French Revolutionary Wargames 1789-1802: Hussars of Death

Wargame Rules, Ratios, etc

RAISING MINIATURE ARMIES FOR THE LATE 18TH CENTURY

I am very keen to keep my wargame rules as simple as possible, yet capture the character of the 1790s. Morale dominates the games as the opposing sides are very different. Most of the French troops are 'levee' battalions, which I have chosen to base in column as their ability to change formation on a battlefield must have been limited, nor do I believe their volley fire had any great value. Of better quality, able to change formation, will be white-coated regular and blue-coated volunteer battalions, aided by a fair number of skirmishers. The British, Austrian, Dutch and German armies are often outnumbered, but they maintain the discipline and order of typical 18th century armed forces. Interestingly, French revolutionary cavalry have little in common with their later Napoleonic counterparts, the former are few in number, often poorly mounted, and no match for those in the service of the Allies. All figures are 28mm in scale, using a 1=25 ratio.

Monday, 4 September 2017

Hussars of Death c.1792

Recently completed this unit of French cavalry. At least two revolutionary units of hussars wore black uniforms. This one, raised in Paris, mustered 130 to 190 men, formed into one squadron of two companies. It only had a brief service record but was quite active, mainly in the North, before being incorporated into the 13th Chasseurs. These are my own castings on Hinchcliffe horses. There are several variations given for the uniform, such as a black wool shabraque, but supply issues could explain these differences.
MGB