Widowson | 04 Aug 2014 6:47 p.m. PST |
I've searched the archives without success, tho I know this has come up before. Can anyone point out specific French Legere regiments where the voltigeurs wore busbies? I find no listings in any of my sources. Thanks |
Flashman14 | 05 Aug 2014 6:13 a.m. PST |
This? TMP link There's links and discussion. |
Widowson | 05 Aug 2014 12:07 p.m. PST |
Harry, Thanks for the link, but it leads to no listing of which regiments were affected. Still looking for any reference to a specific regiment where the voltigeurs wore busbies. |
Mserafin | 05 Aug 2014 12:52 p.m. PST |
Wasn't it the carabiniers who usually wore the busby (in lieu of the bearskin)? |
Widowson | 05 Aug 2014 1:29 p.m. PST |
I've seen citations of carabinier officers and sapeurs wearing busbies, but the rank and file wore the taller bearskins if they had fur caps. It's the voltigeur rank and file who wore busbies, although rarely. Since I work in 1/72 plastic, and HaT makes a good set of voltigeurs in busby, I'm looking for a specific regiment that is known to have had them on their voltigeurs. Thankfully, HaT got it right with this series. With head swaps, there is huge potential for pose variation, even among the firing figures. |
Widowson | 08 Aug 2014 3:46 p.m. PST |
With no information offered, I'm left wondering why HaT produced an entire set of voltigeurs wearing busbies. It would have been more helpful, apparently, if they had offered half the figures in shako. Or more than half. |
Littlearmies | 09 Aug 2014 2:30 a.m. PST |
Widowson, I think the answer rather depends upon time and place. When you say "busbies" are you referring to colpacks (the shorter, wider fur hat with the pocket hanging over one side)? I suspect colpacks became less and less common as time went on but if you are painting a unit from 1806-8 and feel the urge, why not? The legere prided themselves on their individuality so go for it. Malc |
Iceblock | 11 Aug 2014 7:46 a.m. PST |
Maybe this info will help;
In the book it states "several Carabinier companies wore the colpack, but the shako was more widely used form of headdress. In this section the 14th light infantry is mentioned repeatedly.
Carabinier (Voltiguer) 1805 JJ
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spontoon | 11 Aug 2014 3:42 p.m. PST |
There's always the Nassauers, too! |
Widowson | 13 Aug 2014 10:02 a.m. PST |
Not that Osprey is altogether reliable, but they state that the 14th Legere's voltigeur company wore shakos. |
Supercilius Maximus | 14 Aug 2014 12:14 p.m. PST |
The lack of success with the internet may be because the French Napoleonic army never wore the "busby". W Busby & Sons were a 19th Century British firm who had the contracts to supply a lot of the fur headgear for the Georgian and Victorian era British Army. At one point, around 1900, the term "busby" became a colloquial name for all fur headgear worn by British troops, including the feather bonnets of Highland regiments. I'm open to correction on the exact nomenclature, but I think carabiniers wore the "bonnet a poil" and voltigeurs wore the "colpack". |
xxxxxxx | 16 Aug 2014 10:35 a.m. PST |
Well, to be very specific …. That would be "bonnet à poil" and more usually "colbak" or "colback" than "colpack". The one-letter word "a", without the accent, is a verb and means (he/she/it) "has" in the present tense. The one-letter word "à", with the accent, is a preposition and means, in this usage, (made) "of". [Other constructions for "à" might translate as "to" or "on" in English.] "…. he just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich." :-) - Sasha |
Widowson | 16 Aug 2014 12:58 p.m. PST |
Seems clear that everyone knows what I'm talking about. Forget the semantics for the moment and try to answer the query: Anyone know of specific Legere regiments in which the voltigeurs wore fur hats? |