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Portuguese 23rd Line, “2nd Almeida”

Gepost op door JurjenB in Internetblog

The 23rd (of 24 total) Portuguese Line Infantry Regiment was named the 2nd Almeida regiment, and  was recruited in Beira Province and based in Viseu. 

The 23rd belonged to the Southern Military Division, and thus had scarlet piping and turnbacks, and scarlet mixed with dark blue cords on the 1806 shako. 

The 23rd had sky blue collar and cuffs, as seen here. 

Theoretically dark blue trousers were worn in winter and white in summer; it seems the fashion was for the officers to wear the white trousers year round. 

Once again these are 25/28 mm Old Glory 2nd edition British figures painted as Portuguese, with an Adolfo Ramos flag. 

The 23rd formed part of the 9th Portuguese Brigade, along with the previously seen 11th Regiment and the 7th Cazadores. It was attached to the 4th British Division form 1810 onwards. 

Portuguese Napoleonic Artillery

Gepost op door JurjenB in Internetblog

The latest addition to my Napoleonic Portuguese is two batteries of Artillery.

These figures are sold by Brigade Games in the US.

The cannon are by Foundry, and were already painted as surplus from an order I made for my British Artillery 10+ years ago! 

Portugal had 4 regiments of artillery, differentiated by subtle differences in the colors of the collars and cuffs; this battery has dark blue collar and cuffs. That indicates it belongs to the 1st or Lisbon Regiment. 

Here are both batteries together. 

The other battery has black collars and cuffs, denoting the 2nd or Algarve Regiment. 
Pretty difficult to tell the difference, right?

I have two more painted spare British guns, so maybe I should add a third battery?!

Civil War Letter by Thomas Pear, Newbern, NC, December 28th, 1862

Gepost op door JurjenB in Internetblog

 When I came to New Milford, CT 40+ years ago, I assumed the practice of an older (in his early 50’s) Family Physician, Dr W. “Fritz” Lahvis. He was a fine physician, and I learned a lot from him during the 6 months or so that we transitioned his practice to me. He asked for nothing for this, except someone to look after his patients. One of his long time patients was Mr. Thomas Pear. ASs we got top know each other over the years, Mr. Pear became aware of my interest in Military History, and mentioned there was Civil War era letter in his family’s possession. He recently provided me with a photocopy of same (he says no one is quite sure where the original is now). The letter is from his ancestor, also named Thomas Pear, to his brother Edward, who was. if I recall what he told me correctly, himself a silversmith in Massachusetts. The letter makes reference to the 10th Connecticut Regiment, one of the more distinguished Union regiments of the War; I believe Thomas served in a CT regiment, if not the 10th. 

Page 1; reference is made to “one of the smarter Major Generals [John Gray] Foster “
Major General John Gray Foster, photo by Mathew Brady, 1863. According to the Wikipedia article, which is well worth reading, Foster was a West Point graduate from Nashua, New Hampshire, who served with distinction as an Engineer during the Mexican-American War and was second in command at Fort Sumpter at the beginning of the American Civil War. He commanded the 1st Bruigade of General Ambrose Burnside’s North Carolina, and distinguished himself at the battle sof Newbern and Roanoake Island. When Burnside left for Virginia, Foster assumed command of the Union Department of North Carolina, and was promoted to Major General in July 1862. 

Page 2; reference is made to Confederate [Brigadier] General Nathan G. Evans.

Brigadier General Evans; also a West Point Graduate, “a number of examples of Evans’ good tactical leadership and bravery in battle are recorded. However, his abrasive personality and his passion for intoxicating beverages led to his constant difficulties with colleagues and superiors.”

The action described is the Battle of Goldsborough Bridge, December 17, 1862.The bridge was a vital link in the railroad from the port of Wilmington, NC, and destroying it disrupted the rail supply line for the Confederates. 

I find the very neat handwriting (done in far less than ideal circumstances)  and the very correct spelling and grammar most impressive as well. 
The (1st) Battle of Newbern, fought in March 1862 There is a Battlefield Park site. 

Many thanks to Mr. Pear for sharing the letter with me!

2nd Regiment Gardes d’Honneur

Gepost op door JurjenB in Internetblog

They’re Baaaack!

The 2nd Regiment of the Gardes d’ Honneur was raised from the 2nd (Mézières), 3rd (Metz), 4th (Nancy), 5th (Strasbourg), 17th ( Amsterdam ), 18th (Dijon ), 25th (Wesel), 26th (Mainz), 28th (Genoa) Military Divisions. 

Thus it can be seen that a fair number of recruits, while citizens of the Empire, were not part of the main body of France. The loyalty of these men, and of some of the nobility (as potential Royalist supporters) was suspect, thus as well as a source of troops, so in some ways these troops were hostages as well. Indeed, their nickname in the Army was “The Hostages“!

  The Guards of Honor were complimented on their conduct at Hanau by Napoleon and a number of its soldiers were awarded the Legion of Honor. By December morale in the Gardes remained high, though it was notably lower among the troopers of foreign origin. 

It saw action at Leipzig, Worms, and Mayence. 

The 2nd Regiment was disbanded on July, 15, 1814. About 900 men of the Gardes d’ Honneur from the French Departments were taken into the the Bodyguard of King Louis XVIII, the Gardes du Corps.

Portuguese 9th Line, “Viana”

Gepost op door JurjenB in Internetblog

Here’s the next line infantry unit for “Project Portugal”,  in the 1806 uniform.

The 9th Regiment was termed “Viana”, and recruited in Minho providence. These are once again Old Glory 2nd edition British painted as Portuguese, with the wonderful flags by Adolfo Ramos. 

It belong administratively to the “Northern” Division, although this had little effect on the organization of the army in the field. 

However, units of the Northern Division had yellow piping on the collars, cuffs, shoulder straps, etc., and yellow turnbacks. 

Each Portuguese Line Infantry regiment had 10 companies, divided into 2 battalions. The Grenadiers formed the elite company of the first battalion, and had white plumes like the center companies, and fringed shoulder wings of dark blue mixed with the Division color, here yellow. 

The Light Company was the elite company of the 2nd battalion, and was uniformed as the Grenadiers, except with green plumes. The grenadiers had grenade emblems, the light companies hunting horns, and the Sappers crossed axes on the shakos. The cords on the 1806 Barrentina shako were dark blue mixed with the Division color, here again, yellow. 

The Royal standard was in the Gyronny pattern seen here (interestingly, all the Portuguese flags you see are based upon the warrant describing them and later reproductions, there being no surviving illustrations of same, and only scant fragments of original flags surviving). The regimental color was much simpler, with the field in the Divisional color, here Yellow once again. The cravats on the flags were in the color of the collars and cuffs, so for this regiment would have been mixed dark blue (collar color) and yellow (cuff color). No comment is made as to the color of the flagpoles. I allowed myself a flight of fancy, painting the staves of the sergeant’s halberds in the Divisional color, based upon no evidence whatsoever!