regulations specifically ordered grey-brown (or something like it), then it is quite possible that the artillery drivers were issued black clothing, but either an older batch or perhaps of a(n even) poorer quality.

As regards backpacks – it would depend where they were supplied from and by whom. If it was the British, then the Trotter style would be black or very dark brown with white straps. However, if they were given Austrian or captured French/Allied packs, then a lighter/hairier brown would be more likely.

I agree with Edwulf and would go with the black trotter type seeing as they were equipped by the British.

For the Peninsular 1810-14, Brunswick Oels Jagers are shown with brown painted canvas backpacks in Ospreys Wellingtons Allies: Brunswick.

On the pack of one is the legend in black NUNQUAM RETRORSUM and a 'springing' horse in white below.

Knotels illustration of an 1815 infantryman of the 1. Linien Battallion with a black Backpack and the same again for a drummer of the 3. Linien Battalion. A Gelernter Jager without a backpack but with a rolled great coat over the left shoulder.

Paul :)

Where'd you get that picture, Ashenduke? That's me in the right rear of the Highlanders.

"
tuscaloosa:
Where'd you get that picture, Ashenduke? That's me in the right rear of the Highlanders."

A big bloke like you should be in the Grenadier company.

Paul :)

I came across this reeanactor site after googling brunswick reenactors.

link

Hope it was ok to post didn't see any terms of use or anything like that.

It's like Perrys and Foundry all mixed together.

Highlanders allways struck me a small, angry, wirery men in this period. Those guys in the picture… I don't know what they do to the enemy but by god they frighten me! I'm probably as tall but one of those lads could snap me in half. Lol.