This unit is my interpretation of the 4th provisional Dragoon regiment, made up of the 3rd and 4th squadrons of the 14th Dragoon regiment that were in depots in France and hastily combined into a unit and sent to the front in 1809 as Napoleon was forced to fight a war on two fronts and of necessity had to raise forces in whatever way he could. These chaps have a campaign look about them , inspired by an Angus McBride Osprey illustration of a Dragoon trumpeter in overalls.
There is also a Mike Chappell illustration in a Blandford book I've got at home of a Dragoon officer in overalls instead of boots, reading about how badly supplied even the French cuirassiers sometimes were , and let's face it they'd have been top of the food chain outside the Guard, I'm pretty sure most units resembled our rag tag and bob tail unit here! I also liked the greatcoats wrapped around the body campaign look which I was able to achieve courtesy of Perry plastic chasseurs a cheval set, the overall legs from a variety of Perry sets, the officer is a promoted elite torso with tails from the plastic French line infantry officer torso, interestingly this campaign was where Napoleon started to run short of his revolutionary officers, hard campaigning had reduced their numbers and officers were sourced from NCOs, it had always happened since the revolution but was accelerated during this campaign as he sought to build up provisional units from depot units and new recruits. The trumpeter is from the cuirassiers kit where you get lots of spare trumpeters and the horses are a mixture of Perry and Warlord light cavalry horses and some British light dragoon horses to make up the numbers, the Perry ones all needed head swaps ( as they had light cavalry bridles) and I've tried to replicate the heavy cavalry saddle, squaring up the portmanteau and freehand painting the saddle cloth, I think I've got away with it, just! Helmets, busbys, swords and carbines came from the dragoon set I had just about enough sword sheaths!
Optimistically there's a few Austrian cavalry helmets on the bases of the Warlord horses, they don't come with a base, so I've added a Perry one, it also helps raise the horse up as they are noticeably slighter than the Perry ones, the officer is on a Perry British light dragoon officers horse , painted up I don't think it's beyond the realms of the possible? Alright James, just call me Ridley! The unit served in the Aspern campaign, Napoleon's first defeat but I think we can give them one or two trophies !
So much like the actual 4th provisional Dragoon regiment I've scrapped the barrel and put together something of a dogs dinner of a unit but I'm happy with them, it also means that as they started off as members of the 14th regiment I get to have a unit with pink facings. I know I'm pushing it a bit with the eagle but all my other French heavy cavalry units have one so it feels churlish not to include it, plus I can of course invoke the rule of cool ! It will like the basing have to wait until I get back home.
I know that the elite riders are clearly in Bardin tunics and like all my other dragoons incorrect for 1809 but that's something I will just have to live with! The greatcoat clad chaps are in a mixture of kinski and Bardin tunics, but difficult to tell with the greatcoat covering most of the tunic up.
I also need a provisional dragoon unit to go with my( as yet unprimed!) 1809 Westphalians as I thought an 1809 campaign with Brunswickers would be fun and not too big, my nephew has Brunswickers in the later British style uniform but I fancy doing three battalions in the 1809 uniform or the nearest plastic equivalent and I'm sure I can use them as some sort of Prussian landwehr unit for 1813, I know heresy!
These chaps are on temporary bases as I don't paint cavalry based and I wouldn't have room to take them home if I did but the size and spacing is right.
Last unit of French for now, Austrian and Hungarians to take me through to Easter.
All the best
Iain
