Sunday, 18 February 2007

Major-General Baron de Ghigny




The Netherlands Cavalry Division in the 1815 campaign consisted of three brigades, one heavy and two light. The major generals in command of each brigade were Trip, de Ghigny and van Merlen respectively. I am working on the 2nd Light Cavalry Brigade, consisting of the 5th Light Dragoon and the 6th Hussars under van Merlen's command. Perry Miniatures make a pack of cavalry commanders that includes figures of Trip and de Ghigny but not of van Merlen. Here is the de Ghigny figure together with an orderly trumpeter from the 6th Hussars, and this stand will command my brigade at the Salute game. I have also painted the Trip figure which I may use for the divisional commander, Lt General Baron de Collaert, if there is a need for him to be represented at the game. The trumpeter's saddle-cloth should, I now understand, be light blue rather than red; the light blue trumpet cord is also my own invention. I do research uniforms properly. Honest.

at

4 comments:

  1. Peritas18 February 2007 at 10:13

    Hey Giles:

    Did you see this web:

    I think so its great.

    http://www.mont-saint-jean.com/cent_jours/PagePrincipale.htm

    Im working too in the Quatre Brass Proyect.

    I m trying to go to Salute, I live in Spain so if I ´ll go we can meet there.

    Thanks and Best Regards

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous18 February 2007 at 13:08

    Hi Giles,

    You couldn't have posted these pictures at a better time as I am about to paint Ghigny, Trip and the ADC for one of the guys at the club (Loughton Strike Force) and was unsure about the uniforms. I believe they will be used as the actual Generals themselves for the Salute game, so we will have some doppelgangers on the field of battle :). As far as I can tell the trumpet cord should be white and all the references I have seen for the saddle-cloth show it to be red, is this changed to blue because he is an ADC?

    Anyway, I am loving the blog, you seem to be producing great paint jobs at an amazing pace. Hopefully I will be at the Salute game to see some of them in the lead.

    Best Regards,
    Tom Landels aka Porthius

    ReplyDelete
  3. Giles18 February 2007 at 20:10

    Hi Tom - glad to see I'm not the only one with Salute uniform worries! Page 18 of the Osprey MAA on the Dutch 1815 army says of the 6th Hussars: "Trumpeters wore black busbies, with white plume and red bag.....and had sky-blue shabraques". The painted example on the Perry website is of a 6th Hussars trumpeter and he also has a sky-blue shabraque. When I realised I'd got that wrong I gave him blue trumpet-cords in compensation, although I knew that was correcting one wrong with another wrong! It's perhaps a bit odd that the trumpeter is from the 6th, i.e. a regiment that was not present in either Trip's or Ghigny's brigade, and that this chap has a busby whilst the trumpeter in the hussars command pack doesn't...But they are such great sculpts we can't complain. Looking forward to seeing your versions at the game!

    Kind regards

    Giles

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous22 February 2007 at 21:26

    Blimey Giles. How do you keep up this rate of painting productivity? You seem to have done virtually all of Napoleon's staff and most of the Dutch-Belgian cavalry in the time its taken me to do half a horse!

    Still, I'm really enjoying watching your forces take shape. Maybe I'll have one or two Prussians to show you by the time Salute comes around...

    Best wishes,
    Martin

    ReplyDelete