Troopes Suisse pour l'Empereur

[Laurence Strong]

A commision paint job I just finished. These are 28Mm Perry Minuatures depicting the 1st Swiss Regiment fighting for Napoleon. the owner will be finishing the bases and adding the flag. There are a couple inaccuracies, specifically the shako's for the Voltigure have the incorrect pompom.

Thanks for looking
Larry

Edited March 1, 2013 by Laurence Strong
Change regiment number

[IrishGunner]

How long does it take you to paint one soldier?

[Laurence Strong]

Hello rick

Never thought about that. After primimg I would think a couple hours would do it. What I usually do is "assembly line" them on wide tongue depressors and go form there. I don't usually do commision jobs as I find it turns a hobby into a job. This pretty well defeats the whole idea of it for me, however the owner is a good friend of mine and in a momment of weakness I got talked into it.

Larry

Edited March 1, 2013 by Laurence Strong

[IrishGunner]

in a momment of weakness I got talked into it.

Blended or single malt?

[Laurence Strong]

in a momment of weakness I got talked into it.

Blended or single malt?

Not going there

Larry

[Chris Boonzaier]

This is the tip of the root for the Foreign Legion..... I cant remember the red or the green was to commemorate the Swiss, but somehow the Legion colors were based on the first swiss troops serving the french

[Laurence Strong]

Hello Chris

The Swiss standard for the Napoleonic had both red and green in it, In 1805 they recieved Colours of the French 1804 Pattern with the inscriptions L' EMPEREUR / DES
FRANÇAIS /A LA ... (insert Half Brigade number) DEMI-BRIGADE/HELVETIQUE on the obverse and on the reverse VALEUR / ET DISCIPLINE. The Half Brigades was latter
changed into Regiments and new Colours was presented. They where still of the French 1804 Pattern but the inscriptions where now L' EMPEREUR / DES FRANÇAIS /
AU ... (insert regimental number) RÉGIMENT SUISSE on the obverse and on the reverse VALEUR / ET DISCIPLINE.

Edited March 1, 2013 by Laurence Strong

[Ulsterman]

I LOVE the campaign style units.

The painting is SUPERB! Competition level. I am impressed.

Do you use oils?

I thought the 3rd had black facings?

An element of the original 3rd regiment (flag shown above) was sent to Sante Domingo under the Consulate, where only 11 ever came back to Europe! The rest died of yellow fever and warfare.

The Third Regt. was a regiment of very hard men indeed.

In 1809 their 1st battalion in Spain was down to @ 90 men. One of their Voltiguers (Jean Marie Bussy von C.) recorded in his diary (still in a private collection in Lucerne) that he was wearing white Spanish trousers and a refurbished captured English scarlet jacket. Most died on prison hulks.

The Third Regt. was re-recruited in 1811/1812 and sent with the other 3 Swiss regts to Russia where they suffered shocking casualties, but won ever lasting glory as a Brigade by holding the Russians back as the Grand Armee' escaped across the Beresinia. By the time they reached Vilna (December 1812/ Jan. 1813) the 3rd Swiss regiment only had only 60 men left!

Interestingly some alumni of the 3rd were later in both the Foreign Legion and the Papal Zouves.

Here they are at Poltask in June, 1812 (left) and the middle picture is Voltiger von C. from 1809 and the far right is an officer in Spain @ 1812 in marching order-note British jacket (from the Swiss army museum, from a sketch by Delmont).

Edited March 1, 2013 by Ulsterman

[Laurence Strong]

Hello Jeff

You are 100% correct. I have had a brain fart and theya re for the 1st Regiment. I used a little artistic lisence with the drummer and used the reverse colors for his tunic.

I use Vallejo Acrylics paints, I used to use Humbrol Enamels but with the arrival of acrylics and the water wash up I quickly change my brand. They are then covered with a product called "Army Painter Quickshade Dip" which replicates washes. The "Dip" is not designed to win Painting Competitions, however when you need in large numbers of ordinary line-of-battle troops its hard to go past it for speed.

Many thanks for the kind words, however i am now where's close to being competition level I paint to a tabletop wargaming level which uses the 3 foot rule

Many thanks as well for the Swiss Regimental History

Larry

Edited March 1, 2013 by Laurence Strong

[TacHel]

Great work! Not an easy task to add detailing at that scale!

[Ulsterman]

The Grenadier company of the first Regiment was some of the few Imperial troops who wore a bearskin shako besides the Guards. Most of the actual bearskins were smuggled in from the USA.

I have a ton of info. On the 1st if you would like. They saved their eagle in Russia, but the flag was burnt.

[Laurence Strong]

Great work! Not an easy task to add detailing at that scale!

Thanks Frank, thats were the 4.5 power reading glasses come into play

The Grenadier company of the first Regiment was some of the few Imperial troops who wore a bearskin shako besides the Guards. Most of the actual bearskins were smuggled in from the USA.

I have a ton of info. On the 1st if you would like. They saved their eagle in Russia, but the flag was burnt.

Thanks Jeff I was restricted to shakoes as per the owner's request, the bearskins would have been nice and it would have also freed up the shakoes for the Voltiguer's as they required a green over yellow pompom, to be accurate.

Please feel free to an more info if you wish, I always enjoy learning more about the various regiments

Larry

Edited March 2, 2013 by Laurence Strong
spelling