HISTORICAL MINIATURES BY GEORGE GRASSE

HISTOREX NCO

Image credit is Historex NCO Color Card 686 - 687

Napoleon ordered all heavy cavalry regiments to adopt the cuirass, a two-piece front and back steel shell that covered the torso.  The two figures on the left above represent the Revolutionary War heavy cavalry with one regiment, the 8th, wearing the cuirass.  Carabiniers and Cuirassiers were Napoleon's battlefield heavy cavalry.  Note that the trumpeters are available painted in two versions: up to 1812, the jacket is in the reverse of the regiment's facing color.  After that date, the jacket was green with Imperial livery.

View Cuirassier Regimental Distinctions

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HX3102

Image credit is Historex NCO Color Card 664 - 704

Napoleon's dragoons were considered "medium" battlefield cavalry and were trained to dismount and fight on foot if necessary although this was little done during the Napoleonic Wars.  They were mounted on large horses much like that of the heavy cavalry but the troopers were not armored.  They carried a short cavalry version of the musket (not a carbine).  They wear the long-tailed coat or "habit".  This changed to a short-tailed habit in 1812 .  As a form of mounted infantry, the dragoon regiments included mounted sappers.  For a brief time, in 1805-06, Napoleon dismounted several Dragoon regiments to fight on foot and they are a separate set of figures and appear in the next panel below.

View Dragoon Regiment Distinctions

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HX3103

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664101

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HX3404

Dragons de Ligne, Mounted - Trumpeter (Economy Kit)

DRAGOON TRUMPETER (ECONOMY KIT)

$17.50 / $12.00

Image credit is Historex NCO Color Card 681 - 682

Napoleon's chasseurs a cheval  along with the lancers and hussars of the line were considered "light" battlefield cavalry and were primarily assigned to corps d'armee for reconnaissance and protection of the flanks.  They were mounted on small horses for speed and maneuverability.  They carried the short carbine (mousqueton).  They wear the long-tailed coat or "habit".  This changed to a short-tailed habit in 1812 .  There were thirty regiments of Chasseurs a cheval at one time or another but the 17^e and 18^e Regiments were disbanded in 1794 and never raised again in Napoleon's time.

View Chasseur a Cheval Regimental Distinctions

CONVERSION KITS -  Historex kit HX3100 is an "economy" kit and contains just enough parts to build one mounted chasseur a cheval. 

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HX3100

Image credit is Historex NCO Color Card 632 - 633 - 698

Hussar regiments have existed since the late 16th Century.  In the Napoleonic Wars, Hussars were elaborately-dressed light cavalry.  Napoleon maintained 14 Hussar regiments by the end of 1814.  In the summer campaign months, Hussars wore only their dolman, the short waist-length jacket.  In winter campaigns, the pelisse was worn.  For parade, the pelisse was worn slung over the left shoulder of the dolman.  Each regiment had a separate color scheme and, if the uniforms were similar, were distinguished by different button/lace colors of white (silver for officers) or yellow (gold for officers).  Trumpeters wore reversed colors and rode gray horses. 

View Hussar Regimental Distinctions

CONVERSION KITS -  Historex kits HX3104 (full dress) and HX3105 (campaign dress) are "economy" kits and contain just enough parts to build one mounted hussar from either the elite company (colpack) or one of the center companies (shako).  Each specific type for each kit is listed below separately.   Each kit includes three types of headdress and covers the period 1804-1815: conical shako (1804-1812), cylindrical shako (1812-1815), and the colpack for the elite company for the whole period 1805-1815.

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HX3104

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HX3105

OFFICIER, 11e REGIMENT DE HUSSARDS, ON SUMMER CAMPAIGN (SANS PELISSE)

$34.00 / $25.00

Image credit is Historex NCO Color Card 712 - 713 - 714

Light-Horse Lancers introduced into the French Army by Napoleon in 1811 to provide a counter to the growing  strength of the lancer arm in other European countries.  Six dragoon regiments of the line were converted to lancers forming the 1st thru 6th Regiments (above left).  Two Vistula Legion (polish) lancers regiments were incorporated into army at the same time from the Polish Vistula Legion (above right).  The last lancer regiment, the 9th, was formed from another foreign element, the Legion of Hanover, and filled out with men from the 31st Chasseurs a cheval.

View Chevau-Legers Lanciers Regimental Distinctions

CONVERSION KITS -  Historex kits HX3101 is the full dress uniform in an "economy" kit format and contains just enough parts to build one mounted lancer.  Each specific type for the kit is listed below separately.  Polish lancers are in Series 684 as individual kits.

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HX3101

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684004

Image credit is Historex NCO Color Sheet

The Hanoverian Legion was raised in 1804 and disbanded in 1811.  The infantry were used to form new regiments, the 127e, 128e, and 129e of the line.  The chasseurs were re-assigned to 1er Hussards and 9e Chevau-legers.

ABOUT THE KIT -  This Historex kit makes one officer and one horse.

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HXH062

Image credit is Historex NCO Color Guide

The troops subsequently known as the Garde de Paris were created by decree on 4 October 1802 and initially known as the Garde Municipal de Paris.  It consisted of two infantry regiments each of two battalions and one squadron of mounted dragoons.  On 18 May 1806 , the name was changed to the Garde de Paris.

ABOUT THE KIT -  This Historex kit makes one mounted figure one horse.

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HXH056