"Ruffin Division 1809" Topic

Hello everyone,

I am looking for a few details on the 24th and 96th line voltigeurs. Any idea what colors the plumes and epaulettes were? mont-saint-jean.com says the 96th had green with red tipped epaulettes and green pompoms tipped yellow. This is for 1815 so I am not sure if they changed since 1809.

I already have the details for the 9eme leger and the fusiliers and grenadiers of the 24th and 96th.

I am building troops for the Battle of Talavera so any help on other French units as well would be great.

Thank You
Michael

Aquarelle d'Ernest Fort "Tambour des voltigeurs du 96ème de ligne (1809)"
(M. Fort claimed to be drawing from manuscript sketches of the era, or from paper soldiers printed shortly after the war supposedly with eye-witness information.)

- Sasha

Thank you Sasha!

Do you know anything on the 24th? I really wonder why there isn't a uniform book on grenadiers and voltigeurs for each regiment that details are known about. That would make things much easier

Michael

Michael,

No joy for the 24e de ligne. I did look, of course.

One thing I could not find (either on my hard drive, my back-up server or on-line), was an index to the Henri Boisselier series of plates "Armée d'Espagne 1808-1814". Much like the Fort series, these were supposed to be from a lost manuscript of sketches form the era. I am more than 50% convinced that Boisellier did *not* depict the 24e de ligne. However, if you pop over to napoleon-series.org and ask, I know for sure of at least 3 contributors there that have the whole series and could quickly confirm or deny my recollection.

- Sasha

Does anyone on this forum have the old "Otto Manuscript" book of years ago? Mine has been packed away for over 2 years – hoping to sell our house – and I remember this regiment shown. I recall a drummer (from Rigo?) with sky blue lapels. All with red cuffs edged white, and red flaps edged white – as most of the line units in that book had.

By the way, Rousselot shows the drummer of the 96th just as above, except that the plume was half or more scarlet! "Cramoisie" lapels as shown. Odd that the epaulettes were just plain dark green!

I recall that the voltigeurs of the 9th leger had yellow cuff flaps edged white. All companies work Dutch-style leggings, pointed front and rear. Alleged companies white, scarlet tassle for carabiniers, green for chasseurs, yellow for voltigeurs.

I went browsing in the archives of TMP and found this link (I hope!)

link

The grenadier third from the left, with tall plume on shako, and epaulettes with white crescent, is of the 24th line.

In the link of Rousselot plates that Garde de Paris has posted, #5 is of a Voltigeur of the 24e. 1807-1808

Rousselot has also illustrated the 96e Voltigeur drummer 1809-1810, that Alexandre has posted, the only difference being that the plume is one third yellow and two thirds red instead of just the tip being red.

Paul :)

I just found some sketchy notes I made years ago, planning to one battalion of each of the 11 regiments of the I Corps in Spain.

I coded from the Otto Manuscript (about 1807, before Spain, that the grenadiers of the 24th wore the bearskin with red cords and plume, and brass plate. The voltigeurs had a plume, from top down, Yellow, green, red, and yellow – confirming what shown above in the Rousselot plate. The epaulettes were green with yellow crescent.

Notes for the 96th from Otto show bearskin with scarlet plume, white cords and flounders, brass plate. The voltigeur had shako with yellow top and bottom band, and yellow "v's" on the sides. Green cords and pompom. Green epaulettes with yellow crescent. Not tall plume. The seem to have cut away all the "jazz", but added a colorful plume!

GdeP

Paul :)

Nice! "stuff" Paul and GdeP ! Very cool !

If you zoom way in on the little image from Fort that I posted, I *think* you see yellow crescents on the epaulettes, as per the Otto Ms, not all green as per Rousselot.

- Sasha

Great job guys thanks!

I think I have decided to paint up enough fusiliers for a division and then paint different regiments grenadier and voltigeurs that will allow me to games troops from Victors I Corps and Davouts 3rd Corps.

Dibble thank you for the last photos I have seen the fusilier and grenadier version of those regiments but could not find the voltigeurs.

Michael