Black Powder

Marshall Ney & Mounted French Napoleonic Officer.  This Walord Games blister pack contains 2 models on horseback.

The 95th Rifles were an elite unit of hard marching, sharp shooting light infantry that served in many bloody battles of the Napoleonic Wars. Unusually they did not wear the classic red coat of the British army, but instead a dark bottle green uniform which gave them their nickname of the ‘Sweeps’ or the ‘Grasshoppers’ by their French foes.

They were equipped with the Baker rifle – a supremely accurate weapon for the period – which would hit single targets at ranges unheard of for the smoothbore muskets which most other troops carried.

They earned a superb reputation in the Peninsular campaign and later at Waterloo, being battalions that Wellington could rely upon. To help maintain the effectiveness of the companies, reliable and trusted men would be issued with a white tape around the arm distinguishing them as ‘chosen men’ and expected to inspire the rank and file.

To make up for the short length of their rifles, they were issued with wicked looking sword bayonets, long enough to give a parity against an enemy bayonet.

This Warlord Games box set contains 14 metal miniatures.

In 1809, at the battle of Wagram, some Polish light horse fighting for Napoleon seized lances from Austrian Uhlan prisoners and used them with good effect. Impressed by their use, Bonaparte ordered nine regiments to be formed, six of them clothed in green and three in blue. With their nine-foot ash pole lances, red and white pennants, and topped off with gleaming brass classical helmets they cut quite a dash on the battlefield. Lancers were unusual as they could take their place in the battleline and fight it out with enemy cavalry or infantry, but they were most often used in scouting, raiding, and – especially in Spain and Russia – in skirmishing, even fighting dismounted where the situation arose. Armed with a wicked lance, sabre, and at times a carbine and up to two pistols, the French line lancer was a formidable foe! This Warlord Games boxed set contains: 12 plastic easy-build French Light Cavalry Lancers. 1 additional metal officer and metal horse. 1 additional metal bugler. Optional metal arm for eagle bearer. Although a standard unit size for French Lancers would be 12 in most games, this box allows you to make 13 mounted French Lancers, giving you the choice of fielding them with or without command models.

Formed originally back in 1743, the Chasseurs a Cheval (mounted hunters) were hard riding, green clad light cavalry whose main role was patrolling and raiding for the French armies. A good Chasseur was at home on his light horse, skirmishing with the enemy cavalry or scouting enemy movements and thus providing valuable intelligence for their commanders.

Armed with carbine, curved sabre and bayonet (an item disliked by the cavalrymen who used it to dig up vegetables or ‘lost’ it on campaign) the Chasseurs were most happy in the saddle, although they were also trained to fight on foot should the need arise.

At the height of the French Army under Bonaparte’s reign there were 31 regiments of Chasseurs a Cheval although only 15 regiments were available for the titanic Hundred Days campaign that culminated at the Battle of Waterloo. Our superbly detailed Chasseurs à Cheval are provided with covered and uncovered shakos as well as the colpacks favoured by the elite companies.

Although requested not to wear the sabretache beyond 1808 many Chasseurs would keep this item well beyond this decree and thus we’ve included it on our models. For those of you wishing to follow regulations over reality simply snip the sabretache off.

This Warlord Games box set contains:

• 12 plastic easy-build French Light Cavalry including 1 metal officer and horse
• Optional metal parts to make a trumpeter and eagle bearer
• Options for shako, oilskin covered shakos and the elite company Colpack fur hat.

En avant! The cry went up in hundreds of French throats as the blue columns marched forward on the battlefields across Europe. The all conquering French line infantry ‘Les Bleus’ used a combination of massed columns, fast manoeuvre, and firepower to shatter the armies of Prussia, Austria, Spain and Russia, culminating in a death struggle against Wellington and Blucher’s alliance at Waterloo in 1815.

Well led and confident of victory, the average French soldier swept almost all foes before them, living off the land as they marched. Beyond the glory of victory over their foes, there was the chance of medals, promotion to the guard, or even acknowledgement from the Emperor himself!

These Warlord Games models are dressed in greatcoats worn so often on the field of battle to save the smart uniform for the inevitable victory parade.

Each Warlord boxed set contains:

• 24 plastic French infantry (including options for adding Grenadiers and Voltigeurs)
• Metal command group (2 officers, drummer, standard bearer)
• Full colour background leaflet containing several flags.

The Prussian High Command during the 100 Days campaign leading up to the battle of Waterloo.

• 1 x Field Marshal von Blucher
• 1 x General August von Gneisenau Blucher’s chief of staff
• 1 x Marshal Friedrich Karl von Zeiten

32 Russian Line Infantry miniatures:

28 plastic rank and file and four metal multi-pose command (officer, drummer and two standard bearers)

2 page background guide including 8 full colour flags

Contains over 80 figures