"Volontaires de Saint-Domingue flag question" Topic

Hello, I'm new to the message board so hopefully I'm posting this question in the right spot. I'm painting the Volontaires de Saint-Domingue and cannot find information on the regimental flag. Can anyone point me in the right direction as to where I could find the info?

I'm painting them in 28mm and excited to get them painted but again am going to need the flag. I'm not in a hurry as I have a couple of units ahead of them currently being worked on. 1st SC and Pulaski's Legion are currently being worked on.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Since they were chasseurs, i.e. light infantry, and raised on Saint Domingue (Haiti), I doubt that they had a flag.

link

Jim

Absent any proof of a flag, I concur with the colonel.

What are you using for figures?

A very interesting unit. Good luck with your project.

There is an old message on the topic of the unit
TMP link

while the blog links from fg-zinnfiguren.blogspot.com are no longer active – one can see the pictures in a google search comes up with an image of the unit the author of the post painted – includes a french style flag of the day with green and yellow highlights in the four corners of the flag – No idea of validity – just passing along

I'm using Perry Hesse Cassel Garrison musketeers for the rank and file and Perry French for the command figures. I went with the Garrison Hesse-Cassel figures for two reasons

1- I mistakenly thought the Saint Domnigue unit didn't have lapels like the other French Colonial units.
2- They had a yellow and white plume in their hat- something the Hesse Cassel figures have (or close to it)

The lack of lapels won't end up mattering as the lapel was the same color of the coat, just trimmed in yellow. And the figure poses don't really show much of the lapel anyway.

The Men-At Arms series I have lists a Grenadier unit as well. And it lists both being at Savanah. It lists 156 Grenadiers and 545 Chasseurs, but that number seems high to me?

We switched to regimental Fire and Fury about a year ago. Since doing so I've reorganized all my light units into more or less higher quality line units. In other words I'm not using any skirmishers as we are not playing any skirmish level games. So I plan to do the same with these as well.

Thank you for the response. I appreciate the help and feedback.

The Chasseurs-Volontaires were a colonial black unit with white officers (except for the regimental commander!) while the Grenadiers-Volontaires were a colonial white unit. See the link in my post, above.

And they were French colonial army troops, not Compagnie Franche de la Marin which were raised by the French Navy for overseas colonial duty. So I would not recommend using that flag.

Jim

I see that now on the Grenadier unit. Thanks for the information ColCampbell. I appreciate it.

Interstng as well that the regimental commander was not white but the other officers were. Not suprising that the others were but very suprising the regimental officer wasn't. Interesting unit indeed.

Will be fun to paint and even more fun to have on the table. Last time I had my French brigade out the dice were against them. Maybe this unit will stiffen them up…

I also purchased the Perry French Artillery Crew in fatigues. Looking forward to adding them in as well.

Thanks again, and thanks to everyone who provided some info. Not sure what I'll do regarding the flag or if I will include one. Got a few weeks before I will be to that point so I'll do a little more research, maybe some info will come up.

Since it doesn't appear that any info is available do you think it would be acceptable to simply have them carry the Colonels' color? The white with white cross?

I've reached out to a couple of organizations, a French-American Alliance/History organization and also a Haitian American organization that had some info on the regiment but have not received any responses. I'm probably on some government watch list now… :) If they respond with information I could always change the flag at a later date.

only a corps of black mulattos and free metis Militia volunteers

the Ordonnance du 12 mars 1779 doesn't say nothing about a flag and among the officers NCO's cadres there is not a single standard-bearer listed

dubious they received a flag

Thanks for the info Lilian!