"Firing into the Brown" #6 - The Chattanooga is Hunted, and stuff..

"So Carnehan weeds out the pick of his men, and sets the two of the Army to show them drill and at the end of two weeks the men can manoeuvre about as well as Volunteers. So he marches with the Chief to a great big plain on the top of a mountain, and the Chiefs men rushes into a village and takes it; we three Martinis firing into the brown of the enemy".

Kipling "The Man Who Would Be King"

Time for another update...

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"Regiments of renown"...   an occasional series...    also known as tricorne porn... 😄  

Longer ago than I can ever remember this was the picture that resulted in me painting the same regiment - the Royal Italien Regiment - for my Marlburian project ...

It may very well be, that I saw it in Wargames Illustrated but I honestly can't remember..   I think they are Front Rank figures, but whoever painted them, they were/are stunning (well done whoever it was), and provided the impetus to do the same for my little corner of the wargame world.. those brown coats with the red linings/turn backs really appealed...

The regiment (one of 52 raised by Louis in the period up to 1684!) was raised on April 27 1671, following a commission issued by Louis in the same year, by the Count Magalotti a naturalised Frenchman originally from the Florence area of Italy and formerly a captain in the Gardes Françaises. Recruitment was in Italy and the Piedmont region..

The regiment initially consisted of 27 companies, each of 204 men (that is huge!!) and Louis XIV was so satisfied when he inspected the regiment that he immediately decided to name it “Royal-Italien”. On the same occasion, he decided to dress the regiment with brown uniforms which was the same colour as the justaucorps - or coat - that he was wearing on the day of the review.

In 1672, during the Franco-Dutch War (1672-78), the newly raised regiment joined the Army of Flanders and took part in numerous operations and sieges, and also the battles of  Seneffe, Cassel and Saint-Denis. The regiment was reduced to 12 companies immediately after the war ended

My feeble copy...

In 1689, during the Nine Years' War (1688-97), the regiment was again busy, being at numerous skirmishes, sieges and offensives, and the battles of Fleurus, Steenkerque (where it distinguished itself) and Landen.

In 1701, at the outbreak of the War of the Spanish Succession, the regiment counted only one battalion and was still serving with the Army of Flanders. In 1702, the regiment were at Nijmegen; in 1703, at the sieges of Alt-Breisach and Landau and in the victorious skirmish at Speyerbach; in 1706, at Ramillies and the defence of Menin; in 1708, at Oudenarde; in 1709  at Malplaquet; and they served to 1713 in numerous other skirmishes, battles and sieges.

These guys deserve a new flag and I think I know just where to go for it [clicky]. They were completed back in March 2007, and are Warrior Miniatures figures

Bit more here:

• https://www.kronoskaf.com/syw/index.php?title=Royal_Italien_Infanterie
• Royal Italian Regiment - Wikipedia (fr-m-wikipedia-org.translate.goog)

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Hunt the Chattanooga

In a triumphant conclusion to the mini naval campaign that I have featured over the previous weeks, I can confirm that the Confederate ironclad Chattanooga has been located and sunk..   but that kind of gets us ahead of the curve..

So as a reminder the Union fleet was as follows, comprising a Monitor, and two heavy woodenclads. The ships were at almost full strength (minor damage was accrued during the previous days of the campaign due to enemy action), but the most significant impact was to the firepower of the Monitor that had lost one of their two heavy guns due to equipment failure in a previous engagement..

...and then there is the Chattanooga, a "standard" (if there is such a thing) Confederate Casemate ironclad - strongly armoured and, for the Confederacy, well armed..

A few shots of the action follow - but in summary the Union ships sort to divide and conquer - splitting their attack so as to come at the ironclad from three different sides...

The woodenclads, being armed with light and medium guns were always going to struggle putting in damage on the ironclad, but in the end sheer weight of numbers began to have an effect, and in one lucky shot the ironclads steering was damaged and she ran aground - happily for her with enough arc of fire to keep up her bombardment..

The ironcald managed to get afloat a few turns later and but with mounting damage decided to try and make a break for the river..

Taking damage as she went..

Until the inevitable happened, and with one mighty broadside her guns were silenced and she struck to the triumphant Union commander, but not before she had done the same to one of the Union woodenclads - but Union mission complete!

The butchers bill..  two ships all but destroyed, but the Monitor only with light damage, and with a replacement gun would soon be back in action. All in all a good outcome, especially in light of the other successful actions over the previous days...

That was good fun, but that's enough Ironclad action for the time being - on to other things..... 😁

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"Laters", as the young people are want to say...