Cossacks advice/info sought

[Kadrinazi]

If I remember rightly, Friends of General Haig posted photos here a few months ago of a very nice early seventeenth century mounted Cossack unit in Polish service. I seem to think that it was mainly TAG figures but mixed in with a few Foundry.

If you think about this:
http://theviaregia.blogspot.com/2021/05/polish-cossack-cavalry.html
that will be cossack cavalry, not mounted Cossacks. Two completely different things

[Paul Richardson]

Sorry. You're right, Kadrinazi, I was confusing two different things.

[Friends of General Haig]

Thanks, Paul and Michal, for remembering my cossack posts  .

I’ve been following the thread with interest as I expect to get some Cossacks (capital ‘C’!) eventually.

I love the Foundry mounted figures in the original post.  So much character!  I especially like the smaller ponies they are riding.  I used these for ‘Croat’ cavalry in my Imperial army, although I replaced / altered some of the firearms which looked a bit 18th century to me eye.  I will happily  reuse these as Polish cossack cavalry (small ‘c’!) in my Commonwealth army.  Foundry also do dismounted versions of the figures and I have these but not yet painted.

[Paul Richardson]

Ah, thank you. It was actually your first unit of Croats- which is largely made up of Foundry Cossacks - I was thinking of in my earlier post. I remember being pleased when you posted pictures of it because I've always loved the Foundry Cossacks and it gave me an excuse to buy some if I could use them as Croats.

[Ockius]

They are definitely characterful models!

Those transfers on Friends of General Hague's Polish cossacks are very inspiring.

But now I am finding out there are both big C and small c cossacks 


But I think I understand, so it's okay.

[Kadrinazi]

To, hopefully, make the issue of cossacks/Cossacks more clear, I will allow myself short quote from my book

"Before we look into detailed description of this formation, we need to first of all clarify some misunderstanding in regards to its name: both in Polish and in English. Originally this cavalry was called jazda kozacka (cossacks cavalry), with its soldiers being known as kozacy (written with lower case). It was term used to describe free man, ‘serving for money’ and was adopted for both military use and to name household servants, often mounted. In 16th century word started to be used to describe free men settled in Ukraine settled near Dniepr river but they were called Kozacy (written with upper case). As such, in original Polish text one could find both kozacy and Kozacy serving together in one army. Obviously it made it very confusing when translating it into English, when normally always one form – Cossacks – is being used, leading to many errors in identifying who is in fact described in the text and attributing many military features of Polish cossacks cavalry to Zaporozhian Cossacks. As such, in this book we will be using term cossacks cavalry or cossacks to describe regular cavalry in Polish army and Cossacks to describe Zaporozhian Cossacks"

[Ockius]

Thanks Kadrinazi.
Certainly lots of potential for confusion!

[bulldogger2000]

Yes...Cossack, stand alone armies, are plausible.

[Friends of General Haig]

A fabulous looking force, Bulldogger👍

[Ockius]

Very nice! That's a lot of horsemen.

[Hu Rhu]

Yes...Cossack, stand alone armies, are plausible.

Fabulous collection.       What make(s) are they?

[traveller]

Very interesting post with great info and pictures! In addition to Foundry and TAG my leadpile also consists of Old Glory and Perry Cossacks. I think they all mix very well. They will all be sent to pillage in Poland, Finland and Sweden during the wars between Sweden and Russia 1650s-1809: