Sharpe Diorama

 Here's a small Sharpe diorama I made as a birthday present for a friend. The figures are from Tangent Miniatures' Ahistorical range. I hope he had a great day!

1798 Rebellion Project Part 18: The Completed French Force

 I got lots of painting done this week. So much so that my lead mountain is home to only two figures! I've finished the last models for the French list.

First up is General Jean-Joseph Amable Humbert. Before the French Revolution, Humbert worked as a dealer in animal skins, but rose to become a general. In August 1798, he landed at Killala with the 70th Demi Brigade. The "Republic of Connacht" was then proclaimed by the French, with John Moore (no relation to the British General) as its president. Humbert had initial success at the Battle of Castlebar, and intended to advance into the Irish Midlands. However, his small force surrendered against impossible odds at the Battle of Ballinamuck.

Humbert was taken as a prisoner of war and repatriated. He continued to fight for the French army, and was sent to Haiti to suppress the revolution. Quite ironic considering his activities in Ireland! Humbert was accused of looting while in Haiti and returned to France. He joined rebel movements in both New Spain and Argentina, before fighting in the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. He spent the rest of his life as a school teacher. Like many figures in this period, Humbert is a fascinating character. I'd love to see a detailed biography of his life in print.

That cartridge box caused a lot of headaches

I put together some Shock markers to go along with the force. 

A group photo of the full army:

I had some leftover figures from the British force that I wanted to get painted. Here are the Monaghan Militia Light Company. 

"U wot m8?"

Finally, I made a small holy well. These are very common in Ireland, and have many superstitions attached to them. Although their veneration is entirely Christian nowadays, evidence suggests that bodies of water were important ritual sites in pagan Celtic culture. It's not a substantial piece of terrain, it's just a nice bit of decoration. 

The wall is made of pieces of gravel. The water is gloss varnish. 

I built up the earth texture around the edge to give a stronger illusion of depth.

The Wicklow general Joseph Holt is currently on my painting table. He's another truly interesting character and I can't wait to finish painting him. After that I'll move on to the next stage of the project - artillery!

Go dtí an chéad uair eile, beir bua! 

1798 Rebellion Project Part 17: The French Arrive

 This week I've managed to finish off two groups of Frenchmen! That means the force is complete, aside from General Humbert. There are some extra bits to do as well, such as casualty markers, but I'm almost done.

 I'm already planning the next "phase" of this project as I've been enjoying it so much. This will probably consist of some artillery. I plan on making some improvised artillery pieces. According to Thomas Pakenham's book, the rebels of Antrim mounted an old Irish Volunteers cannon barrel onto a peasant cart. He also recounts the story of a haberdasher who made grapeshot cartridges from socks! 

This is the first Group I finished this week. They're nothing extraordinary, just some poor foot soldiers. As always with Trent figures they are a bit quirky. Here are some close ups:

The other batch I painted are from Trent's "Scruffy" French infantry pack. I get the impression from Pakenham's "The Year of Liberty" that these are particularly suitable for Humbert's force. They're probably my favourite Group in this army. I think would be nice to see models like this more often. Soldiers on campaign are rarely dressed in perfect uniforms.

All three groups drawn up in line. I've mixed the "scruffy" lads in with the other Groups. 

Go dtí an chéad uair eile, beir bua! 

1798 Rebellion Project Part 16: The Halloween Special

 Halloween has always been my favourite time of the year. It's an ancient tradition in Ireland, as Oíche Shamhna ("Samhain Eve"). Such was Samhain's importance that it gave its name to the month of November in the Irish language. Irish myth describes Samhain as a big festival, lasting a week, almost always coinciding with supernatural happenings. The Gaulish Coligny Calendar, dating from the first Century BCE, lists "Samonios" as a month at the end of Summer, evidence that Samhain was a Celtic rather than Irish tradition.

I felt I had to do something wargaming related for Halloween. I decided on some graveyard terrain, as it's particularly suitable for the 1798 Project. At the Battles of Tara, Old Kilcullen and Antrim, the rebels made use of graveyards for cover. Graveyard walls seem to have been the best defence available, especially against artillery.

I did some research on 18th Century Irish headstones, and found some interesting results. Many of them are suitably "gothic"! This website gives information on Donaghmoyline Graveyard in County Fermanagh. It features some unusual round gravestones with skull-and-crossbones motifs, a design found in some parts of Ulster in the 18th century.

All the headstones were made from coffee stirrers and Milliput. 

The two headstones on the right are of the previously mentioned type. They are accompanied by hourglass designs, a grim reminder to the living of their mortality. Scary stuff. 

This is a "box tomb". It was fairly common for gravestones to feature images associated with the crucifixion, and it was easier to add them on a flat surface like this one.

The graveyard itself is just an MDF base with some stone walls made of gravel. I think I might make a few more headstones to fill the empty space. 

        A collapsed section of the wall. 

I've also finished a group of (far less spooky) 60th Rifles for the project. This regiment fought in the American War of Independence before taking part in the 1798 Rebellion. I couldn't find that much information about their involvement in the uprising, but they were present at the Battle of Foulksmills, and fought the guerrillas of the Wicklow Glens. If anyone has further information I'd love to know. Here is one article on the subject. 

The 60th Rifles were among, if not the first British unit to wear shakos and use rifles. They're technically my first ever Napoleonic figures, as they fought in the Peninsular War. You might notice I've painted a certain officer from that conflict to lead them! He's from Tangent Miniatures. 

Go dtí an chéad uair eile, Samhain sona daoibh! 

1798 Rebellion Project Part 15:

I managed to get a group of French Ligne done this week. They're not the quickest to paint, but fun all the same. I'm quite impressed by the diversity of sculpts that Trent do for the French, only one pose is repeated in this pack. 

The French army of this period wore a mix of uniforms. Painting the stripy trousers was a challenge, but it adds a lot of individuality. I'm looking forward to painting a pack of "scruffy Ligne" who are even more dishevelled!

 

This lad reminds me a bit of Neil Young! 

Next on the painting desk is a group of British 60th Rifles, led by a captain of some notoriety. They'll give my British force a bit more firepower. I wanted to take a break from painting blue, but it won't be too long before I'm back working on the French.

Go dtí an chéad uair eile, beir bua! 

1798 Rebellion Project Part 14: The French are on the Sea

I was really excited to start working on the French force for this project. These figures are the first I've finished, and I greatly enjoyed painting them. It was a bit of a challenge to paint the uniforms, but I think I've worked out a decent recipe for the blue.

First up, a Status I Leader. Capitane Allard along with his long-suffering drummer.

Next are a group of skirmishers. I love these sculpts, they really do look as if they're firefighting. My favourite has to be the guy holding onto his hat! 

In other blog news, this page now has a header photo and a new name (in keeping with the Instagram page). 

Go dtí an chéad uair eile, beir bua!