Graham Cummings, of Cran Tara Fame, has been asking for suggestions of poses for his range of figures for the French Guard at Fontenoy. He wants to commission some different types of pose that I think will give move life to the unit, I may be wrong in this, but I think Graham is looking to have a unit that tells a story.
The most famous images of the French Guard at Fontenoy is the one that graced the cover of the late Charles Grants book, Fontenoy, which is a wargaming classic.
I think the poses in this painting would be perfect for a wargaming unit. The officer lining up his men, the NCO, standing at attention watching for any wavering fusiliers,the guardsmen, standing with musket at high porte, what a cracking unit this would make if Graham can get the painting replicated.
I have just finished reading a biography of Maurice de Saxe, who obviously commanded the French at Fontenoy, and one of the things that he would have liked to have done away with, was the French armies tradition up until that time, of allowing the enemy to fire their muskets first, to disconcert the enemy by the French soldiers sang froid!
Apparently the thinking was that the steadiness of the French soldiers acceptance of causalities would show the enemy what they were facing and disconcert them?
Unfortunately at Fontenoy, the volley from the English guardsmen wiped out the front ranks of the French Guard, and allowed the survivors to take the sensible option of legging it.
The other practice that Maurice wanted to do away with, was the tradition of the French officers standing in front of the ranks,facing the enemy, God help you if you were hated by your own men, never mind the English Army. Anyway, I hope Graham reads this post, and takes up my suggestion, and rewards me with a buckshee unit of the Guard for the idea. One can dream.
Robbie,
ReplyDeleteOf course I read this and I wholeheartedly agree with you re the pose and the painting. Let's see what comes and you know what sometimes dreams come true :)
Graham
Now dont build my hopes up too much please....
DeleteOne of my all time favourite pictures, Tony
ReplyDeleteYes - a great choice of picture
ReplyDeleteDidn't Tede Suren do those poses ? I know we planned them for Jacdaw- but fortunately I got tired of tricorn hats.
ReplyDeleteOf course the point of the picture is Lord Charles Hay of the 1st Footguards asking the French not to leg it .... see Hamilton - History of the Grenadier Guards .
Mind you Grants Fontenoy is still a useful volume.
Andy,
DeleteI dont think there was too many left to leg it after the Guards first volley.
Interesting French army tradition though, and pretty stupid as well.
Getting your enemy to fire first, preferably at a distance, was suppose to allow you to advance in with the cold steel and loaded muskets, which generally saw off the hapless defenders .... was the theory. Hence the British offer to the French to fire first. Whilst cant be said to have done the Garde any good they still won the battle !!!
ReplyDeleteInteresting officer and NCO poses are the way to go, perhaps a couple doffing thier hats and chancing thier luck ?
there is a long tradition of officers being shot by their own men, accidently or otherwise, not always surprising given how some of them treated thier men