"Wellington's Mysterious Mounted Guides" Topic

Wellington's Mysterious Mounted Guides

They seem like an interesting bunch to begin a game with. Not exactly special forces, but nonetheless spying the countryside behind enemy lines, inciting guerillas, translating for officers, carrying dispatches the French would love to get their mits on, liaising with villainous guerrillas, chatting up the village girls and even getting involved in a major battle.

Try as I might, direct information on how the troopers' uniforms changed over the campaign is ambiguous and hard to come by. Does anyone have a better direct source? Trouble is, they weren't on the Army lists of either the British or Portuguese armies, but were a creation of Quartermaster General Murray's, in theatre ; a product of the Anglo-Portuguese Army.

Failing a better source, we have to apply reasoning to these sources:

1854 Army Memorandum used by Mark Urban (U.S.I.?).

Francis Larpent (Provost).

The Scovell Papers.

The reasoning bit needs some history. So,

9/1808 The Corps of Guides was raised ad hoc as part of Moore's headquarters staff and then served with the various brigades. They eventually included famous exploring officers like Colquhoun Grant who penetrated deep in enemy territory and Andrew Leith-Hay, who helped organise guerrillas. These Staff officers could wear their regimental uniforms or blue frock-coats. Some preferred native dress, like John Grant. Troopers, whose horses were of unknown quality, were composed of "a few dozen" Portuguese, Spanish, plus Italians and even a French deserter. They acted as orderlies, guides, carrying messages, doing reconnaissance and gathering information from locals and for map-making. They were the direct responsibility of Capt. George Scovell, the cipher expert whose dream was to command a troop of light cavalry. Reasoning tells me a uniform would have been composed, initially, of what they could get hold of. This may have been just infantry or blue light cavalry trooper jackets from the divisions they were attached to, with either stovepipe shakos or tarleton helmets.

Scovell, their leader, was a captain by virtue of his commission in the 57th Foot and he retained that uniform:

theminiaturespage.comflic.kr/p/2sc8WDA]‌

‌"TMP link

Pure reasoning, no special knowledge, but I'd be a little surprised if officers on deep recon were wearing a uniform, unless it was under some sort of native costume. (I've run into that routine in a number of wars. It might keep them from being shot as spies if they could shed the native costume quickly enough.)

Couriers and guides not British officers and actually with British columns, though, would need uniforms to keep from having trouble with the British--and to cadge rations. If I had to make up something at a guess, I'd go for a red coat, probably without coat-tails--distinctively British and relatively easy to obtain--and a "Tarleton" helmet. Again, locally available, and Wellington himself mentioned it as a way to identify his horsemen from a distance. (There would be some less distinctive outer garment and a wide-brimmed hat in the saddle bags, just in case they had to scout ahead.)

robert piepenbrink
"Pure reasoning, no special knowledge, but I'd be a little surprised if officers on deep recon were wearing a uniform, unless…"
Apparently some did, some didn't. They had the luxury of fast horses. And not wanting to be shot as spies! As for Guide troopers, during the retreat to Corunna, they had no time to get special uniforms made. On the other hand, they'd have needed something if they were coming in and out of Staff H.Q. delivering messages. Or galloping about during a battle.

"I'd go for a red coat" I think so too. Certainly after the second British landing with Wellington. Perhaps based on Staff uniform with, as you said, a Tarleton like every other horseman.

8/1808: Wellington lands in Mondego Bay. It's probable that by now the Guides would be wearing something more regular – probably derived from the Staff uniform: red jackets with white button cords, white breeches and blue facings. But one should be wary, as their proper uniform had not yet been made.

This is the Staff uniform, at least for officers – rank given by sleeve lace: theminiaturespage.com‌flic.kr/p/2scq9Sg]‌

‌"TMP link

So, this is my best guess:

theminiaturespage.com‌flic.kr/p/2scjBtE]‌

‌"TMP link

We have one report that they apparently looked like English mounted Yeomen: implying tarleton helmets.

They were often attached to light dragoons and hussars.

6/1809: After Wellington wins Oporto, now brevet-Major Scovell gets 15 lieutenants and cornets, eight of whom are Portuguese. All men are recruited for their trustworthiness and intelligence, then trained in light cavalry tactics.

7/1809: This becomes the core of the Corps of Mounted Guides in the QmG's department, with new trooper uniforms: brown jackets with red facings, black lace and Tarleton helmets like the light dragoons.

This is what I came up with:

theminiaturespage.com‌flic.kr/p/2sci85e]‌

"TMP link

Do you think it's right?

A hundred-strong before Talavera. This leaves higher-ranking exploring officers retaining their staff uniforms.

Makes sense to me. Mind you, I have often noticed that my opinions are not binding on reality.

robert piepenbrink
"Makes sense to me. Mind you, I have often noticed that my opinions are not binding on reality"
None the less welcome for all that.

Next:

1810: Don Julian Sanchez's guerrillas are attached to the Guides as they skirmish around the borderlands. They fight at Poco Velho with Scovell during the battle of Fuentes de Onoro. Infantry wear English foot uniforms. Their cavalry, including 12 lancers (see TMP link )
and a trumpeter on a grey, wore captured French uniform items with a fairly consistent appearance. Sanchez sometimes wore a huge busby.

theminiaturespage.com‌flic.kr/p/2sckcjr]‌

‌"TMP link

From Wiki:

Corps of Mounted Guides (Corpo de Guias Montados)

The Corps of Mounted Guides was raised in Portugal on 26 September 1808 to act as guides and orderlies to the British generals and their staff.

Initially the Corps only had a sergeant, a corporal and 18 troopers. It was commanded from 1808 to 1814 by Major (later LtCol) George Scovell, seconded from the Portuguese Quartermaster-General's Department. Wellington later mentioned that when he took command of the army in April 1809 he formed a Corps of Horsemen then he denominated the Corps of Mounted Guides which was placed under the command of an officer of the British Quartermaster-General's Department.

