"Rgto Voluntarios de la Patria around 1810" Topic

Hi

As a bit of variation and to use up some spare French infantry I am thinking of painting them up as the Rgto Voluntarios de la Patria who wore a French cut uniform.

According to Haythornwaite and other sources this comprised a dark green jacket with red collar and cuff flaps and green turnbacks with yellow piping; white waistcoat and white breeches.

However, a few questions remain, such as:
1) Did the Grenadiers wear bearskins?
2) Did the Voltigeurs have yellow collars?

Any other advise on their uniform would be much appreciated.

Clonard has a picture of the Voluntarios de la Patria. Black shako, yellow lace and cords, brass plate and chinscales, red cockade and plume, dark green coat with red collar, shoulder straps and cuffs flaps (but not cuffs), yellow piping, green turnbacks, brass buttons, white waistcoat and breeches, black gaiters, white belt, black cartridge box.

Left to Right: Voluntarios de la Patria, Leales de Fernando VII, Santa Fe, La Muerte, Voluntarios de la Victoria

Bueno shows an officer in gala uniform (bottom left)

But sorry no info on the flank companies (Grenadier & Cazador).

Thanks Prince of Essling. So there seems to be a difference of opinion on the turnback colours between Green and Red (as per the Officer (3). I might therefore be tempted to go for Red.

In the absence of any info on the Grenadiers I might go with bearskins in line with other Spanish Grenadiers. For the light company I might go with just a Red colour as per the Fusiliers and Grenadiers.

Sorry I meant collar, not colour. Opps!

So my current thoughts on headgear are:
Grenadiers in bearskins with red cords and red plume.
Fusiliers in shako with yellow cords and red plume.
Cazadors in shako with yellow cords and green plume.

Here is the Clonard text that accompanied the plate (just the bit for the Patria):

Thank you and I'll get one of my Spanish colleagues to translate it.

As regards my proposals I had forgotten that Spanish units only comprised Fusilier and Grenadier companies, so no need to worry about what the light company wore. So Grenadiers in bearskins and the rest in shakos, all with red plumes.

I painted the Leales di Ferdinand VII at 1:20, 3 battalions of 48 figures each. No elites or anything, just massive units. I expect more recent research would put them to the lie, but they serve well for generic militia units.