While we are in the midst of steadily releasing the French infantry for our 28mm Wars of the French Revolution range, we thought it was time for some big gun support in the form of our new French Foot Artillery. Sculpted by Alan Marsh, with further embellishments and conversations by Kosta Hersitanidis, this initial release includes a 4pdr and 8pdr gun with Foot Artillery crew, and some infantry uniformed laborers to assist with working the guns. There is even a Napoleon to help them aim!
The French Revolution and the increasing social radicalization of the new government initiated a steady exodus of noble-born officers from the French army, who not surprisingly preferred self-imposed exile to losing their heads. This steady thinning of the experienced pool of officers in the infantry and cavalry regiments drastically denuded the fighting qualities of the army, almost crippling the French military as some regiments lost all discipline and even fell into outright mutiny. In the midst of all this anarchy, the French government saw fit to declare war on the enemies of the Revolution, with almost fatal consequences for their ill-prepared army and the future of the Republic itself. However, the French artillery regiments, populated by far fewer high profile blue-bloods, were less prone to the mass emigrations of talent undermining the infantry and cavalry. The artillery thus remained a broadly competent and professional force. It arguably saved the Republic at the Battle of Valmy in 1792, when the massed French batteries put on an impressive enough long range pyrotechnic display to discourage the formidable Prussian army facing them from advancing to contact. Had the Prussians pressed home their attack, it is likely the brittle fighting qualities of the rest of the French army would have been exposed, but instead the Prussians retired despondently back to Germany, and the French Republic and its army lived to fight another day. The artillery could also be counted upon for its loyalty. It was sometimes used ruthlessly to suppress the mutinies in other units - often with bloody results. One of the artillery's rising stars - for example, a certain Napoleon Bonaparte - thought little of using his grapeshot-loaded cannon to disperse a counter-revolutionary civilian mob from the streets of Paris in 1794.
France's military fortunes continued to fluctuate wildly in the years immediately after Valmy. Her armies struggled to regain their pre-revolutionary cohesion against a background of mass desertion, political interference, and the need to absorb a vast number of inexperienced conscripts whose training could never be more than rudimentary. Aware of the erratic fighting qualities of their troops, many French generals were keen to retain maximum mobility in the face of dangerous (but thankfully slow moving) allied forces. The artillery trains only slowed things down, so the Foot Artillery batteries seldom made it to the battlefields in any great numbers, being consigned to siege work or were just left back in their depots. It was to be the 'battalion guns' (light guns assigned in pairs to each of the infantry battalions) - along with the growing presence of the new, dashing Horse Artillery batteries - that provided French armies with most of their artillery support during the early campaigns. Gradually though, as the French armies grew in confidence, the Foot Artillery batteries reclaimed their place in the field. As a one-time artilleryman, Napoleon ensured that what artillery was available to him played a significant role in the Army of Italy in 1796 (and he was not above jumping from his horse to assist his gunners in aiming their pieces!). By 1798, the infantry battalion guns and their rudimentary trained infantry crews had became superfluous and were abolished.
This is the first part of our French artillery release, featuring a 4pdr and 8pdr gun, together with Foot Artillery crews available in loading and firing poses - all in reasonably smart regulation uniform. Both guns come complete with a selection of tools and other paraphernalia, including no less than three versions of the ammunition box - open, closed, and a 'thinned body' version for fitting snugly in the gun trail for when the piece is being moved. Also provided are the first variants of artillery crew helpers wearing the infantry uniform. These are designed to represent the 'muscle' frequently drafted in from the ranks of the infantry to assist the gunners. We will be adding further variants to this code to allow the representation of the battalion guns mentioned above - which were, for the most part, exclusively served by infantrymen from the ranks (as opposed to the professionals of the Foot Artillery). The range will be further expanded with ragged campaign uniform versions of all the Foot Artillery, and the introduction of a 12pdr and a 6 inch howitzer, followed by horse artillery crews, and eventually limbers.
The uniforms and the equipment of the French Foot artillery remained basically unchanged right through the Wars of the Revolution and well into the Imperial Napoleonic period. So these guns and the Foot Artillery crew figures can be used in French armies as late as 1806-7.
Here are the catalogue details for the new miniatures - plus details of our New Release Special Offers.
NEW 28mm French Foot Artillery c. 1792-1802
Sculpted by Alan Marsh and Kosta Heristanidis
Number in parenthesis denotes the number of variants. Variants are supplied randomly
100WFR100 - French 4-pdr gun, with equipment
100WFR101 - French 8-pdr gun, with equipment
100WFR104 - Foot artilleryman, bicorne, regulation uniform, firing (4)
100WFR106 - Foot artilleryman, bicorne, regulation uniform, loading (4)
100WFR108 - Foot artillery officer (1)
100WFR109 - Infantry Battalion gun crew/labourer, regulation uniform (3)
100WFR111 - General Bonaparte, sighting a gun, c.1795-1797 (1)
NEW RELEASE SPECIAL OFFERS
DEAL ONE: The "4pdr battery" Deal
A two-gun set of 4pdr cannon and equipment: plus four loading crew and four firing crew to man them, with three infantry helpers and an officer. Also comes with General Bonaparte, sighting a gun. Special price of $55.00 AUD* (normally $65.35 AUD)
DEAL TWO: The "8pdr battery" Deal
A two-gun set of 8pdr cannon and equipment: plus four loading crew and four firing crew to man them, with three infantry helpers and an officer. Also comes with General Bonaparte, sighting a gun. Special price of $55.00 AUD* (normally $65.35 AUD)
DEAL THREE: The "Whiff of grape shot" Deal
A four-gun set of two 4pdr and two 8pdr cannon and equipment: plus eight loading crew and eight firing crew to man them, with six infantry helpers and an officer. Also comes with General Bonaparte, sighting a gun. Special price of $100.00 AUD* (normally $124.80 AUD)
* Excluding postage and 'Goods and Services Tax' payable by Australian customers only
You can also order our new French artillery in the U.K. from Fighting 15s, and in the U.S.A. from Eureka Miniatures U.S.A.