Transformation into an intelligence corps

Wellington rapidly expanded and transformed the Corps into a real military intelligence corps at the service of the leaders of the Anglo-Portuguese Army in the field, and it was indeed attached to the British Quartermaster-General's Department. Some 15 officers (including 12 Portuguese) were appointed to the corps between 25 April and 3 June 1809; many more enlisted men were also added and, in 1813, the corps had 12 officers and 193 men. In 1808-1810 the corps was largely Portuguese, its officers being generally students of the University of Coimbra. All were to speak both English and Portuguese. Later recruits were generally of foreign deserters and Spaniards in order to gather information for the Anglo-Portuguese Army in Spain and southern France.

In action

The corps also took advantage of the semaphores. In the 1812-1814 campaigns the Corps of Mounted Guides was increasingly tasked with transmission of despatches, and also became more involved in provost duties. This corps is somewhat hard to classify as it was not listed on the official establishment of either the Portuguese Army or the official establishment of the British Army. As it was initially raised in Portugal with Portuguese personnel. It disbanded in the middle of 1814, probably because of the end of the Peninsular War and the end of the Anglo-Portuguese Army

Uniform

The clothing issued in 1808 was obviously in the style of the light dragoons. Its "complete suits" included helmets, a pelisse like the hussars', and boots. Stable dress included a red stable shirt, trousers, shoes with laces. The guides were described in 1813 Francis Larpent as dressed "in scarlet jackets looking more regular than most Spanish regulars and not unlike our own volunteer yeomanry cavalry with an air of consequence". This certainly indicates that the style was indeed that of the light dragoons before 1812–1813, featuring the tarleton helmet and the jacket trimmed with cords. It would also seem to indicate that the guides wore the colours of the British Quartermaster-General's Department: scarlet faced with blue, with white or silver buttons and lace.

Sources

Osprey Publishing – Men-At-Arms 343 – Portuguese Armies Of The Napoleonic Wars (1), by René Chartrand and Bill Younghusband

Will see what JSTOR has on these troops.

Hi

I have a picture of Scorvells Staff Corp 1813, a version of which appears in Elting and Knotels Napoleonic Uniforms. Can t get it to paste in but you can see it here

link

link

Basically a light dragoon uniform, grey overalls, red jacket with blue facings and lapels, shako with white band on top.

Hope that helps

Wellington's headquarters – A study of the administrative problems in the Peninsular 1808-1814 by S.G.P. Ward says that although by 1813 organised into 2 troops (for admin purposes), they were in the main distributed much like the Wagon Train and various branches of staff to the individual Divisions.

The original purpose of the Corps had been to furnish guides to lead the various columns on the march through unreconnoitered districts. But at an early stage in the war it appears to have been given over almost if not entirely to the carriage of dispatches in difficult and unknown country under supervision of its commandant, who also supervised the whole system of military communication. Guides for formation there certainly were but these were volunteers or pressed men from the local peasantry whom provident officers took care to have at their disposal.

Despite this it was not unknown for despatches & orders to be delayed or go astray. An orderly Dragoon on the retreat from Corunna got drunk & lost the order for Fraser's and Hope's Divisions to carry on to Corunna instead of turning off to Vigo. More serious consequences followed the misdirection of the letter written immediately after the Battle of Vitoria ordering Graham's column to take a road by which the retreat of a large part of the French Army might have been cut off.

Prince of Essling
"The guides were described in 1813 Francis Larpent as dressed "in scarlet jackets looking more regular than most Spanish regulars and not unlike our own volunteer yeomanry cavalry with an air of consequence".

Thank you. Indeed, it was those Wiki entry phrases:
"This certainly indicates…."
and
"It would also seem to indicate that the guides wore the colours of the British Quartermaster-General's Department: scarlet faced with blue, with white or silver buttons and lace."

which raises questions, because when the Staff colours (of which the QmG's dept. was a part), were introduced in 1812 they didn't supplant the Guides' brown coat. Indeed, in June 1812 when George Scovell, who was both Staff and leader of the Guides, enjoyed some leave in Lisbon, he could have worn either uniform.

Larpent was writing in 1813, a year after the Shako was introduced to the cavalry – so his comments about Guides looking like "yeomen" are useful because that gives them the Tarleton helmets. Now the reason he was taking an interest in the Guides was because Larpent was the judge-advocate who helped Scovell formulate a provost-role for the Guides after the debauchery of Badajoz.

That is, between 1812 and 1813, before the raising of the Staff Corps provosts, some of the Mounted Guides acted as military policemen. If Larpent says they had red jackets then I suppose that would make sense, as men wearing the brown jackets associated with messengers and guides would have less authority.

Uniform

This is Mark Urban quoting the Scovell papers for 1809:

"By late June 1809, George Scovell was completing his mission to Lisbon. He had arranged uniforms for his men: brown cavalry jackets with red collars and cuffs, trimmed with black lace and leather helmets crested with a comb of fur like those of the British Light Dragoons. It was not as fantastic as some of the get-ups of the French guides and éclaireurs, who had a truly élite status in the HQs of some of Napoleon's generals, but it was distinctive enough. The Guides' jack-et's resemblance to that of the Portuguese light infantry, and the British-style helmet, also signified its mixed parentage as a child of the Anglo-Portuguese alliance."

John the Red
"I have a picture of Scorvells Staff Corp 1813, a version of which appears in Elting and Knotels Napoleonic Uniforms. Can t get it to paste in but you can see it here"
link

Thank you. That's useful. The Staff Corps were the provosts, making me think that the Mounted Guide provosts which pre-dated them probably wore red too.