"Was the 95th Rifles uniform unique?" Topic

Was the 95th Rifles uniform unique to that regiment? To the best of my limited/very aged (I've not put paint on a Napoleonic miniature in a couple of decades) knowledge the answer is yes. I was thinking about picking up a frame of the Wargames Atlantic plastics to play about with and wondering if they could be painted as something a bit different?

Would the 60th regiment be much different?

The shakos are different.

Apart from the 5/60th (above) there were also the two Light Battalions of the King's German Legion. Also, many Prussian units from 1813 onwards, wore uniforms provided by Britain and some of these were 95th-like in style and colour.

So, the answer is, 'No'.

There was a Spanish unit that wore the same thing, do not remember the specifics, but I painted them. Might not have even been a skirmish unit.

BillyNM has it

You could also throw in the Rifle units which fought in the Spanish Amercian Wars eg Venezuelan Rifles if you want something bit more exotic

Not super common, but not unique. If you want to venture to South America, you will also find a number of units wearing this uniform during the wars of liberation from Spain.

Several English Fencible / Volunteer battalions dress similar uniforms for the home island defense.

@mildbill Was the Spanish unit you were thinking of this one?

link

The Glengarry Light Infantry of the Anglo-American War of 1812 wore a 95th style uniform but carried muskets instead of Baker Rifles.

Also, the Cazadores de Mallorca, which was part of Major-General Whittingham's Spanish Mallorocan Division operating on the east coast of Spain from 1812-1814, wore the 95th's uniform but like the G.L.I., carried muskets.

Thanks all, ironically I do have a copy of the Osprey KGL book lurking on the shelf – seem to be some minor differences but no idea if thats one of the bad or good Osprey's. Somewhere I also have a magazine article on a British S. American intervention which I think included a rifles unit – IIRC no pictures but some uniform descriptions. The Venezuelan Rifles sound interesting!

I also vaguely recall reading about an obscure British volunteer unit whose CO had decked them out in 95th-style uniforms. Though for some reason I think that was actually post the Napoleonic Wars (But could all be false memory syndrome).

Might be thinking of the Percy Tenantry Volunteers, ROU. They existed clear through the period. Two thousand men, horse, foot and guns, and the infantry have a very Rifle-like appearance.

Note that the commander--Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland--is the same man who led the relief column out of Boston during the unfortunate business in Lexington and Concord.

Don't forget there will be no two units in the British army with identical uniforms as every regiment will have its own distinctions. I assumed that by ‘unique' you meant nothing similar existed.

Prussian 3rd battalions of the 10th & 11th Reserve Infantry Regiments

The Danes had a rifle unit dressed similar. The shako was different.

Danish Jaegers and "Sharpshooters"/light Infantry
Dark green uniform 1801

Okay that's weird I swear I posted immediately after 79thPA's post…. Anyway.

@Robert
Thanks, interesting, I'll look them up. I'm sure the unit I read about was small and came across very much as a vanity project.

@Billy
Yes, good point, I blame my poor choice of words as I was dashing out the door to work… The proper formulation of the question was probably are there any other units that a 95th Rifles miniature be plausibly painted as?

The controversy is more can they still be shown as 95th Rifles at the only battle that really mattered in that Century, just south of Brussels in 1815.

There is much suggestion, however horrific, that they were wearing the Belgic "Shako" (strictly speaking a cap) by then. I would never show them as such, but I do wonder.

A previous thread on the Percy Volunteers: TMP link

also: link

There is much suggestion, however horrific, that they were wearing the Belgic "Shako" (strictly speaking a cap) by then. I would never show them as such, but I do wonder.

The re-enactors who portray the 1/95th donned Belgic shakos for the 200th anniversary. There are several contemporary illustrations showing both the Rifles and the Light Infantry in that headgear, as it was issued to all non-Highland units in 1811 (for which read 1812 in terms of actually getting your hands on one). Units that had already ordered the older style (ie stovepipe) were allowed to wear them for the life of the new item, which for a shako was two years.

Ironically, the 1/95th was probably the last unit to adopt it in mid-1814.

Baron von Wreckedoften II

As far as I know, there is no solid evidence that the 95th wore the Belgic cap in the Waterloo campaign or that they ever wore it.

Those re-enactors should take that cap badge out of their caps too. Unless that is, they are on gate guard, honour guard duties or perhaps, walking out dress.

Here's a discussion on this matter.

TMP link

Ben Townsend's examples in his article are rather questionable.

link