A Foray into Napoleonic Wargaming
22eme Chasseurs a Cheval
The Chasseurs a Cheval were the work horses (no pun intended) of the French light cavalry. Less flashy than the hussars, but undertaking the same light cavalry roles such as reconnaissance, scouting, screening the army.
Each regiment of Chasseurs was formed of eight squadrons, the first of which was the elite squadron. These chaps had red plumes and epaulettes, and wore a colpack rather than a shako. Reforms to uniform in 1812 theoretically retired the colpack, but most regiments chose not to comply and retained them.
I chose to paint these as the 22eme regiment. The regimental colour is caupacine, a burnt orange-brown, which I honestly struggled to get a good match for. The 22eme served throughout the Peninsula War, often split down with squadrons spread between different formations. Their combat record included Medina-del-Rio-Seco, Niou, and the cspture of Burgos, Hoya, Benavente, Pont-Vedra, Astagora, Sabugal, Arapiles, Pancorbo, Torquemada, Burgos and Vittoria.
These models are all by AB Miniatures.
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