28mm WSS: French Regiment de Montfort

 

A two battalion regiment of Walloons in French service. I rather like the flags.

15mm Classical Indians (King Porus): Elephants (4)

This is the last of the 'regular' elephants – just some generals on elephants to show.

 

28mm WSS: English 9pdr Battery and C-in-C

 

The battery is from a Warlord Games plastic box using 9 out of the 12 crew supplied. The command base is from Front Rank although I had originally planned to buy them from Ebor. I found I had quite a few unused 28mm horses that could be pressed into service obviating the need to buy more horses.

ETYMOLOGIES: “BIGWIG”

Bigwig: an important or influential person; someone of a high status

Origin: The term bigwig originated in the 17th century, when the short lived fad of wig-wearing was at its peak. It became fashionable for people to shave their heads and replace their hair with wigs; in this way they could sport a style they might not be able to naturally grow. It was seen as a triumph of man’s ingenuity over nature. However hair to make up these wigs was quite rare and expensive. Hair was sold by the strand and it was not uncommon for the lower classes to be seen wearing wigs consisting of only several strands of hair. The rich folk on the other hand were able to purchase large wigs made up of thousands of strands of hair and very soon the term ‘bigwig’ became associated with the very wealthy.

15mm Classical Indians (King Porus): Elephants (3)

 

28mm WSS: Hessian Dragoons Erbprinz (4 squ)

 

This Hessian dragoon regiment was brigaded with Hay's and Ross' dragoons at Blenheim.

I have based these in the 3 rank basing system I will be using. The depth is excessive by a mile but the key thing is the reduced frontage, compared to the British dragoons already shown. This is the system I will be using for most of my cavalry, including the French.

A short history of the Grafschaft (County of) Hessen-Hanau 1760-1821

This is a story of family rows and intrigue that centres on three generations of the family that ruled Hesse-Kassel – William VIII, his son Frederick II and his grandson William IX. The history books don't go into their personal relationships but you can read between the lines.

When the hereditary prince of Hesse-Cassel, Frederick (later to be Frederick II) , converted to Roman Catholicism in 1747, and, incidentally, abandonned his family, his father, the reigning landgrave William VIII decided to do what he could to limit his son's future realm. He therefore made the county of Hanau-Münzenberg, which had been part of Hesse-Cassel since 1736, a secundogeniture of Hesse-Cassel, transferring it to his grandson William. A secundogeniture (from Latin:secundus "following, second," and genitus"born") was a dependent territory given to a younger son of a princely house and his descendants, creating a cadet branch. This was a special form of inheritance in which the second and younger son received more possessions and prestige than he would have normally under the rules of primogeniture. It avoided the division of the estate and gave younger branches a stake in the stability of the house.

As count William was underage, his mother the landgravine, princess Mary of Great Britain, ruled as his legal guardian. His childhood was mostly spent in Denmark. After his accession to the throne of Hesse-Cassel in 1760, landgrave Frederick II repeatedly tried to re-unite Hesse-Hanau with Hesse-Cassel, but his efforts failed due to the resistance of Great Britain and the Protestant estates. As further protection, troops from Hanover were garrisoned in Hanau. When William came of age in 1764 he took over the government of the county. Two years later he signed an agreement with Great Britain to supply troops when necessary. Both he and his father waived the taxes of families of men who would serve in America. Had father and son been reconciled by then?

At the death of Frederick II in 1785, William became landgrave of Hesse-Cassel. The government of Hesse-Hanau remained in general separate from Hesse-Cassel. Cabinet and war office were, however, merged with those in Hesse-Cassel, and the court of appeal of Cassel got jurisdiction over Hanau in 1792. Until then Hesse-Hanau was ruled as an independent state, undergoing extensive modernizations with the erection of significant buildings in the capital of Hanau. Money for this came from the subsidies the reigning count received from his uncle, king George III of Great Britain. In return, Hesse-Hanau made available a contingent of 2,400 soldiers for the use of the British Crown in the American Revolutionary War. 

 

28mm WSS: Hay's Dragoons (2 squ)

 

The regiment's history began in 1678, when three independent troops of Scots Dragoons were raised. In 1681, these troops were regimented to form The Royal Regiment of Scots Dragoons, numbered the 4th Dragoons in 1694. They were already mounted on grey horses by this stage and were already being referred to as the Grey Dragoons. In 1707, they were renamed The Royal North British Dragoons (North Britain then being the envisaged common name for Scotland – rather an insult I would say being a Scot), but were already being referred to as the Scots Greys.

15mm Classical Indians (King Porus): Elephants (2)

 

28mm WSS: Ross' Dragoons (2 squ)

 

Here I am using Warlord Games plastic WSS cavalry for the first time. They are quite fiddly to assemble and the horse's heads are horrible, but when finished they don't look that bad plus, and this is important to me, they are quick to paint. The officer has actually come from the Artillery box and should represent a general of sorts but I have just made him the dragoon officer. My 'real' general figures will probably come from Ebor. Note British cavalry deploy in 2 ranks which accounts for the wide bases.

Charles Ross (or Rosse; 8 February 1667 – 5 August 1732) was a Scottish general and Member of Parliament.

He was the second son of George Ross, 11th Lord Ross. When Wynne's Regiment of Dragoons was raised in 1689, Ross joined as a captain, and served with the regiment in the Williamite War in Ireland. He went to Flanders with the regiment as lieutenant-colonel in 1694, and was appointed colonel of the regiment on Wynne's death, 15 July 1695. In 1704 he secured the title of the Royal Dragoons of Ireland for his regiment. Ross was promoted brigadier-general on 9 March 1702, and major-general on 1 January. He commanded a brigade of Dragoons at the battles of Blenheim, Ramillies, Oudenarde and Malplaquet. He was further promoted to lieutenant-general on 1 January 1707, made Colonel-General of all the Dragoons on 1 May 1711, and promoted to full general on 1 January 1712. He was removed from the colonelcy of the Royal Dragoons of Ireland on 8 October 1715, but reappointed on 1 February 1729, holding the post until his death.

28mm WSS: French (German) Regiment Zurlauben

This is the first of a two battalion Regiment I plan to have. Many sources describe it as Walloon but others state that it was a German regiment and I incline towards the latter view. It was at Blenheim and occupied the village of the same name (or Blindheim if you prefer). It was largely wiped out there and was never re-raised.

Interestingly it's proprietor was Lieutenant General Beatus Jacques II de Zurlauben, who commanded the Gendarmerie at that same battle and who later died of his wounds sustained on that bloody day. He was a Swiss who was much favoured by Louis XIV for his valiant performance at the Battle of the Boyne. Wiki says “Appointed lieutenant general on June 5, 1702, he made heroic efforts at the battle of Höchstädt (Blenheim)in 1704. Although he had received seven deep wounds, having placed himself at the head of the gendarmerie, he had thrice driven back the enemy;but not being seconded (supported), he was obliged to retire. The king, informed of his conduct, made the Minister of War write: "His Majesty commanded me to say ALL that you will be happy with the way in which he intends to compensate you, remember to heal promptly and to come and receive the reward for your services.". The letter was dated September 20;and, before it could reach him, Zurlauben died in Ulm.”

Flags from Flags of War. Lastly, one strange coincidence: one of his sons was a captain in the yellow-coated regiment (Hessy) I showed you recently.