Napoleonic Artillery

The colours of the Napoleonic guns is a rather obscure topics, only interesting for military enthusiasts, historians, wargamers and ... chemists like me, and like Stephen Summerfield, a succesful author of many Napoleonic books (you can watch the Stephen's academic profile at the Academia site) and habitual contributor to the Napoleon-Series site where is the editor of the Smoothbore Ordnance Journal.
The reason behind this digression was the search for the colour of Napoleonic Polish guns (prompted by a friend). I suddenly remembered a book on this subject, Napoleonic Artillery (The Crowood Press Ltd. 2007) by Anthony L. Dawson, Paul L. Dawson and Stephen Summerfield, standing in my bookshelves.
The required information is in the Table 9.2  on p. 229 (and it is not reproduced here to avoid copyright infringement) at the Chapter 9 'The Colours of Artillery Pieces'. The full chapter 9 spans pages 226-231, and it seems written by a chemist, so I suppose Stephen was the responsible of that interesting information.
In addition to the above information, the book is packed with a mine of information about the subject so it is a must for the napoleonic wargamer.

Incidentally, the woodwork of the Napoleonic Polish guns was painted 'mainly blue-grey' with black metal fittings.

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A new rocket launcher

I have followed the kind indications from Rod MacArthur about the unaccurate pictures of the Osprey books on British Rockets (see previous post).

For the full history, including the conversions, see the main web site

The case of the misleading source

The following text is an extract of a long and hepful e-mail from Rod MacArthur, of the Napoleon-Series Forum, about the British Rocket designs:

"... I can see that you have faithfully copied the illustrations in the Osprey "Artillery Equipments of the Napoleonic Wars" by Terence Wise. I believe however that these illustrations are not completely accurate when one compares them to the original description and pictures in Congreve's own book ... The Osprey does not make the construction of the rocket car clear, but the original description does. You have shown it as an open cart, whereas it was in fact a standard Desaguliers frame with two long boxes, one down each side (to carry rocket sticks) joined together by small additional boxes in the centre (where two gunners sat when mobile) to make an "H" shape. Each rocket car had two launcher troughs, one carried on top of each side box, which could be fired simultaneously as a volley. "

"...The launcher troughs have been portrayed in the Osprey as tubes, with a thickened middle, which is what you have modelled. I think this is however wrong. The description in Congreve's book is of open troughs (like a half pipe) and what Osprey have interpreted as a thickenened middle section on the original drawings is in fact the rocket head itself resting half way up the open trough, not sticking out of the end as in the Osprey illustration..."

A more accurate representation of the Congreve rockets I have found in Internet, seems to be the following picture (taken from a Total War mod). The shape of the carriage is clearly seen, although the way in which is used to aim the rocket is nor correct.

The funny thing here is that my first designs were based upon the Congreve original drawings, but after I discovered the Wise Osprey book and I changed my accurate design for the wrong one! ... so the moral of this history is:

Do not trust seconday sources however beautiful it looks

I'll try to make a correct design in time to re-fight Göhrde so, watch this thread!

British rockets (3)

I finished this little project related with the battle of Göhrde. See some pictures of the three Napoleon's Battles bases




For the full history, including the conversions, see the main web site.

British rockets (2)

The British Rocket Troops set was one of the first launched by HäT (8003). The set has four sprues with 5 enlisted men, one officier, one launcher, two spare rockets and one carriage each. The uniforms were identical to British Horse Artillery, so no problem here.
I have decided to build two Napoleon's Batles bases with, respectively, one normal HäT launcher and two men, and one rocket being fired from soil level with two men.
I have also built a composite base. One half (with identical dimensions than the first two bases) has a home-made heavy launcher (see the enclosed diagram) and two men. The other half is a detachable base, consisting of a carriage and a mounted Rocketer. The mounted man is a conversion made with the torso of one HäT rocketer and the legs of an old Esci 217 Scots Greys set, which also provided the horse.

I am very grateful to the members of the Napoleon-Series and ALKAID Forums (specially to Kevin and Ximo) by their helping pictures and suggestions.
Next time the pictures!
.

British Rocket

The solid-propellant rocket was invented by the Chinese in the early 13th century, and were still used at India, in the late XVIII century by the Indian princes. In 1792, the rockets were successfully used against the British forces in the Seringapatam. The first Bristish studies failed to produce a working weapon until the project was taken up by Colonel William Congreve (1772–1828), at the Royal Laboratory (Woolwich). By 1805 the British had introduced the first reasonably effective military rocket to European warfare.
The first British successful rockets were incendiary devices used against Boulogne (1806), Copennhagen (1807), Dantzig (1813) and in the War of 1812 in America. Those used by the field artillery came in 6, 9, 12 and 18 lbs, and were assigned to the Royal Horse Artillery, due to their deployment speed, in 1813. From the two troops serving initially, the 2nd troop of Rocket Artillery was sent to Germany and saw action at the Battle of Gordhe in 1813.
In that battle, the rockets contributed to the success of the small British contingent:
"... The square of French infantry on the left,…..were still firm; but there happened to be two or three of the Rocket Brigade in the field, and the first rocket fired, fell directly in the square, putting them in the greatest confusion; and while they were so, the German Hussars, who had been previously repulsed, charged them again, and influenced by feelings of revenge, cut among them, right and left, giving no quarter ...”

To know more
History of the Rocket 1804-1815
Congreve Rockets
Rocket
British Royal Horse Artillery
Napoleon-Series
Artillery Equipments of the Napoleonic Wars

The Old Guard at Reichenbach

A very interesting action did take place during the on-going re-fight of Reichenbach:
An intrepid Russian Dragoon Regiment charged the Old Guard Volante horse artillery, defended only by an understrength, and battle weary, Old Guard Chevaux-Leger Lancier Brigade.
Fortunately for the French, a Brigade of Old Guard Gendarmes was alert, and charged the imprudent Russians in their flank, fully routing them!
I am still fighting the battle in my spare time. The launching of ALKAID magazine (see previous post) and the development of the ALKAID internet portal is consuming almost all my holidays time!

Artillery for Gross-Beeren

There is a very hot summer here at Valladolid (around 40ºC or 100ºF). I have painted the artillery assets of the French allied contingent for the Campaign of Leipzig. Whereas Italians and Saxons were simple painting cvonversions from ZVEZDA French Foot Line Artillery, the Bavarians were ESCI French Guard Artillery with heads from HAT Bavarian Infantry and the Wurtembergers were HAT French Horse Line Artillery with heads from HAT Austrian Infantry. All the guns were metal ones from Newline Designs French and Austrian 6lbs and Russian 12 lbs. See below some of the pictures with links to my web-site where is the full history (OOB's, uniforms, figures, conversions...).

Italian Foot Artillery

Saxon Artillery

Bavarian Foot Artillery

Wurtemberg Foot Artillery