Calpe Miniatures

Light Infantry

Route March

This set of figures is based on Edouard Detaille's sketch of French line infantry marching in Belgium in 1815 (see above). All the figures are in campaign dress. They wear their coats with the front flaps buttoned back to allow greater freedom of movement while on the march. Other sources have been used to provide the accurate historical information required for items of uniform and equipment. The more important ones worth mentioning are the Rousselot plates, the Bucquoy uniform cards and the Rigo (Le Plumet) plates.

Infantry

Infantry

Infantry

March Attack

I like my march-attack figures to be in step. This was a formal way of moving men. It was used for getting large numbers of men in set formations to a point where they came in contact with the enemy. The men would have marched to music or the beat of drums. NCOs would have ensured that most of the men remained in step as the cohesion of the battalion relied on this. It would have been practiced on parade grounds until the men could move in unison almost without thought. It struck me when I did the research for these figures that in many illustrations most of the battalion seems to be using both hands to hold the musket. In march-attack the musket was supposed to be held in the crook of the left arm while the right arm swung free. The two handed hold was definitely not regulation. I looked into this and made inquiries from other research colleagues. The answer seems to be as follows – The French musket weighed over four and a half kilos. The regulation way of holding the musket in the crook of the left arm was not a ‘natural’ way of holding the musket. After marching for a while over rough ground, while taking fire from the enemy, it was natural for the right hand to be used to steady the musket and to take some of its weight off the left arm. In action the officers accepted this as necessary.

Prussian Line Artillery

This set of figures has been planned and researched for over two years. The main problem has been acquiring reliable information concerning the size, dimensions and construction specifics of the guns themselves. Once again, I must give credit to Peter Hofschroer for providing the detailed information I required. He provided me with a roll of microfilm on which were line drawings of Prussian artillery equipments, drawn between 1815 and 1818. The artillery pieces limbers and caissons described below have been put together using these details.

Uniform Plates

Peter Bunde's Brigade plates are without doubt the best modern research into Napoleonic uniforms available on the market. They are presented in an A4 format with the plate on one side and the information on the reverse. These plates are my usual starting point for research if a plate on the subject is available. Whilst I do not always agree with his conclusions I have rarely
found an outright mistake in Peter's research - he just sometimes reaches different conclusions using the available research information. I recommend them unreservedly! Note that I only stock the plates which are relevant to my figures. Many other plates are available on Peter's website.