examines another pre-painted building for WWII.
Napoleon's Map Markers by Steadfast Soldiers
Including; 10 Map Markers & 2 Maps, Plan of Waterloo and Battle of Austerlitz
With meticulous planning and audacious battle executions, Napoleon swept all before him at Lodi, Austerlitz, Marengo, Jena… and very nearly Waterloo.
Among his biggest secret weapons was a small army of little metal "men"… figures not much bigger than the Imperial thumb… painted with the colors and uniform appointments of key Grande Army regiments.
The were Napoleon's map markers, used to position infantry, artillery and cavalry on campaign maps. Free standing, they allowed Napoleon to explore a number of attack options without casualties, than choose the one felt to be the most effective. And in the field, they also served to secure maps from wayward breezes wherever the Emperor needed them at hand, whether on campaign desk, drum head, or the ground itself.
A number of years ago, Mrs. Anne S K Brown, founder of the internationally acclaimed Anne S K Brown Military Collection, secured a unique Napoleonic artifact… a small set of map markers reputed to have been used by the Emperor himself.
The set, somewhat battered and stained from long and hard use, is featured prominently in the Collection at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island. And now, you can own an exact replica of this unique and famous curio in a limited-edition set of ten Napoleonic Map Markers.
Your Map Marker figures were also models for a special set made in 1812 by goldsmith J B Odiot in commemoration of the birth of Napoleon's son, the Duke of Reichstadt and King of Rome. The figures, with ranks and appointments marked on top of their shakos, were entirely lined with gold and finely decorated and represented the 22nd Light Infantry, a Corsican volunteer unit commanded by Napoleon in 1792.
When mounted on pins, they could be moved on a machine to imitate drill procedures. In 1821-1822, goldsmith A Grapin was commissioned to convert the set to represent an Austrian regiment. In 1862, it became the property of Napoleon III, who had the figures reconverted to represent French soldiers.
The re-artwork set was given, in 1870, by the Empress Eugenie to Baron de Pierres, and has been a much-valued family heirloom since that date.
These Napoleonic Map Markers have been crafted precisely to the specifications of the Anne S K Brown Collection originals by R P World Models, Nottingham, England. And unlike Napoleon's own originals, they appear in colors authentic to those of Grande Army units.
Size of each Marker/Figure height circa 35mm
By Steadfast Soldiers, Produced in Nottingham, United Kingdom