Thursday 25 June 2020

2nd (Cundinamarca) Light Infantry

TQ is returning.  While I get some things sorted out, this is the first of a number of posts that I wrote and then failed to upload. This is from February 2016! The text below is from then, not now.  And even then it was an old draft!!

I've been very busy at work, so apologies for the lack of posts of late.  However, a slight hiatus in having stuff to post about means that I can finally finish off something that's been lying in my "drafts" folder for, literally, years...

The last 15mm figures I painted were Chileans from the South American Wars of Independence, back in 2011 (see here).   I had long admired John Fletcher's "Liberators" project and the figures he has released under his Grenadier Productions label.  So I bought some packs and painted these chaps.  Then, like so many other things, the project rather stalled.  No reason in particular - it was always something I intended to return to.  Then 25mm figures for the period came along - from Parkfield and then Orinoco Miniatures.   While I painted a lot of 15mm Napoleonics in my youth and earlier days in the hobby, I've been pretty much exclusively a 25mm painter for the past 15 or so years.  The Liberators project remained of interest to me - it fits in with my like of slightly out of the way periods.  So  a couple of years ago I bought some Orinoco figures on spec and was delighted with the way they turned out.

This post isn't the place for an in depth history of the Wars of South American Liberation.  Armed insurrection began in 1806 and gathered pace over the next few years.  The end of the Napoleonic wars enable Spain, the colonial power, to transfer reinforcements from Europe and reconquer territory in modern Venezuela and Colombia that the Patriots had liberated.  By 1817, Simon Bolivar was in need of more men for his Patriot armies and send agents to Britain and Ireland to tap into the large numbers of men who had been de-mobilised as a result of the final defeat of Napoleon.  As with the First Carlist War twenty years later, there were plenty of men keen to seek employment and/or adventure, and between 1817 and 1819 over 6,000 English and Irish troops travelled to South America to fight for the Patriot cause.    John Fletcher has identified over 25 distinct units, but many of these were amalgamated or dissolved early on.  In some cases disease and mutiny rendered units ineffective soon after arrival in South America.  The formations that did survive were brigaded into what became known as the British Legion and the Irish Legion. 

The unit pictured here is the 2nd Light Infantry Regiment of the Irish Legion, nicknamed "Cundinamarca", presumably after the district of northern Colombia in which the legion found itself in late 1819.  The Irish Legion was ready to commence operations in early 1820 and   The regiment was part of an expedition to Riohacha in 1820.  Information about precisely what uniform these troops wore is patchy.  The Irish Legion generally was reported to have worn green tunics, although it is quite likely that formal uniform issues never took place or, if they did, the clothes suffered wear and tear very quickly and the men therefore wore whatever thy had to hand.  I've added a mix of trouser colours and patches to reflect some "campaign" dress. So this uniform is rather conjectural, and I can't recall why I painted the shako covers white rather than black; I must have been thinking about Napoloenic Nassau infantry at the time!  The flag is one of a pair sold by Flags of War.

20 figures.  Painted August-September 2013.  Flag by Flags of War.






13 comments:

WSTKS-FM Worldwide said...

Hurrah! I've missed your posts. Lovely "new" figures by the way.

Best Regards,

Stokes

Ed said...

Welcome back! Always nice to see your posts.

Cheers,
Ed

David said...

Delighted to see the return of your blog, I always enjoyed seeing your work and reading your informative posts! Keep up the great work now please!

Kevin said...

All these years later and they look great. I like reading about stuff that happened outside of the box. Great read.

Cheers
Kevin

Christopher(aka Axebreaker) said...

Nice to hear from you again Giles and the unit looks great!

Christopher

The Tactical Painter said...

Welcome back. I've found the blog a huge inspiration for my AWI project, good to see things up and running again (even if the post is seven years old LOL).

Marky Mark Melbourne said...

Fantastic to see your blog breathing life again Giles. Love you posts and your painting. Totally inspiring mate....looking on with great interest! Cheers mate, Mark.

Yarkshire Gamer said...

Nice to see you back Giles 👍

Regards Ken
The Yarkshire Gamer

Doc Smith said...

Hi Giles! Just noticed your post as I've been on a bit of an extended hiatus as well - and only just returned myself yesterday! Splendid figures by the way - love the Front Rank Nassauers (if that's what they were). Another good write-up of an interesting period too. Good to see you back.

Cheers, Doc
Doc's 'Art of War'

Willie Anderson said...

Looking forward to more posts in the future always a pleasure to visit here.

BigDreams/SmallWorld said...

Hello Giles,

Were you the person who told me about the 40th Foot grenadiers receiving a gift of polar bear pelts from the Hudson Bay Fur Trade Comoany as a gift for service in Newfoundland many years ago on TMP?

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Jacob Grayson said...
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