Friday 22 October 2010

Général de Brigade Baron Campi



Campi commanded the 2nd Brigade of 5th Division in Reille's II Corps. I've tried to find out something about this chap but have drawn a blank. There may well be something in Digby Smith's "Napoleonic Wars Databook", but I can't find my copy so can't check at the moment. Anyway, he led his brigade through the attack at Quatre Bras and, I think, was then wounded at Waterloo. This figure is a Perry Miniatures personality figure, and the casualty is from the Perry plastic heavy cavalry box set. The barn in the background is by Paul Darnell of Touching History. In close-up Campi's face looks a bit messy, but he looks ok from a distance...

2 figures. Painted September 2010.



5 comments:

Consul said...

What a fantastic looking base! He looks a bit like that guy from the Waterloo film

Nice work

Consul

Steve Gill said...

Excellent piece. I find these lower-profile personalities, of which there's an especially impressive selection in the Perry 1815 range, mildly unsettling as one wants to do justice to the their impeccable research but it's not always easy to find out what peculiarities of uniform, hair colouring etc apply to the individual in question.

So I sometimes end up guessing and doing the figure generic to his rank, then feeling I've not quite done the job properly.

Christopher(aka Axebreaker) said...

Nice work Giles!I'm always happy when I see a new post on your blog.

Cheers
Christopher

AJ (Allan) Wright said...

The extra work you put into the facial detail really stands out. This is a particularly charismatic figure, which is exactly what you want for a commander. Well done!

Naumachiae said...

Hi Paul,
It has been a long time since I enjoyed discovering each of your new posts as a simple consumer and maybe it’s time be grateful to you and your nice and impressive work.
So, some few words on one of the great officers which came to the Napoleonic Pantheon.
As you paint him is when he was promoted to the rank of “general de brigade” on April 1813, the 12th. He first served at the army of Italy where as forever he fought gallantly at Villarh and Foitrex. He then fought brilliantly at the Saxe (1813) and France (1814) campaigns.
He was severely wounded at the battle of Mont-Saint-Jean and must retired in 1815. Later he took back services and became “inspecteur general de l’infanterie” from 1819 to 1820.
He died in Lyon in 1832.
May be he wrote his best glorious moments in the 1809’s campaign as, at Esling, or when promoted Colonel of the “28eme Léger” by the Emperor on June 1809 the 1st he fought audaciously at Wagram. Came after Korneuburg, Stokerau and Znaïm where he received one of his numerous wounds. And not the least in Spain at the disastrous battle of Arapiles when head of the “65eme de Ligne” he fought in the last extremity, shouting at his brothers-in-arms that “il est plus beau de mourir sous ses drapeaux, que de les arracher à l’ennemi en se retirant !”.

So great man for a great site ;-)

And congratulations for your nice work, from a French fan and president of a wargamers club in Brittany !